D D

Dutch   Delight  

The second visit to the Netherlands was for our daughter Jane's wedding.  It was a perfect wedding party, a beautiful day for Jane and Ed, her husband.  A very happy occasion for the whole family.
Jane and her family took us everywhere, including to the beautiful countryside,  to see castles, holiday places that we could ride bicycles, and visited typical pancakes restaurant, Cafes etc.  It was a great time that I always cherish.  Before we left the Netherlands, Jane and Ed took us to one of the Micheline Stars Restaurant for a grand Lunch.  It's beautiful surrounding, and It served excellent food and wine.

Mix Lettuce Salad with
 Blue Cheese and Pear

The one that impressed me the most was that Jane cooked a special meal for us and also for her parents in law,  Jan and Gerrie.  The Menu was Salmon and Lettuce Salad with Blue Cheese and Pear, the dessert was Peach crumbled. It was a delicious and delightful lunch. She cooked a perfect meal, she's a happy and friendly hostess, she looked after us so well. And of course Ed the dear husband helped her to achieve the special day.

Grilled Salmon with The Salad

Jindi Delux Blue Cheese

To reminisce our good times there, today being a Friday, is a perfect time to cook salmon fish,  I did my best to cook what Jane did, only I did not prepare the dessert.

I cooked the Dutch Delight Oliebollen.   This recipe is taken from a cooking book that Jane gave me for a present.  Another method also is salad.  The salad that I enjoyed very much from her luncheon.
I am pleased though to use the local cheese, Jindi cheese is very famous in and outside Australia.

Oliebollen, the Dutch  Delight.

Oliebollen is a Dutch Delight, the family treat.  It is served warm around Christmas and New Year.
I enjoy this sweet with black coffee.   It tastes similar to doughnuts, but lighter and more luxurious because it consists of dried fruit and egg.  I do hope it is supposed to be light and soft, I am not sure.

The Recipe

Oliebollen
Make 20
Ingredients:
250g flour
5 g salt
5 g cinnamon
250 mil milk (lukewarm)
12 g yeast
half an egg
a knob of butter
1 tablespoon syrup
50 g currants
50 g sultanas
Grated rind of half a lemon
half an apple, chopped (optional)
oil for frying
You will also need an ice-cream scoop and a simmer.

Preparation
Mix together the flour, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
Make a well in the centre and bread the egg into it.
Dissolve the yeast in half of the milk and add to the flour mixture
Add a little more milk and stir to form a smooth batter.
Leave to rest in a warm place until it froths.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the rest of the milk to the melted butter.
Mix in the syrup. Now add this mixture to the batter and mix until smooth.
Add the currants, sultanas and grated lemon rind.
Cover the batter with a damp tea towel and let it rise to twice its size.
Heat enough oil to completely immerse the olibollen.  Stir the diced apple into the batter.
Fill an ice-cream scoop with the batter and gently slide the mixture into the oil.
Test the temperature of the oil by first frying one oliebol until golden brown all over.
Cut in half, the oliebol should be done on the inside
Fry the remaining batter on scoop at a time, taking care the oliebollen do not stick together.
Let them drain on absorbent kitchen paper and serve sprinkled with icing sugar.

Preparation

The ingredients add in some
warm milk

The batter mixture

Cover the batter with cloth
Stand until it froths

The batter mixture of the oliebollen
is ready to fry



To Fry the Oliebollen

 Presentation for the Oliebollen

Dutch Delight - Beautiful Oliebollen
Sweet, Light and Fruity

Another recipe is a salad.   The Dutch people are very practical, and they don't like to spend a lot of time to cook in their kitchen. But they believe in a healthy lifestyle.  Salad is always in their menu, the edible flower is trendy. In winter a salad is served for the side dish to garnish their wholesome Hutspot, and in Summer they love their mix salads that are easy to digest.


Lettuce Salad with Blue Cheese and Pear

Ingredients
1 head lettuce leaves, 200 g
75g blue cheese

Mix endives, lettuce with
Blue Cheese and Pear

I pear
25 g peeled walnuts
The dressing:
1 dessert lemon juice
2 tsp mustard
Salt and Pepper
4 dessert spoons olive oil
Method

1. Wash and dry the lettuce and tear the leaves into small pieces. 
2. Cut or crumble the cheese.
3. Peel the pear and cut into segments; sprinkle with some of the lemon juice.
4. Whisk the remaining juice, together with the mustard, salt, pepper and oil into a dressing.
5. Toss the lettuce in the dressing and sprinkle with the cheese.
6. Decorate with walnuts and pear.

It is time for me to put some seedling for lettuces in my vegetable garden.  I do plant lettuces throughout the year - "almost", accept summer because it's too hot

Thinking of you Jane and Ed, hi to Jan and Gerrie.  Also hi to Sil, Fred. Nick and Sanne.






To all of you, enjoy the weekend I hope it is a happy one
Susy.