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333 recipes

BanketstaafAlmond paste puff pastry log

From mid-November, when Sinterklaas arrives by boat, Dutch bakers fill their windows with banketstaven: long logs of buttery puff pastry with a thick seam of soft almond paste inside. They carry on through Christmas, and in many families a banketletter, the same pastry shaped into the first letter of a child's name, is part of the 5 December presents. Sliced thick, it is flaky outside and moist, sweet and marzipan-like inside; serve it with coffee or hot chocolate. Leaving a weak seam is the mistake that lets the almond filling burst out in the oven. Chef's tip: make the almond paste a day ahead and rest it in the fridge: the almonds absorb the egg and it bakes up softer and more fragrant.

60 min

Dutch Baking

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OntbijtkoekSpiced rye breakfast cake

Ontbijtkoek means 'breakfast cake', and in Friesland and Groningen, where the best-loved versions come from, a thick slice spread with butter is still a normal start to the day or a mid-morning snack with coffee. The loaf is dark, sticky and springy, made with rye flour and syrup and scented with the Dutch spice mix koekkruiden: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom. It contains no egg and no butter in the batter, and it gets better after a day or two wrapped up. Baking it too hot is the usual mistake; the outside goes bitter before the middle sets, so bake it low and slow. Chef's tip: wrap the loaf in cling film while it is still slightly warm and leave it overnight; it softens into the classic tacky, chewy crust.

85 min

Dutch Baking

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BoterkoekButter cake

Boterkoek sits on the counter of almost every Dutch bakker, from Amsterdam to small towns in Brabant: a round, flat butter cake, scored in a criss-cross on top, glossy with glaze, dense and fudgy in the middle and crisp at the edges. It is cut into small wedges, because it is rich, and eaten with a cup of coffee at elf uur, the eleven o'clock break, or offered to visitors. The dough itself has no egg; only the top is brushed with beaten egg for shine (milk works too, though the colour is paler). Overbaking is the classic mistake: it should come out golden but still soft in the centre, so it sets fudgy, not dry. Chef's tip: use salted butter, or add the pinch of salt; it is what stops boterkoek tasting merely sweet.

45 min

Dutch Baking

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Tosti ham-kaas (Dutch ham and cheese toastie)

In the Netherlands the tosti is what children ask for after school, at the swimming-pool café and at Saturday lunch: two thin slices of white bread with ham and young Gouda, pressed in a tosti iron until crisp and golden and the cheese oozes at the edges, then dunked in ketchup. It is ready in ten minutes. It contains gluten (wheat) and milk. Chef's tip: butter the outside of the bread, not the inside, so it browns evenly and doesn't stick.

9 min

Dutch Fast Food

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Beschuit met muisjesRusks with aniseed sprinkles

When a baby is born in the Netherlands, visitors are greeted with beschuit met muisjes: round, crisp rusks spread with butter and covered in sugared aniseed sprinkles, pink for a girl, blue for a boy, or the older white-and-pink or white-and-blue mix. Brothers, sisters and school friends love handing them round, and the sprinkles are also a favourite on bread at breakfast. Aniseed was once thought to help new mothers. It contains gluten and milk. Chef's tip: butter the rusks generously right to the edge, or the sprinkles roll off; that is why the Dutch say to 'press, not scatter'.

5 min

Dutch Snacks & Starters

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Krentenbollen (Dutch currant buns)

In the Netherlands a krentenbol, buttered and sometimes topped with a slice of Gouda, is packed in schoolbags for the morning break and eaten with milk after school. The buns are soft, slightly sweet and so full of currants and raisins that there is barely room for the bread. This version adds little sugar, letting the dried fruit sweeten it. It contains gluten and milk. Chef's tip: soak the dried fruit in hot water before kneading it in; dry fruit pulls moisture from the dough and burns on the surface.

50 min

Dutch Baking

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BamischijfFried noodle disc

The bamischijf is pure Dutch snack-bar culture: Indonesian-style bami goreng, fried noodles with pork, leek and celery, set firm with a little ragout, cut into discs, breaded and deep-fried. It came out of the Indo-Dutch kitchen into the cafetarias of Rotterdam and The Hague, and it is eaten at borrels with sweet chilli or peanut sauce. Here the pork mince is cooked to 71 °C before it goes in. For a vegetarian version, leave out the pork and add more cabbage, carrot and mushrooms. A common mistake is skipping the chilling, which makes the discs fall apart in the oil. Chef's tip: press the noodle mix hard into the tin with a second tin on top before chilling.

75 min

Dutch Fast Food

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EierbalFried egg in curry ragout

The eierbal is a snack-bar legend from the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel, found in the wall of hot snacks at many cafetarias and at borrels: half a hard-boiled egg wrapped in a thick curry ragout, breaded and fried into a golden ball the size of a fist. This vegetarian version makes the ragout with vegetable stock and milk. It is rich, so one per person with mustard is plenty. The classic mistake is wrapping eggs in ragout that is still warm; it must be chilled firm or it will not hold. Chef's tip: bread the balls twice, egg and crumbs then egg and crumbs again, so they do not split in the oil.

60 min

Dutch Snacks & Starters

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BorrelnootjesCoated peanuts

Borrelnootjes, peanuts in a crunchy seasoned shell, are the bowl you find on every Dutch bar counter and next to the cheese at home borrels, and they come from the Indo-Dutch kitchen, where they were spiced with garlic and coriander. Most people buy them in bags, but home-made ones are lighter and far less salty. Raw peanuts are dusted in seasoned flour and starch, splashed with water and coated in several thin layers, then baked until they crack. Never serve them to anyone with a peanut allergy, and keep whole nuts away from small children. The usual mistake is adding too much water at once, which makes the nuts clump. Chef's tip: build the coating in three thin layers, shaking the bowl hard each time.

45 min

Dutch Snacks & Starters

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OssenworstSpiced beef sausage

Ossenworst is Amsterdam's own borrel sausage, made since the seventeenth century from lean beef spiced with cloves, nutmeg, mace and white pepper, and sliced thin at cafés in the Jordaan with mustard, pickled onions and gherkins. The traditional sausage is raw and lightly cured, so it is best bought from a specialist Amsterdam butcher, and like all raw meat it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. This home version keeps the same spicing but is gently poached until the centre reaches 71 °C, then chilled and sliced, which makes it safe for everyone. A common mistake is boiling it hard, which makes it dry and crumbly. Chef's tip: keep the water at about 80 °C, never bubbling, and check the core with a thermometer.

80 min

Dutch Meat

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Kaasblokjes met mosterdCheese cubes with mustard

Friday afternoon in a Dutch brown café, or a birthday circle in a living room in Utrecht, means a borrel, and the first thing on the table is a plate of cheese cubes on cocktail sticks. Belegen or oude Gouda, aged until it is firm and nutty with little salt crystals, is cut into neat cubes and served with a pot of coarse mustard and a shake of celery salt. Traditional Gouda is made with animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian aged Gouda-style cheese if needed. A common mistake is serving the cheese fridge-cold, which hides its flavour. Chef's tip: cut it half an hour before guests arrive and let it come to room temperature, covered.

10 min

Dutch Snacks & Starters

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VlammetjesSpicy mini spring rolls

Vlammetjes, little flames, are the fiery mini spring rolls of the Dutch borrel, served by the dozen in bars from Amsterdam to Groningen with a bowl of sweet chilli sauce. The filling is beef mince cooked with onion, garlic, sambal and sweet soy until dry and spicy, then rolled tightly in spring roll pastry and fried until blistered and crisp. Make the heat to your own taste. A common mistake is rolling a wet filling, which splits the wrappers and spits in the oil. Chef's tip: cook the mince until the pan is dry and it starts to crackle, then cool it completely before rolling.

60 min

Dutch Snacks & Starters

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RookworstSmoked pork sausage

Rookworst, the horseshoe-shaped smoked pork sausage of the Netherlands, is sliced into thick warm coins for borrel boards in winter and served on cocktail sticks at Friday drinks and football nights, always with a pot of strong yellow mustard. It is also the sausage laid on top of stamppot. Rookworst is sold ready-cooked, so it only needs heating through gently. The common mistake is boiling it, which splits the skin and lets the juices escape. Chef's tip: warm it in water that is just steaming, then serve it within minutes so the slices stay juicy.

22 min

Dutch Meat

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KaasstengelsCheese pastry twists

Kaasstengels come out of ovens all over the Netherlands for birthday parties, New Year's Eve and the Friday borrel, piled in glasses so guests can grab one with a drink. Strips of puff pastry are brushed with egg, coated in grated aged cheese and twisted, then baked until crisp, flaky and golden. They are one of the easiest party snacks there is, made with ready-rolled pastry. Most aged cheese is made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian one if needed. The common mistake is underbaking, which leaves them pale and soft in the middle. Chef's tip: chill the twisted strips for 10 minutes before baking so they keep their spiral.

25 min

Dutch Snacks & Starters

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AppelflapApple puff pastry

An appelflap is the snack Amsterdammers pick up at the bakery counter or the Albert Cuyp market on a grey afternoon: a triangle of flaky puff pastry, packed with soft cinnamon apple and plump raisins, its top crackling with sugar. You eat it from a paper bag on a bench by the canal, or with a coffee at about four o'clock, and the filling is always hotter than you expect. Chef's tip: cook the apple filling first and let it cool completely; warm filling melts the butter in the pastry and you lose the layers.

60 min

Dutch Baking

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AppelstroopApple syrup

In Dutch and Belgian Limburg, appelstroop is spread on brown bread at breakfast, often under a slice of Gouda, and it goes into the Limburg sour stew zoervleis. It is nothing but apples (with a few pears) cooked to a pulp, pressed and boiled down for hours into a glossy, almost black syrup that tastes sweet, sharp and faintly of caramel. The common mistake is stopping too early: until it coats a cold plate and holds a line, it is apple juice, not stroop. Chef's tip: in the last half hour stir constantly and lower the heat, because the thick syrup catches and burns in seconds.

260 min

Dutch Basics

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Karnemelkse papButtermilk porridge

Karnemelkse pap, made with the buttermilk left over from Dutch farm churning, was breakfast and supper in the Netherlands for centuries, and many older Dutch people still remember it on cold winter mornings. Buttermilk is thickened with flour into a smooth, tangy porridge and eaten hot with stroop (syrup) or brown sugar. The common mistake is pouring cold buttermilk on flour and boiling hard, which splits the porridge into grainy lumps; mix a smooth paste first and keep the heat gentle. Chef's tip: stir constantly with a whisk, especially at the bottom of the pan, until it bubbles once, and it stays silky.

20 min

Dutch Breakfast & Brunch

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Anijsmelk (aniseed milk)

When the canals of Friesland freeze hard and the whole of the Netherlands goes out on skates, koek-en-zopie stalls appear on the ice selling erwtensoep, warm sausage and steaming cups of anijsmelk. At home it is a winter bedtime drink for children and grandparents alike, made either by crushing aniseed into simmering milk or, as many Dutch families do, by stirring in anijsblokjes, sugar cubes flavoured with aniseed. It tastes softly sweet and liquorice-like without being sharp, and it is smooth and warming, with a faint warmth on the tongue. The common mistake is boiling the milk: it rises over the pan, scorches on the base and forms a thick skin. Heat it slowly and stop when tiny bubbles appear around the edge. It is ready when the milk smells clearly of anise after steeping and has turned faintly ivory. Anise seeds are sold in spice shops; in a pinch use one star anise, though it tastes stronger and less sweet. There is no caffeine, which is why Dutch parents serve it at bedtime. Chef's tip: crush the seeds just before using, the oils fade quickly once ground.

10 min

Dutch Drinks

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KaasbroodjeCheese puff pastry roll

The kaasbroodje is the Dutch commuter's breakfast: a rectangle of puff pastry wrapped around a log of Gouda, baked until the cheese oozes from the ends. Kiosks in Amsterdam Centraal and bakeries along the Haarlemmerstraat sell them warm all morning, and they get eaten on the platform or on the tram, scattering flakes everywhere. Use a young or medium Gouda for melt, with a little aged one for flavour. Traditional Gouda is often made with animal rennet, so choose one labelled vegetarian (made with microbial rennet) if that matters to you. Chef's tip: seal the ends well and bake with the seam underneath, so the cheese melts inside rather than running onto the tray.

30 min

Dutch Snacks & Starters

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Koffie verkeerdCoffee with extra milk

Order a koffie verkeerd in any Dutch café or bruin café and you get a tall glass that is mostly steamed milk with a strong shot of coffee poured in, the 'wrong' way round compared with a normal black coffee. It is the Dutch morning cup at home and at work, usually with a speculaas biscuit on the saucer. The common mistake is boiling the milk, which makes it taste cooked and kills the foam; heat it only until it steams and small bubbles form at the edge, about 65 °C. Chef's tip: froth the milk by shaking it in a jar with the lid on before warming it in the microwave, and you get café-style foam without a machine.

6 min

Dutch Drinks

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Gevulde koekAlmond-filled cookie

A gevulde koek is two discs of short, buttery dough sandwiching a thick layer of almond paste (spijs), glazed with egg and crowned with half an almond. Every Amsterdam bakery has a stack of them, and they are the classic koffie snack at about eleven in the morning, or something to eat on the bike home from the Noordermarkt. The pastry is crumbly and the middle soft, fragrant and lemony. It contains wheat, egg, milk and almonds. Chef's tip: make the almond paste a day ahead; it firms up and is much easier to shape into neat discs.

60 min

Dutch Baking

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HacheeBeef and onion stew

Hachee is the Dutch stoofpotje that grandmothers in Friesland, Groningen and Brabant leave murmuring on the back of the stove on cold Sundays: beef braised with almost as much onion as meat, plus bay leaves, cloves and a splash of vinegar, until it falls apart into a dark, sweet-sour gravy. It goes on boiled potatoes with red cabbage, or with stamppot, and leftovers are eaten on toast. The usual mistake is rushing the onions: they need a good 15 minutes to turn deep golden, or the gravy stays pale and sharp. Slow-cooker option: after browning, cook on low for 8 hours. Chef's tip: stir in a spoon of dark syrup or apple butter at the end only if the vinegar tastes too sharp; taste first, as good onions often make it unnecessary.

190 min

Dutch Meat

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Blote billetjes in het grasWhite and green beans with butter

Dutch grandmothers named this dish 'bare bottoms in the grass' for the pale white beans peeping out between the green ones, and it is a summer weekday supper all over the Netherlands, when runner and French beans are cheap. Green beans and cooked white beans are simmered together, then stirred with butter, a little stock and plenty of pepper, often with boiled potatoes on the side. Many families add bacon or a smoked sausage; this version keeps it vegetarian, so serve it with a fried egg or a vegetarian sausage if you want more. The usual mistake is boiling the green beans until grey: they should stay bright with a slight bite. Chef's tip: a splash of the bean-cooking liquid stirred in with the butter makes a glossy little sauce that clings to everything.

30 min

Dutch Vegetarian

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LekkerbekjeBattered fried whiting

Lekkerbekje means "little treat", and at the haringkarren and fish stalls of the Albert Cuyp and Dappermarkt it is the other big seller next to raw herring: a whole fillet of whiting (or cod) dipped in batter and fried until the coating crackles. It comes in a paper tray with a lemon wedge and a spoon of remoulade, and Amsterdammers eat it for lunch on market days, standing at the counter. The batter here uses sparkling water instead of beer for lightness. Chef's tip: keep the batter ice-cold and mix it only just before frying; the cold against the hot oil is what makes it shatter.

25 min

Dutch Fish

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