dutch food

An extremely addictive Dutch snack consisting of slowly braised beef that&#039;s thickened with a roux and deep fried into little crispy balls.

Bitterballen - Dutch Secrets Exposed

chuck

onions

garlic (peeled)

carrots

250 ml chicken stock

pc bay leaves

tsp black peppercorns

thyme (fresh)

tsp allspice (whole)

pc star anise

thyme

g butter

g flour

allspice

tsp marmite (optional)

salt and pepper

panko breadcrumbs

eggs

flour

mustard (for dipping)

frying oil

Sear the beef

Sear the beef in a cast iron pan with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil until nicely browned. Work in batches to avoid cooling down the pan too quickly.

Sear the veggies.

Sear the onions and carrots and brown nicely.

Pressure Cook

Add the rest of the ingredients from the &quot;beef braise&quot; section with the browned meat to the Instant Pot. Close the lid and set it on high pressure for 35 minutes.

Cooling

Once the timer goes off, let it cool for 20 minutes. Manually release the rest of the pressure.

Strain

Strain the liquid from the braise and save 250ml of the braising liquid. (500ml for a 2x recipe, and so on...)Once the beef is cool enough to handle, shred it into small pieces with your hands. Alternatively, you can chop the beef with a knife into smaller pieces. Discard the vegetables and spices.

Make the roux

Begin by melting the butter in the pan. Add the flour and whisk.

Making the roux 2

Cook over low heat until a blond colour roux is made. About 3 minutes.

Add the liquid

Add the braising liquid slowly and whisk continually to make a smooth sauce with no lumps of flour.

Adding the beef

Once all the liquid is mixed in add the shredded beef, allspice, marmite and fresh black pepper. Cook gently until the mixture thickens slightly for about 2 minutes. Taste. Make sure it&#039;s seasoned nicely with salt and pepper.

Let it cool

Let this cool completely on a tray at room temperature for 10 minutes. Once it&#39;s cool enough to put in the fridge, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for about two hours or overnight.

Rolling the balls

Once the mixture is completely cooled, begin to roll it into little balls (smaller than a ping pong ball).

Bread them

Get three containers with high sides and fill one with flour, one with beaten eggs and the other with the panko bread crumbs. Dredge the balls in the flour, then the eggs and finally the panko breadcrumbs.

Fry them

Once breaded you can store some in the freezer for later or fry some now in a deep fryer at 170°C/350°F for about 5-6 minutes or until nicely golden and hot in the middle.

Serve

Serve with a side of mustard and a nice cold beer. Enjoy!

Indulge in the rich tradition of Dutch pastry with our authentic Bossche Bollen recipe. Originating from &#039;s-Hertogenbosch, these decadent choux pastry orbs filled with vanilla whipped cream and glazed with chocolate are a delight for the senses. Join us on Toine&#039;s Kitchen as we uncover the history behind this beloved treat and guide you through crafting your own culinary masterpiece. Get ready to experience the taste of Dutch heritage in every bite!

Bossche Bollen: Century-Old Pastry from 's‑Hertogenbosch

Water

Milk

70 g Butter

Salt

All-purpose flour

Eggs

sugar

water

chocolate

L heavy whipping cream

120 g Powdered Sugar

Vanilla bean paste

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (390F), in non-convection mode, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Put your piping bag with an A1 tip, in a cup, folding over the cuff; we’ll use that to make it easier to fill the piping bag with the batter.

Make sure you have all of the batter ingredients ready, and nearby!

In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, bring the water, milk, butter, and salt to a rolling boil over high heat.

Once it has reached a rolling boil, take it off the stove, and sift in the flour.

Using a spatula, mix it thoroughly, until all the flour is incorporated.

Next, we are going to heat the roux over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a temperature of 70ºC (160F), this should be between 30s and a minute - take it off the stove when it hits this temperature.  Cooking the flour is causing the starches in the flour to  gelatinize!

Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl, and stir it to cool it off to 50ºC (120F).

Once it’s at the right temperature, put in the first egg, and mix it until it’s fully incorporated.

Add the second egg, and keep mixing. Check the consistency: You should have a smooth batter, that is stiff enough to not “pour” off the spatula, but not so stiff that it falls off in big clumps.If the batter is too stiff, add in the third egg.If, after adding the third bag, the batter is still too stiff, you can add a splash of milk, to thin it out.

Making the Batter

Transfer the batter to your piping bag with an A2 tip. Then, pipe it out in six to eight large mounds on your cookie sheet. Try to keep them as round as possible, and uniform in shape and size.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes. The outside should be a nice golden brown.

Turn off the oven.

Poke a hole in the bottom of each puff, and put them back on the cookie sheet, with the hole pointing up.

Put it back in the oven, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Open the door a little bit, and let them sit for another 20 minutes. This should dry out the insides, by letting the steam escape, without making the insides soggy.

Now, move the puffs to a cooling rack, and let them cool completely.

Baking the Bossche Bollen

A little while before your your pastries are done cooling off, you can start making the chocolate glaze.

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, brushing the sides of the pan with a wet brush, to make sure no sugar sticks to the side.

Once it reaches a boil, let it boil for a minute. Now, carefully pour the boiling syrup into a glass bowl.

Add the chocolate, and start mixing it with a spatula. When all the chocolate is fully incorporated, Use an emersion blender for around a minute until it’s a shiny, smooth glaze.

Let the glaze cool down until it’s 60ºC (140F).

Making the Chocolate Glaze

Carefully grab one of the puff by the bottom edge, and dip it into the chocolate glaze. You want the glaze to get as close to the bottom as possible. Put them on the rack, to cool off completely.

Repeat for all of the Bossche pollen.

Glazing the Bossche Bollen

Once the Bossche Bollen are completely cooled off, make your whipped cream by mixing together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla paste until stiff peaks.

Fill your pastry bag (with an I2 tip) with the whipped cream

Put the tip of the bag into the hole you poked in the bottom of the pastry, and gently squeeze, until the pastry is completely full. You can feel that in your hand, and see it by the bottom of the pastry &quot;pushing up&quot;

They are best enjoyed right after filling them. But, you can store them in the fridge for a few days, inside an airtight container.

Filling the Bossche Bollen

Thanks for the recipe! It was fun to try it out. The chocolate was a little overpowering, being quite a thick layer. I tried to work very fast and even added a little water to make it thinner, but it stayed quite thick. Other than that, it was very good! I loved the subtle saltiness of the choux with the sweetness inside and outside.

Fantastic recipe! Easy to follow and the result was delicious bossche bollen. Highly recommended!

I cannot recommend this Bossche Bollen recipe enough! As someone who grew up in the Netherlands, these pastries hold a special place in my heart, and Toine's Kitchen has truly captured the essence of this Dutch classic. The step-by-step instructions were incredibly easy to follow, even for someone like me who's not the most experienced baker. The end result? Absolute perfection! The choux pastry was light and airy, the vanilla whipped cream filling was lusciously smooth, and that chocolate glaze... simply divine!  Each bite brought back fond memories of enjoying Bossche Bollen with my family back home. Thank you, Toine's Kitchen, for helping me recreate that taste of nostalgia right here in my own kitchen. This recipe is a true gem and a must-try for anyone looking to experience the authentic flavors of Dutch cuisine. Five stars all the way!

Small, spicy, and irresistibly crisp, these vlammetjes are perfect for parties or casual nights in. They capture the balance of sweet, savory, and fiery flavors that make Dutch borrel snacks unforgettable, and they are just as easy to enjoy at home as they were at the bar.

Vlammetjes: Spicy Dutch Bar and Party Snacks

g beef

shallot

garlic

tbsp sambal oelek

tsp ginger

cayenne pepper

tbsp ketjap manis

½ tsp ground coriander

tbsp flour

Eggroll wrappers (You can also use spring roll wrappers)

Grate the garlic cloves, and the ginger.

Dice your shallots - Try to dice them as small as possible.

Heat a skillet with a splash of oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until browned.

Stir in sambal oelek, ginger, cayenne pepper, ketjap manis, and coriander. Cook for 2 minutes more.

Mix 1 tbsp flour with ¼ cup water until smooth, then stir this mixture into the beef. Let cook briefly until thickened, then remove from the heat. The filling should be cohesive but still moist. Allow it to cool.

In a small bowl, make a separate flour-and-water paste to use as glue for sealing the wrappers.

Place a spring roll wrapper on your work surface, add about 1 tablespoon of filling, fold the bottom edge over, fold in the sides, and roll tightly. Brush the final edge with the flour paste to seal. Repeat until all filling is used.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or pan to 175 °C (350 °F). Fry the vlammetjes in small batches for 3–4 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot with curry mayo, chili sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce.

I just made these vlammetjes tonight and they turned out amazing. The filling had the perfect balance of heat and flavor, and the wrappers fried up so light and crisp.

Thank you for such clear instructions, Toine. I’ve already saved this recipe because I know I’ll be making them again for our next get-together.

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