Paté truffles

Break 5 speculaas biscuits into the blender, turn it on the create a fine powder. 

If you live outside the Netherlands or Begium: cut 2 slices of ginger bread in small cubes, dry them in the oven (125 C) for one hour, then pulverise in the blender.

Mix 80g duck paté with 1 tbsp red port, divide in 4 parts and use both hands to create 4 small balls. Cover them with the powder.

Do the same with 80g wild boar paté and 1 tsp armagnac.

The third ball is made from pigeon paté with pistachio nuts.

Serve the duck balls with cranberry compote, the pigeon balls with apricot jam end the boar with onion compote

(Here Stephany Bex' original recipe in Dutch)

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Fish and potato gratin

Preheat the oven at 200°C

Wash and slice 2 leeks, sweat the rings in 25g butter

Peel and thinly slice (using a mandolin is best) 500g waxy potatoes (I used Gourmand)

Cut 300g fillets of haddock or whiting in bite size chunks

Butter an oval casserole, cover the bottom with the leek and 50g samphire.

Sprinkle with 50g grated cheese (I used Old Amsterdam)

Then add the fish (I added some left over brown shrimps as weel) season with salt and pepper, 1 tsp thyme leaves and again 50g grated cheese.

Finish with the potato slices, each one covering 80% of the previous one. Stick 4 laurel leaves between the potatoes. Add another tsp thyme leaves and some ground paprika.

Whisk 200ml double cream with 1 grated clove of garlic and some pepper, then pour over the potatoes.

Finally cover with 50g grated cheese, cover with alu foil and bake in the hot oven for 45 mins.

Then raise the temperature to 220°, remove the alu foil and bake for another 12-15 mins to create a gold brown top.

(Here Yvette van Boven's original recipe in Dutch)

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Chicken, lemon and artichoke soup

First make the stock. Peel 1 onion, cut it in half and put it in a large saucepan or casserole. Add 800g chicken thighs (bone in) and a handful of wings, 2 carrots, 1 stick of celery, snapped in half, 6 peppercorns, 4 thick coins of ginger and 5 sprigs of thyme. Pour in 2 litres of water and bring to the boil.

Lower the heat, partially cover with a lid and simmer for 50 minutes, checking the water level from time to time.

Peel 2 Jersusalem artichokes (aardperen), then cut them into large chunks. In a large pan heat 1 tbsp groundnut oil, then add the artichokes and let them cook for 10-15 minutes, until lightly coloured, stirring from time to time. Ladle in 1.5 litres of the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes until the artichokes are fully tender.

Remove the chicken pieces from the stock and set aside. (You may have some stock left over, so carefully strain it through a sieve or colander into a bowl or large jug and discard the aromatics. Cool, then store it in the fridge until needed.) Remove and discard the chicken skin. Pull the meat from the bones, then tear or slice into strips and set aside.

Blend the artichokes and stock with a stick blender or ladle into a jug blender and reduce to a thick, creamy textured soup. Stir in the shredded chicken.

To finish, finely chop a handful of parsley and stir in. Check the seasoning adding salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. (You may not need the entire lemon.) 

Peel and slice 2 more artichokes, then fry them in the oil in a shallow pan for 7-10 minutes until tender and golden. Add them to the soup and then pull the thyme leaves from a few sprigs and sprinkle (which I forgot) on top at the last minute 

(Another great Nigel Slater recipe)

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Scallops, Jeruzalem artisjok, red wine sauce

Peel 125g Jeruzalem artichokes, cut into even pieces and boil in 1/2 dl milk and 1/2 dl double cream. Drain (keep some of the liquid). Mash with 5g butter, season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and curcuma.

Shave 1/2 artichoke (unpeeled) into thin slices and deep-fry crispy in 160°C oil. Season with sea salt

Slice 1/2 shallot finely and sweat in butter, Add a sprig of thyme and deglaze with 1/2 dl red wine and 1 dl jus de veau. Season with salt and reduce till 1/3 is left.

Put through a sieve, add 1/2tbsp cream and whisk, one at the time, 50g cubes of ice cold butter to make the sauce

Panfry the scallops, 1 min per side and season with sea salt

Serve as shown

(Here the recipe from Njam in Flemish)

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Smoked salmon blini

In a large bowl whisk 2 tbsp buckwheat flour with 3 tbsp all purpose flour, 1 tsp sugar, 1/8 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 egg yolk and 60ml milk.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until it holdS soft peaks. Gently fold the egg white into the batter until combined. Fold the 2 tablespoons melted butter into the batter.

In a large heavy cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat about 1/2 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, spoon level 1 tablespoons of the batter (about 6 at a time) into the skillet and cook until bubbly and dry on top, about 1 minute. Flip the blini and cook until golden on the bottoms, about 45 seconds more. Transfer the blini to a serving platter and repeat with the remaining batter.

Stir 2tbsp creme fraiche with 2 tbsp mayo and 1 tbsp horseradish cream.

Put 2 tsp of this mix on each blini, then some samphire, smoked salmon and some capers.

Finely grate some fresh horse radish on top and a sprig of dill

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Walnut-crusted monkfish in lemon wine sauce

Preheat oven to 220°C

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. 

Pat 2 monkfish fillets dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Place on prepared baking sheet 1/2 inch apart. 

For the crust, in a medium bowl, combine 40g panko, 25g chopped walnuts and 20g Parmesan. Mix in 2 tbsp melted butter, 1/3 tbsp horseradish, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp chopped parsley, 1 tsp dill and some lemon zest to form a crumbly mixture. Divide panko mixture evenly atop fish and press gently to adhere. 

Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on top of fish. 

Bake until cooked through, 12-15 minutes. 

For the sauce, in a medium saucepan, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp chopped shallots and stir for 2 minutes, until slightly softened. Turn heat to high and add 100ml white wine and 1tbsp lemon juice. Boil until liquid is reduced, about 6-8 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low and stir in 1 tbsp butter until melted. 

Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve over crusted monkfish.

(Here the original recipe from Bite Me More)

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Spicy linguine, with n'duja and sweet cherry tomatoes

    In a non-stick pan warm 1 tbsp olive oil, halve and then slice an onion and sweat for about 5 min.

Add 60g n'duja (from a jar) and warm softly (it burns easily).

Add 200g halved sweet cherry tomatoes, fold them in the warm nduja and continue cooking. Stir in 40g halved sweet&sour cornichons and 2 tsp capers.

Leave to simmer for 4 mins. till the tomatoes start giving up their juice. Stir in 1 tbsp olive oil, taste and stir in some ketchup to sweeten if preferred .

In the meantime cook 125g linguine.

Drain the linguine, toss with the sauce, folding the sauce trough the pasta

(Recipe by Nigel Slater)

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