the hungry expats

This is one of Mark's favorite cakes, and there are not that many. Since Smith & Wollensky in New Orleans does not share their famous dessert's recipe, I've experimented with several recipes online. This one is based on a yogurt cake recipe which gives it a dense and moist texture.  CAKE 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest 3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 large eggs 6 slices of canned pineapple + 2 tablespoons juice (save the rest of the juice for later) FROSTING 10 oz. cream cheese (PHILADELPHIA) 10 fl. oz. heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup confectioners sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a standard 9-inch round pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder,

Yesterday at Amsterdam's Noordermarkt (organic market every Saturday), my partner and I came upon this beautiful old cast-iron bundt cake pan with a white enamel coat inside. This gave me the idea to try my panettone recipe in a bundt-shaped brioche. It is definitely not the traditional panettone, but rather a sort of hybrid between Italy's panettone and Alsace's Kougelhopf. Takes a whole night to rise, but the result is worth it! Before you tackle it, let me specify that my bundt pan is extremely large (the following directions normally yield 2 regular-size panettones) and it is better to start the day before serving (in case the dough takes a long time to rise). INGREDIENTS 1 cup raisins (5 oz) 1/2 cup sweet Marsala 1/2 cup warm milk (105–115°F) 2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar 4 teaspoons active dry yeast (I used 20 grams of fresh yeast) 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3 large eggs at room temperature 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest (I used orang

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and even though the Dutch don't celebrate it, fresh cranberries are found everywhere in grocery stores and market stalls this week. I bought some to make cranberry jam, but Mark suggested a coffee cake instead. This is the recipe I used. The tartness of the berries worked wonderfully with the sweetness of the cake and the crunchiness of the nutty streusel! STREUSEL 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt   5 tablespoons   unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch chunks 3/4 cups pecan nuts, chopped CAKE 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon orange zest   2/3 cup buttermilk 2 cups fresh cranberries BUTTERMILK GLAZE 1 cup confectioner's (icing) sugar 1/4 cup (or less) buttermilk DIRECT

It's the middle of november here in Amsterdam and Dutch blueberries are still in season. So, why not enjoy these delicious berries with a buttery crust underneath and a streusel on top! INGREDIENTS 3 cups (390 g.) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (100 g.) granulated sugar   1/2 cup (100 g.) brown sugar   1 teaspoon baking powder   1/4 teaspoon salt   1 large egg   1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract   1 cup (226 g.) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes FILLING 1 tablespoon (9 g.) cornstarch   1/2 cup (100 g.) granulated sugar   1 1/2 tablespoon (22 ml) lemon juice   4 cups (approx. 500 g.)

I'm a big fan of this cake. The texture is a little bit like a semolina cake (due to the almond meal). It requires neither oil, nor butter (the almonds are rich enough in fat) but the oranges make it incredibly moist. CAKE 2 large oranges 5 large eggs 8 oz. almond meal (225 grams) 8 oz. sugar (225 grams) 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese (in France or Italy, ricotta is mostly found in containers of 250 grams. I used 2 tablespoons for the cake and the rest of the container for the whipped cream) WHIPPED RICOTTA CREAM 250 grams ricotta cheese (minus the 2 tablespoons used for the cake), cold 20 cl whipping cream (no less than 30% fat), cold 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract zest of 1 orange Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Rinse and boil oranges with skin on until soft (20-25 minutes). Allow oranges to cool. Cut in quarters, removing the pips. Blend until smooth. Beat eggs and add remaining ingredients before mixi

This recipe is a mash-up of two recipes I've shared in this blog : the crust is a regular shortbread dough (but I could have used Speculoos cookies and butter like I usually do for a cheesecake base), and the filling is the "blueberry snowcloud" recipe. The result is a crunchy crust with a bavarois filling, lighter than cheesecake because I only used one small container of cream cheese.   CRUST 250 grams all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 60 grams confectioner's sugar 120 grams unsalted butter 1 egg yolk 1/4 cup cold water FILLING 1 pound of cream cheese/ricotta/greek yogurt (I used 150 grams of PHILADELPHIA cream cheese, 250 grams of ricotta cheese and 1 plain greek yogurt) 2/3 cup white sugar 3 large egg whites 1 teaspoon almond extract 2 tablespoons + zest of 1 lemon 4 gelatin leaves (2 grams each) BLUEBERRY COULIS 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) 1/2 cup white sugar Mix together butter, flour, salt, confectio

Last month, my partner and I spent a few days in Paris. One day, we stumbled upon this remarkable bakery on Rue Saint-Denis which sold, among other delicious pastries, an enormous Paris-Brest cake by the slice. It was so good that we went back for more the next day. Paris-Brest is a delicious choux pastry filled with a hazelnut "mousseline" cream, and it involves one hard-to-find ingredient: praliné (hazelnut-almond paste). This recipe is great because it shows how simple it is to make your own praliné . It is an extra step you can do without if you can good quality praliné in a jar, but it was well worth the effort.   PRALINÉ (HAZELNUT-ALMOND PASTE) 100 grams hazelnuts 125 grams almonds (preferably skinned) 180 grams sugar 50 grams water CHOUX PASTRY 125 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk 125 ml (1/2 cup) water 75 grams (1/3 cup) unsalted butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 large eggs 1/4 cup sliced almonds EGG WASH 1 egg 2 tabl