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Have you ever tasted Vlaaien? How about Stroop Koeken? No? You’re missing out big time. These are just a few of the Dutch delights Willem den Hartog makes each week as part of his L’Orange Patisserie range.

Willem, or Wim, was born and bred in Holland where he trained as a pastry chef, completing part of his apprenticeship in two and three Michelin star restaurants just outside Amsterdam. Arriving in Australia in 1995 he spent many years in the restaurant world owning both an award winning Italian and Mexican restaurant in Canberra at different times. Always keeping a hand in the desserts at these restaurants, Wim has never left pastry work for long and is now going back to what he loves.

He creates ‘Vlaaien’ which is a type of flan which originated in a Dutch province near Belgium – these are large flans filled with flavoured custard and fresh fruit. Wim makes these using fresh seasonal fruit with recent flavour combinations including lemon curd and raspberry, custard cherry crumble and lychee, rosewater and raspberry. And the great thing is, you can order them in quarters, halves or whole. Or mix and match flavours – imagine a whole flan made from four different flavour quarters! Wim also delights market-goers with his ‘Stroop Koeken’, two shortbread biscuits filled with a goey caramel. He makes all his creations from his bakery in Goulburn, baking them on Saturday nights so that they’re fresh for the Sunday markets.

Stop in a see what you’ve been missing – L’Orange are at the markets the second and fourth Sunday of the month. Orders can also be placed by email l.orangepatisserie@yahoo.com.au.