pear chutney with walnuts - perenchutney met walnoten (GF-DF-SF)

It’s harvest time. Apples, pears, nuts, pumpkins, when you store them well you can keep these products all winter. That is also the nice thing about preserving. You can preserve the summer in a pot and use the sun energy when you need it the most! Especially after a non-summer like this year. That is why using canned tomatoes is such a good idea when there are none growing any more (or they must be shipped or flown from the other side of the world). They come from sunny Italy and they always taste better then a winter tomato from Holland, looking blushy and perfect, tasting nothing.

Back to the pears.
My father( 72) works together with a group of pensionados, they prune and keep up old orchards and in that way they help to preserve old apple and pear varieties. In exchange they can pick the fruit and once a year there is a market where they make fresh juices and sell all these varieties to the public. It’s a great group, they keep fit, by working out in the open, they have fun together and they do a great job.
Around this time a year my house smells like an orchard, every time my parents come around, with baskets full of juicy freshly picked apples and pears.
From the pears I made this lovely chutney.

Pear chutney with walnuts(1 pot)
2 pears
1 tbsp good olive oil
½-1 eschalotte, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
Some sprigs of lemon thyme
2 tbsp of nice flavored vinegar
2 tbsp date syrup
pepper and salt
6 walnuts, shelled and chopped coarsely

Warm the olive oil in a small sauce pan and softly sweat the onion, garlic and lemon thyme for 8 minutes.
Then add the vinegar, date syrup and pepper and salt to your taste.
Peel and chop the pears in small chunks and add to the liquid.
Cook softly for 30 minutes. Add the walnuts the last 5 minutes.
Eat with some gluten free toast and soft goats’ cheese.

Perenchutney met walnoten(1 potje)
2 peren
1 el goede olijfolie
½ -1 sjalotje, fijngesnipperd
1 teen knoflook, zeer fijn gesnipperd
wat takjes citroentijm
2 el lekkere azijn
2 el dadelsiroop
peper en zout naar smaak
6 walnoten, grofgehakt

Verwarm de olijfolie in een steelpan en smoor de ui, knoflook en citroentijm zachtjes, ongeveer 8 minuten.
Voeg dan de azijn, dadelstroop en peper en zout toe.
Schil de peren en hak in kleine stukjes en voeg aan het mengsel toe.
Laat heel zachtjes 30 minuten koken.
Voeg de laatste 5 minuten de gehakte walnoten toe.
Laat afkoelen en bewaar in een schone pot in de koelkast.
Heerlijk met een glutenvrije cracker en wat zachte geitenkaas!

Walnut cake (GF- DF)

Last week we went on are annual trip to our secret walnut place.

It’s quite a trip, for we have to go by train first, me and my sweet love C., then we walk to my parents ‘house, drink coffee and than go with their car to the other side of the river and follow it a while, go down dikes and up again, seeing beautiful old houses and trees on the way, spotting the tops of the castle of Loevestein above the willows and further we go into the Land of Heusden en Altena, till we reach our small dike, no houses anymore, but only the smell of autumnal soil, some late butterflies and bees and the walnut trees.
It’s always a joy to see them again, they are old acquaintances, I think I come here since my 12th , so over 35 years already.

For this Provencal walnut cake I used freshly picked walnuts, so they are still a little wet, but you can use any kind. Preferably crack your own walnuts instead of buying them without shell. They go rancid very quickly and loose their nutrients when peeled.
As you can see this cake doesn’t use any butter or fat; it’s a kind of biscuit dough, not moist but very tasty!

Gâteau de noix – walnutcake (GF- DF)(8 pers)

4 organic eggs
150 g sugar
10 g tartaric acid baking powder
40 g brown rice flour
40g maizena or corn starch
2-3 tsp espresso coffee
180 g walnuts, chopped

Pre heat the oven on 180 ˚C.

Prepare a baking tin (20 Ø cm) with some oil and/or baking paper.

Split the eggs and mix the yolks with the sugar for about 5 minutes till you have a light and fluffy mixture. Sift the baking powder, rice flour and corn starch and use a spatula to fold it into the egg mixture. Then the coffee and walnuts.
With a clean mixer and a pinch of salt you beat the egg whites till they are stiff and you can hold your bowl upside down.
Add to the flour mixture and fold it in gently.
Scoop the dough into the baking tin and bake the gateau 30-40 minutes in the middle of the oven. After 30 minutes you can open the oven to check if the cake is done yet by sticking a sharp knife into the cake. When it comes out clean your cake is ready. Otherwise let it bake another 5-10 minutes.
Let it cool for 5 minutes before you remove the mold.
Leave the gateau to cool complete before serving!
Enjoy.

Gateau de noix – walnootcake (GF-DF) (8 pers)

4 biologische eieren
150 g witte basterdsuiker
10 g wijnsteenzuur bakpoeder
40 g bruine rijstmeel
40 g maïzena
2 ½ tl espresso koffie
180 g versgedopte walnoten, fijngehakt

Verwarm de oven voor op 180˚C.

Vet een springvorm van 20 cm Ø in met wat olie en/of bekleed de vorm met bakpapier.

Splits de eieren en klop eerst de eidooiers met de suiker 5 minuten tot een glad en schuimig geheel.
Zeef het bakpoeder, rijstmeel en de maïzena en spatel dit door het eimengsel.
Schep dan de koffie en de walnoten er doorheen.
Klop de eiwitten met een schone mixer en een snufje zout tot ze stijf zijn en je de kom op zijn kop kunt houden. Schep de eiwitten door het deeg.
Schep dan het deeg in de springvorm en bak de taart 30-40 minuten in het midden van de oven. Na 30 minuten kun je de oven open doen om met een scherp mes in de taart te steken. Komt het mes er schoon uit dan is je walnotencake gaar. Anders laat je de cake nog 5-10 minuten bakken.
Laat de vorm 5 minuten staan voordat je de springvorm los maakt.
Laat volledig afkoelen voordat je de gâteau de noix serveert.
Geniet ervan.

gratin dauphinois (GF-SF)

I’m making a gratin Dauphinois and although I really planned to make it the original way, I could not help myself but to put in a little onion and chopped garlic, just because, you know, etc.
The original consists of potatoes, garlic (but only to smear the inside of the oven casserole!), butter, crème fraîche (and milk), salt, pepper and some grated nutmeg. Nothing less, nothing more.

I love the dish, it’s hearty, warming, comfort food. Great to make in advance, and you have to, because it takes 1 ½ hours in the oven to get ready, delicious with a nice salad and another vegetable dish like the great tasting “dirty rice” from Elana’s Pantry.

Gratin Dauphinois, the classic way (4 pers)

1 kg potatoes, not too loose cooking
1 clove of garlic
50 g butter
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
125 ml crème fraîche
125 -200 ml milk, to just reach the top layer of potatoes


Pre-heat the oven on 160˚C.

Prepare your ovenproof baking dish by cutting in half the garlic clove and rubbing it in the bottom and sides. Then grease the dish with some butter. Set aside.

Peel the potatoes and slice them very thin, 2 mm, no more!
Layer by layer you put in the potato slices. Put some salt, pepper and nutmeg on every layer.

Mix the crème fraîche and the milk and pour over the potato, just as it reaches the final layer.
Put the rest of the butter in small pieces on top

Bake for 75 minutes in the middle of the pre-heated oven.
The last 15 minutes you put the baking dish high up so the top side can color.

Enjoy your day and dinner!! Namaste!

Gratin Dauphinois, de klassieker (4 pers)

1 kg aardappelen, niet te bloemig, niet te glazig
1 teen knoflook
50 g boter
Zout, peper, nootmuskaat
125 ml crème fraîche
125-200 ml melk, tot je de bovenste laag aardappels bereikt

Verwarm de oven voorop 160˚C.

Snijd de knoflookteen doormidden en wrijf de binnenkant van de ovenschaal ermee in.
Vet daarna goed in met wat boter. Zet apart.

Schil de aardappelen en snijd ze in flinterdunne plakjes, van maximaal 2 mm!
Leg steeds een dun laagje aardappelplakjes in de schaal en bestrooi elke laag met wat zout, peper en nootmuskaat. Ga door tot de schaal bijna vol is.

Meng de crème fraîche en de melk en giet over de aardappelplakjes, precies tot je de bovenste laag bereikt hebt. Leg wat klontjes boter bovenop.

Bak de gratin eerst 75 minuten in het midden van de voorverwarmde oven.
Daarna plaats je de gratin hoger in de oven om nog 15 minuten te bakken en te bruinen.
De schotel moet echt minimaal 90 minuten in de oven om te garen!
Dus begin op tijd.

Geniet van de gratin dauphinois en je dag!
Namaste!

fish stew with aioli (GF-DF-SF)

I made this lovely fish dish from “scratch”.
The aioli makes it velvety and rich with a nice tang of the Dyon mustard.

Rewriting the recipe when you make something from scratch is always a bit tricky but I’ll give it a try.

Fish stew with aioli  (2-3 pers)

For the stew:
2 pieces of mackerel filet (bones removed!!), cut each in 5 big pieces
1 piece of salmon filet, cut in 6 pieces
4 big potatoes
4 big carrots
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 big cloves of garlic, finely chopped
some fresh sage leaves
½ lemon
1 handful of parsley
1 handful of coriander
Salt and pepper

For the aioli:
1-2 cloves of garlic
Pinch of salt
1 egg yolk (organic)
1 tsp of Dyon mustard
1 tbsp nice vinegar
1 dl peanut or other vegetable oil
½ dl extra vergine olive oil

We start with the aioli:
In a mortar crush the garlic with some salt till you have a smooth paste. Throw in the egg yolk and mix thoroughly. Then, drop by drop, add the peanut oil and whisk it in. When the mixture emulsifies you can pour in the peanut oil in a thin line, while you keep on whisking. It will become a thick mixture. Then add the mustard and vinegar, mix well and proceed with the olive oil. Taste and add some more mustard or vinegar or pepper and salt. Set aside. The garlic needs some time to come to taste.

Peel the potatoes and boil them in water with a pinch of salt till they are done, about 20 minutes.

Marinate the fish in the juice of half a lemon, some salt and pepper and some fresh herbs.

Peel the carrots and sauté them with the onion and garlic in some good olive oil for about 10 minutes. Them throw in the sage leaves, 1-2 dl of water and some chopped parsley stalks and let it stew for another 10 minutes with the lid on. You can add a bay leaf too.

Just before the potatoes are ready we bake the fish pieces in some olive oil in 2-3 minutes.
To assemble the dish, drain the potatoes and add them to the carrots. Then the fish and the freshly chopped herbs.
Add some tablespoons of aioli or put the aioli on the table so everybody can help themselves and can add to their taste. It is a great dish, enjoy!!

You can experiment with the ingredients you have in your vegetable drawer. I think it’s nice too with leeks and tomatoes.

Visstoofpotje met aioli (2-3 pers)

voor het stoofpotje:
2 stukjes verse makreel filet (kijk of alle graatjes eruit zijn!), ieder in 5 stukken
1 stuk zalmfilet, in 6 stukken
4 grote aardappels
4 flinke wortels
1 ui, gehakt
2 tenen knoflook, fijngehakt
wat verse salieblaadjes
½ citroen
handvol verse koriander, fijngehakt
handvol verse peterselie, fijngehakt
peper en zout

voor de aioli:
1-2 tenen knoflook
snuf zout
1 biologische eidooier
1 tl Dyon mosterd
1 el lekkere azijn
1 dl arachide olie of andere neutrale plantaardige olie
½ dl lekkere extra vergine olijfolie

Eerst maak je de aioli, zodat die op smaak kan komen.

Stamp de knoflook met een snuf zout in de vijzel tot een smeuiig geheel.
Voeg de eidooier toe en roer goed door elkaar.
Druppel voor druppel giet en mix je met een garde de pindaolie door het eimengsel. Het zal langzaam emulsifiëren (dik worden en vermengen). Dan kun je de olie in een dun straaltje toevoegen terwijl je blijft kloppen!
Roer er dan de mosterd en azijn door en ga door met de olijfolie. Eerst drup voor drup dan weer een straaltje. Proef af en toe. En voeg op het laatst zout en peper naar smaak toe. Zet opzij.

Schil de aardappels, snijd ze in 4 en kook ze in ongeveer 20 minuten gaar.

Marineer de vis in het citroensap met peper en zout en wat van de verse kruiden. Zet opzij.

Dan maak je de wortels schoon en snijd ze in plakjes of lange staafjes. Sauteer de wortels in wat olijfolie met de ui en knoflook in een grote braadpan, ongeveer 10 minuten.
Voeg dan de salie toe, 1-2 dl water en gehakte peterseliesteeltjes en stoof nog 10 minuten met het deksel op de pan. Je kunt nog een laurierblaadje toevoegen.

Net voordat de aardappels gaar zijn bak je stukken vis in wat olijfolie snel gaar, 2-3 minuten.

Gerecht samenstellen:

Giet de aardappels af en laat even uitstomen. Voeg ze bij de wortels. Dan de vis en de rest van de verse kruiden. Meng voorzichtig door elkaar. Voeg een paar eetlepels aioli toe en meng goed.
Zet de rest van de aioli op tafel zodat iedereen naar smaak nog wat kan toevoegen.

Je kunt experimenteren met de ingredienten: lijkt me ook heerlijk met prei en tomaat bijvoorbeeld.

madeleines (GF)

What can I say?
Make them and try them, they are delicious.

I bought the madeleine mold in France (where else!) in a wowee hypermarché.
I love them, it’s a village on it’s own; they have literally everything, from bread to bowling tools, fresh fish to all kinds of canned fish and other goodies, the “latest” fashion items, shoes, underwear, books, great wines, organic food, local products, glass and tableware etc. You can dine there, let your shoes repair, do your banking business, get the cheapest fuel.
After shopping there half of your day is gone and you’re dead tired.
There is some strange (no day)light and aircon atmosphere and it’s so big.
But, you can enjoy yourself for quite a time, and spent your money, Pff.

Back to baking business.
I read a lot about making madeleines (Yes, also Proust) and tried some recipes. I still remember the madeleines I ate when I was 10 years old in a very small village bakery in the Dordogne. They were heaven.

These beauties are no remake, because they are gluten free and I decided to use buckwheat flour and make them far less sweet than they are usually. The buckwheat gives them more bite and a nuttiness I really like.
I hope you do too.

Madeleines (15 small ones)

75 g buckwheat flour
25 g fine almond flour
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp acid tartar baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tbsp candied orange peel, very finely chopped
50 g cane sugar,ground into icing sugar
2 organic eggs
1 tbsp honey
seed of half a vanilla bean
50 g organic butter

Melt the butter first and set aside.

Mix the 2 flours with the cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

With a hand mixer mix the 2 eggs with the icing sugar for some minutes.
Add the honey and vanilla seed and mix again for some minutes.

Sift in the flour mixture in 2-3 parts and fold it in with a spatula.
Add the orange peel and fold that in too.
Lastly stir in the butter and fold it in gently.

Cover the bowl with cling film and let the dough rest for at least 2 hours in the fridge. You can also make the dough in the evening and bake the madeleines first thing in the morning.

Before you start baking the madeleines, pre-heat the oven on 220˚C.

Grease the madeleine mold and scoop the dough in, not more than ¾ full.
Bake the first batch in the hot oven for 6 minutes, then lower the heat to 180˚C and bake them off for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool them on a wire rack. Bake the second batch.

Eat them as they are, or with some Greek yoghurt and jam or strawberry compote I made.

Madeleines (15 kleintjes)

75 g boekweitmeel
25 g zeer fijn gemalen amandelmeel
¼ tl kaneel
½ tl wijnsteenzuur bakpoeder
snufje zout
1 el sinaasappelsnippers, fijngehakt
50 g rietsuiker, tot poedersuiker gemalen
2 biologische eieren
1 el honing
zaad van ½ vanilleboon
50 g biologische boter

Smelt eerst de boter en zet deze apart.

Meng de 2 meelsoorten met kaneel, bakpoeder en zout.

Mix de 2 eieren met een handmixer samen met de poederrietsuiker een aantal minuten tot een dik, schuimig mengsel. Voeg de honing en het vanillezaad toe en mix nog een paar minuten tot alles goed gemengd is.

Zeef steeds wat van het meelmengsel erbij en spatel het door het eimengsel.
Voeg de sinassnippers toe en spatel er door.
Als laatste spatel je de afgekoelde boter er voorzichtig door.

Je madeleine deeg is nu klaar.
Bedek de kom met huishoudfolie en laat minstens 2 uur in de koelkast rusten. Je kunt het deeg ook ‘s avonds maken en de madeleines ’s morgensvroeg bakken!

Voordat je de madeleines gaat bakken verhit je de oven voor op 220˚ C.

Beboter de madeleinevorm en vul de vormpjes ongeveer voor driekwart.
Bak de madeleines eerst 6 minuten in de hete oven, verlaag dan de oventemperatuur naar 180˚ C en bak ze nog 5 minuutjes.

Laat ze afkoelen op een rekje en eet ze zoals ze zijn of met dikke yoghurt of zure room en zelfgemaakte jam.
Ik maakte deze aardbeiencompote nog van de laatste heerlijke Zuid-Hollandse aardbeien van mijn speciale marktgroentevrouw!!

tomato zucchini soup (GF-DF-SF)

While I’m waiting for the madeleine dough (just wait and see!) that’s resting in the fridge, I made this very nice soup. I was inspired by Jeroen Meus, a Belgian chef with his own tv program.
I have some bowel trouble and a bowl of fresh and comforting soup will do me good.

It’s a quick and simple recipe.
You can use fresh tomatoes or a can of peeled tomatoes.
This is a great soup to fill with these too big zucchini that come from the garden now (I got one from my mum, thank you!!)

Tomato zucchini soup (4 pts)

4 big juicy tomatoes, coarsely chopped or a can of peeled ones
1 big zucchini, lengthwise in 4, then in big slices
1 big onion
2-4 cloves of garlic
a bouquet garni (2 bay leafs, some fresh thyme sprigs, some parsley stalks)
vegetable broth, about ½ l
freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Chop the onion coarsely and the garlic a little less.
Fry them softly in olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Then add the tomatoes and bake them together for another 5 minutes.
Add the zucchini, the bouquet garni and the vegetable broth till all vegetables are well under the fluid.
Bring to the boil and let simmer for another 20 minutes. Take out the bouquet garni and blend the soup.
Taste and add freshly ground pepper and maybe some salt.
This time I put in some left-over pesto I had in the fridge. Some fresh basil will do too I think!

You can add some cooked chickpeas to make it a whole meal soup.

Tomaat courgette soep (4p)

4 grote rijpe tomaten of 1 blikje gepelde tomaten, grof gehakt
1 flinke courgette, in de lengte in 4, dan in schijven
1 flinke ui, grof gehakt
2-4 tenen knoflook, gehakt
1 bouquet garni, 2 laurierblaadjes, paar takjes tijm, paar steeltjes peterselie
ongeveer 1/2 l groentebouillon
versgemalen zwarte peper
goede olijfolie

Bak de ui en knoflook zachtjes in de olijfolie.
Voeg dan de tomaatstukjes of blik toe en bak 5 minuten mee.
Voeg dan courgette, bouquet garni en bouillon toe tot alle groentjes goed onder staan.
Breng aan de kook en laat nog 20 minuten zachtjes pruttelen. Haal het bouquet garni eruit en pureer de soep met een staafmixer. Proef en breng op smaak met versgemalen peper en eventueel wat zout.
Ik heb er nog een schep van-gister-overgebleven-pesto ingedaan. Verse basilicum is ook erg lekker!

Voor een wat rijker gevulde soep kun je gekookte kikkererwten toevoegen!

casse-dents or croquants aux amandes (GF-DF)

We had a wonderful time in the Provence this summer.
It was a big feast of colors, odours, nature vs. (old) culture, love and peace, tastes, visits and meetings with new and old friends.
After, I think, 25 years we came back to this beautiful, vibrating place in France.

It’s full of farmer’ markets and local producers are selling their beautiful vegetables, chèvres, honey, wines, olives and olive oil everywhere. A lot of the produce is organically grown.
I had totally forgotten the true taste of a sun ripen tomato and peaches and apricots straight from the tree.

The pace in the Provence is slow, it’s slow cooking, slow dining, slow living, slow enjoying, slow petanque, slow shopping, slow walking; the sun is there almost every day, the mountains, the old landscape, the houses, villages, hameaux, the flowers, the fruits all had the time to grow.
I love it!! I want to be there more often and we will!

The only BUT for a celiac patient are the patisseries, they are all gorgeous, but only to look at for me, there are no petits gateaux pour moi!
When I had my birthday I found glutenfree meringues and I made these beauties with fresh berries and crème fraîche, mmm.

Today I made gluten-free croquants aux amandes or casse-dents (break your teeth’s! So beware).
They are really crunchy, partly because there is no use of butter or oil, only the natural fats from the almonds are in.

Casse-Dents or Croquantes aux Amandes (GF – DF)

100 g almonds
200 g rice flour (I use Dove’s Farm)
75 g raw cane sugar
pinch of salt
1 tbs orange zest or candied orange peel
2 organic eggs
2 tbs orange blossom water

Pre-heat the oven on 190˚ C

Roast the almonds with the skin on in a casserole with a thick bottom about 10 minutes. Set them aside and let them cool. Then chop them roughly with a big knife.

Mix the dry ingredients, make a little well in the middle and put the eggs in with the 2 tablespoons of orange blossom water.
Mix with a fork and then throw in the chopped almonds and knead with one hand.
Form 2 logs, flatten them with your hands and lay them on a piece of baking paper on the baking tray.
Bake 10 minutes in the oven, then turn them and bake another 10 minutes.

Take them out of the oven, let them cool 5 minutes and then slice them with a very sharp knife. Place them back in the oven for another 10 minutes, let them cool completely.
Enjoy in the morning with a nice café crème or in the afternoon with an infusion of verveine. They are also great to take with you on a brisk walk! Enjoy!!