A Rainy Day and Plum Crumble

Lie on the bridge and watch the water flowing past.
Or run, or wade through the swamp in your red boots.
Or roll yourself up and listen to the rain falling on the roof.
It's very easy to enjoy yourself.

– Tove Jansson, Moominvalley in November

It was a rainy day. Rain on the roof, against the windows. Sometimes quite harsh, sounding like a drum roll. Then gentle again, like a whisper, quiet and peaceful. Rain. I love its smell, its sound, and the comfort it brings. Walking through a warm summer rain and getting completely soaked. Don't like to get wet? Maybe the Rain Room is what your dreams are made of. Cocooned and protected.

Fall cannot exist without crumbles - apple crumble, plum crumble, berry crumble, pear crumble... You name it! And because it was raining and it's fall and I had some plums sitting on my countertop, I decided to make a plum crumble. I don't know where the idea with coconut came from but it turned out to be just as good as I imagined. With a hint of cinnamon to give it a homey feeling. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoyed in good company. A dream!

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Coconut Plum Crumble

Filling
500 g (1 lb) plums, quartered
1 tbsp demerara sugar

Crumble
60 g (2 oz; 2 dl) desiccated coconut
50 g (1 3/4 oz; 1 dl + 1 tbsp) rolled oats
40 g (1 1/2 oz; 1 dl + 2/3 tbsp) all-purpose flour
45 g (1 1/2 oz; 1/2 dl) demerara sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, cold & diced

Vanilla ice cream, vanilla sauce, or whipped cream, to serve.

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

To make the crumble: In a medium-sized bowl combine the coconut, oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands, cut in the butter. You can make the crumble ahead of time. Just keep it refrigerated until ready to use.

Put the plums and sugar into a 21 cm (8") baking dish. Sprinkle with the crumble.

Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, vanilla sauce, or whipped cream.

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Welcoming Fall

As the days are getting colder and shorter, I long for comfort. The comfort of a soft wool blanket. The comfort of a hot cup of tea and a crumble. The comfort of a good book {thanks to Kelsey, I'm currently obsessed with Terry Tempest Williams} and music to light up my soul {let's listen to James Vincent McMorrow and the gorgeous twin sister duo Say Lou Lou}.

Fall isn’t a bad season at all. There is the joy of apples, mushrooms, and pumpkins. There is the excitement of beginnings. The crisp morning air. The beautiful fall colors. Candles and lanterns. Heathers.

…and still.... I’ll miss you terribly, summer.

Last Day(s) of Summer - Salt Roasted New Potatoes with Dill

I'm a summer girl. No denying that. I love the blue skies and the warm summer breeze. I love how life is lived outside. I love having a barbecue night with family and friends. I love drinking my morning coffee from a paper mug at the farmers market {which I do way too seldom!}. But most of all I love the light. Oh that light! The one that can't be found anywhere else in the world. When the sun never really goes down, I think to myself "Life doesn't get better than this".

I wanted to celebrate the last day(s) of summer with the last new potatoes of the season. New potatoes are best bought at the farmers market where they most likely have seen the sunlight for the first time only a few hours before. How do you know if your new potatoes are fresh? The skin should come off easily when you rub it with your fingers. I firmly believe that the smaller the potato, the better the taste so I always dig for the tiny ones... Oh and select the dirty ones - the dirt protects them from harm. In this case dirty is beautiful.

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Salt Roasted New Potatoes with Dill
serves 2-3

500 g (1 lb) new potatoes {the smaller the better}
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp dill, chopped {I like to simply cut it with my kitchen scissors}
olive oil

Preheat oven to 225°C (435°F).

Wash (but don't peel) potatoes and put into a roasting pan. Toss potatoes with lemon zest, sea salt and dill as well as just enough olive oil to coat the potatoes evenly.

Roast on the middle rack for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and golden brown. If the salt crust is too thick for your liking, just remove any excess salt.

Serve as a side dish for any grilled meat or fish. I enjoyed mine with a piece of warm smoked salmon and a green salad.

Note: You can of course use regular potatoes for this dish. Just try to get small ones or you will need to adjust the roasting time or even pre-boil your potatoes before roasting.

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Inspiration & An Evening Walk

Nature is a constant source of inspiration. Colors and forms. So many different colors and forms.

Right now I see summer taking its last breaths. Fall is taking over. Little by little. But I'm not ready to say my farewells to summer. Not quite yet. Give me just a few more days. A week maybe.

I wanted to take a short evening walk last Saturday and see if I could find some blueberries. I came home with something else - porcini! {signs of fall!} Just look at these beauties.

I cleaned, sliced and sautéed them in butter. I love when the edges start to crisp. Some sea salt and black pepper fresh from the mill. A few slices of baguette. Call it a dinner for one. Totally simple. Totally delicious.

A Moment of Late Summer Bliss & a Red Currant Tart

It’s all about berries these days. And somehow, although I’ve been berry picking multiple days a week for the past 3 weeks, I’m not bored. Not a bit. Summer is good to us and we should embrace it.

A couple of days ago I made a small trip to the countryside to the summer house of my dear great-aunt and her husband. A red wooden house surrounded by woods, water, and….berry bushes! Red, black, and white currants. Some blueberry bushes too.

Currant picking is quite a straightforward business. No scratches all over your arms or small worms nesting in your goodies like when raspberry picking. Nor are there stained fingers or that awful pain in your back which you get from picking bilberries. Oh and no mosquito air force waiting to drain the blood from you.

So I picked currants with a smile on my face. I went to the sauna and cooled down on the porch with a glass of homemade red currant juice in my hand. I listened to bird songs. Peaceful. A moment of late summer bliss.

Now I have my freezer and fridge full of currants (I came home with nearly 10 liters!). I’m still figuring out what I’m gonna make from all of them. I think there will be some jam making sessions and some will be saved for cold winter days. I’m also intrigued by the idea of making black currant juice. I’ll see.

I decided to start with this red currant tart. My great-aunt served quite a similar, simple but oh so delicious, tart and I couldn’t resist making one at home too. I especially love the tartness of it and the small vanilla seeds in the filling. So pretty!

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RED CURRANT TART

Crust
85 g sugar
200 g unsalted butter, cold and diced
1 egg (M)
pinch of fine sea salt
185 g all-purpose flour
115 g whole grain barley flour

Filling
85 g sugar
120 g quark
120 g sour cream
1 egg (M)
½ tsp natural vanilla paste or ½ vanilla pod (sliced lengthwise and seeds scraped out)
250 g red currants (or any other currants or berries)

In a medium-sized bowl quickly rub the butter into the sugar with your fingers (or a pastry cutting tool or alternatively pulse in a food processor) until well incorporated and crumbly. Add the egg and mix. Add salt and both flours and knead until everything has come together. Avoid over-working the dough - try to work as fast as possible. There should still be some small butter pieces left. The dough should feel quite crumbly but stick together. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Roll the dough out and press into a 26 cm (10”) tart mold. If the dough cracks, don’t worry, just pinch it back together. Cut off any excess. With a fork, poke several holes in the bottom of the tart dough. Bake on the middle rack for 10 minutes. {I didn’t use baking weights and my tart came out perfectly.}

In the meantime prepare the filling. Remove currants from stems, wash them and dry with a kitchen towel or household paper. Beat the sugar, curd, sour cream, egg, and natural vanilla paste (or vanilla seeds) in a small bowl until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prebaked tart. Top with the red currants. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges start to brown and the filling has set. Let cool down a bit before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce, if desired – especially if you want to balance out the tartness. I have to say that in Finland we would always enjoy this alongside a cup of freshly brewed coffee. We are, after all, a coffee nation.

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