Oma is so famous for her kaastengels aka cheesesticks. While others get to enjoy them during Christmas, we lucky ducks get to enjoy it year-round. And she makes a LOT of it. She may as well, because once she gets her portable oven and 10-or-so baking sheets out, she may as well feed the town. Nah, we so selfish, we want it all to ourselves :D


We've waited quite a bit to wrangle this recipe off her, Oma usually prefers to bring it over as a treat for the kids. However, lately, it's becoming too tedious for her to manage baking such a big batch on her own, she finally acquiesced and mixed and baked it in our kitchen. That's when I got the chance to actually weigh all the ingredients before she dunked them in her massive mixing bowl.

It isn't that Oma doesn't want to share her recipes ... not that at all! It's that she relies so much on look and feel that she never bothered to weigh or measure her ingredients, rightly saying that the amounts will vary whether it is the dry or rainy season. Yes, humidity also plays a part in baking as I found out when I tried the exact measurements on my own. So much to learn, so little time.


Also, Oma uses a few types of butters ... the refrigerated kind, which is usually 80% butterfat, makes up 2/3 of the amount of butter used in this recipe, and the canned Dutch preserved butter which I found was 84% butterfat, which makes up the 1/3 amount of the butter used. However, in the absence of the tinned Dutch Wijsman butter, I used Plugra, a higher fat European style butter which had 82% butterfat. Just to compare, the Kirkland butter from Costco which I usually swear by has just 80% butterfat. No, not all butters are created equal.



Then there's the cheese. Edam is non-negotiable in your typical kaastengel recipe. Made from partly skimmed milk, it is lower in milk fat (40%) than let's say Gouda (48%), and it is drier and lighter, so it won't melt and flow a lot when cooked or baked. So please, make kaastengels only when you can get your hands on Edam cheese.

Cheddar is the other cheese used in typical kaastengels recipe. It has a nutty aroma, and it's rounded sharpness complements Edam very well. Also, cheddar will melt more than Edam, binding the rest of the dough, giving it a better mouthfeel. I usually use a mature, old or sharp cheddar for this purpose.



With all that being said, these measurements below are as much of a recipe as it is a template. And we inevitably need to compensate and allow for subtle changes. I baked a small batch using a combination of both butters and found that my kaastengels were spreading too much too soon, so I added a bit of flour to 'stiffen' them up and baked them at a higher temperature for a wee bit shorter time. After two trials, it was perfect! At least for me it was.



So then, try this recipe, make it your own. And let's remember that nothing goes to waste for you can also eat your trials and errors ;)


Ingredients:
900 g butter
4 egg yolks
600 g Edam cheese, grated
200 g Cheddar cheese, grated
1200 g all purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp salt

4 yolks for glazing
200 g Cheddar cheese, grated, for topping

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, soften butter with a mixer, then add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing it well until homogenous.
2. Still with the mixer, drop in handfuls of grated Edam and cheddar cheese.

3. Switch to a wooden spoon, then stir in the flour, adding it a handful at a time as well.
4. At one point, it will require you to work with your hands. Add a little, then fold it in, taking care not to 'punch' the dough down.
At this point, the dough should be pliable enough, a little on the softer side, and not too firm as cookie dough. Trial and error and practice makes perfect.

5. Shape into small 'sticks' by taking a small ball and rolling it gently between the palms.
The OCD in me makes them between 10-12 grams each.
6. Place the sticks on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Alternatively, shape into small balls of not more than 1.5cm across, or one can even use the cookie piping gizmo. We even shaped it into letters!

As you work with the dough, turn it over once in a while so as not to let the butter settle on the bottom of the dough.

7. With a brush, gently glaze the tops with egg yolks.
8. Place a bit of grated cheddar cheese on top.
9. Bake on medium heat, 160C for about 30-40 minutes until top turns golden.
10. Let rest for a few minutes before removing from the baking sheet.

Vruchtentaart met vla ... it's Dutch for fruitcake with custard, for if I should call it fruitcake, one would expect the old English classic. Not this one, though. This is a refreshing summery cake, enriched with cool thick custard and accented with summer's bounty: kiwis, strawberries, blackberries and canteloupes.



Tante Lily came to cook in our place one day and made a cake such as this for Mama's birthday, one of the many desserts for the buffet. This cake stole the show, not only because it was light and fruity, desirable qualities of desserts in the tropics, but also because it was decadent in its own way, rich with custard, unlike the many other buttercreamed cakes on the table.



There is a light coating of agar on top of the fruits which serves to plant the fruits firmly on the cake, preventing an avalanche as you slice into it, and also to prevent the fruits from drying out and discolouring. You definitely want to start making the agar after the cake has been fully assembled. It's an added bother, but will definitely extend the aesthetics of your baked good.

Vanilla Cake
Ingredients:
2 tsp cream of tartar
50 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
150 g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tsp vanilla extract
200 g (1-2/3 cup) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
1. Butter and line 3 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom.
2. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until it starts to froth.
4. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and continue whisking until soft peaks form.
5. At this stage, start adding the 50 g of sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites come to stiff glossy peaks.
6. Transfer this meringue to another clean, large bowl.

7. Replace the whisk with a flat beater and give the bowl a good wipe, then beat together the butter and 150 g of sugar for about 10-15 minutes, till pale and fluffy.
8. While waiting, sift the flour with the baking powder into a medium bowl.

9. To the butter and sugar mixture, add the yolks, one at a time on a slower speed, followed with the vanilla extract.
10. On the slowest speed, add the flour in four additions, mixing just until no visible lumps remain.

11. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and with a wooden spoon or a large spatula, fold a third of the egg whites to the batter.
12. Gently fold the rest of the meringue in.
13. Divide the batter among the cake pans, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
I placed one on the top rack and two on the lower rack, swapping them after they have risen.
14. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting it on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Custard
Ingredients:
50 g (4 heaping tbsp) custard powder
1000 ml (4 cups) UHT milk
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, or to taste
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, boil custard powder and milk.
2. Add vanilla and sugar, stirring constantly.
3. When done, turn off heat and cool in a larger pan filled with cold water, keep stirring so as not to set the custard.

Agar Glaze
Ingredients:
10 g (1 pack) clear Agar (I use Swallow)
720 ml (3 cups) water
25 g (2 tbsp) sugar

Directions:
Make agar only when cake is assembled.
1. In a small saucepan, combine agar with cold water and sugar.
2. Cook till it boils.
3. Turn off the heat, keep stirring so it doesn't coagulate.

Assembling
Ingredients:
4 cups of cut peaches, plums, cherries, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, or the like.

Directions:
1. Invert one cake layer onto a serving platter.
2. Spread a little less than a third of the custard on top.
3. If desired, place half a cup of fruit (diced small) on the top of the custard.
4. Top with the second cake layer.

5. Repeat layering with the same amount of custard earlier and optional fruit.
6. Place the last cake layer on top.
7. Pour and spread the rest of the custard on top, letting it drip over the sides.
Work quickly, this stuff can set and thicken.
8. Arrange the rest of the fruit on top of the custard.

9. At this time, the agar glaze can be made, stir to cool, then slowly pour on top of the fruit and to the sides to set the fruit and prevent them from discolouring.
10. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight.

A childhood favourite! My parents made this a regular treat each time we visit the hill station aka neighbouring mountain. Puncak Pass is a pretty place with an amazing view. Quite like a Swiss chalet, it has bungalows perched on the mountain slopes, winding trails, and a cozy restaurant that serves, what I have been conditioned to believe is, the best poffertjes in the world.


Airy, bready, yet filling and satisfying, we enjoyed their poffertjes with a drizzle of 'gula jawa' or palm sugar syrup, and the ubiquitous dusting of icing sugar. This place also served an amazing banana pancake ... but it was the poffertjes that reeled us all in.



It somehow seemed perfect against a backdrop of fog-covered slopes and dewy grass, where we would often brave the chills to sit outside in the patio, if only for a while, to down these amazing bites. My parents would retreat indoors to a warmer seating option, while my brother and I would walk around the grounds all the way to where the swings and slides were. Then after, we would join them to enjoy another round of poffertjes.



Interestingly enough, we didn't find these same kind of poffertjes in the Netherlands, oh ... we had them everywhere we saw them. They were delicious, though, but not as puffy, chewy and satisfying. You could say that the ones we grew up with had more bang for the buck, or in this case, more bread for the ball.

This is my kind of poffertjes recipe...

Ingredients:
2 tsp active dry yeast
2-1/2 cups warm milk
180 g (1-1/2 cups) buckwheat flour (you could do with whole wheat)
250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 eggs

Butter, for the poffertjes pan
Powdered sugar to serve

Preparation:
1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Set aside to proof until bubbly.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flours, sugar and salt.

3. Make a well in the center of the flour, place the eggs, then mix it into the flour.
4. Drizzle in the milk, gently whisking it into the batter.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for an hour in a warm place.

6. When the dough has risen, give it a gentle fold.
7. With a brush, butter the poffertjes wells, and when it sizzles, ladle the batter just shy of the rim. Cover the pan.
8. As soon as you can see the sides start pulling away, flip the poffertjes upside down using two skewers.

9. Continue cooking until the batter is used up.
10. Dust with icing sugar and serve with honey, maple syrup, or my favourite ... gula jawa.

Tips for cooking the poffertjes:
1. Preheat the pan on medium heat.
2. Butter the wells.
3. When butter sizzles, remove pan from the heat and ladle in the batter.
4. Return the pan to the flame and cover.
5. When you see the bottoms start to set, quickly flip the poffertjes over to let the uncooked batter fill up the well, making a 'kinda' perfect sphere.
6. Remove the poffertjes and repeat.
7. It's not necessary to keep buttering the pan, once at the onset is plenty.
8. After the first batch, you may want to reduce the heat to medium-low.
9. We want to sufficiently brown the bottom while making sure the batter doesn't cook thoroughly so when you flip it, it flows to fill the other half, making a pretty spherical shape.

Practice makes perfect ;) Enjoy!

A savory morsel of cheesy goodness ... these cheese bites are airy, light and melt oh-so sublimely in your mouth.

Growing up, it was always Oma's kaastengels against which all others were judged. The sharp, strong taste of Edam, married with the smooth and milky cheddar, made for a rich savory tea time treat that we enjoyed every chance we got. Never one to come empty handed, it was either her kaastengels (cheese sticks), chocolate pudding with vla, brudel, or ikan woku that won over my children. Yes, the way to the heart is surely through the stomach.

Well now that Oma, at 91, cooks and bakes sparingly, it is my brother who has taken over the baton (or the whisk). His version incorporates some leavening, making his cheese bites light and fluffy. To each their own, but may they always be sharing with me.

Ingredients:
400 grams all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
300 grams butter

300 grams Edam cheese, grated
150 grams cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs, whisked