Spiced Apple and Pear Muffins

It seems I am having a little bit of a dessert spree going on.... not really my fault, I have just been swinging that way. With summer soon coming to Finland, it means Apples and Pears are going to be in season as well. I love the crisp sweet flavour of apples and the soft juiciness of pears and they go together greatly. Sometimes our meals at home are pretty heavy, like potato based, pasta bakes or whatever and dessert just isn't always desirable especially if it is heavy or rich. These muffins are really light and refreshing.

These will make 8 large or 14 small muffins:-

2 eggs
100ml vegetable oil
180ml semi-skimmed milk
75g golden brown sugar
75g caster sugar
300g flour
2tsp baking powder
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 large apple, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large pear, peeled and roughly chopped
100ml maple (or golden) syrup

Start by preheating your oven to 200C then line your muffin tray with cases or just grease them. In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and milk. Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved.
Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon and salt into another bowl, add the egg mixture and combine together until all smooth. Add the apple and pear pieces and stir until all distributed.
Fill your muffin cases/tray two thirds of the way and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden (my large ones took 30 minutes). Take them out of the tray and place on a cooling rack.
While still warm prick the tops several times with a toothpick and then put some of the syrup over them. You can eat them straight away or save them in the fridge for up to 5 days.

A great snack, dessert or afternoon tea. Super delicious and easy to make.

Beetroot cake with white chocolate mascapone butter and salted caramel

Beetroot, the superfood that has so many uses. It can be pickled, boiled, roasted or even fried. It can be used in pastas, side dishes, main dishes, risottos and even cakes....yes that is right cakes.

Some people will see this and go 'wait, but wouldn't it taste bad?". Well not really, the earthy sweet taste really brings something delicious to cake. When combining it with the white chocolate mascapone butter and salted caramel you get this amazing combination of earthy rich moist cake, subtle white chocolate enriched mascapone and swirled with the salty sweetness of the caramel. It will just melt in your mouth and taste divine. You will want to eat more no matter how much your healthy side protests.

This will make enough for 6 people:-

for the cake:
2 medium beetroots (grate one and boil one until it is soft, then blend into a paste)
150g butter
3 eggs
160g sugar
125g flour
40g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ginger

for the cake topping
3 tbsp water
45g butter
150g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
about a handful of crushed nuts

Preheat the oven to 175C. Whisk together the sugar and eggs until it doubles in size and becomes light in colour. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl, add the salt and ginger too. Make a well in the dry ingredients, melt the butter and then add the egg mixture. Fold the mixture until smooth, now add the beetroot paste and grated stuff, mix until all combined. Grease up a medium baking tray and then pour in your mixture. Bake for about 35 minutes. Once ready, take out and place on a cooling tray until fully cool

While the cake is baking we can make the topping. In a mixing bowl add the icing sugar and cocoa powder, melt the butter and add that too. Start whisking (if you have an electric one then use that), add water as need until it is all nice a smooth. Set aside whilst the cake is cooking. When the cake is completely cool, use a knife and spread the mixture on top. Once all on top sprinkle the nuts on top. Cut into slices and serve.

For the salt caramel:
100g sugar
75g butter
125ml double cream
1 tsp salt

Melt the sugar and butter together over a medium heat until it starts simmering, don't forget to stir so it doesn't burn. Simmer for a couple of minutes and then add the cream and salt. Mix together and give a taste (careful not to burn your tongue), if it tastes right then take of the heat and let cool down.

For the white chocolate mascapone butter
70g white chocolate
100g butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp vegetable oil
100g mascapone cheese

Put the white chocolate and oil together and melt. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes. Add the mascapone and butter and the beat together until all fully combined.

All these together make a really great dish but you can also use each component separately in other things too. The salted caramel works with many kinds of cakes and desserts and the white chocolate mascapone butter is a great cake filler. Experiment, see what works but don't forget the original combo. I assure you that you will fall in love with it.

American style 'Breakfast' Pancakes

My family, like many others, love pancakes. We eat so many kinds of them from Finnish oven style to traditional French crepes. American style pancakes are a great breakfast, they are thicker than traditional French crepes and use baking powder in them which makes them fluffy. Serving them with bacon, eggs and syrup is a wonderful combination that twists sweet and salty together on a light, fluffy cloud.

This is enough to make to 4/5 pancakes:-

125g flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
250ml whole milk
1 egg
1 tbsp melted butter

Put all together in a bowl and mix until a nice thick smooth batter. Then put in a fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill and settle.

Put a small frying pan on a medium heat and add a small amount of oil in it. Ladle in some of the mixture and fry until bubble form on the surface. Turn over and cook for another minute and then serve.

Goes well with bacon, all kinds of eat and syrup.

Orange and white chocolate mousse

Mousse is one of those desserts that has a massive range of varieties and is super easy to do whilst impressing your family/guests. It is a great beginners dessert and with some practise you can make a wide range of flavours with no hassle involved.

This is one of the more popular ones in my family. The rich white chocolate gives the mousse a creamy texture and the orange leaves a refreshing tangy taste.

For 6 people:-

150g white chocolate
200ml double cream
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 sheet of gelatine
(Chocolate to serve)

Start by soaking your gelatine in some water. Melt your chocolate in a ban marie (or microwave) and put to one side to cool down. Then move onto your cream and whip up to a medium peek (this is when the peek gently folds over but still stands). In another bowl whip up the sugar and egg yolks until light and doubled in size. Add the gelatine to the orange juice and melt in a pan and then add to the chocolate. Now fold your chocolate into the cream gently. Finally fold in the egg mixture and then spoon into whatever dishes you want to serve in and place into the fridge for at least an hour.

When serving I like to slice some chocolate for sprinkling on top.

This is a light, rich, creamy dessert is a great ending to a family feast or special dinner.

Rye Tagliatelle alla Suomi

So my final Pasta dish for our pasta month is a Finland inspired one. I hope you have enjoyed these recipes and are inspired to make your own pasta and get experimenting. I have enjoyed it and I know my family and friends have enjoyed eating it.

This pasta is inspired by my experience of Finland (Suomi being the Finnish word for Finland). I chose to make the pasta using some rye flour. Finland produces around 76,000 tons of Rye every year, most of it being consumed by the populace. Rye is very well suited to Finland's harsh climate and it can be made into long term breads like crisp bread. I attempted to try and make a half and half ratio of durum and rye flour but it wouldn't work, too dry and flaky. I settled on a 3:1 ratio instead. I also used gherkin because pickling is another popular thing in Finland (and other Nordic countries), these countries have many varieties of pickled herring and salmon, as well as cucumbers and beetroot. This has roots in Finland's history where the winters are long and so storing food available in the spring and summer was essential to survival. I used reindeer as my meat content, Reindeer is a very lean, nutritious meat that really gives this dish a unique Finnish touch.  The final touch to my Finland inspired dish is smoked cheese, smoking is another tradition used in Finland to help preserve food. Finland has many smoked hams, cheeses and fish. When I put these flavours together they worked beautifully, the smoked reindeer combines with the gherkin and gives a crunchy slightly sweet taste whilst the smoked cheese sauce gives it a wonderful smoky creamy texture.

To make enough for 4 you will need:-

300g Durum Flour
100g Rye Flour
4 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
300g smoked reindeer, cut into slices
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
125g gherkin, cubed
200g smoked cheese
100g parmesan
300ml double cream
seasoning

We shall start by making the pasta.Combine the flours in a bowl and make a well, add the eggs, olive oil and some seasoning. Use a fork and beat the eggs and start incorporating the flour until all is mixed. Then take out of the bowl and start kneading on a clean surface. You want it to become smooth. Once you reach that stage wrap well in clingfilm and put into the fridge.

Now we can start on the sauce. Add your butter to a pan over a medium heat, once melted add the onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, add the reindeer and gherkin and sauté for another minute. Pour in the cream and cheeses and simmer until all the cheese is melted. Add seasoning if require and then take of the heat.

Put a pan of  salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. While the pan is coming to the boil we can get the pasta ready. Take your dough out of the fridge and cut into four pieces. Like with the Fresh pasta recipe, flatten out your piece and start rolling through the machine on the 0 setting, fold it over and run through a couple of more times. Then start reducing the number, rolling it through each time until you reach number 5. Any more will start ripping the pasta because of the coarser rye grain. Now run it through your tagliatelle cutter and set aside. Repeat with the other three pieces.

Your water should be boiling so add the pasta and cook for 3-4 minutes. Warm your sauce back up and then place on your table. Drain the pasta and place in a bowl and also place on your table. Set out the plates and get everyone around the table. Eat and enjoy a true taste of Finland.