Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Here we are at September's #EattheWorld event. The year is flying by, especially as we, at least on California's central coast, are entering our twenty-fifth week of the shelter-in-place orders. That has meant lots and lots of time in the kitchen. This Eat the World project is spearheaded by Evelyne of  CulturEatz . Read more about her challenge . photo courtesy CulturEatz Evelyne directed us to explore the cuisine of the Netherlands and posted this adorable, kitschy photo. So, today the crew is sharing... Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Memories of Holland, Dutch Traditions, and Sailboat Speculaas Pandemonium Noshery: Mosterdsoep - Dutch Mustard Soup   Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Dutch Farmer’s Cheese Soup (Boerenkaas Soep)   Sugarlovespices: Dutch Apple Tart, Hollandse Appeltaart   Making Miracles: Hutspot met Gehaktballen (Dutch Mashed Potatoes and Carrots with Meatballs)   Sneha’s Recipe: A Small Batch Bitterballen   Chef Mire...

As we have already cooked a Dutch dinner, I'm simply reposting those recipes and counting it as our tabletop travel to the Netherlands during this Cooking Around the World Adventure . Quick background: I lived in Holland for three years as a kid. I went to pre-school and kindergarten there. I spoke Dutch fluently; well, fluently for a five or six-year-old. And I thought that I really was Dutch. I lamented my black hair, brown eyes, and weird name; I wanted to look like my friends. I swore to my mom that when I turned eighteen I was going to dye my hair and legally change my name to a Dutch name. Thankfully, that was a fleeting fancy. I am very happy with my dark looks and unusual name now. But I still have my  klompens  and I still put carrots and celery in them for Sinter Klaas on Christmas Eve. And I still love, love, love, love, love my tulips. So, despite realizing that I am not Dutch, Dutch traditions still hold a dear place in my heart. For dinner...  Voori...

Click to read how I  re-discovered this childhood favorite  during a  cookbook review for Shauna Sever's  Pure Vanilla .  It's grey and gloomy. It must be almost June on California's central coast. And since I knew it would be the perfect way to kick off this chilly pre-summer week, I doubled the recipe and made several  pannekoeken . I topped them with a dusting organic powdered sugar and a heap of fresh strawberries. Breakfast!!! 1-1/3 C milk 6 eggs 4 T salted butter, melted 1/2 t ground cardamom 1/2 t baking powder 1-1/3 C white whole wheat flour Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter two baking dishes and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter, and ground cardamom. Blend in the flour and baking powder. Whisk for a full minute. Pour the batter into your prepared dish and bake until the  Pannekoeken  is puffed and golden, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

For the past eight years we have held Dylan's birthday party for his friends the first weekend in December, to coincide with Sint-Niklaas Day...since he is our Dylaney Niklaas...and to keep it distinct from Christmas. We celebrated as a family on his actual birthday. But this year, we are only have one party, on his actual birthday. Still we are going to celebrate today with some Dutch-inspired treats. Quick background: I lived in Holland for three years as a kid. I went to pre-school and kindergarten there. I spoke Dutch fluently; well, fluently for a five or six-year-old. And I thought that I really was Dutch. I lamented my black hair, brown eyes, and weird name; I wanted to look like my friends. I swore to my mom that when I turned eighteen I was going to dye my hair and legally change my name to a Dutch name. Thankfully, that was a fleeting fancy. I am very happy with my dark looks and unusual name now. But I still have my klompens and I still put carrots and celery in th...

Kruidnoten , yes, this translates to 'ginger nuts.' Love it! Ingredients 1-3/4 C white whole wheat flour 2 t baking powder freshly ground sea salt 1/2 C raw turbinado sugar 7 T butter, room temperature 3 T milk 4 t pumpkin pie spice 1 t ground ginger 1/2 t baking soda zest of 1 meyer lemon 1 egg white, beaten Procedure Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead to shape the dough into a ball. Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll large marble-sized balls of dough (of approx. 3/4"). Place balls on the cookie sheet. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies turn a slightly darker shade of brown. Allow to cool. Makes about 60 kruidnoten .

As part of our Sint-Niklaas dinner, for the grown-ups, I made  Advocaat. This is a potent Dutch zabaglione .  Proost ! 5  egg yolks sprinkle of salt 2/3 C organic granulated sugar 3/4 C brandy Beat the egg yolks, salt and sugar until thickened. Slowly trickle in the brandy, still beating. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and warm over a low heat, continuously whisking. Be patient. If it boils, the alcohol will evaporate. The advocaat is ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Serve the advocaat with a dusting of nutmeg.