Breakfast Deluxe – Croissants Filled with Brie & Strawberries

Life is like a chain. A chain of moments. The past weeks have been pretty busy and stressful around here but several small moments have kept me sane. These kind of moments don't need to be big and sensational. No, it's rather the everyday moments that are the ones making your life meaningful.

So I sat down for a while and wrote a list of moments that filled a special corner of my busy, and often messy, brain during the past week. So here it is; my chain of moments.

Listening to bird songs at 4 am. Cherries. Feeling the warm sun on my cheeks. The laughter of a dear friend. Ice cream in a cone. The smell of sun-kissed skin. A black cat sleeping on my lap. Rain drops against the window. Fried asparagus for breakfast. Screaming seagulls. Spotting dandelions. A glass of Kungfu Girl on a Wednesday night; cause girl power. Wearing shorts. And flip-flops. Beer sorbet. Thunder. The smell of freshly baked bread. Encouraging words. A trip to the farmers' market. Stargazing. Freshly ground coffee. Birch trees. Strawberries. Sunbathing on the dock. A bossa nova kind of morning. Pavlova. A blue sky. And blue lake water. The scent of freshly mowed lawn. Yogurt+rye granola+strawberries+agave nectar. Hitting the beach. Mole in my burrito. Nightless summer nights. Screaming at a concert like a teenager. Nettle foraging. A road trip. Pizza night. These muffins. Listening to two middle aged men at the beach: "Is the water warm?" "Yes!" Are you kidding me? 10°C (50°F) IS NOT WARM! Watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy. Gray rocks. The smell of lilacs on a warm summer night.

And last but not least, this breakfast deluxe.

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Croissants Filled with Brie & Strawberries

This is what I call a breakfast deluxe. Croissants make every morning feel special but filling them with brie and strawberries makes them even more luscious. I added lettuce leaves for some extra color and the additional texture they provide. To be honest, this can hardly be called a recipe. However, I felt that it's just too delicious to not be shared. I was, actually, introduced to this dish at quite a young age. My mom claimed that this was "overly delicious". I was skeptical to say the least, but it didn't take me long to get to appreciate it as much as she did. You can use good quality store-bought croissants or make your own ones. I have to admit that I've never made croissants at home but am eager to try. Both Linda of The Tart Tart, Melissa of The Faux Martha, and Yossy of Apt. 2B Baking Co. wrote a blog post about the croissants of the legendary Tartine Bakery. I truly can't wait to make the recipe myself!

croissants
flavorful lettuce (I used Red Salanova), washed & dried
brie, sliced
strawberries, washed, hulled, & sliced

Using a serrated knife, cut the croissants in half horizontally without cutting all the way through. We want to make a kind of pocket for our fillings. Fill the croissants with lettuce, brie, and sliced strawberries. Honestly, it is impossible to overload them with strawberries so be generous with them. Enjoy with a cup of coffee (either warm or iced) or a glass of freshly squeezed juice. Et voilà!

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A Quiet Afternoon

I don't have a recipe for you today. Instead, I want to show you how fascinating Finnish nature is. Photography is a funny thing; it makes you perceive your surroundings in a different way. You walk with eyes wide open. You pay attention to details. To things you wouldn't normally stop to stare at and admire.

All these pictures capture things I take for granted, although, I shouldn't. All too often I forget how very fortunate I am to live in a country this beautiful.

It was a quiet afternoon spent at our summer cottage. With temperatures rising above 25°C (80°F), I decided to go into the forest and forage nettles. I was lucky and came home with a big bagful of those stinging leaves. Im curious: have you used nettles in your kitchen? I would love to hear your favorite ways to use them.

Later today, the sky turned dark. Thunder. Rain.

Once again, nature showed its power. Like it wanted to remind us that nothing should be taken for granted. Nothing at all.

Now, Now, Now – Lavender Cookies

for how many years have you gone through the house
shutting the windows,
while the rain was still five miles away

and veering, o plum-colored clouds, to the north
away from you

and you did not even know enough
to be sorry,

you were glad
those silver sheets, with the occasional golden staple,

were sweeping on, elsewhere,
violent and electric and uncontrollable--

and will you find yourself finally wanting to forget
all enclosures, including

the enclosure of yourself, o lonely leaf, and will you
dash finally, frantically,

to the windows and haul them open and lean out
to the dark, silvered sky, to everything

that is beyond capture, shouting
i'm here, i'm here! now, now, now, now, now.
 

– Mary Oliver, "From The Book of Time"  in The Leaf and The Cloud: A Poem

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Lavender Cookies

adapted from A Piece of Cake by Leila Lindholm, p. 26
makes about 20 cookies

The original recipe calls for hartshorn salt, a leavening agent that has formerly been made from ground-up antlers of a hart, a male deer. A long time ago, it was widely used as a medicine to treat diarrhea, fevers, insect bites, and such. But it is more than just a medicine. In the 17th and 18th century, it was the forerunner of baking powder, used especially in German and Scandinavian baking, mostly in cookie recipes. Today, it's rarely used and, unlike it the early days, chemically produced. I've made this recipe numerous times using hartshorn salt which can still be purchased at the pharmacy. It lends a special crispness and lightness to cookies without leaving any unpleasant alkaline off-flavor. However, it doesn't have a long shelf life and it may be hard or even impossible to come by where you live, so I've substituted it with baking powder here. It can, however, be substituted with half the amount of hartshorn salt. In other words, 1 teaspoon of baking powder equals ½ teaspoon of hartshorn salt.

The flavor of these cookies will develop over time. Right after baking, the lavender aroma is rather aggressive, almost overwhelming. On the next day you will, however, have wonderfully fragrant cookies which are perfect served with a cup of coffee. They are like luscious pralines; you eat one at a time enjoying every bite.
 

100 g soft unsalted butter
90 g (3.2 oz; 1 dl; ⅓ cup + 1 ½ tbsp) granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla paste [or ½ vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped out]
140 g (4.9 oz; 2 ½ dl; 1 cup) all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder [or ¼ tsp hartshorn salt]
pinch of salt
1 tbsp dried (or fresh) lavender buds

powdered sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and lavender. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and pale in color. Add the vanilla bean paste. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

With the help of a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop out the dough, about 1 tablespoon at a time, and, using your hands, form little balls. Place them on the baking sheet about 2,5 cm / 1 " apart.

Bake on the middle rack for about 15–20 minutes until lightly golden and not falling apart when touched. Let them cool for about 5 minutes. Roll them in powdered sugar while still warm.

Store in an airtight container.

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Miss Gorgeous – Rhubarb Strawberry Datschi

"Good afternoon, Miss Rhubarb. You look gorgeous today!"

And she blushed the most beautiful red I had ever seen.

Ever since I arrived in Germany, I had this idea of a Datschi topped with spring ambassadors: tart rhubarb and juicy, sweet strawberries. As it's Datschi we're talking about here, it was clear that there also needed to be streusel. Lots of it.

Have you ever heard of Datschi? I basically grew up eating this treat. It's a type of sheet cake, which is especially enjoyed in Bavaria and the Allgäu. The topping alternatives for a Datschi are endless; an apricot version won my heart last summer. The most known variation of Datschi is, however, Zwetschgendatschi. It is, as its name says, made with Zwetschgen, Italian Prune Plums.

Until a few years ago, there was an old, big Zwetschgentree growing in my grandparents' and uncle's garden. [...yes, until someone got the brilliant idea to cut down the tree. I'm still a bit mad.] There was always a baking sheet of Zwetschgendatschi waiting for me when we came to visit. My Oma kept the Datschi in the oven. Piece by piece, crumb by crumb, it disappeared.

And so it was time to make a new one.

I was beyond excited when my Opa told me there was rhubarb growing in the front yard garden, waiting to be harvested. So I put on some boots I found in the house and walked into the small garden. A garden full of treasures. A place where joy resides. "I want to have a garden like this one day", I thought to myself.

It was raining slightly. It was a gentle, almost meditative kind of rain, not a stormy one. One that was gratefully welcomed by nature and farmers alike. It had been such a dry winter and spring so far which could be seen just by looking at the mighty Alp on the horizon: the peaks were almost snow-free. As I walked into the garden, I listened how the wet, soft ground sounded under my feet. I had to be very careful not to step on all those snails. Some of them even carried their home with them, on their backs. Small, yellow homes looking both solid and fragile. To carry all your belonging with you...it reminded me of the months spent traveling the world with nothing more than a 10 kilo (22 lb.) backpack on my shoulders.

One by one, I harvested the very thin, delicate stalks. With every stalk, the feeling of joy in my heart grew bigger. Often, it's the small, humble things that make you smile so hard that you don't know how to stop. I also knew that in less than one hour I would have something delicious to share with my loved ones. Food is most beautiful when it's shared with others.

So I made a Datschi. I swear it didn't survive the first half an hour. Slice by slice; crumb by crumb.

Next day, I made a second one. It proved to be equally popular. Just like the ones my beloved Oma used to make in this house.

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Rhubarb Strawberry Datschi

dough adapted from delicious:days

The rhubarb and strawberries as well as the thin crust make this Datschi the more sophisticated, elegant sister of the traditional Zwetschgendatschi. I made two slightly different versions: with and without cinnamon. It was, however, impossible to decide which one was more delicious so I will leave it up to you. I strongly encourage you to serve it with whipped cream, although, I'm sure coconut whipped cream or vanilla ice cream would be wonderful as well. On a different note, I like to make this dough by hand, but you can definitely make it in your stand mixer if you wish to.

Oh, and sorry for giving weight measurements only (except for the milk). There weren't even measuring spoons in this house... But, thankfully, a scale. On a quick note, you should definitely get a scale if you don't already have one. It makes cooking, and especially baking, so much easier: fewer dishes, more constant and accurate results. Need I say more?

for the dough:
1 dl ( ⅓ cup + 1 ½ tbsp) lukewarm milk
14 g (0.5 oz) fresh yeast [or 4,5 g / 0.16 oz / 1 ½ tsp (intant) active dry yeast, used according to packet instructions]
55 g (2 oz) granulated sugar
pinch of fine sea salt
1 egg
~ 300 g (10.6 oz) all-purpose flour
55 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

for the streusel:
130 g (4.6 oz) all-purpose flour
70 g (2.5 oz) granulated sugar
large pinch of fine sea salt
70 g (2.5 oz) unsalted butter

for the filling:
~ 350 g (12.5 oz) rhubarb, sliced
~ 350 g (12.5 oz) strawberries, hulled & sliced
2 tbsp granulated sugar
optional: cinnamon

to serve:
whipped cream

To make the dough
In a medium-sized bowl, combine milk and crumbled yeast. [If using instant active dry yeast, skip this step. Combine yeast with some flour and add to warm, about 42°C / 108°F, milk mixture just before adding the rest of the flour.] Stir until yeast is completely dissolved. Add sugar, salt, and egg. Whisk until combined. Gradually add most of the flour and knead. Add butter and knead until well combined. Continue to knead and add flour until the dough comes clean off the sides of the bowl and doesn't stick to your hand.

Shape into a ball and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it's almost double in size.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the streusel
In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter until you have a crumbly mixture. If not using immediately, put the bowl into the fridge.

To assemble the Datschi
With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until roughly the size of the baking sheet. Spread out on the baking sheet and pull into shape. Spread the rhubarb and strawberries in an even layer over the dough. Sprinkle with sugar and, optionally, with some cinnamon. Sprinkle the streusel over the fruit.

Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the edges are dark brown. Let cool and cut into squares and serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

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April Love&Inspiration – The Garden Edition

I couldn't help myself but share, along with the regular link love, some images from the garden back in Allgäu where I spent Easter.

A garden full of treasures; big and small.

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» Posts that made me extremely excited.

» I need some homemade paneer in my life.

» Congrats to all the winners of the Saveur Best Food Blog Awards! So much talent! It was a true honor to be nominated in the first place so thank you.

» This lady has amazed me with her beautiful photography.

» I carried 1 kg (2 pounds) of baby artichokes in my hand luggage all the way from Munich to Finland just to make Valentina's preserved artichoke hearts. Yeah, I like to bring home food from my travels. [I also brought a couple of spices and dried flowers, elderflower jelly, a thing called monk's beard (thanks Valentina for letting me know its name), birk tree printed paper straws, a couple of props...]

» Hands down one of the most thought-provoking (and frankly, quite weird) documentary films I've ever seen: Pina.

» Loved this interview with the Swedish ceramicist Elin Lannsjö.

» What a great post about the process of making a cookbook.

» I made Lindsey's Spinach Chive Pesto and Cynthia's Kimchi Fried Rice (also, I was super excited to see her interview on Food&Wine) as well as Icelandic Cinnamon Pancakes with Chantilly Cream and Pears from Manger. Comfort.

» She is such a brave soul. About living with mental illness.

» I would love to attend this workshop with Luise Brimble at Aran Goyoaga's studio in Seattle.

» You should make bialys with a cracked egg in the middle. Life changing experience. [head here for the basic bialys recipe]

» The Patina Collection Spring & Summer 2014 from inks+thread makes me daydream.

» Kristan of The Broken Bread blog was inspired by my baked blackcurrant ryemeal and made her very own version. Love it!

» The Helsinki-based Freese Coffee Company was featured on Kinfolk.

» Currently reading: Haruki Murakami's newest novel: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Year of Pilgrimage (already available in German).

» There's a chocolate loaf cake baking in the oven right now. It's for tonight's May Day Eve party. Can't wait to have a bite.

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Also, the goats living next door wanted to say hi. Hi goats!

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So, what has made you smile/drool/wonder in April? I would love to hear!

Have a joyous May Day everyone!