All Posts By:

Marianne

Dutch Recipes

Bitterballen

Bitterballen are a typical Dutch snack (little round beef croquettes) and I miss them so much but I have finally found a good recipe to make them myself. It takes time to make but the result is worth it! This recipe makes about 20 bitterballen.

Bitterballen

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 500 gram stewing beef
  • 50 gram butter
  • 1 onion
  • 2 bay leaves
  • few cloves
  • splash of red wine (optional)
  • butter
  • 3 small cubes of Maggi bouillon (I bought them from the Dutch shop)
  • 60 gram flour
  • 60 gram butter
  • pepper and salt to taste
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 3-4 eggs
  • breadcrumbs
  • cornflakes crumbs

Instructions

1

Season the beef the pepper and salt and cut into cubes

2

Add the 3 little Maggi Bouillon cubes to 1 liter of boiling hot water and let them dissolve

3

Melt butter in the pan, I used a Dutch oven pan, and add the beef.

4

Cut the onion in big chunks and add them to the pan, together with the bay leaves, cloves and a splash of red wine.

5

Pour in the bouillon until all the ingredients are under water. Set the leftover bouillon aside, you might need to top up later on.

6

Let the bouillon come to a boil and then lower the heat to low.

7

Cover with the lid and let it simmer for at least 2-3 hours until you can shred the meat with a pair of forks.

8

Remove the meat to a plate and shred it into very small pieces.

9

Pour the bouillon through a sieve in a large cup, you will need about 1/2 liter for the roux, so set that aside to cool slightly (you can freeze in the leftovers).

10

To make the roux you add 60 gram of butter to a medium size saucepan and let it melt (don't let it brown).

11

When it's melted, add 60 grams of flour and mix well

12

Let the flour cook with the butter for a few minutes, keep stirring.

13

Add a little bit of the bouillon to the saucepan and stir it in until you have a smooth mixture.

14

Continue to do this until you have a thick roux, this takes about 1/2 liter of the bouillon.

15

Take of the heat and season the roux to taste with pepper, salt and a pinch of nutmeg.

16

Add the shredded beef and mix till combined.

17

Cover and let cool overnight in the fridge.

18

Divide roux mixture in 30-35 gram portions and roll into little balls. Oil hands with some olive oil so they won't stick as much.

19

Blitz cornflakes to little crumbs and add this to the breadcrumbs mixture.

20

Set up a coating station with eggs in one bowl, beaten, and crumbs in another bowl.

21

With left hand drop a roux ball in the egg, coat it and then transfer it to the crumbs.

22

With your right hand, coat the ball with the crumbs.

23

Do this with all the little roux balls 2 or 3 times (so each ball has 2 or 3 coats of breadcrumbs).

24

Store and freeze the bitterballen or deep fry them right away.

25

175 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes for the frozen bitterballen

26

180 degrees Celsius for 2-3 minutes for the non-frozen bitterballen

27

Serve with some mustard

Notes

This is a very basic recipe for bitterballen. If you have a good recipe for making broth (bouillon), by all means, try making bitterballen with your own broth/shredded beef. I will probably make the next batch using beef stock from Campbells (NZ) instead of the Maggi cubes.

0
Desserts

Toblerone Cheesecake

I will have to make this Toblerone cheesecake again just so I can make some photos of the inside. The cheesecake I made went to my husbands work and it was gone in seconds. Good excuse right?

Toblerone Cheesecake

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • -- For the base --
  • 250 gram digestives cookies
  • 60 gram cacao powder
  • 100 gram caster sugar
  • 150 gram butter
  • -- Cheesecake mixture --
  • 300g (Philadelphia) cream cheese
  • 300ml (whipping) cream (lightly whipped)
  • 200g Toblerone, melted (plus extra for decorating, I bought the 400 gram bar)

Instructions

1

Blitz biscuits to small crumbs in blender

2

Put crumbs in a mixing bowl

3

Add sugar, cocoa and melted butter

4

Mix till good combined

5

Line the bottom of springform 20 cm with baking paper

6

Put crumb mixture in springform and press it firm with the back of a spoon.

7

Melt 200 gram Toblerone chocolate over a bain-marie (bowl on top of a saucepan with hot water in it, don't let bowl touch water).

8

Lightly whip the whipping cream and set aside.

9

In another bowl mix cream cheese until smooth.

10

Pour the melted chocolate into the cream cheese and mix until combined.

11

Pour in the lightly whipped cream, fold in gently with a spatula until well combined and pour the mixture into the prepared biscuit base.

12

Spread the mixture evenly over the biscuit base with a (palette) knife until a smooth top.

13

Refrigerate at least 5 hours, preferably overnight.

14

Decorate the cheesecake with extra pieces of Toblerone any way you want.

0
Breads & Buns

French Brioche

Brioche is a pastry of French origin and the dough is enriched with lots of butter and egg yolks. This gives the bread a very fine, very soft crumb and an almost flaky texture, in addition to turning the crust a dark golden color after baking. This brioche has almonds on top with a honey and lemon glaze.

brioche pre bake

Before going into the oven

 

delicious

Delicious!

French Brioche with a Honey & Lemon Glaze

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 250 gram all purpose
  • 30 gram caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
  • 125 gram butter, soft and cool
  • 150 gram eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg lightly beaten for egg wash
  • -- For topping and glaze --
  • 50 gram sliced almonds
  • 45 gram icing sugar
  • 2 teaspoon honey
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

1

Add in flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer and mix together

2

Add in eggs, vanilla extract and on a slow speed and with dough hook attachment, mix the ingredients for about 3-4 minutes.

3

Increase the speed to medium and knead for another 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl.

4

The dough should not be warmer than 27 degrees. This will melt the butter faster when being added to the dough.

5

Add the room temperature butter to the dough and mix it in to the dough on a low speed. You might need to help incorporate the butter in to the dough with a spatula or spoon.

6

Continue kneading for about 3-5 minutes until the dough has a smooth and shiny surface

7

Wrap the dough in a piece a baking paper and let it rest at room temperature (18-24 degrees C) for about 30 minutes.

8

Then place the dough in the fridge for the first proof for about 12-14 hours.

9

Divide the dough in to 3 even pieces, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for another 20 minutes.

10

Flour your (cold and dry) hands and shape the first piece of dough in a log. Roll out the dough in a 35-40cm long stick.

11

Try to do this as quickly as possible to prevent the butter from melting; if it gets to warm/sticky, wrap in plastic and put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes.

12

Do this with all 3 paces of dough and then roll out further, to about 60 cm long, alternating between each dough.

13

Place the 3 long rolls of dough next to each other and pinch the tops together and start braiding.

14

Put the braid on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and connect the 2 ends to have a close circle.

15

Place a big container over the dough for the second rise (you can do plastic wrap but oil it first so that it won't stick to the dough).

16

Let it rise at room temperature (not higher then 24 degrees Celsius) for about 2-2.5 hours until double in size.

17

When that's finished, preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

18

Gently brush the egg wash on the dough and place the sliced almonds all around, as much or as little as you like.

19

Bake the brioche at 170 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes and then at 160 degrees Celsius for 10-15 until the bread has a nice golden brown colour. You can cover the bread with aluminum foil if the top browns to quickly.

20

Let it cool on a wire rack.

21

Meanwhile mix the icing sugar, honey and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix until you have a nice glaze

22

When the brioche is cooled down, drizzle the honey-lemon glaze over the brioche.

0
Cookies & Biscuits

Coconut Shortbread Biscuits

Here in New Zealand you can buy ‘Griffins Macaroon Chocolate Biscuits. A rich coconut macaroon coated in delicious creamy milk chocolate. They are really delicious so I thought to give it a try and make them myself. I found a recipe for coconut shortbread biscuits and got baking. These biscuits are not the same but it’s close. Perhaps even better!

Coconut Shortbread Biscuits

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 200 gram all-purpose flour
  • 100 gram icing powder
  • 100 gram butter
  • 2 tablespoon egg
  • 55 gram desiccated coconut
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2

Cream butter in a bowl light and fluffy together with the icing sugar

3

Add vanilla extract and egg

4

Fold in the flour and coconut and mix it until a cookie dough forms.

5

Make a flat disc of the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to cool for 15 minutes

6

Roll out the dough into a rectangle, you might need to flour the surface.

7

Mix some icing sugar and coconut and sprinkle that on top of the biscuits, and with the rolling pin, gently press the coconut into the dough.

8

Cut the dough in their shapes, squares, rectangles etc. whatever you want.

9

Transfer the biscuits to a baking pan lined with baking paper

10

Bake the biscuits in a preheated oven for 15 minutes

11

Let them cool on a wire rack.

Notes

Melt some chocolate and cover the biscuits. Sprinkle some coconut on top to make them even more decadent.

0
Breads & Buns

Pull-Apart Cheese Bread

This pull-apart cheese bread with Italian herbs is so good! Goes perfect as a side dish when you’re having spaghetti or lasagna. Or just eat as a snack. Or lunch… Or whenever. It’s that good!

Cheese & Italian Herbs Pull-Apart Bread

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 500 gram all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 sachet dry active yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs (or to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 250 ml warm water
  • 30 gram butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup any other cheese you have in fridge

Instructions

1

Combine milk, water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for about 10 minutes.

2

In a bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, salt and Italian herbs.

3

When yeast is activated, add to the flour mixture together with the olive oil.

4

Mix on medium-low speed until the dough pulls away from the bowl and forms a smooth soft ball (about 10 minutes)

5

Transfer dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm location until doubled in size, or about 1 hour.

6

Roll out the dough into a rectangle.

7

Brush the dough with melted butter.

8

Sprinkle all the cheese on to the dough.

9

Cut into 6 equal strips along the long side of the rectangle.

10

Stack the strips on top of each other and cut into 6 stacks.

11

Transfer the stacks into a loaf pan so that they stand up.

12

Cover loosely and let it rise for about 30-60 minutes.

13

Preheat the oven halfway the second rise to 175 degrees Celsius

14

Bake for 35 minutes.

Notes

Cover with foil if the top browns too quickly (I covered mine after 25 minutes or so).

0
Bars & Slices/ Kiwi Recipes

Chocolate Coconut Slice

Best of both worlds, chocolate and coconut! This is an easy and fast recipe.

Chocolate Coconut Slice

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 250 gram butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon golden syrup
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup coconut
  • --
  • For the icing you will need: 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1-2 tablespoon hot water (might need more)

Instructions

1

Melt the first four ingredients in a small saucepan. Do not boil. Let cool to room temperature.

2

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160C fan bake).

3

Grease an 18 x 27cm baking pan and line with baking paper for easy lift out.

4

Fold in the dry ingredients the to cocoa mixture and press into the baking pan.

5

Bake for 25 minutes.

6

Let it cool on a wire rack. Don't take the slice out of the pan yet.

7

Mix the icing ingredients together and mix well.

8

Ice the slice when warm, not hot, with chocolate icing and sprinkle additional coconut over the top.

0