Since we can’t go out for dinner this Christmas, why not order in from one of your favorite restaurants? Last year I celebrated my birthday at Restaurant Daalder in Amsterdam and got hooked on the exquisite flavors and ingredients. The small and intimate restaurant is the playground of Chief cook Dennis Huwaë who surprises guests with seasonal dishes and artisan ingredients. The only thing guests have to decide on is the number of courses. During the covid lock-down, Restaurant Daalder continues to wow foodies with home delivery and take out. You can order a box that has all ingredients in it and needs little preparation. Everything is vacuum-sealed and pre-cooked so all you need to do is, follow the instructions to finish it and plate your food like a chief. For Christmas, Dennis Huwaë created a special Christmas box and gastronomic menu including a Christmas music playlist, a candle, a menu card and instruction videos to finish the dishes. It’s really fine dining at home!
Watch my unboxing video here and see what to expect
First course: Mizuna Salad with Scottish smoked salmon, Dutch shrimp, vadouvan and horseradish
The first course was super easy to make and done in 5 minutes. First, the instructions were to mix the lettuce with a light dressing and the shrimp with a dill dressing. I felt like a chef as I was dressing the plate with lettuce, Dutch shrimps, smoked Scottish salmon and topped with a horseradish dressing and vadouvan which is a crispy seaweed with sesame seeds. The salmon melted on my tongue. I loved the crunch of the vadouvan and the shrimp were so delicately sweet. The combination of the sweet shrimp, salty salmon and nutty vadouvan were fabulous!
Second course: Fregola with forest mushrooms, sage and Parmesan cheese
This was my favorite course. Again, it only took about 10 minutes to prepare this even though it required heating. The fregola, which is a sort of pearl pasta from Sardinia, had to be shortly cooked in a broth. Then I had to add the forest mushrooms, butter and the creamy cheese to create a tasty sauce. The result was a plate full of hearty food with the comforting taste of the season.
Third course: Guinea fowl with brussels sprouts and spring onions
The third course took a bit more effort but was still under 10 minutes. You have to heat the potato sauce and the gravy, and you need to quickly roast the pre-cooked guinea fowl. The brussels sprouts are sweet and sour which was a pleasant surprise. The guinea fowl is soft and super tender.
Main course: Tenderloin with Colombo crunch, rendang gravy, savoy cabbage and black garlic
This course takes about 10 minutes to prepare and is again super simple. It’s just heating things up and roasting the meat in butter. Then you glaze it and top it with the colombo crunch. The gravy is what makes this dish so special. I literally wanted to lick my plate. The tenderloin is velvet tender has a spicy glaze with a finishing crunchy bite. All the different textures make this dish interesting and exciting.
Dessert: A warm sticky toffee cake with chantilly cream
The dessert is the perfect winter recipe and I wish I knew how to make this myself. It’s a small cake you bake in the oven then top with vanilla chantilly cream and caramel sauce. I was so looking forward to this dessert that I forgot to photograph it and realized I hadn’t after the second bite. Hence the below photo which isn’t photogenic at all.
It was a fantastic experience and I actually hope that even after the Covid pandemic, this is something that will stay as an option. It’s fun to do, it’s easy and above all, it’s delicious! I highly recommend this Christmas menu for the holidays and even after as a hearty winter menu with seasonal flavours and ingredients.
website: https://eatershop.nl/
Options: 5 course menu, 8 course menu, vegetarian menus and wine arrangements
Where: home delivery anywhere in the Netherlands or pick up at Restaurant Daalder Amsterdam or Restaurant Edel Amsterdam
Price: € 59 or € 89