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Anchovy toast with Jonge Wees Amsterdamsche Graanjenever
On the platter are slices of baguette toasted in anchovy oil, thickly spread with whipped butter into which slowly browned shallot and finely chopped anchovy have been worked, with a whole anchovy fillet on each slice. Opposite stands an Amsterdam young grain jenever on four selected malt wines, soft enough to hold its own beside the salty butter.
From the shelf
The bottle
Jonge Wees Amsterdamsche Graanjenever is an Amsterdam grain jenever from the house of Van Wees. It is a young grain jenever of 35% vol in a 50 cl bottle, made from four different, specially selected malt wines; the description does not give an exact malt wine share. The description calls it smooth-drinking. For young jenever the law requires at least 35% vol and at least 1.5% alcohol from malt wine, with in practice at most 15% malt wine; ageing in wood is not part of this style.
The combination
Why this works together
Anchovy and shallot butter is pronouncedly salty for a snack platter: 190 grams of anchovy fillets and ten minutes of browned shallot in 200 grams of butter, and on top a whole fillet per slice. That salt wants something that takes it away and not something that piles on top of it. A korenwijn or a very old jenever brings sweet grain and cask, and sweet next to anchovy makes the salt sharper rather than milder. This young grain jenever does exactly the opposite: it is dry and soft, its four malt wines give just enough grain roundness to follow the toasted bread, and the cold alcohol dissolves the butterfat. The juniper sits next to the browned shallot, which has itself become sweetish and caramel-like. That way the anchovy stays salty and the mouth stays clean.
At the table
The dish
- For 4 people
- Ready in 25 minutes, plus 8 minutes in the oven
- Type drinks snack
What you need
- 200 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 190 g anchovy fillets in olive oil
- 1 fresh white baguette
- 2 shallots
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C and let the butter come to room temperature.
- Drain the anchovies and catch the oil. Cut off the ends of the baguette and cut it diagonally into 20 slices.
- Brush the slices with 3 tablespoons of anchovy oil and toast them in the oven for about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the shallots. Set 20 anchovy fillets aside for the garnish and chop the rest finely.
- Heat the remaining anchovy oil in a pan and fry the shallot for 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat until it starts to turn brown. Add the chopped anchovy and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Beat the soft butter with a hand mixer for 5 minutes until fluffy, fold in the shallot and anchovy mixture and beat for another 1 minute.
- Spread the butter on the toast, place a whole anchovy fillet on each slice and add pepper.
In the glass
Serving
Pour this young grain genever ice cold from the freezer into a small tulip glass or shot glass, filled to the brim. With such a salty bite, cold is the only right choice: the genever clears away the salt and the fat in one movement. At room temperature the alcohol will amplify the salt instead of taking it away. Put the bottle back in the cooler between rounds.
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Wij verkopen geen alcohol aan personen onder de 18 jaar. NIX18