Celebrate the Summer... Pink Panna Cotta

On my way to Elba for some classic swan racing...

But Ryanair or Pisa air traffic control, the Irish or the Italians, decided to take it slow today.
Two hours delay...here I am stuck in my seat 3F watching the screaming yellow that Ryanair uses as background colour. Never understood that... Why such an intense colour? Aren't they supposed to pick some soothing grey or pink to calm down the restless during takeoff, landing or crashing? This yellow makes me want to shriek and hurts my eyes. Especially with the hangover head that I have from my graduation-party-week.

IPod plays Elvis Presley’s “White Christmas” song ... too lazy to press next. “...I'm dreaming of a white Christmas just like the ones I used to know where those tree tops glisten and children listen to hear sleighbells in the snow. Oh snow. Oh and I I I I am dreaming of a White Christmas...”

Outside its 27C... I like the absurdity of this world...

So... I decided now is as good a time as any to write you guys about my new favourite dessert. Get myself back to summer and Italian vibes.

Summertime is berry time!
Raspberry, strawberry (my personal favourite especially when they are from Ellens' garden mmmmmmmmm!), blackberry, cranberry and the ones with the most childhood memories... Red berries!

Mmm, my beloved grandfather had them in his garden. They were planted with perfection only he can hold up. They were carefully guarded from greedy birdies with complicated net configurations but never safe from hungry little grandchildren. We used to skip dessert, sneak through the little gate and hunt for the beautiful red pearls! We would help ourselves until our tummies were round little barrels full of the juicy treats. Sadly enough our grandfather passed away and with him he took the berries.

But we have a new endless source of the goodies; our retired electricity man. He takes hours to pick them just to be away from his wife. :) I have the impression he loves his wife more and more with the years because every year he brings more and bigger ones!

Watch out they are not for everyone, if you have a sweet tooth you might prefer them marinated in sugar like my father and my sister. These berries are the sourest of all berries. But that's what I love about them and that's why this dessert is my new all time favourite dessert. It’s got that sour touch to it I seek so desperately when having dessert. For me it’s not the sweets that finish of a perfect meal. It’s the juicy fruity acidity that I want to feel on my palate when leaving the table.
The Panna Cotta is a classic Tuscan dessert, normally very rich and creamy. The combination here of buttermilk and red berries cuts right through this creaminess. I took the Panna Cotta recipe from

www.deliciousdays.com (best food blog in the world!). I substituted Nicky’s blueberries for my red berries. I had to up the dose of sugar quite a bit to get the right balance. Also the amount of gelatine she uses isn't enough to get my Panna Cotta even remotely firm. So I doubled that too and now we are on the right track. Although I agree with Nicky, I don't need a gelatine chunk Panna Cotta, I prefer it when it’s still a bit oozy and runny.
Summer is here, let's forget about white Christmases and delayed planes and bring happy smiles to our faces and stomachs!

Red Berry Buttermilk Panna Cotta
Serves 6

adapted from www.deliciousdays.com
400ml cream
4 tbsp sugar
1 vanilla stick
200 ml buttermilk
300g red berries
4 sheets of gelatine
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water. Put the cream, sugar and vanilla stick (sliced lengthwise) on a low heat for 15 minutes to infuse. Mix buttermilk and berries with a stand mixer. Sieve this mixture. Remove cream from the heat. Incorporate the gelatine sheets in this slightly cooled mixture add the berries and buttermilk. Before putting in small serving bowls pass it through a fine mesh sieve again. Let the little pots rest in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours.
I served them with a red berry coulis, and some roasted pistachios!

Hamachi Crudo, a quickie but a goodie

Not a lot of time because it's full on exams next week. The last ones before I finally graduate!!!

But I was lucky enough to get my hands on some ultra fresh wild Hamachi (yellow tail) last Wednesday. Oddly enough caught in the Mediterranean Sea!

We had it as a wonderful appetizer. I thought I must share it with you because it is so easy and this fish is so so rare to find here.

Crudo is the Italian answer to sushi. They believe soy sauce and wasabi kill the delectable tastes of the beautiful fresh raw fish. So they keep the fish as pure and simple as possible. Although it has to have olive oil of course! A dish couldn't possibly exist, live, without olive oil, the oxygen in Italian cuisine!

So simply cut your Hamachi into sashimi like slices. And assemble your dish by drizzling the slices with high quality extra virgin olive oil, a touch of lime juice, some fresh herbs and fresh black pepper and sea salt.

Of course this works with any fish you fancy eating raw, not just Hamachi!

I went for some extra touches in my crudo dish, just because I'm me...

Instead of using olive oil, I used homemade langoustine oil, a subtle wonderful flavor. I also used black sea salt for colors, grounded dried chili for heat and purple basil for an exotic touch. Plus I prefer eating it with chopsticks... Delicate dishes need to be handled with delicate care.
Be as creative as possible is the message here but let the fish play the main part!

Homemade langoustine oil

(adapted from "Gastronomie met een ziel, 196 recepten van 65 chefs")

Next time you have langoustines, keep the cracked claws and dry them out in the oven for a couple of hours. Then simply add them to your favorite oil to infuse it with the langoustine taste. Sieve the oil before you use it.

One!!!

The Hidden Glasshouse is one year old!
It has been an interesting and exciting year. Finally putting my food musings down on paper or more particularly on the net was the best plan ever!

Whereas before I would cook up concoctions (some more successful than others) and they would vanish into happily filled stomachs as the dishwashers hums peacefully.
Now, having the blog, it disciplines me into writing down these brewings and documenting them with photo material. They don’t disappear into thin air anymore.
Mais aussi, I love doing mini-researches for my blog.
Maybe it’s the scientist in me that comes out but having some theoretical facts and figures before writing my post is essential to me.

And there are of course my devoted readers!
Thank you everyone! It’s been a joy!

But I want to dedicate this post to two of my biggest supporters.
Not just because they read every single one of my posts. They are prominent foodies (one has a very useful book). We share the same values in life. We have an unbeatable optimism. We like living our lives to the fullest. And they are really two of my closest ‘old’ friends. Although they do not live in Belgium, wherever they are or I am, I know they are just a phone call away.
So first Georgina, my dear Georgina, she is the most charming English lady I know. She is an old friend of my mother when she studied in London.
She and her husband moved to France in 1993. Moving to France brought them close to us which I find a real treat! I used to love their little weekend getaways to Ghent. When Georgina is in the house there is always the sound of laughter.
Sadly enough her dearest husband passed away last year. He was such a good old fellow and could make the best pies in the world! A real English doctor; kind hearted and good spirited.

We all truly miss him that’s for sure. But on the upside it means we see a little bit more of Georgina. And she tells wonderful stories about the old days. She is always a huge supporter when I’m standing in the kitchen. And also an excellent second set of hands.
She has a brilliant book, well actually 3 and a 4th on the way. “The Cooktionary” is a handy guide. It translates French gastronomic, culinary and household words into English.
It’s an attempt to make the English and French enjoy food together in peace. I know it’s a long shot, but I tell you get it in your house and you’ll see what it does to you. It’s not just translations. It’s also packed with knowledge and useful facts. For international cooks like me, with cookbooks in every language of the world (being English, French and Dutch. Bien sur! Quoi d’autre?!), it’s a must.

She brought me the best eastern gift ever recently: two marvelous geese eggs from her neighbors. We made scrambled eggs with handpicked grey shrimps (the good ones from our Belgian and Dutch coasts) on Sunday morning. The consistency of geese eggs is so different, so sinfully unctuous and smooth. Absolutely daffy!
And then my prized Patrick and his most beautiful wife Monique!
This Dutch couple is as Dutch as you can get, but the good kind! ;)
Again I have to admit they are old friends from my mother, sailing friends this time. One more passion we share! They live in enchanting Amsterdam and are a captivating couple to me. They have a very glamorous travel life I can only dream of.
We don't often get the chance to see them. But when we do, we have such wonderful fun together! We muse about food and travel, we dream about the days of yore, and we philosophize about adventurous futures.
I received from them a wonderful eccentric cookbook from a restaurant in Amsterdam: "Savourieën van John Halvemaan".

The chef and owner of restaurant "Halvemaan" is a friend of them. The cookbook is limited edition and signed. It’s a piece of art. It scares me to use it. I'm afraid to get it all smothered.
But the chef thought of that. Recipes are written on handy individual cards with step by step drawings. Just get out the recipe you want and leave the beautiful book safe out of the way. A great concept and innovative food! I must go to that restaurant!

I went for their French toast with salmon. Such an interesting take on French toast or the omelet or the salmon on toast... A combination of everything! I absolutely love it!

Scrambled eggs with shrimps
Serves 2

1 goose egg
3 tablespoons of milk
Pepper and salt
Handpicked grey shrimps as many as you like

Beat together the egg and milk in a bowl. Season to taste.
Get a nonstick pan on a medium high heat.
Add your mixture to the pan. With a whisk constantly stir. The omelet almost has to form a sort of emulsion. When you have a smooth cooked consistency, remove from the heat and add the shrimps.

French toast with salmon
serves 2

from savourieën van John Halvemaan

2 slices of old bread

1teaspoon of horseradish

1 egg

4 tbsp of stock (I used cooking liquid of asparagus delicious!)

2 slices of smoked salmon

salt and pepper

oil

Mix together horseradish, egg, stock and season to taste. Drench the bread in this liquid.

Get a non stick frying pan on a medium high heat and fry the french toasts.

When ready top with a slice of salmon and serve with some squeezed lemon and black pepper.

Eel or something fishy

As of first of September I’m leaving this city due to job obligations. Yes as of first of September I’m also changing from student life to job life.
If all goes well I’ll be a resident in pediatrics in the intriguing hoods of Antwerp, Brasschaat!
But anyhow I want to talk about one of the places I’ll miss when hanging out there in what I assume can only be called ‘un bled’ (a godforsaken place). Just joking ;)

It’s this fishmonger. But I don’t know how to start to describe it to you. Because it’s not just any fishmonger, it’s like the crème de la crème of fishmongers.
It’s not authentic or anything nostalgic. It’s new, modern and hip. The design is crisp clean black. Danny Decroos is the owner and hero of this success story. In 1994 he took over the business.
Very quickly he built a reputation of excellent quality and high level of expertise.
Danny Decroos has an unlimited love for fish. And this passion is immediately reflected in his shop. When you enter a full team of professionals await you.
The fish on display always depends on what’s in season.
I love going in the shop. Gazing at the perfect sleek counter, discovering what the catch of the day is. And then creating a menu in your head as you stand there admiring all this beautiful freshness.

(logo from www.devis.be)
I have the impression Danny Decroos is as high demanding to his staff as he is to his fish. The people working there know their stuff. They know where and how the fish is caught, they fillet the fish to perfection and give you useful tips to prepare the fish. The atmosphere has something of gastronomic joy. The people that work there and the clients that come here are all here out of love for good food.

Last year he started with a 6 series cookbook. Every 2 months he released a new cookbook talking about the fish that’s in season.

It’s packed with useful knowledge about the different kinds of fish and every time a different chef from a local restaurant gives away his recipes.

I know I’m being totally wrong and breaking all his theories now by posting here a recipe in early June from the book September through October. But in my defense it’s with smoked eel. And so technically it’s not freshly caught.

Eel from the Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt) is delicate and delicious. World wide one could say the unagi (Japanese eel) used for sushi is best known.
In my part of the world however there are two eel delicacies. Stewed eel in a green sauce (Paling in ‘t groen) is one of them. The eel is stewed in a thick green sauce made of spinach, sorrel and chervil. This slight sour stew balances out the rich fatty texture of the eel.
The other one is smoked eel. After catching and degutting, the fish is brined during a couple of hours. Next they thread it on a stick, dry it and smoke it by burning woodchips of oak, beech and alder.
The result is luscious, salty, unctuous fish infused with a wonderful smoky flavor.

In the recipe book “De Vis, September trough October” the recipes are written by Jason Blanckaert. Jason Blanckaert is a young talented chef who works in one of the best restaurants in Belgium I think. C-Jean is located in the heart of Ghent, right next to the famous three towers of Ghent; this restaurant has minimalistic design in a historical house. In 2007 it received its well deserved first star from Michelin. They are innovative without the overkill on foams and molecular cooking that you see so often nowadays. They start from a classic dish and turn it into a modern masterpiece.

The recipe that was in here with smoked eel is wonderful. It’s an unusual combination but I have never tasted anything that complemented the different tastes so well.
Jason Blanckaert serves smoked eel with stinging nettle bread and ‘Oude Reypenaer VSOP’.
(picture from www.wijngaardkaas.nl)
Oude Reypenaer is the Beluga of the Dutch cheeses. Aged for 2 years in a 100 year old storage house, this Gouda has the most delicate taste. It’s not dry and crumbly despite its aging process; instead it’s unctuous and has a sensational taste.
And it’s perfect with the smoked eel, both are rich but somehow it doesn’t become over shooting with richness, it becomes ultimate balanced richness. In the recipe Jason Blanckaert adds a mousse of sorrel to turn back to the traditional ‘Paling in t groen’.

I slightly adapted his recipe. Instead of using stinging nettle bread, I use sorrel bread. Partly because I didn’t want to end up with stinging burns, partly because I thought instead of using the sorrel in a mousse on the side why not put it in the bread.
The result is perfect topped of with some young green salad dressed with sherry vinegar.
It’s a real jaw dropper as amuse bouche! Enjoy with a crisp cold glass of Pinot Grigio as my father loves it.

De Vis - Volderstraat 48 - 9000 Gent - Belgium - http://www.devis.be/

C-Jean - Cataloniëstraat 3 - 9000 Gent - Belgium - http://www.c-jean.be/

Sorrel bread

I used just my standard white bread recipe and added the sorrel add the end. You might want to use a little less water.

500g white flour
15 g of fresh yeast
200ml water
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
200 grams of cooked sorrel

Cook the sorrel and drain. Puree in a blender. Let it cool down.
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Mix with the flower. Add the salt. Finally add the sorrel. Knead thoroughly. Let it stand for about an hour until doubled in size. Knock the air out and put it in a baking dish. Let rise for another hour.
Bake in a preheated oven of 200°C for about 45 minutes.

Smoked Eel on Sorrel Bread with Oude Reypenaer

Adapted from 'De Vis, September October 2008', recipes by Jason Blanckaert

Sorrel bread
Oude Reypenaer
Smoked Eel
Young green salad or rucola
Sherry vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Pepper and Salt

Lightly toast the sorrel bread. Mix the salad with sherry vinegar and olive oil and season to taste. Assemble the amuse bouche by layering the toast first with the cheese, then the smoked eel and finish of with the salad.

A crumbling classic

So what food did I miss the most whilst in Asia?

Surprisingly or maybe not so surprisingly, I didn't miss the European food a lot during my 3 months.
I didn't get tired of the rice at all. When I was a little girl my only sources of carbohydrates were rice and pasta, no potatoes. So perhaps I was biased but the rice comes in so many variations and is so delicious. Really I missed it within the first week that I was in Belgium!
All the wonderful stir fries is another thing I never got tired of. A dish prepared so fresh... On every corner of the street you can see them make it right in front of your eyes. No cheating, no reheating!

Anyhow, I’m getting sidetracked. I was wondering what I missed when I was there in Asia from here.
I would have to say nothing except a nice glass of Bordeaux with a delicious piece of smelly French cheese and a crispy baguette.

It's not something I eat often when I'm in home. But it's something one could always eat if one wants it. And it's my favourite holiday food; on a cold winter night in the Alps or a warm summer lunch in the Provence.

You always have good red wine in your cellar and a piece of cheese in your fridge. As for the baguette it can be a little trickier to find a good one in some countries. But it's still easily bought on the corner of the street.

Last night I made something different. Something I didn't think of when I was there. Now that I had it last night, I realized it's something I couldn't live without.

It's something I think everybody should have on his top ten favourite desserts.

There are various reasons why it should be up there with the chocolate cake and the crème brulée.

It's by far the easiest dessert to make. I'm not a big patisserie fan because patisserie equals chemistry, scales, precise measuring... All things I'm not very good at.
I like to cook with feeling, as learned from my mentor Jamie Oliver. I have no real school or technique. My only consistency in my cooking is that it's homemade. From the bread to the ice cream to the pesto or the hummus...What I produce depends greatly on my mood, my time schedule, the content of my fridge, the season, the weather, the guests... In desserts there is often little room for such nonchalant frivolities.

The Crumble however is one of those exceptions that confirm the rule.

It's dead simple to make. It doesn't need any scales, it doesn't need the perfect working oven, it's totally dependent on what fruit you have in your fruit basket or garden.

And most importantly every single guest will absolutely love it! I have yet to meet a person who is no fan of it. Even my big brother who is not a fan of desserts loves this.
Also I’m still looking for a person who can't reproduce it.

You can serve it at a fancy dinner party with some raspberries (to price it up) in beautiful individual serving pots. Or you can serve it at a kid’s birthday party with apples from the garden in a big baking dish so they can help themselves to more and then some more!

If we are still at the fancy dinner party, some homemade salted caramel ice cream fancies it up even more. Or as I prefer it, comfort food all the way, serve it with double cream.

Last night I made it with some beautiful rhubarb from Annie's garden. And just one juicy peach to balance out the sourness.
Yummy!

You have the warm melted sweet sourness of the fruit, combined with the crunchy crumbly sugary dough, finished of with ice cold double cream or ice cream. It's heaven!

And I could even find all the ingredients in Asia and make it there! If only I had thought of it before!

Rhubarb and peach crumble

serves 8

1 cup of flour

1 cup of sugar

150 g of butter at room temperature

a pinch of salt

fruit of your choice enough to fill an ovenproof dish of 25cm diameter.

Mix flour, sugar and salt with butter to a crumble. Peel your fruit and dice it in bite size pieces in your ovenproof dish or individual serving pots. Top the fruit with the crumble mix.

I told you it was easy!
Put in an oven of 200°C for 30-45 minutes until crispy golden.