Cake House

First get the zest and the juice of a lemon. Slice 2 shallots into very thin rings. Mix 2 tbsp juice with 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp sea salt , fresh   pepper and the shallot. Rub the salt and sugar with your fingers in the shallots and reserve. Max a half hour before serving (or the fish will be overcooked by the lemon juice), cut 4 fillets of sea trout (skin removed) in small cubes and mix the lemon zest, another 2 tbsp juice , 1,5 tsp sea salt, fresh pepper and 2 tsp olive oil. After 20 mins heat 20 gr butter with a tsp caraway seeds till frothy, caramelised and with a nutty smell. Plate the fish, pour the brown butter over it, and finish with the sweet&sour shallots, 20 gr of pistachio nuts and tarragon leaves . (Another Ottolengi recipe)

For the salsa you first need to soak 50 gr black currants in hot water, for 20 minutes. In the meantime slice 2 stems of celery lengthwise in 3 and then cut into small cubes. Boil 50 gr of samphire for 3 mins, rinse under the cold tap to stop the cooking and drain. Zest a lemon . Soak 1/4 tsp of saffron in a tbsp hot water. Weigh 20 gr capers. Finely cut 20 gr of  green olives. Then its time to sweat the celery in 30 cl olive oil in a sauce pan and to roast 15 gr of pine nuts in a DRY pan till nicely golden brown (do not burn) After 6 mins the celery is ready. Take off the heat and mix with the samphire, the olives, the lemon zest, 1 tbsp lemon juice, the capers, the saffron and a pinch of salt. Lightly oil two salmon filets and panfry, skin side down, for about 3 mins. Then kill the heat and turn the fish. This side is ready in 2 mins. Drain the currants and mix with the salsa. Serve as shown, with celery leaves as decoration. <The salmon should be nice and pink inside. (An...

Pre heat the oven at 220C. Boil 2 big potatoes for 15 mins, then lightly cover them with olive oil, sprinkle some sea salt over them and transfer into the oven. You can take them out after 20 minutes, cut them in two and scoop out the contents. Divide 20 gr butter over the inside of the empty skins , followed by  a pinch of sea salt over  and put back in the oven for 8 mins. Roast some leftover nuts in a DRY pan. Mash the potato and mix with 70 gr blue cheese, 40 gr butter and some cream . Stir fry 200 gr spinach in 20 gr butter and squeeze out the liquid. Stir trough the potato mix. Take the skins from the oven and fill with the potato mix. Put back in the oven to colour. Serve with the roasted nuts. One pp as a starter, two pp as a main ( My interpretation of an Ottolenghi recipe)

If you have to economise at the end of the month this is not hardship, your butcher will ask about 9 euro per kilo and it is delicious. Cover a 400 grs beef or veal cheek lightly with oil, some salt and pepper and grill them till nicely browned. Melt 30 gr butter and sweat a diced shallot and 4 mushrooms. Add 3/4 liter of beet juice, 1/4 liter of beefstock, 150 ml red wine and some thyme . Then slowly braise the cheek in it for 4 and possibly 5 hours. Take out the meat and keep warm and discard the rest and reduce the liquid till you have a nice thick sauce. Fry some shiitake and other mushrooms in some butter. Serve with nice salad leaves (Recipe by Aussi chef Shannon Bennett)

Before you cook the beans and panfry the tofu this wonderful Libian sauce has to be prepared. Roast 1 tbsp caraway seeds in a dry pan and use a mortar and pestle to pulverise. Then cut 6 cloves of garlic very finely. Mix caraway and garlic with 2 tsp ground cumin , 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and fry in 2 tbsp sunflower oil for a minute. Then add 3 tbsp t omato paste , 2 tsp s ugar , 3/4 tsp salt and the juice of a lime. Stir. Add 250 cl hot water and keep stirring for 2 mins to bind the sauce. I used some cornstarch to make it even thicker. At the end mix beans and tofu  with the sauce and 15 grs of coriander. Serve with lime (which I did not have) (Recipe by Ottolenghi)

Roast 100 grams raw macadamia nuts in a dry pan. Mix in the kitchen machine half with some flatleaf parsle y, 70 gr soft, salty butter, the juice of half a lemon. Clean the machine and mix the other half of the nuts with parsley, coriander, dill, the rest of the lemon juice and 4 tbsp olive oil into a smooth pesto. Pre heat the oven at 200C. Cover 4 sea trout filets, skin side down, with the butter mix In the oven they will be ready in about 15 minutes Serve as a starter with the pesto and lemon slices. As a main you can add sugar snaps and roasted potatoes (Recipe: Shannon Bennet)

Pre heat the grill. Wash 1 kg mussels . Then bring a cup of water to the boil, add the mussels and cook for 6 mins. Open the mussels and discard the top shell. Spread the remaining shells in a baking tray. Use a disposable piping bag to put a cm of the   125 gr garlic&herb butter on each mussel. Finally spread 120 gr of grated Emmentaler cheese over the mussels. Under the hot grill for 5 minutes. serves with fries or crispy bread ( recipe Viva Magazine )

Cut a cauliflower lengthwise in 1,5 cm slices and lightly cover in coconut oil. Then make the chermoula,    there are many recipes, but we prefer the one that Amanda Ursell published in the Times. Roast 1 table spoon of sesame seeds, 2 tea spoons of cumin seeds and 2 tea spoons of fennel seeds in a dry pan. Grind them in a pestle. Mix them with a bunch of fresh parsley and a bunch of fresh coriander, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons of paprika powder, some orange zest and enough olive oil to make a thickish dressing with the blender. Bake the cauliflower in a 200 C oven for 20 mins. Boil some eggs Serve as shown  A Sarah Britton recipe.

Melt 25 gr butter and sweat 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic . Add 60 gr pearl barley and stir to cover each grain. Add 50 cl white wine and let it evaporate. Then add 300 cl fish stock . Stir from time to time and add more stock when needed. It's like making risotto. In the meantime cut 100 gr sugar snaps in half. Bring water to the boil to cook the sugar snaps for 1 min., then add 75 grs of  samphire and cook for another 3,5 mins. Pour trough a sieve and douse with cold water to stop the cooking process. The barley will take almost an hour, 5 mins before it's time to panfry the salmon . About 2 mins on each side. Mix the veggies with the barley to reheat for a minute or so. Serve with thinly sliced lemon .

Lucky me had some nice lobster stock in the freezer and found this recipe from Louise Robinson on Great British Chefs. If you are not so lucky follow the link below to make your own. Then prepare the spinach, broad beans and pasta. Sauté 300 gr baby  spinach in a little water until just cooked. Stir through 15 gr of butter and season with salt and pepper Blanch 750 gr  podded broad beans in boiling water for 3 minutes and immediately refresh in iced water. Remove the skins from the beans and set aside the skinned beans in a bowl Cook 7 strips of fresh lasagne in boiling, salted water for 4–5 minutes or until soft. Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil Stir in 50 ml  double cream , check the seasoning and pour the sauce into a tall jug. Using a hand blender, whisk the sauce briefly Place a spoonful of spinach in the middle of each plate. Spoon a little sauce over the spinach and fold over 3 strips of lasagne. Add half the crayfish , broad beans and layer again with ...

Ideal for solo cooking. Per person 75 gr  sushi rice , 1/2 avocado , 1 spring onion , 50 grs carrot , 50 gr chukka wake seaweed salad , 100 grs  shrimps , 1 small  Shanghai paksoi,  1 tsp black&white  sesame seeds. Cook the rice, which will take almost 30 mins. Plenty of time to start with the Togarashi Aioli sauce : mix 3 tbsp Mayo, 1 chopped garlic clove , 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp Togasrahi powder, a bit of pepper. Slice the avocado lengthwise. The carrot in matchsticks. The onion in rings. Fry the shrimps (or gambas). Stir fry the chopped paksoi. Serve as shown, the shrimps covered in sauce. Inspired by Viva magazine

Ideal for solo cooking. Per person 75 gr sushi rice , 100 gr tender beef , 10 cherry tomatoes , 4 radishes , 3 basil leaves , 1 small Shanghai paksoi, 1 tsp black&white sesame seeds. Marinate the beef in 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 finely chopped garlic. Cook the rice, which will take almost 30 mins. Plenty of time to slice the radishes and basil. Halve the tomatoes and put them in a 150 C oven. 5 mins before the rice is ready stir fry the paksoi. Take the meat out of the marinade and fry the beef, 2 mins at each side. Kill the heath and pour the rest of the marinade over the meat. Let it rest while filling the bowl(s): first the rice, followed by the veggies. Cut the meat and add. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the lot Serve with soy sauce and sriracha (hot chilisauce). (Inspired by Viva magazine)                                      ...

Place 1 tbsp mirin , 1 tbsp soy sauce , 1 tbsp sake (or sherry) and 20 gr sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently and mix until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in 20 gr white miso paste together with a tsp sesame oi l until combined. Leave to cool to room temperature. Coat the skrei with the marinade, cover with cling film and infuse overnight.                                                                                                                    The next day, melt a tbsp   butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add 4 chopped carrots and  1 tbsp grated ginger and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in 250 cl vegetable  stock , reduce heat and simmer for ...

Boil 400 gr sweet potatoes . In the meantime cut 2 onions , 2 cloves of garlic and 1 f ennel . Sweat them in a bit of olive oil. Drain the potatoes, mash with some creme fraiche and mix with the fennel and some dill . Then fry 10 shiitakes and 10 chestnut mushrooms , crumble 200 gr tofu over them and color with 1 tsp curcuma . Add some celery and parsley . Sweat for a couple of mins. and serve as shown. Recipe: Omroep Max. Here's a  video  (in Dutch)

For 2 pers. : 200g sea bass.  1 cauliflower, 100g butter, 100ml milk, 50ml cream,  40g raisins,  20g pine nuts,  10 leaves of coriander, 10g capers 1 chicory, 1 orange, 1 lemon,  20ml red wine vinegar 20g icing sugar, heaped tbsp  curry powder, 100ml olive oil a nd some chopped coriander to garnish  Start with the curry oil :  Toast the curry power in a dry pan and, in a separate pan, heat the olive oil to approximately 60°C. Th en pour the olive oil over the curry powder, strain and leave to one side to cool. Then prepare the dressing :    Place the raisins in a bowl of hot water and set aside until they have plumped up.  Assemble the dressing — mix the pine nuts, raisins, capers, coriander and curry oil. For the cauliflower purée :   Chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces, keeping a few small florets for garnish.  Melt the butter in a pan and sweat the cauli ower pieces off  until softened. is should ...

Start with the green curry. Sweat some  shallot and garlic in olive oil. Add 2 dl fish (or chicken) stock plus some fresh ginger, lemon grass and the stems of coriander. Boil for 10 mins. Pass through a sieve. reheat the infused stock and add some cream (or coconut milk). Reduce till thick. Add coriander leaves and blitz, Boil the samphire for 3 mins. Cut the fennel bulb very finely and marinate in olive oil en orange juice. Fry the haddock for 5 mins, skin side down. Turn off the heat and turn the fish. The other side will be done in 2 mins. (inspired by Bart Desmidt)

Preheat the oven to 200 C.  Sprinkle the  halibut ( 150 gr fillet pp)  on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet with an ovenproof handle over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer but is not smoking. Place the fillets skin side down in the hot oil and sear until the fish begins to turn color, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the fillets and add  1 tbsp lemon juice, 100 cl white wine and 3 tbsp butter  to the pan. As soon as the butter melts and becomes foamy, add a  tbsp rinsed capers  and  12 halved cherry tomatoes  and simmer until the tomatoes release some juices, about 1 minute.  Place the pan in the oven until the fish is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. In the meantime  f ill a large pot about 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil. Stir in 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice , dissolving the sugar. Gently place an ear of corn into boiling water, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the corn cook in...

Most of the work is to put 3 tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, then peel them, remove the seeds and cut the rest into small cubes. The rest is simple. Slice 3 garlic cloves very thinly. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok and first fry the garlic for 40 sec. Add the tomatoes for another minute. Add 200 cl coconut milk and 1 tbsp fish sauce and bring to the boil. Then 1 2 big prawns (peeled). They'll be cooked in a minute or 3. In the meantime slice 2 spring onions. Add them to the mix and 200 gr pre-cooked noodles. Now all you have to do is cut a lime and take 2 thin slices from each side Grate the rest and add, finally, the juice Serve with coriander

Peel pp a boiled beetroot and cut into small cubes. Mix with some horseradish cream from a pot (1/2 tbsp pp) and some thinly sliced red onion. Mix 2 more tbsp horseradish with 2 tbsp creme fraiche , 2 tbsp cream, 1 tsp mustard and some pepper and salt. Fry pp a fillet of mackerel in a lightly oiled pan , skin side down till the skin is nicely brown and crispy. Turn off the heat and turn the fish, It will be done in a minute and a half. Serve as shown with watercress . I had some left over oyster mushrooms but that's not necessary. (Inspiration: Dominic Chapman)

Comfort food in 6 minutes. Cut the tips of some green asparagus in half, slice a red onion , some shiitake ,  courgette and a garlic clove. Wok the onion and garlic in a tbsp oil for about 2 mins, then add the other veggies. After another 2 mins add a tsp rice vinegar , 3 tbsp f ish sauce , 1 tbsp ginger syrup and a tbsp soy sauce. And pre-cooked ramen (noodles). Stir and after another minute or two dinner can be served. Simple food? Yes. Looking good? Who cares as long as its mouthwatering.