Raspberry Loaf

So, after being away for a long weekend to France last week I’m back again with a new recipe! This time, I brought a raspberry loaf.

I’ve had some trouble with baking loaves and previously I always blamed our oven. Useless thing, I used to say. The temperature is off by about 15°C and I thought that for most of my cakes to fail, there had to be something else wrong with the oven, right? Wrong. As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with the oven. Just with the ingredients I was using. I swear, I’ll never buy “large” eggs again. What a foolish mistake! Of course my cake is going to fail if I’m using “large” eggs instead of “medium”…

So, the moment I figured it out I baked a loaf. And it came out perfectly! This is a great raspberry loaf with a slightly sweet flavor and adding the mint really makes it special!

Raspberry loaf
Adapted from: Sophie’s savory loaves by Sophie Dudemaine (page 67 in the Dutch edition)
This recipe makes 1 loaf

Ingredients 

• 3 eggs (medium!)
• 170 gram sugar
• 160 gram flour
• ± 2 gram instant yeast (the recipe calls for 1/3 package)
• 150 gram butter (lightly salted. If not available, add a pinch of salt to the butter instead)
• 200 gram raspberries
• 6 mint leaves

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a loaf pan and sprinkle with flour.
2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is light and slightly fluffy.
3. Melt the butter and spoon it through the egg-and-sugar mixture.
4. Puree the raspberry and mint before adding it to the batter.
5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes.

~Enjoy!

Cajun Corn Chowder

Corn holds a special place in my heart. My parents once told me that as I kid I loved to eat was corn. When they took me to one of my father’s friends in France they apparently joked about me only eating the pig’s food.

Now, we have corn at least once a week and to me, it never gets old. This is a recipe my mom once made for us and I absolutely loved it. So much that now I’m making it myself, too. It’s such a flavorful! The corn is absolutely amazing and it’s both creamy and spicy at the same time.

Cajun corn chowder
Adapted from: Spices by Manisha Gambhir Harkins (page 15 in the Dutch edition)
Serves: 4

Ingredients 

• 475 gram canned corn (you can use cobs if you want. You’ll need about 4.)
• 25 gram butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 5 slices of bacon, sliced into small pieces
• 3 teaspoons Cajun herbs (see below)
• 1 ¼ liter vegetable stock
• 250 ml cooking cream

Method

1. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the onion and sweat for about 5 minutes. Add the celery and braise for about 3 minutes until the celery has softened. Add the corn and Cajun herbs (start with 2 tablespoons and then add more to taste since it’s quite spicy). Stir well.
2. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. When you use cobs, let it simmer for about 35 minutes since canned corn is pre-cooked so it needs less time (at least, in the Netherlands it is).
3. Add the cooking cream and, over a low heat, let the soup boil to your desired thickness.
4. Optional: pour the soup into the kitchen blender and mix until it’s smooth. Return the soup to the pan.
5. Add the bacon.

Cajun herbs

• ½ teaspoon black pepper corns
• ½ teaspoon white pepper corns
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery salt

Grind all the spices together and store, sealed, in a dark spot.
The Cajun herbs can also be used with fish and meats.

~Enjoy!

Slightly spicy zucchini pasta with parmesan cheese

You know, when I was a kid I didn’t like zucchini at all. But, as we grow up our taste buds change. There’s still some things I don’t like in my food. Brussels sprouts, raisins and walnuts are examples of the things I don’t like. But overall I’ve grown up to NOT be a fussy eater. Which is good, otherwise I would have some problems cooking for myself.

 As for zucchini, I’ve grown to like it a lot. Especially on the grill, it’s delicious that way! But this pasta is a great way to eat it, too. It’s a super-easy dish, quick and delicious too. It’s not what I’d say a pasta-sauce but it is so good with the rich flavor of the zucchini, the spiciness of the chili and the parmesan cheese just wraps up the dish in a great way.

Slightly spicy zucchini pasta with parmesan cheese
Adapted from: Ainsley Harriott's Friends & Family Cookbook
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 500 gram zucchini, cleaned and cut into cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 300 gram lint pasta (the recipe calls for fettuccine but I used spaghetti)
• 25 gram butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sweat for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the zucchini, garlic, thyme, chili flakes and some salt and pepper to taste. Stir occasionally and let it stew for about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water like you usually do (or as the package suggests). When it’s done, drain the pasta and stir in the butter and parsley.
4. Stir the zucchini mixture through the pasta, ground over some pepper and sprinkle the parmesan on top.

~Enjoy!