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Herb's homemade mayonnaise in a minute

There is no better tasting mayo than home made mayo, but it can be daunting to make - our chef Herb shares his secret to perfect mayonnaise. It may not be by the book, but it is quick, will wow your guests and taste delicious with frites!

Techniques Demystified - Blanching

It turns out following a hot shower with a freezing cold one doesn't just do wonders for people, it's also does the world of good for vegetables!

Blanching then, is the technique of plunging ingredients (most usually vegetables) into boiling salted water for a few seconds, before immediately submerging them in freezing cold water.

This is done to preserve the natural colour of the ingredient and stop the cooking process, to keep it crunchy and fresh.

Techniques demystified - Deglazing

Nothing to do with windows and not to be confused with sugar coating donuts, deglazing is an important & simple technique that will capture and add lots of flavour as a base for your sauces.

Techniques Demystified: 'Julienne'

'Julienne'...refers to a French method of cutting vegetables into thin strips.

Want to learn how to master this technique? You'll need a carrot, some patience, a chopping board and a knife.

Glossary pt 1 - Fish vs Vis

A common challenge for expat cooks is understanding what fish is what when you shop in dutch markets...we have made this handy cheat sheet so your knowledge is as fresh as the fish...

Techniques Demystified - Bain-marie

It's a term you hear a lot in recipies, and, unless you have a french daughter called Marie who needs a bath, it might be like double dutch.

"“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” ― George Bernard Shaw"

"Cookery is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.” Marcel Boulestin"

Click Here To See: The Kitchen's Second Birthday Party

Herb's homemade mayonnaise in a minute

There is no better tasting mayo than home made mayo, but it can be daunting to make - our chef Herb shares his secret to perfect mayonnaise. It may not be by the book, but it is quick, will wow your guests and taste delicious with frites!

How to make a perfect mayonnaise in 1 minute!

Use a measuring jug of 0,5 or 1 liter, preferably high cylinder shaped one.
Most important is that all your ingredients are at room temperature, then you really can't go wrong.
Add the ingredients to the jug :

- freshly ground pepper
- good pinch of salt
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar ( try a nicely herb, wine or nut flavored one)
- 1 tablespoon of mustard
- 1 whole egg or to taste

Now add sunflower oil to the 300 ml mark.
Put in the hand blender, all the way to the bottom.
Blend at medium speed, while slowly pulling up the blender.
You should now have mayonnaise…

May be you need to mix a little extra, but be careful not to overwork the mayonnaise .
Needless to say you should taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Techniques Demystified: 'Julienne'

'Julienne'...refers to a French method of cutting vegetables into thin strips.

Want to learn how to master this technique? You'll need a carrot, some patience, a chopping board and a knife.

- Peel your carrot, trim both ends and then cut into two pieces.

-Create a flat surface on one side of the carrot by slicing off a small piece. Lay the carrot flat onto the chopping board, then trim another flat surface on one side of it.

- Stabilise the carrot with a little finger and a thumb at each end. Place your remaining three fingers against the flat edge of the carrot, and use your fingernails as a buffer against the blade.

- Cut a slice from the edge of the carrot, the finer the better, letting the knife gently graze your fingernails on the way down. Inch your fingernails back as you draw up the knife, then slice again, grazing your fingernails with the blade as before. Slowly does it.

- Keep cutting the carrot in this way until you are left with strips of carrot, then pile them on top of one another.

-Repeat the slicing process detailed before to create this slices looking like matchsticks.

Glossary pt 1 - Fish vs Vis

A common challenge for expat cooks is understanding what fish is what when you shop in dutch markets...we have made this handy cheat sheet so your knowledge is as fresh as the fish...

anchovy = ansjovis
mackerel = makreel
herring = haring
whitebait = zeebliek
seabass = zeebaars
grouper = tandbaars
red mullet = mul
grey mullet = harder
halibut = heilbot
brill = griet
plaice = schol
flounder = bot
sole = tong
monkfish = zeeduivel
John Dory = zonnevis
dab = schar
skate, ray = rog
hake = heek
cod = kabeljauw
haddock = schelvis
pollack = koolvis
perch = baars
trout = forel
eel = paling
salmon = zalm
pike perch = snoekbaars
salmon trout = zalmforel
gurnard = rode poon
kipper = gerookte haring
shrimp = garnaal
lobster = kreeft
crayfish = rivierkreeft
oyster = oester
clam =schelp
scallop = Sint-Jacobsschelp

Techniques demystified - Deglazing

Nothing to do with windows and not to be confused with sugar coating donuts, deglazing is an important & simple technique that will capture and add lots of flavour as a base for your sauces.

Deglazing basically is pouring some cold liquid into a very hot pan to release the colour and flavour of the juices that have browned in the bottom of the pan. These brown bits are where all the flavour is, and you can deglaze with water, wine, stock - even beer or vinegar.

If you are trying to make a gravy from a roast piece of meat, make sure you have skimmed off most of the fat from the juices in the bottom of the tray, before you pour in the wine or stock, with your tray on a high heat. There will be lots of sizzling and scraping, after which you can turn down the heat and finish off your sauce..flour to thicken for a traditional gravy, maybe shallots or garlic... but my gravy tricks will come in another post...

Techniques Demystified - Bain-marie

It's a term you hear a lot in recipies, and, unless you have a french daughter called Marie who needs a bath, it might be like double dutch.

A bain-marie consists of placing a container (pan, bowl, soufflé dish, etc) of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water, which surrounds the food with gentle heat. The food may be cooked in this manner either in an oven or on the hob. This technique is designed to cook delicate dishes such as custards, sauces and savoury mousses without breaking or curdling them. Also vital when it comes to melting chocolate. It can also be used to keep cooked foods warm.