Crustless Tartlets

Quick, versatile and packed with flavour

This recipe is for my nieces. They liked these little silky, salty tartlets so much, they made me promise to share the recipe so they can make these themselves at home.

It is one of our fabulous family traditions to have large and late brunches when we are all together. The tables (yes, tables) are full of cold meats, smoked fish, jams, cheeses and different types of bread. It usually is not easy to find space to squeeze in some more food, but sometimes I try. This time I just craved some quiche. Seeing it was still early (only around 1 pm) I could just not get myself to make pastry. So crustless quiche is what I went for. Very tasty and so fabulously easy I only needed to lend a helping hand as my nieces did all the work.

With so many other delicacies to choose from we had some tarts left over to snack on throughout afternoon. Personally I think I had a slight preference for the cold quiche. However our seven year old struggled thorough a few moments of deliberation before she had to admit that she really could not say which one was better as both options were so good.

This below is more of a guideline than an recipe. The variations for the filling, but even the batter are endless. At the end of the recipe you will find a few alternative ideas.

 

Ingredients
(found on the blog ‘Cherrapeno‘)
12 muffin size quiches

2 eggs
120ml (1/2 cup) milk
60ml (1/4 cup) double cream
60g all-purpose flour
1/2 generous tsp baking powder
1 tbsp chives
1 tsp dill
80g (2/3 cup) strong cheese (cheddar or similar)
70g (1/3 cup) smoked salmon
black salt

Recipe

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Grease a 12-whole muffin tin. (This is not necessary for non-stick or silicon tins.)
2. Whisk eggs, milk and cream together.
3. Add the flour and baking powder. Whisk again.
4. Chop the chives and dill.
5. Grate the cheese.
6. Chop salmon roughly. Add all the ingredients to the batter.
7. Season with pepper. (There is no need for salt as the cheese and salmon are quite salty already.)
8. Fill the 12 wholes of the muffin tin.
9. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden Check that they are cooked through..

 

Tips & Variations

If you are looking for a lighter version consider turning the tartlets into mini frittatas. (Click here for recipe.)

For alternative fillings consider:

• sautéed onion and crisp bacon
• green chili and crisp bacon
• sautéed leek and ham
• spinach and shredded zucchini
• sautéed red capsicum and mushroom

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Tuna Tartar Appetizer

Healthy, delicate tuna tartar

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am grateful for any occasion that reminds me to be appreciative. And so to me Thanksgiving is an invitation to think about all that I am thankful for: my family, my friends, myself, the life I lead and just plain everything (summarizing here…)

I was reminded of just how much I am thankful for, when I was invited to a pot-luck thanksgiving dinner last weekend. The theme, of course, was showing thanks; it took me days to decide what to cook. Such a struggle to settle on one dish when you can only think of more and more things you are thankful for.

So I decided to show my appreciation for abundance by bringing a little bit of EVERYTHING: the sea, the land and the skies.;  little cups flowing over with either Tuna Tartare, Spicy Beef or Asian Chicken.

For a glance at the other recipes at this special Edible Europe Dinner click here.

Below the recipe for the tuna tartar. Recipes for the beef and chicken will follow as an instruction on how to make little wonton cups

 

Ingredients
(based on Ina Gartner’s recipe from the Food Network.com)
Serves 4-6

250g sushi quality tuna
1 tbsp olive oil
zest of 1/2 lime
juice of 1/4 lime
1/4 tsp wasabi (powder)
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp Tabasco
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 chopped spring onions
1/2 red chili
1 avocado (can be left out)
Optional: 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Recipe

1. Combine oil, lime zest and juice, wasabi, soy, Tabasco, salt and pepper.
2. Cut tuna into very small dice. Add to the marinade.
3. Discard the seeds and chop the chili as well as the spring onion very fine. Save some of the spring onion as garnish. Add remainder to the fish.
4. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. Cut the avocado into small cubes. Combine with the fish. Spoon into the wonton cups. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Decorate with reserved spring onion.

 Serve with

• a cracker or toast. Choose a neutral flavour that will match the delicate Asian taste of the tartar.
• shallow fry a sheet of wonton in some oil, allow to drain and use it as a “cracker”
• make little cups out of wonton sheets

 

Sole with Shrimp

A heavenly dish with all the flavours of the sea

This post was inspired by a recent trip to Hamburg and a dinner at “Die Fischkueche“. The dish is like the city: straight-forward yet elegant; down-to-earth yet set for the seas.

Such a simple plate: some fish, some shrimp, a potato – but what an amazing combination of flavours and textures. A dish that feels like home even if you have never eaten it before.

This simple meal relies solely on the pure flavours of its few ingredients.  It will only taste wonderful if you use high-quality produce. If you use the vacuum-packed fish and prawns from your supermarket however, this dish is sure to disappoint. Go to your fishmonger for seafood that tastes of the far-reaching ocean and bring it home to your kitchen table.

 

Hamburg soaked in sunshine

Ingredients
(inspired by Restaurant “Brahms: die Fischkueche” in Hamburg)
Serves 2

1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
salt, pepper
2 filleted soles (NL: tong, DE: Seezunge)
100g shrimp (I lprefer the tiny ones NL: hollandse garnalen)
Optional: Parsley
Optional: lemon wedge

 

Recipe

1. Allow the fish to come to room temperature in about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil moderately in a frying pan. Add the butter and allow to foam.
3. Season the sole. Fry for about 2 minutes a side.
4. Tip the pan to one side and allow the butter to form a pool.
5. Put the shrimp into the butter.
6. Plate the sole and scatter the shrimp across.
7. Optional: Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with a lemon wedge.

Serve with

• A plain steamed young potato.
• A few blanched green beans or asparagus stalks.

Quesadillas

Super quick and incredibly versatile: the quesadilla

It has been so busy lately I have had no time to blog. There have been days I hardly even had the time for groceries or cooking.

What do you make for dinner on those days were you really do not feel like preparing a meal (or going food shopping)?

…..my go-to  meal is quesadillas with bean salad.

The backbone of the dish is two tortillas with cheese in between. You can add any filling ingredients you like; your imagination (or the content of your fridge) is the only limit.

I have tried many variations, but usually I make this dish when I I do not feel like shopping. So I always have a can of tuna and a can of giant white beans in my cupboard.  The tuna goes into the quesadilla and the beans are the base of my salad. I then raid the veg drawer of the fridge for anything that I can chop up and either add as filling to my tortillas or throw into my salad.

Usually it only takes me 15 minutes until I can bite into a  fragrant golden tortilla oozing with comforting cheese.

 

Ingredients
Serves 2

1 400g can of giant white beans
1 tomato
1/2 red capsicum (NL, DE: paprika)
1 spring onion
parsley
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
4 (or 6) tortillas
1-2 130g cans of tuna in water
50-100g grated cheese
Recipe

1. Wash and drain the beans.
2. Deseed the tomato. Chop tomato, capsicum and spring onion.
3. Add half the chopped vegetables to the beans.
4. Chop parsley and add.
5. Dress with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
6. Heat one (or two) frying pan(s) . Place one tortilla in the pan. Top with some of the vegetables and grated cheese. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Layer the second tortilla on top.
7. Cook until golden. Carefully flip and cook the second slide.
8. Slice into halves or quarters and serve with the salad.

 

Tips & Variations

Consider some of the following

• Cooked chicken, fried bacon, avocado, spring onion, cheddar
• Fried mince beef (with onion, herbs or taco seasoning), red capsicum, corn, cheddar
• Sautéed onion, tomato, goats cheese
• Cooked ham, mozzarella, olives
• Corn, black beans, cheese, cilantro
• Spinach, mushroom, cheese
• Chive omelet

Or go sweet

• Peaches, brie, drizzle with honey when cooked
• Apple, thyme, gouda
• And I know it sounds crazy, but: strawberry jam and grated cheese

Lentil Strawberry Salad with Tuna

One of my favourite quick dinners: Lentil Strawberry Salad with Tuna

Amazing: healthy, quick and bursting with flavour, this is one of my favourite  go-to meals.

A beautiful combination of earthy lentils, sweet tangy strawberries  and peppery basil. A fabulously summery dish to celebrate those last warm days of the season.

This must also be one of the quickest recipes I know. Perfect for a hot day where you want to be playing outside instead of being stuck in a steaming kitchen. At the same time this dish is so original and fresh tasting I am sure you will be making this long after the summer has gone.

 

Ingredients
(recipe only slightly adapted from the blog ‘healthy delicious‘)
Serves 2

2 cans of lentils (or you could of course cook180g (1cup) lentils du Puy)
1/2 re onion
about 8 large strawberries
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
black pepper
salt
a handful of basil leaves
2 tuna steaks

 

Recipe

1. Allow the tuna to come to room temperature.
2. If you are using canned lentils: rinse the lentils and allow to drain.
   If you are using dried lentils: Bring the lentils and 375ml (1 1/2 cups) water to the boil. Simmer on a low heat for 15-20 minutes until tender.
3. Whisk oil, balsamic and seasoning together.
4. Finely chop the red onion.
5. Mix the dressing and onion with the (warm) lentils (and allow to cool).
6. Cut the strawberries into large pieces.
7. Cut the basil into thin little strands.
8. Heat a frying pan and fry the tuna on a medium high heat. About 2-3 minutes per side. You are looking for a golden crust and a juicy raw center.
9. Fold the strawberries and basil under the lentils and adjust the seasoning to taste.
10. Serve the tuna with the strawberry salad on the side.

Serve with
Something green: cooked green beans or just a handful of rapunzel salad (DE: Feldsalat NL: veldsla)

Tips & Variations
This salad would also work well with a chicken breast or a steak.