My Kitchen Diaries

Eating and cooking ‘without’

mykitchendiaries — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:21:38 +0000

I’ve bragged enough about it: it seems that my stomach is lined with concrete.
Ok, i’d still have to get through the snack streets in Beijing and try those scorpios and other silk worms [photo courtesy of my dutchie] before i can tell for sure…

You get the picture: when it comes to food, it seems that if i dare eat it, I can take it!

I have always been overly proud about that, a bit condescending to the delicate stomachs among my friends even.
I didn’t grasp how lucky I was until short…

You see, Mommy [and daddy] can have it all, but petit Tom cannot.. yet..

It took three and a half excruciating months before we finally found out that petit Tom was allergic to cow milk, which I devored every single day (butter, cheese, yogurt, creme fraiche, I love them all!).

I haven’t eaten any dairy for more than three months now… It’s been hard ( I still dream of stinky cheese at night ), but the smile on my baby’s face is worth all the stinky cheeses in the world.

My first reaction was despair: all that suddenly vanished from my plate (and the idea of being stucked with margarine), the look of disdain on the waiter’s face when i tried to order something dairy free, the hours spent at the supermarket decifering all the labels… what an eye opener!

But well you know me… It didn’t take me long before i started to reorganise my pantry, create new recipes and do extensive research into the do’s and don’ts of dairy free diets. In the bottom of my heart i hope that Petit Tom will some day soon get to share a piece of French stinky cheese with me, on a piece of baguette generously covered with beurre sale, bien sur… Until then, i’ll keep making up delicious dairy free treats*.

Just like this lush apple and pear crumble inspired by Clothilde from C&Z and her butterless crumble… A crunchy, nutty bite that melts in your mouth. Who needs butter, really!

Apple and pear crumble [dairy free]
Crumble pommes-poires [sans laitages]

serves 6 to 8 pers.
prep: 15 min. cook: 25 min

Ingredients:

For the crumble topping:
. 50 g flour;
. 50 g finely ground almonds;
. 100 g rolled oats;
. 70 g cane sugar;
. 40 ml olive oil;
. 40 ml hazelnut oil;
. Pinch of salt;
. Pinch of ground vanilla, cinnamon and ginger;
. Lemon zest;
. 1 Ts shaved almonds;

For the filling:
. 4 apples, peeled, cored and in chunks;
. 3 pears (doyenne de comice), peeled, cored and in chunks;
. 1 Ts cane sugar;
. Pinch of ground vanilla, cinnamon and ginger;
. Drop pear liquor;

. Preheat the oven at 180 deg c.

. Prepare the crumble topping: mix all the dry ingredients together. Pour the oil and mix with a wooden spoon until the oil is incorporated and the mixture is crumbly. Reserve in the fridge until further use.

. In a frying pan, heat up the sugar and oil and throw in the pear and apple chunks, the spices. Toss a couple of minutes on high heat until the flavours and juices get together.

. Remove from the heat, add a drop of pear liquor and pour in a greased oven dish. Sprinkle evenly with the crumble topping and shaved almonds.

. Bake for 20 to 25 min. at 180 deg C/375 deg F or until the top is nicely golden.

Bon appétit!

* And I am not the only one! there’s a bunch of remarkable people out there (a lot on the web) who share their tips and tricks and delicious recipes… Will come back on that soon.

Sea, Sun and Spring veggies

mykitchendiaries — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:59:43 +0000

For a blink, Petit Tom and I teleported ourselves in the middle of Moroccan Spring and It felt like heaven after all those long dark winter days inside…

What a joy to watch Petit Tom avidely laying out his eyes on the breaking waves of the Atlantic ocean for the 1st time,…

Or just to sit side by side, laughing anf babbling, on the terasse in the afternoon shade,…

Before finally pigging out on super fresh fish and all these delicious spring veggies and fruit that we will still have to long for a while back in NL: the first strawberries, tiny zucchini, tender green peas and mini artichokes…

Until I blink again, here’s a taste of my Moroccan spring with this delicious spring tajine with veal, green peas and baby artichokes that I’ve been saving you since last spring… (and the delicious pea shell soup you can cook with all the pod shells you will end up with afterwards)

Spring tajine with veal, artichoke and green peas
Tajine printanier de veau aux artichauts et petits pois

serves 6 pers. prep: 20 min. cook: 1hr 15min
Ingredients:

. 1.2 kg veal to stew (Preferably cuts which are not too lean and will stay nicely tender, like the ribs), cut into ~ 5×5 cm pieces;
. 1 onion, peeled and chopped;
. 2 shallots, peeled and chopped;
. 800g mini artichokes ( I used the purple ones, ‘violets’ in French ), external leaves and stems removed*, reserved in water seasoned with lemon juice to avoid browning;
. 1 kg fresh green peas in their pods, shelled (yields ~ 400 g peas; you can use the pods for a soup – see recipe below);
. 1/2 preserved lemon**, thoroughly rinsed to remove excess salt, pulp removed and thinly chopped;
. 1 handful parsley, finely chopped;
. 1 tsp ground ginger;
. 1 pinch saffron;
. 30 cl veal stock (water will also do);
. 5 Tsp olive oil;
. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large heavy bottom pan or Dutch oven/cocotte and brown the meat on all sides for about 5 minutes on medium to high heat (I usely proceed I two batches not to overcrowd the pan).

. Add the chopped onions and shallots, half of the parsley, the spices, a quart of the preserved lemon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss well to mix the flavors and cook a couple more minutes until the fragrances begin to invade your kitchen.

. Pour stock until the meat is barely covered and lower the heat. Simmer covered on low heat for 45 minutes, tossing from time to time.

. Toss in the artichokes halves, peas, and the rest of the chopped preserved lemon, adjust seasoning and simmer covered for 15 more minutes.

. Reserve the meat and vegetables on a warm serving dish and reduce the sauce on medium to high heat to thicken it to your liking. Pour over the veal, artichokes and peas, sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and serve immediately.

Bon appétit!

Pea shells’ soup
Soupe de cosses de petits pois

serves 4 pers. prep: 10 min. cook: 20 min.
Ingredients:

. 1 shallot, peeled and chopped;
. ~600 g pea shells (from 1 kg fresh green peas in their pods);
. 1 Tsp olive oil or 1 knob butter;
. ~ 75 cl water or vegetable stock;
. Optionnal: 5 to 10 cl whipping cream; 1 squeeze of lemon juice
. Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

. Pan fry the pea shells with a chopped shallot in a little olive oil or butter for a couple minutes.

. Cover with a light stock or water and bring to the boil. Simmer until tender for about 20 minutes.

. Blend until smooth and strain to discard possible strings. To your liking, add a little creme fraiche, whipping cream and/or lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning.

Bon appétit!

* Here’s a handy how-to-trim-artichokes video
** Preserved lemons can generally be found in oriental deli’s. Otherwise they are pretty easy and fun to make yourself as you can read on Food Gal’s blog. Preferably use organic lemons since the rind will be eaten. You can use fresh organic lemon rind and some lemon juice as a substitute. In that case, add all the lemon in the beginning instead.

Spring lunch: Smoked trout, papaya and cucumber salad

mykitchendiaries — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:34:23 +0000

Walk up this morning with the melody of ‘love is in the air’ stuck into my head.

Petit Tom is laughing out loud while we are dancing and turning around the sunny garden at a crazy pace….

Spring is in the air, la la la lalala laaaa…

I’m feeling like putting the sun on my plate today….

Yep, there’s no doubt: spring is only a couple of steps away and it feels so good.

Smoked trout, papaya and cucumber salad
Salade de truite fumee. papaye et concombre
serves 2 prep: 10 min.

Ingredients:
. 2 smoked trout fillets;
. 1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded;
. 1/2 papaya, peeled and seeded;
. Juice of 1/2 lime;
. 1 chili, chopped or a pinch chili flakes;
. 2 Ts olive oil;
. 1 Ts sesame oil;
. 1 Ts thai fish sauce;
. 1 ts palm sugar;
. 2 Ts chopped coriander;

. Use a mandoline or vegetable peeler to shave the cucumber and papaya in superthin tagliatelle like strips (or make a thin julienne).

. Combine the lime juice, palm sugar, oils and fish sauce for the dressing. Adjust seasoning to taste.

. Toss the dressing, papaya, cucumber, chili and coriander, and serve topped with the smoked trout fillets.

Bon appétit!

On clementine curd, design and letterpress…

mykitchendiaries — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:34:26 +0000

An odd combi you might think. Anna wouldn’t.

She’d just wipe up some orange macarons and letterpress a cute card to go with it.

Anna is an ‘a la julia child’ food lover , a talented graphic designer and a charming entrepreneur who is going to revolution the letterpress market in NL.

We met two years ago when she had just moved to NL from NY. She found me via the kitchen diaries. I got to her via her frenchie, a colleague of mine at the time.

We have been friends ever since.

- by Anna at Passepartout Press -

Thank you sooooo much, babe, for taking the time to help me out with this lovely new ID for my kitchen diaries (and for the gorgeous hand pressed birth announcements!!!)

If you’re into design and gorgeous prints, I can only encourage you to have a look at more of what she does here at Passepartout press, here and here… You’ll love it.

The clementine and vanilla curd I made just before Christmas, for Anna and some more friends and family. Since I was kind of stuck at home with petit Tom it ended up as the perfect Christmas giveaway.

I made it with clementines that my mum brought me from Morrocco for Christmas. I’d never even consider turning those delicious fruit into anything before (they’re just too good to cook), but citrus is not recommended when your little one is suffering of intestinal cramps, and my mom did bring a good 6 kilos back with her.

That’s not very modest to say, but it was so good…

Vanilla and clementines is a marriage made in heaven! in my heaven at least: sharp and sweet, elegant! (a bit like Anna’s designs I would say).

Clementine and vanilla curd
Curd a la clementine et a la vanille
yields 2 1/2 jars prep: 15 min. cook: 20 min.

Ingredients:
. 10 clementines + 1 lemon, pressed (~ 500ml juice) and zested (about 1/3 of the zest should do it)
. 1 vanilla pod cut in halves (in the length)
. 240 g sugar
. 120g butter
. 4 eggs
. 2 yolks
. Pinch salt
. 3 glass jars with lids

. Sterilize glass jars and lids in boiling water (I leave them for at least 5 minutes)

. Prepare a bain marie*/ double boiler.

. Mix together juice, sugar, eggs, zests, salt and vanilla.

. Set in the bain marie*, add butter and stir until melted.

. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and coat the back of a spoon for about 20 min.

. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine thieve to remove any lumps and pour into the sterilized jars. lose the lids immediately.

. Leave to cool.

. Keep refrigerated for maximum two weeks

Bon appétit!

* “Au bain marie” is a french cooking term meaning hot water bath: Put the pan or baking dish in a larger one, partly filled with hot or boiling water over low heat on the stove or in the oven. It’s often used to melt chocolate, bake terrines, mousses or creme brulees.

New year, new beginnings…

mykitchendiaries — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:39:41 +0000

Februari already… I can’t even remember how long it’s been since i started this post. It was ages ago.

It’s been kind of busy lately.

Exhausting too at times.

A bit scary even.

Yet, i’ve never been so happy for all the new things in my life:
The new house, the new blog (yep this is finally it: www.mykitchendiaries.net! i hope you like it. ) and most of all…

I’m a mom!

He is, of course, the cutest little boy ever and i just feel like bragging about him all the time. Mon petit homme, my little Tom. He looks just like his dad and he already likes to keep me company in the kitchen.

I couldn’t find a better way to celebrate than sharing this special cookie edition with you
(would have popped the champagne but kind of got tired of having people sipping some around me while I can’t… Yep, still breastfeeding).

Petits Toms
(inspired by the recipe ‘boterbiesjes’ by Cees Holtkamp in ‘Koekje’)
yields ~ 650 g. prep: 30 min. cook: (2x)12 min. oven temp. 180°C/340°F

Ingredients:
. 210 g butter at room temperature;
. 140 g sugar (white cane sugar);
. 1/2 vanilla pod;
. 1/2 tsp sea salt;
. 1 tsp lavender flowers (organic);
. Zest of 1 (preferably organic) lemon;
. 280 g flour;

. Grind 3 tsp sugar together with the vanilla pod and the lavender flowers until fine.

. Beat the butter together with all the sugar, the salt, and teh lemon zest, until fluffy. Incorporate the flour.

. Pack the dough in plastic foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

. Remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven at 170°C/340°F.

. Roll out the dough in a 1/2 cm layer. Cut out cookies with a gingerbread man cookie cutter and lay the cookies on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Don’t over crowd the tray since the cookies will spread a bit. I usually proceed in 2 to 3 batches.

. Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 170°C/340°F or until golden (not golden brown… then it’s too late).

. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a pastry rack. Leave to cool completely and store in a cookie tin.

Bon appétit!

‘Lekker’* news and a sweet taste of Quirky Provence

mykitchendiaries — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:19:32 +0000

So much things to share, so little time…

While baby and belly are happily growing, la gourmande and her dutchie have finally found a bigger house and are getting settled for the big move … In between the boxes, here’s a couple of exciting and tasty news that I couldn’t wait sharing with you:

. ‘Lekker’ news nr 1: I am very excited to announce that My Kitchen Diaries is featured in this week’s number of Dutch magazine Margriet (n33) together with 5 talented foodies from NL and New York! The article put together by culinary editor Colette Beyne features an interview of each foodie and their favorite 2011 summer recipe… Quite a mouthwatering selection I must say! Feeling proud to be a part of it

And… Cherry on the cake: I had the great opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes of the culinary photo shoot at Studio Lemaire: I spent a wonderfully fun (and instructive) afternoon together with the stylist Daphne Dijkstra, cook and freelance recipe writer Gees van Asperen and photograph Louis Lemaire.

. ‘Lekker’ news nr 2: My Quirky cooking experience was a blast! and I loved it, and most importantly, it seems that the guests did love my Quirky Provence too (judging the empty plates and the smiles on the guests faces).

I can admit it now: as an over-6-month-pregnant-amateur-chef I was completely terrified at the challenge! and I don’t regret any of it: Working together with my favorite sous-chef ever (Dutchie of course) and the lovely Quirky team (thx Christine, Emjan, Charlotte and Caroline) was so much fun and what a learning experience! Christine: Just give me a sign and I’ll come and heat up the Quirky stove anytime again (well… after I’ve become a mama and lost that big round belly that is…)

. ‘Lekker’ news nr 3: The kitchen is on the move too… The new My kitchen Diaries will be out of the oven anytime soon, be prepared!

And now, as promised, let’s celebrate with a first taste of my Quirky Provence, which also happens to be la gourmande’ s summer favorite 2011 as featured in Margriet: a sweet bite of Clafoutis with delicate and juicy white nectarine paired with the woody fragrance of rosemary…

White nectarine and rosemary clafoutis
Clafoutis aux nectarines blanches et romarin

serves 6 to 8 pers.
prep: 20 min. rest: 15 min cook: 30 to 40 min
oven temp. 180°C/350°F

Ingredients:
500 g. (4 to 5) white** nectarines, washed, stoned and cut into thin slices;
1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped;
Juice of 1/2 lemon;
3 eggs;
100 g sugar;
40 g finely ground almonds/almond meal;***
40 g flour, sifted;***
20 cl milk;
10 cl whipping cream;
30 g butter;
1/2 vanilla pod (grated seeds);
Pinch salt;
For service: icing sugar, shaved almonds.

. Prepare a vanilla/rosemary sugar****: mix the sugar with the vanilla seeds and finely chopped rosemary. [You can also grind the mixture for a short time for a finer result]

. In a bowl, toss gently the nectarine slices with 2 Ts sugar and the lemon juice. Cover with plastic foil and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes .

. Preheat the oven at 180°C. Put the butter in the oven dish you will use for the clafoutis and put in the oven for a couple of minutes for the butter to melt
(you won’t need to grease the dish again later on). Set aside for later.

. Beat the eggs together with the rest of the sugar until fluffy. Incorporate the ground almonds/almond meal, flour and salt. Mix until smooth.

. Beat further while slowly incorporating de whipping cream, milk and finally the melted butter.

. Arrange the nectarine slices in the greased ovendish and incorporate the marinade juices to the clafoutis batter*****. Pour the batter delicately over the nectarines.

. Bake the clafoutis in the middle of the oven for about 30 to 40 min. until nicely colored.

. Serve cold or slightly warm, sprinkled with icing sugar and roasted shaved almonds.

Bon appétit!

* Yummy/tasty in Dutch.
** You can of course use yellow nectarines which are more common but usually slightly less fragrant (the colour refers to the color of the flesh, not the skin).
*** In the recipe I designed for Margriet I marinated the nectarines directly with the rosemary and sugar and used plain sugar for the clafoutis batter. Later on I found out I was not the only one inspired by peaches/nectarines and rosemary and borrowed Tartelette’s idea of the rosemary sugar for both the nectarine and batter for the clafoutis I baked at Quirky begin of august.
**** In case of nut allergy/gluten free diet, feel free to replace either the almonds or the flour by 1 full Tsp corn starch/maizena .
***** You can also use 8 to 10 individual oven dishes. Baking time will then be 20 to 30 min.

Quirky Provence dinner by la gourmande

mykitchendiaries — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:01:09 +0000

I’m so excited…

Guess who’s gonna be guest chef at the trendy Quirky cafe this friday in the Hague?

Me, me, me…

Thanks to Christine’s (the lovely owner of Quirky) invite, I’ll be cooking up a three course meal inspired by my Provence.

Curious? I’ve just put the finishing touch to the menu. Here it is…

Want a taste of my Provence too? Come and have a bit at Quirky on August 5th. Check out the booking details on Quirky’s website or on their FB page. Their will be live music too (rumor has it that Christine herself might be enchanting us with her pristine voice )

If you’re too far or can’t make it… I’ll miss you, but no worries, I’ll be sharing the recipes on the blog this summer… You’ll have to cook yourself though!

Café Quirky
Tasmanstraat 128, 2518 VS Den Haag
Phone +31 (0)70 380 85 02
Website: www.cafequirky.com/
FB: www.facebook.com/cafequirky
Open. tue-fri 12-22 / sat 12-20 / sun 10-18 [summer]

Monday’s quickie: pasta with broad beans and farm egg

mykitchendiaries — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:33:42 +0000

Hurray, I’ve been swimming into the sea at last! Can you believe it’s the first time this year (and I’m just back from summer holiday).

‘Easy-peasy’ dinner tonight… a big plate of pasta and fresh greens, freshly grated parmegianno, al fresco of course!

Tagliatelle with fresh broad beans and farm egg
Spaghetti aux feves fraiches et a l’oeuf de ferme

serves 1 pers. (just multiply for more!)
prep: 10 min. cook: 10 min

Ingredients:

. 100 g fresh tagliatelle;
. 1 Ts (+ a bit) coarse sea salt;
. 2 handful broad beans, shelled;
. 1 spring onion, thinly chopped;
. 1 Tsp olive oil;
. 1 Tsp extra virgin olive oil;
. a handful of fresh parsley and basil, cleaned and thinly chopped;
. 1 farm egg, medium boiled (5 min in boiling water), still warm;
. sea salt, pepper and chili pepper to taste;
. as much freshly grated parmeggiano as you like

. Parboil the broad beans for 5 minutes in salted boiling water. Drain and peel.

. In the mean time, bring a large amount of water (salted with the coarse sea salt) to boil in a large pasta pan. When it’s boiling, add the the tagliatelle and cook until al dente (3 to 5 minutes according recipe).

. Heat up 1 Tsp of olive oil in a small frying pan on medium heat. Gently sweat the spring onion for a couple of minutes. Toss in the broad beans and cook for one more minute. Remove from the heat. Add the chopped parsley and basil, 1 Tsp extra virgin olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper and chili pepper.

. Shell and chop the egg still slightly warm.

. Both pasta and broad beans should be ready at about the same time. Drain the pasta. Pour the tagliatelle in a plate, add the broad beans, chopped egg, toss and sprinkle generously with grated parmeggiano…

Et voila! Eat right away, while it’s still steaming hot!

Bon appétit!

Craving strawberries…

mykitchendiaries — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:46:14 +0000

… and cherries, and raspberries, and everything red and not red as long as it’s ripe, juicy summer fruit.

But who doesn’t? There is actually something else I want to share with you today, something I’ve been hiding from you for too long, something very personal and magical I’d like to share with you…

During the last six months I’ve turned into a summer-fruit-eating little ‘whale’ (an orca if you wish, as my 5 year old nephew kindly puts it): I’m pregnant!!! Dutchie and I are so excited and a little overwhelmed too…

There’s so much things to arrange though and I have the feeling of living on a roller coaster lately. And that’s not all, I’ve got many more news to share with you, and I will very soon.

One thing at a time they keep telling me… So, let’s first take a moment to celebrate the big news with you over a red fruit desert (with no doubt inspired by the little one growing inside me). I is a very personal take on the traditional Eton Mess. I called it Messing with Eton… juicy red strawberries marinated with basil on a cloud of greek yogurt mousse with crunchy bites of meringue here and there. Mmmm!

Messing with Eton…
Greek yogurt mousse, stawberry marinated in basil and crumbs of meringue – Mousse au yaourt grec, fraises au basilic et miettes croquantes de meringue

serves 6 pers.
prep: 15 min. rest: 1/2 hour + 1hour

Ingredients:
For the mousse:
400 g Greek yogurt,
20 cl whipping cream,
3 sheets of gelatin,
2 to 3 Tsp sugar (according to taste);
1/2 vanilla pod (the grated seeds);

And also:
300 g fresh strawberries (or a mix of your favourite red summer fruit);
juice of 1/2 lemon;
6 basil leaves thinly chopped;
1 Tsp sugar;
6 to 8 mini meringues (I could have made them myself but I got them at my favourite patisserie), or 2 to 3 larger ones;

Prepare the mousse:
. At least half to one hour before hand, set the Greek yogurt to drain in cheese cloth, a clean towel or in kitchen paper.
. Soften the gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Reserve one tsp whipping cream to melt the gelatin and whip the rest of the cream until stiff. Whip the drained Greek yogurt with the sugar and vanilla seeds until shiny and relatively stiff;
. In a small pan melt the drained gelatin with 1 tsp of cream. Immediately incorporate to the whipped Greek yogurt;
. Incorporate the whipped cream delicately to the Greek yogurt mixture;
. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Dress the desert just before service:
. Marinate the strawberries cut in thin slices with the lemon juice, chopped basil and 1 Tsp sugar;
. Pour the mousse in individual glasses; in alternate layers with roughly crushed meringues and the strawberries.

Bon appétit!

Maastricht… Dutch capital of Gourmandise

mykitchendiaries — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 20:17:29 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve been willing to share with you my crush for the epicurean city.

Maastricht, with its eternal ‘Joie de vivre’ and its oozing Gourmandise will always have a special place in my heart… It’s a city of passion, and incidentally, the place where I met my dutchie for the first time.

Since, every single time, I fall in love with Maastricht…

In december when people are running around with their frozen noses in the lightened up city, interrupting their Christmas shopping for a minute to warm up with a deliciously warm Luikse Wafel (waffle from Lieges), so sweet and buttery. At carnaval when Maastricht is more than ever crazy party-monster ‘Meestrech’ that never sleeps! In the spring and summer when the terrasses flourish on every square, buzzing with people happily enjoying a couple of beers while babbling in the sun or washing down a bunch of local asparagus with a glass of Apostelhoeve (one of the local wineries)

And the food…

The food is good! with that particular taste that only fresh ingredients prepared with love and care may have… from hip, trendy and starred (no less than 6 michelin star restaurants around!) to homy and hearty with local specialties such as zuurvlees (beef-stew), rabbit, asparagus or the ultimate treat for the local sweet-tooth, the Limburger vlaai (local fruit tart).

Carnet d’adresses:

~ Right Bank: The Wyck and Ceramique
~ Left Bank: Onze Lieve Vrouweplein and Sint Pieterstraat
~ Culinary events
~ Tourist Information

Right Bank: The Wyck and Ceramique

I always like to begin my pilgrimage of Maastricht on the right bank of the river Maas (on the left in the picture), in the the Wyck, the neighborhood where Dutchie use to live when I met him. Can’t help getting sentimental around there, and hungry too! the cold sunday mornings when woken up by the parades in preparation for the carnaval, we would sneak out to the patisserie Royale for some breakfast treats or head to the large square of the Ceramique district for a cappucino and a toastie at the Coffeelovers. Our romantic dinners in the small restaurants of the Rechtstraat (and in particular, Le Courage). The atmosphere there is amazing, with cute boutique hotels, cool bars, mini restaurants, antique and delicatessen shops…

Coffeelovers
Ruiterij 2, 6221 EW Maastricht
Phone. +31 (0)43 356 19 44
Website: www.coffeelovers.nl
Open. mon-fri 8-18 / sat-sun 10-19

On the large square of the Ceramique district. Great coffee from their old sister Blanche Dael (since 1878) [You can apparently also visit the roastery on wolfstraat]. Perfect to pack up some energy before a culinary shopping tour!

Le Salonard
Rechtstraat 84, 6211HV Maastricht
Phone. +31 (0)43 351 0525
Website: www.lesalonard.nl
Open. tue-sat 9-18

Ali baba’s bread cavern: amazing organic bread and all that goes with it.. cheese, charcuterie, jams, wines and some tasty pastries too. All that with a smile. Soooo worth the queue! I particularly loved the homemade lemon marshmallows which reminded me of the guimauve of my childhood…

Julienne
Rechtstraat 65a, 6221 EH Maastricht
Phone. +31 (0)43 323 3302
Website: www.julienne.nl
Open. tue-fri 10-17.30 / sat 10-17

nice selection of kitchen equipment, just opposite Le Salonard

‘t Rommedoeke
Wycker Brugstraat 43, 6221EB Maastricht
Phone. +31 (0)43 343 0308

Cheese and more cheese, and nuts and more… THE place for local cheeses from Limburg such as the red crusted monk cheese Rommedoe or the stinky square Le Herve du Vieux Moulin from belgium. This shop used to be my dutchie’s nightmare when he used to live a couple of doors away. The man cannot stand the idea of cheese… he had to endure the smell (I was in heaven!)

Patisserie Royale
Wycker Brugstraat 13, 6221 EA Maastricht
Phone. +31 (0)43 321 5026
Website: www.royale.nl
Open. mon 10-18 / tue-fri 8.30-18 / sat 7.30-17 / sun 9.30 – 14

Tasty Limburger pastry since 1929

Left Bank: Onze Lieve Vrouweplein and Sint Pieterstraat

This square awakes in me the nostalgia for France. It feels like the center square of a village in Provence on a summer evening under the shade of the century old trees. When I close my eyes, I could almost hear the ‘cigales’ and the petanque players. That’s where I use to come for a breath during my shopping marathons, or for a romantic summer evening drink with dutchie.

Teazone
Koestraat 9, 6211 HR Maastricht
Phone. +31 (0)43 311 3246
Website: www.teazone.nl
Open. tue-sat 10-18 / sun 12-18

Tea- coffee- and home- shop as well as tea room.
Lovely tea from Kusmi and The-O-Dor.

Mill and bakery the Bisschopsmolen
Stenenbrug 1-3, 6211 HP Maastricht
Phone. +31 (0)43 327 0613
Website: www.bisschopsmolen.nl
Open. tue-sat 9.30-18 / sun 11-17

The mill just a few steps away from the ‘Onse Lieve Vrouweplein’ dates back to the 7 cemtury. The production is used for the bakery which specialised in vlaai (of course!) and for the spelt that is used by Jupiler to produce a special type of the Korenwolf bier. The vlaai assortment looked very appetizing and since I needed a rest, I tried their coffeee place… Unfortunately, I gave up after more than 15 minutes and many attempts to catch up the attention of one of the many waiters. Had I known I’d have headed straight to the take away bakery! I did visit the mill though: Impressive!

Adriaan the Smaakmaker
St. Pieterstraat 36, 6211 JN Maastricht
Phone. +31 (0)43 32 58 865
Website: www.adriaandesmaakmaker.nl
Open. tue-fri 10-18 / sat 10-17

Not to be missed: Adriaan the 3rd is the british James working together with his wife Angeliek. They are famous for their jams, mosterds, chutneys and relishes prepared lovingly in their small atelier in the shop, with local ingredients (except for the marmelade… If you have a bit of time: ask him how he gets his sevilla oranges ). We loved the very british apple and mint jam and the more exotic passionfruit apricot jam!

Culinary events

Maastricht aan Tafel
Where: restaurants through the city
Dates: 1 to 14 August 2011
website: www.maastrichtaantafel.nl

Restaurants will be serving delicious three course meals for € 25.20.

Preuvenemint
Dates: 25 to 28 August 2011
Where: Vrijthof
website: www.preuvenemint.nl

Get a real taste of Maastricht gourmandise during the 30th edition of this culinary tasting festival organised yearly on the main square of the city.

Gastronomy week 2012
Dates: jan/feb 2012
Where: MECC, Maastricht
website: www.weekvandegastronomie.nl

The European Fine Food Fair (EFFF) and the BBB for culinary professionals
from northwest Europe takes place in Maastricht.

Tourist Information

Maastricht Tourist Office
website: http://www.vvvmaastricht.eu/
Languages: Nl, En, Fr, Span, Ger, Port, It, Rus.

A mine of information, well organised and user-friendly! I just found out that they ‘ve also published a free iphone/ipad app (downloading it for a test run as we speak)… and finally they also propose a culinary route.