Veal shanks, Jerusalem artichoke, daikon and Dutch eggnog; Black Box #4
Tiramisu made with Dutch Eggnog
Last friday it was that time again; time for our Black Box challenge.. 
It was Tom’s turn to fill the box, my turn to cook. If you have no idea what this is all about have a look here or here for more info! I had been working at a wedding the entire day on friday so I was slightly exhausted when I came home, but ofcourse I could not wait to see what was in the box. Tom was doing the cooking on friday, so the only task I had to do was to open the box… And some interesting ingredients again! They are a bit wintery, although Tom insists that is only because of the dishes I chose to make with them, but well, maybe you have some other ideas of what I could have made but here are the ingredients! O and my cooking was done on Saturday in case you were wondering…
- Jerusalem Artichokes
- Daikon
- Dutch Eggnog (we call it Advocaat)
- Mustard
- Veal Shank
- Beech Mushrooms
Cream of Jerusalem Artichoke soup (delicious!)
Have you ever seen Jerusalem Artichokes?? I hadn’t so I was a little confused as to what weird thing I was holding in my hands and then that huge white Daikon got me a little confused too. I mean; mushrooms I can handle and/or recognize in most cases but those first two ingredients got me a little puzzled. The same actually was true of the veal shank. I could tell it was some sort of shank as it was pretty clear by looking at it, but I had never cooked with any shank before and so that was an interesting thing to handle. Despite the wintery ingredients it didn’t take me too long to figure out what to make and a little browsing on the internet always helps in making sure you know what you’re cooking with.
So what did I make? I made as a starter a Cream of Jerusalem Artichoke soup which was delicious, for a main I made Braised Veal Shanks with mushroom and daikon risotto and for dessert it was a tiramisu with eggnog.
Risotto with braised veal shanks in the background
I loved the soup and the recipe is very simple and straightforward. The taste of it was fairly neutral so perfect for a little appetizer. I was a little disappointed in the risotto. I mean; I make a lot of risotto’s as I think it’s such an easy dish to prepare but the taste of the daikon in the risotto was not the best choice. I think I should have seasoned it better overall. Definitely not a winner here. The braised vealshanks on the other hand were delicious. I braised them for a couple of hours in the oven (with carrots, onions, wine, celery and garlic), then removed them from the Dutch oven I baked them in and let the sauce reduce further to the right thickness and then added some mustard in at the end. The meat was tender and fell of the bone very easily.
The dessert was delicious. However the cookies I used as a base instead of the normal ladyfingers were macaroons (not macarons!) Or at least that seems to be the proper English translation for it. We call them bitterkoekjes… They got a little tough due to all the moisture. I will definitely be using amaretti or ladyfingers for next time but I did like the taste of the mascarpone mixture that went in it. I’ll give you the recipe below with the use of amaretti instead of macaroons.
Tiramisu with Dutch Eggnog
Yield: 8
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 4 hrs
Total Time: 4 hrs, 20 mins
Quick and a simpler version of the original tiramisu. I loved the taste of the eggnog in it...
Ingredients:
- 500 gr mascarpone
- 2 dl whipping cream
- 16 amaretti cookies
- 2 dl strong coffee
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 50 gr of sugar (or less if you prefer)
- 1,5 dl Dutch Eggnog
- 50 gr white chocolate (to grate over for serving)
Directions:
- Put the coffee in a shallow bowl and let cool.
- Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla essence to stif peaks.
- Using a fork wish the mascarpone until smooth and fold the cream in.
- Add the Dutch eggnog to taste. I think I used more then the required 1,5 dl as I thought the taste was not strong enough yet but it depends on personal preference...
- Dip the amaretti cookies in the coffee and put them in the bottom of 8 small glasses. If the cookies are too big break them up as needed. Add one layer of the mascarpone mixture on top of the cookies and repeat this once.
- End with a layer of mascarpone and put in the fridge for at least 4 hrs or preferably overnight.
- Before serving grate some white chocolate over the top
Original from toetjesrecepten, adapted by me
Appetizer
Asian
Bread
Breakfast
Desserts & other sweets
Healthy
I love love love veal shanks. And when I a was much younger I used to drink advocaat with orange juice on ice all the time.
Must go out and get some! The dessert looks so nice and light and summery Simone. I was half expecting to see your cat having a taste! Hope you are enjoying the summer…
[Reply]
Simone (junglefrog) — August 8th, 2011 at 22:10
O you know advocaat?? I didn’t think it was widely known outside of here..
And we beat Gizmo to it this time; she did eventually got some of the dessert though..lol
[Reply]
I think you did well Simone! I love everything you cooked (especially the veal shanks…love the mustard touch!). This is a great way to keep challenging yourself.
[Reply]
Simone (junglefrog) — August 8th, 2011 at 22:10
It is and it is so much fun too! We just came up with a new challenge too, so stay tuned..
[Reply]
When I see vealshanks I always tthink of osso bucco;)
And it is a pitty that Jerusalem artishoke is so underrated and here at least not grown in big quantities.It ahs such a nice earthy taste.
And Dutch eggnog..nami:)
[Reply]
Simone (junglefrog) — August 8th, 2011 at 22:11
I had never had Jerusalem artichoke before.. Didn’t even know what it was supposed to look like!
[Reply]
I’ve never heard of Jerusalem artishoke before but this is truly a lovely dish and the Tiramisu Dutch Eggnog looks perfect too!
Happy Monday!
[Reply]
Simone (junglefrog) — August 8th, 2011 at 22:11
Thanks Ann! It’s not widely known here either
[Reply]
Very well done! Everything looks fabulous.
Cheers,
Rosa
[Reply]
Simone (junglefrog) — August 8th, 2011 at 22:12
Thanks Rosa
[Reply]
Oh I want the recipe for the veal shanks! Wonderful. Actually it is all wonderful and gorgeous to look at as well (not my strong point). Stunning work, Simone, and I love this whole Black Box adventure! You guys are too cool! And I will show up at your house to eat (and visit) one day!
[Reply]
Simone (junglefrog) — August 8th, 2011 at 22:13
I might post the veal shank recipe at a later stage somewhere too (although I’ve got too many recipes I’m still meaning to post at some point in time) Looking forward to having you over!
[Reply]
Tom sure picked some interesting ingredients, this time! I know what Jerusalem artichokes and daikon are, but I’ve never cooked with the former, and I’ve only ever used the latter to make Vietnamese pickles. It’s interesting that you tried it in a risotto (sorry it didn’t work out). The tiramisu looks and sounds amazing – but yeah, I associate eggnog with winter too, more specifically with Christmas. But it doesn’t matter, as long as it all tasted good!
[Reply]
Simone (junglefrog) — August 8th, 2011 at 22:13
Yeah it might not have been the best choice to add the daikon to the risotto but hey, you try something, right? lol..
[Reply]
Loving your site and especially, this post. I’m going to have to try the Tiramisu with Dutch Eggnog!
[Reply]