Autumn Menu

I am a sucker for pumpkin. If you want to make me happy, feed me a pumpkin soup. It works like chocolate, I am only focused on my food when I eat a good pumpkin soup. But since I live with a guy now, time has come that I can't eat pumpkin soup every other day. Apparently, it is not a meal. *Sigh*

Despite my dissapointment, I did not want to surrender just like that. Therefore, I found a way in still  eating pumpkin (almost) every other day. And that is with roasted pumpkin, as a side dish of course. Today, the roasted pumpkin accompanied a steak with raspberry compote and goatcheese.

What do you need (2 persons)?

1/2 pumkin, in thin slices

thyme

honey

olive oil

dandelion salad

vinegar

mustard
pepper & salt

steak 

goatcheese

raspberry compote

What do you do?

Slice a half pumkin in thin pieces and put in an oven platter with (a good amount of) olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Roast it around 25 minutes, get it out of the oven and shift the pumpkin slives around. Roast it for another 10 minutes. Get it out the oven again and sprinkle honey on it, after that roast it another 5 minutes. Please check the pumpkin now and then with a fork, it has to be soft with crunchy on the sides. Get some dandelion salad on a plate and make a dressing with olive oil, vinegar, mustard and pepper and salt. Sprinkle it on the salad and put the roasted pumpkin on top.

Grill the steak with pepper and salt. Put it on a plate, put 3 small slices of goatchees on top (that way it melts) and some raspberry compote to complete it.

Bon appetit!

Staring at Jacob

The neighbourhood 'oud west' in Amsterdam has welcomed a new brunchroom. At the crossing of the Staringstraat with the Jacob van Lennepkade, Staring at Jacob has settled down. The owner, also known by G&T's Really Really Nice Place and Fraiche has used his creativity not only for the restaurant's name, the menu is even more interesting. Try a ' Tree Hugger' (quinoa with kale, chickpea and tofu, with yoghurt and granola on the side) or a 'Benny Hill' (poached eggs, english muffin and smoked avocado) together with a mimosa or maybe a screw driver to drink. Sit yourself down at the large wooden tables, or wait in the 'waitingroom' on the wooden tin-up chairs until the lovely English-speaking host comes to lead you to your table. Really really like the place? Then you can even buy one of the wooden chairs for 25 euros, paint it in you style and donate it back to the restaurant and enrich Staring at Jacon with your own style. You might get discovered by one of the arty visitors ;)

Staring at Jacob

Jacob van Lennepkade 215

Amsterdam

    

Cooking in Vaylats

As the parents of my boyfriend enjoy a second home in Vaylats (an hour above Toulouse, in the Lot area), I am happy to enjoy a two-yearly visit over there. We visit once in summer and once during christmas. This time, we were only there for three full days, so we enjoyed nothing more then playing some petang, swimming in the pool, reading books and eat, eat & eat. Since the mother of my boyfriend is a very, very good chef, I have enjoyed the food day after day. From chocolate cake to tabouleh and chicory pie, it all was delicious. We also helped out in the kitchen, preparing some gazpacho, or a light caprese salad. And of course my boyfriend couldn't stay off the barbecue. As I am not that of a meat lover, I enjoyed the large gamba's the most. See underneath for a recap of last days in France. Au revoir!

gamba's marinated with olive oil, chili pepper and italian herbs

veal

 

 savory cake with leek and ham

gazpacho with a garniture of cucumber, spanish ham, red onion and croutons

savory chicory pie with red union, honey and pine nuts

caprese salad

tabouleh with crab meat, tomato, parsley and peppers

  

chocolate cake

  

Fresh Summer Salads

Finally, it's summer! When it's this warm, I want to eat something fresh and light. Especially after a good run in the park, I like to end my day on the balcony in the late evening sun, with a salad. Salad can just make me so happy! You can fill it up full surprises and it is super healthy too. Since I don't eat that much meat (and only organic, when I do), I compensate this with eating fish, nuts and soy or other meat alternatives. Want to have some summer salad inspiration? See underneath a few of my latest recipes!

Goatcheese with walnut and apple salad

goatcheese (with honey)

apple (sauer green one)

walnuts

lettuce

balsamico syrup

Put the lettuce in a large bowl. Peel the apple and slice it in small pieces. Peel the cucumber and use a cheese slicer to slice it into thin pieces. Put in into the bowl. Crumble the goatcheese and add it on top. Cut the walnuts in bits with a large knife. Add the goatcheese and walnuts and top if off with balsamico syrup and salt and pepper.

Tuna salad with apple and olives

Tuna pate (John West)

lettuce

black olives

green apple
avocado
balsamico oil

Peel and slice the apple. Put it in a bowl together with the lettuce. Slice the avocado, add the black olives and end with the tuna. Mix everything with a bit of balsamico oil, salt and pepper.

Salad of shrimps, goatcheese and mango

shrimps

garlic

red pepper

goatcheese (not to sweet)

mango

lettuce

olive oil

Bake the shrimps in garlic and one (half) sliced red pepper and let them cool off. Slice the mango in pieces and mix it with the lettuce and the other (half) slices red pepper. Mix it with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Put the shrimps on top and add the goatcheese!

Beetroot, peach and feta salad

one can of slices beetroot

1 peach or nectarine

lettuce

feta cheese

boiled egg

Boil the egg. Put half or a quarter of the beetroot in a plate. Put some lettuce on top and sprinkle with some olive oil and pepper and salt. Slice the peach in nice parts (leave the skin on) and add it to the salad. Cut the fetacheese in small peaces and put it on top. End it with the soft boiled egg, slices on top.

Smoked salmon salad with avocado
Smoked salmon (100 gr for 1 person)
1 avocado 
boiled egg (soft)
cucumber
black olives
lettuce
yoghurt
lime
olive oil

Put the lettuce in a bowl. Peel the cucumber and slice it with a cheese knife. Add this together with the olives to the salad. Boil the egg. In the meantime, make the dressing. Get a half cup of yoghurt and add some lime juice (concentrated or fresh) and a few drips of olive oil. Taste if it is fresh enough and add salt and pepper. Put the dressing in the salad and mix it. Slice the avocado and lay it on top. Add the salmon on top and end with the (soft) boiled egg.

Enjoy!

Visiting... Hotel de Goudfazant

In a former Stork factory, somewhere in a desolated area with only industry, Amsterdam has one of its best French Restaurants, named Hotel de Goudfazant. It is situated in an old hangar with a view on the IJ river. From the outside, you only see big garage doors that reflect some signs of a restaurant. When you enter, the interior is industrial, open and very surprising. The restaurant is an open space with a heigh ceiling and red chairs on simple white covered tables. The bar is made out of painted brick stones. When you walk towards the toilets you pass two cars hanging above each other, as if you stepped into an auto garage. Left from that, there is a piano, and just after the hanging cars is a chesterfield couch to relax. They also have a private space, separated with large glass walls. And then the FOOD <3. A pate of duck with cranberry and pistachio to start with, a guinea with truffle gnocchi and green aspargues as main course and a delicious cheese platter to top if off. A top quality French three course menu for only 30 euros. And although the restaurant is situated in Amsterdam North (only reachable with the ferry when you take the bike), it was crowded with quests. So if you want to visit, please give them a call at 020 636 51 70 and visit them at:

Hotel de Goudfazant

Aambeeldstraat 10H

Amsterdam