Bitterballen with Chanterelles - A Dutch Treat

I found this recipe ages ago on Design*Sponge. I made them one night as a nod to my own Dutch heritage and everybody swooned. I made them last Thanksgiving and now I am making them again this year. The styling at Design*Sponge is so spectacular I used their pics here. If you've never been to visit that sensational site, you'd love it. I recommend visiting for some input from Yvette Van Boven who invented the twist on this Dutch favorite. Also, Yvette is a sensational cookbook author and food stylist. I have her book Home Made and it is sensational.

Bitterballen with Chanterelle Mushrooms

The Bitterballen Ingredients

Step by Step

Real Dutch Bitterballen with Chanterelles

Ingredients

1 onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons plus 1 handful of flour
1/2 cup (75ml) White Port
2 cups mushroom broth (500ml)
salt, pepper, nutmeg
3 cups chanterelle mushrooms (250 grams)
1 handful of parsley
2-3 eggs
1 handful of fine breadcrumbs

Day 1:

Make the filling:

Fry 1 Onion (chopped) in a wide pan with the butter.  Once the butter has melted add one tablespoon of flour.  Stir and let cook a bit.  Add the White Port and mushroom broth.  Salt and pepper to taste and add some nutmeg.  Add the chanterelles and parsley, and cook this until a thick roux forms.  Let this mixture chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Day 2:

Set up your assembly line:  Set aside three bowls, and a tray lined with parchment paper.  In one bowl place a handful of flour, in one bowl 2-3 eggs, lightly beaten, and in the last bowl, your breadcrumbs.

Divide the mixture in half and roll into two logs.  Cut each log into equal parts, about the size of a large grape.  Roll each ball in flour, then dip in the egg, and then roll in the breadcrumbs.  Repeating the last two steps will help to form a thick, firm crust.

Heat your oil to 350F degrees (180C degrees).  Fry the bitterballen in small batches.

Serve immediately with creamy mustard (made with one part sour cream, one part mustard) and beer!

Street Style - It's me!

I usually pick someone off the street for these posts, hence "Street Style." Plus, I hate visiting fashion blogs where Annabelle X blogs about herself and her awesome clothes. It appears vain and boastful and narcissistic.

But for this one, I'm going to be Annabelle X.  I really liked what I was wearing. Actually I felt like a totally cool hipster chick. The kind I always look at and think,  "Man, I wish I was that cool." Seriously, yesterday, I might have been that cool chick to someone. You know the ones too. The girl who has Little Majorette and Empire of the Sun and Alex Winston, supplemented with The Kills on her play list. The one who exercises regularly at the hip yoga studio that other super hip folks go to. The one that says she'd love to be vegan but can't give up bacon. The one that is craftier than any crafter, craftier even than Martha Stewart's whole staff. You know the one!
I felt that cool; that hip.

I wore a dress from Macy's that's really too big for me. When you look at the pictures you'll probably be like me and say, "Shorter, perhaps." The tights are Italian no name tights with a really cool motif on them. I got them at Marshall's for a bargain but I hope they'll at least last through winter. They're epic. The sweater is a basic black with 3/4 sleeves from Ann Taylor Loft. And the earrings...OH THE EARRINGS. They were my favorite part of the outfit. They were gifted from Granny. And the booties. I wish I had taken a better picture of the booties. It's hard to capture the very turn of the century look of them. They are real "Anne of Green Gables." They're from Anthropologie about 4 years ago. I love them.

Anyhoo. Check it out. Let me know what you think!

Homemade Chicken Broth

Halloween is over. Harvest is here and so we move swiftly into the colder winter months.

I don't know about you, but I love soup on a cold winter's eve. And paired with a grilled cheese sandwich...a feast!

Every great soup needs a great stock. More often than not, I use a chicken broth base for all kinds of soup. Today I'll share the broth recipe which you can use in this hearty lentil soup recipe...

Home Made Chicken Stock

Ingredients

• 1 large bag baby carrots
• 1 whole onion quartered
• 3 large garlic cloves crushed
• 1 bunch  fresh parsley
• 1 bunch fresh oregano
• 1 carcass of leftover rotisserie chicken
• 1 lemon quartered
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients in large soup pot 
2. Cover all ingredients with water
3. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes
4. Reduce heat and simmer until all veggies are tender to the fork (another 40 minutes)
5. Strain through a fine sieve or cheese cloth
6. Store in 16 oz containers until ready to use for soup or for a day when you aren't feeling well.

Just before lowering heat to a simmer.

The leftovers after straining.

The star of the show. Finished stock.