Finnish Rhubarb Tart

I love rhubarb and my rhubarb patch!

It is time to harvest the last of my rhubarb for the season. I get a variety of thicknesses in my rhubarb.

I use the thickest stalks for Finnish Kisseli (Cold Rhubarb Soup).


I use the medium stalks in pies. My cousin gave me the best rhubarb pie I've had. Try it!

Ric's Mom's Rhubarb Pie

For the innards:

3 heaped cups chopped rhubarb.

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup tapioca

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.

I save the thinnest stalks for the topping on this Finnish Rhubarb Tart I found on ScandiFoodie's blog. Click to see her step by step photos and a photo of the final product! Below I added the American measurements to her metric measurements. 

My neighbor said this recipe makes rhubarb taste like candy!

Finnish Rhubarb Tart

2 eggs
100g or 1/2 cup sugar
50g or 4 Tablespoons or 1/2 stick butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract
150g or 1 1/4cup plain flour, sifted
100ml or 1/2 cup pouring (light) cream
1 bunch rhubarb, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes I use my narrowest stalks for this topping.
2 tbsp sugar, extra
demerara or brown sugar

Whisk the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in melted butter and vanilla sugar. Stir in flour and finally the cream. Mix well and pour into a greased tart tin (24cm or 9inches). Sprinkle the extra sugar on the rhubarb and mix. Spoon the rhubarb on the dough and sprinkle with demerara or brown sugar.

Bake in 175C for 345F or about 20 minutes. Serve with custard or cream (or on its own).

Pretty Pavlova

Pavlova was served to us in Estonia and Finland then I made it for a Relief Society meeting dessert and now make it at home.  It's been requested in place of birthday cake by our youngest.  Here is the Pavlova recipe I use.

Norwegian Christmas Cookies

We just love our exchange student daughter from Norway!   Last night she and the other Scandavian girls in our town shared their Christmas traditions with their host families at a Christmas party.  I made these "thumb print" cookies.  She'd never seen or heard of them before, but I know they make thumbprint cookies in Finland.  They were tasty, but who can go wrong with butter and sugar?

Norwegian Butter Cookies
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Any flavor jam or jelly (raspberry is my favorite, pictured here with strawberry jam)

Cream butter and sugar well.  Add sifted flour and salt.  Mix until dough forms a ball.  Chill overnight.  Shape into 1/2 inch balls.  Press an indentation into each cookie ball with your thumb.  Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.  Take out of the oven, let cool.  Fill each indentation with jam or jelly.

By the time they finished baking they'd spread and my son asked, "Did a giant make these thumbprints?"

I also made Finnish gingerbread cookies and Finnish Christmas tarts to share.  She and another Norwegian girl made cookies with potato starch flour.

Norwegian Christmas Cookies
1 1/2 cups potato starch flour
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla sugar (I get mine at IKEA.  I imagine you can just use vanilla.)

My husband and I looked at each other and said, "There can't be that much potato starch flour in the recipe, but there is and they are delicious!  They crumble in your mouth and leave it feeling a bit sandy.

Savory and Sweet Pies for Supper

Tonight I used my mother-in-law's pie crust mix as the crust for both savory quiche and apple pie. So we had pie for dinner and pie for dessert!

This is the quiche base I used.
3 /4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk (or any you have on hand works)
3 large eggs
 2 oz cheese
Pour in pastry/pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, until filling is just set. The center will giggle slightly when moved. I baked the apple pie at the same time at the same temperature.

 It is creamy and velvety. Add whatever meat (optional), vegetables, and cheese mixtures you desire. Tonight I simply added  feta cheese and sauteed tomatoes, onions and garlic.

At dinner when I asked "What did you learn today?", as we usually do at dinner time, our youngest said, "I learned I like quiche!"He ate 3 pieces.

My Mother-in-law's Pie Crust Mix

My Mother-in-law's Pie Crust Mix

Description:
Bulk recipe for pie makers like my Mother-in-law. Good to have on hand for the holidays or family gatherings. Remember, true pie lovers only cut a pie once, so you'll need several pies:)  

Ingredients:

5 lb. bag Gold Medal white flour plus 1 cup = 21 cups if you don't have a 5 lb. bag on hand
 

3 lb Crisco (don't substitute) I like the butter flavor, but she uses original.
3 T sugar (optional)
3 T salt

Directions: Mix carefully, but well until the mix has pea sized balls. Store in a plastic container or Crisco can.  Keeps well in a cool place or refrigerator.

 

For every 1/2 cup of mix you use, add 1 T cold water.  I end up using 1 1/2 c of mix with 3 T cold water for each regular sized bottom crust.  For 1 cup use 2 Tablespoons of cold water.  

Mix with a fork.  The less you work the dough both in preparing the mix and in rolling it out the flakier it is.  You want enough to go over the edge of your pie pan.  

Fold the pie crust under and pinch about every inch to make a design. Press fork in the bottom and around the sides to vent.

 
Sunday my husband made strawberry pie filling to go in these 3 pie shells I baked for him.   Our youngest had a piece of crust left.  Thinking he must not want it I asked him if I could eat it.   He said, "No! I'm saving it.  It's the best part!  I wanted fewer strawberries!"


My husband's favorite pie is boysenberry.  What's your favorite pie? 

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

I came home to my husband and kids having made these yummy cookies today.  Here's the recipe and a photo.  Enjoy!

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Decadence Cake

I will make this cake again! I discovered it searching easy decadent gourmet chocolate cakes to make for a friend's birthday who wanted chocolate.  Described as “The perfect, fudgy chocolate cake recipe” and originally from the Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé book I decided to give it a try.

Chocolate Decadence Cake

Ingredients:


8 3/4 oz. bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
(she used Valrhona, 71%, I used Lindt 80%)
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 Tb. all-purpose flour


Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9 inch cake pan, line the bottom with parchment, butter the parchment and flour the pan or I used a 9x3 spring form pan with baking spray.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, set it aside to cool. It should be just warm when you mix it in with the rest of the ingredients.

Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer with the paddle attachment for about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating between each egg for about one minute.

With the mixer still running (not too high), add the chocolate and beat until just incorporated.

Again with the mixer still running (not too high), add the flour and beat until just incorporated. Finish mixing the ingredients with a rubber spatula, being sure all the flour has been incorporated into the batter.

Fill the cake pan and bake for about 28 minutes or so. When you take the cake out, the middle will look like it's not yet cooked. That is normal. A knife inserted in the center will come out with some batter on it. That too is normal. You don't want to over-bake the cake.

Cool on a wire rack. When the cake is at room temperature, place the cake in the refrigerator for an hour or two, this makes it easier to remove from pan. I did this, but with a spring-form pan it’s easier.

Un hinge the spring-form and place cake onto a wire rack and then invert onto a serving platter.

It said this cake is fabulous with whipped cream or ice cream, so I spread Jello’s white chocolate instant pudding made with whipping cream instead of milk over the top.  Then I simply decorated with fresh raspberries marking the 8 portions then drizzled a black raspberry vanilla syrup my husband previously made over it when plating it to serve.

The cake can be kept wrapped at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 days, or frozen for up to a month.

Father's Day included prime rib, strawberry salad, key lime pie

When I was asking some friends for a new salad recipe, K recommended this strawberry salad everyone enjoyed when she served it at Easter, so I took it to Father's Day dinner at B&D's with a similar result.  You add strawberry jam to the dressing and strawberries to the salad.  We love strawberries and I learned to add fruit to a green salad from K! 

I thrill to find my Mother's handwritten menus of dinner parties so I'll include D's menu with the recipe below. This strawberry salad is pictured in the back left corner in the wooden bowl my Mother loved to serve salad in.


D's Father's Day Menu
prime rib w/ horseradish
mashed potatoes w/ gravy
corn
jello salad
green salad

fresh fruit:
cherries, grapes, strawberries
pineapple, honeydew and cantaloupe
Drinks: 
cucumber water
raspberry lemonade
Desserts:
chocolate pie
pineapple pie
*key lime pie

Here's a link to * Paula Deen's key lime pie recipe! Once you get there just scroll down to see the recipe and comments.  D used chopped pecans in the crust and grated white chocolate on top.

Strawberry Salad
Lion House Cookbook


Dressing:
2 T red wine vinegar
3 T sugar
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t salt
1/2 c strawberry jam
Mix and let sit in refrigerator to let flavors blend.


Salad:
1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 pkg of spinach
1/2 c red bell pepper chopped
1 purple onion sliced
Mix these vegetable salad ingredients together.  

Then prepare the remaining ingredients but wait to add them 

along with the dressing until right before serving,
so they don't become soft or soggy.
1 c strawberries sliced
1 c cashew pieces
1/3 c bacon pieces
1/2 pkg wonton skins (cut in 1/2 (strips) and fried)

Quick Sugar Cookies

Over at our house tonight we have the 12 and 13 year old Young Women over making Valentine sugar cookies.  They have decided to give them to the family of our ward member who died in an avalanche.

Peggy's "quick" sugar cookie recipe

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

cream together

2 tsp baking powder

3 c flour -- add 1 cup at a time

400 10-12 minutes

Derek's Frosting

A ton of powdered sugar (like a cup and a half)

A capful of vanilla
While stirring, add 2 tablespoons or caps full of milk at a time until consistency
Add 2 drops of food coloring to get a light color.

Fudge Brownies

My Dad bought that new brownie pan that separates your brownies for you.  So, I'm trying this basic brownie recipe my brother liked so much when we were growing up.  They aren't fancy and we not frost them.  They are simple.  

Fudge Brownies
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 squares chocolate
2 cups flour
1 cup nuts, optional
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Melt the margarine and cocoa together.  Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla.  Mix with cocoa and margarine.  Beat thoroughly, but don't over beat because brownies aren't as good then.  Add flour and nuts.  Mix well.  Bake in jelly roll pan or in this case the "new brownie pan"  Bake at 350 for 15-30 minutes depending on which pan you  use.

Unique Cake Mix Cookies

Tonight for Family Home Evening I made another cookie recipe from a cake mix.  This recipes is also credited to Stephanie Ashcraft from 101 "Things to Do with a Cake Mix"!  I promise not to make all 101 recipes and they aren't all cookies.  They are bars and mostly cakes. 

Unique Cake Mix Cookies

2 eggs

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup margarine

1/2 cup flour

1 cake mix, any flavor (I used fun flavor ORANGE today!) 

Blend eggs, honey, margarine, flour and 1/2 cake mix.  Beat until fluffly, mix in rest of cake mix.  Roll into small balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Makes 2 dozen.

Cake Mix Cookie

I needed a fast dessert and remembered Stephanie Ashcraft's cookbook my Mother gave me entitled "101 Things to do with a Cake Mix" and pulled it out and pulled off a quick cookie in under 30 minutes!  Give it a try!

Cake Mix Cookies
1 cake mix, any flavor (I used chocolate today)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 oil
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together cake mix, brown sugar, oil and eggs.  Stir in chocolate chips after dough has formed.  Cook on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Poppy Seed Cake or Bread

We're visiting great friends this weekend and T is serving this yummy, easy cake.  I thank her for making it and sharing it.  Now I just made it as muffins as an after school snack.  Enjoy!

It's easy because it's a cake mix, with more added to make it much better.

Poppy Seed Cake or Bread

1 yellow or white cake mix

1 box instant vanilla pudding

1/2 c. oil

4 eggs

1 c. water

2 T poppy seeds

3/4 tsp. vanilla

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  

You can use a Bundt pan, cake pan, bread pan or muffin tins.

Huckleberry Shake in the Magic Bullet

My parents have a "Magic Bullet" that makes individual sized shakes and purees most anything. After our lunch today, my husband and Dad made Huckleberry Shakes for us.

Huckleberry Shakes
2 scoops of ice cream
enough milk to go 3/4 of the way up to top
Since we had huckleberry ice cream, they just added 1 tsp huckleberries. If you have vanilla, you'll want to add more.
2 tsp. sugar or sweetener of your choice

Tin Can Ice Cream & The Ice Cream Truck

Our children love it when the Ice Cream Truck stops by. Here they are buying ice cream from him just a few days ago.

And then the youth in the ward, in honor of pioneer day, were on the edge of the street briskly rolling back and forth tin can ice cream. when the ice cream truck drove by! lol

We stopped him and asked him if he wanted to buy any ice cream. He paused for a picture with us. A few minutes later our boys found him and bought ice cream from him and tasted the tin can ice cream.

If you want to try TIN CAN ICE CREAM you'll find the recipe below.

Kid's Tin Can Ice Cream

1 #10 clean cannery can

1 1 lb. clean can

duct tape

2 or more kids

Ingredients:

1 c. milk

1 c. whipping cream

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg (optional)

fruit, smashed, chocolate, etc.

rock salt

ice (crushed or small cubes)

Pour all food ingredients into 1-pound can.

Duct tape lid on securely.

Place inside 3 lb. (#10 size) can

Layer ice and rock salt around sides of small can.

Duct tape lid on.

Roll briskly on hard ground for 10 minutes - cement works best.

Open lid and drain ice water. Open smaller can and stir, scraping sides well.

Retape. Re-pack big can with ice and salt.

Re-tape and roll again.

Makes about 3 cups of ice cream.

Non peanut butter no-bake cookies

From dianaskitchen.com we found this non peanut butter No-Bake Cookies recipe.

No-Bake Cookies

These favorite no-bake cookies are made with cocoa, coconut, and oats

* 1/2 cup butter

* 1/2 cup milk

* 2 cups sugar

* 3 cups quick-cooking oats

* 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

* 1/2 cup coconut

In a large saucepan, combine butter, milk and sugar; bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling for 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in oats, cocoa, and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper.

Makes about 36 yummy no-bake cookies.

OR

with peanut butter and no coconut try

No Bake Cookies

2 c sugar

1/2 c milk

1 cube butter

1/4 c cocoa

1/2 c peanut butter

3 c. oatmeal

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, 1/4 c. of the milk, butter and cocoa and bring to boil. Boil for 1.5 minutes. While hot add peanut butter, oatmeal and vanilla. Add up to the rest of the milk as needed. Drop on waxed paper or lightly buttered an until cool.

Hannele's Berry Pie (Marjapiiras)

My cousin in Finland gave my Mother this recipe.  Pie crusts are very different over there, as you can tell from my previous post.  You could use the same blueberry filling from the previous post or use this yummy rhubarb & strawberry one below.  The Finns use less sugar, so adjust according to your tastebuds:)

Hannele's Berry Pie (Marjapiiras)

1 cup melted margarine

1.5 cups sugar

3 cups flour

3 tsp. baking powder

*2 eggs

*Before putting in the eggs, take out about 3/4-1 cup of the mix for crumbs to be sprinkled on top.

Cut up rhubarb and slice strawberries. Sprinkle with sugar. May use raspberries or blueberries too.

Pour batter into 2 greased quiche pans. Sprinkle fruit or berries over batter. Sprinkle with sugar and crumbs.  

Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes.

Mustikka Piirakka is Blueberry Pie Finnish Style

Oma means my own in Finnish.  This is one of those recipes my Mother had to make up when she came from Finland.  Blueberries are plentiful in August in Finland and grow well along the bushes nearby the also plentiful granite.  It's a wonderful thing to pick blueberries there. Well, it's not August and we didn't have blueberries on the ranch, but yet she craved that taste.  Here is her recipe. Again, I'm making this now because she was wishing she could make some.

Mustikka Piirakka

1 can Wyman's blueberries, with juice

1 reg. size cool whil carton full of frozen blueberries (or huckleberries)

1/3 c. potato starch, scant

1 c sugar

Put berries and sugar in a kettle and let them boil gently for 5-10 minutes.  Let it come to a boil.  In a little bit of cold water, dissolve potato starch.  Add to berries.  Stir well until thick.  let cool.  Spread this on pulla dough crust or another Finnish pie crust. 

Raijan Rahka Piirakka

1 T dry yeast

1/4 c. warm water

1 c. milk, scalded and cooled

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs, well beaten

4.5 - 5 c. flour

1/2 c. melted margarine

1 egg, for basting

cheese filling (see below)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, salt, sugar and eggs. Add 2 cups flour to yeast mixture; beat until smooth. Add melted margarine, stirring to mix well. Add remaining flour gradually, beating to keep dough smooth. After added all the flour and the dough is stiff, cover and let rest 15 minutes. Knead until smooth. Place in lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubles (1 to 1.5 hours).

Pinch off balls of dough about 2 inches in diameter and place on a greased cookie sheet, leaving at least 3 inches in between the balls. Let raise until puffy, about 10 minutes, in a warm place. Flatten each ball of dough with fingers to about 3/8 inch thick. Let raise again until puffy, about 10 minutes; flatten centers of rounds, leaving edges slightly higher to hold in the filling. Brush with beaten egg and spoon 2 or 3 Tbs. of the filling into center of each round.

Bake in 375 degreen oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. Cool and served plain or with a little red jam spread on top. (Sometimes I add a few raisins to the cheese filling before baking, as is customary in Finland.)

These freeze well. Thaw out and serve. You may also reheat in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Cheese filling:

2 eggs

1/3-1/2 c sugar

1/2 c sour cream

8 oz. package softened cream cheese,

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. lemon peel

In a small bowl with our electric beaters, combine the eggs, sugar, sour cream, cream cheese, lemon juice and lemon peel, beating until thick and smooth. Fills 20 to 24 buns.

These savory cheese buns originated in eastern Finland, but anymore they are available in even the smallest towns. usually can be found at the outdoor markets (toris).

OR you can use this other type of crust, her sister's recipe. 

Rahkapiirakka Crust

150 gr. voita 1 1/3 cubes butter
1 dl. sokeria 3/4 c sugar
1 kanamuna 1 egg
4 dl vehnäjauhoja 3 cups flour
1 tl. levinjauhetta 1 tsp. baking powder

Mix the ingredients above together and press it into a lightly sprayed round quiche pan, including up the sides, to form the crust. Now make the filling below.

Jim's Crepes

Our sons just returned yesterday from a Scouts camp out where one of the breakfast items was made by one of their friend's Dad. Today our son made "Jim's Crepes" because he was hungry before lunch was ready and he could easily remember the recipe. He said, "You just double it"!

Jim's Crepes 1 cup flour 2 cups milk 4 eggs 1 tsp. sugar (optional) dash of salt (optional)

Serve with strawberry jam and whipped cream or syrup.

Rosettes

My Mother has requested Rosettes for her birthday since it's so close to May Day.  In Finland, rosettes may be served at May Day (Vappu) celebrations as an alternative to funnel cakes (tippaleipä).  They are traditionally made during Christmas time in Scandanavia.  Rosettes are a thin, cookie-like deep-fried pastry of Scandinavian origin. Rosettes are made using intricately designed irons. The iron is heated to a very high temperature in oil, dipped into the batter, then re-immersed in the hot oil to create a crisp shell around the metal. The iron is immediately removed and the rosette is separated from the iron. Usually, the edges of the rosette are dipped into frosting or sugar. Rosette recipes are popular in the United States among families with Scandinavian ancestry. 

Her Finnish friend sent me this recipe which I am translating from Finnish to English and converting from metrics too. 

ROSETIT 30 kpl (makes 30)

2 eggs 2 munaa
2 tsp. sugar 2 tl sokeria
1/2 tsp. salt 0,5 tl suolaa
0.63 cups milk 1,5 dl maitoa
0.63 cups flour 1,5 dl vehnajauhoja

Beat the eggs, salt and sugar;  add milk and flour. Batter will look thin.  Heat 1 quart oil to 350 degrees in a 2 quart pan.   Put the rosette iron in to heat up.  Quickly dot the iron onto a paper towel to remove excess oil.  Now dip the rosette iron into the dough careful not to get it on the top of the iron then turn it upside down for a second.  Next immerse the iron into the hot oil and fry until a light golden brown.  I count to about 55-60 with each one.  Remove from oil and gently remove from iron.  Lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar.  These are not very sweet.  Another day I'll make a batch where I add some vanilla sugar and another where I add cardamom to taste test the difference. 

As I made fried these, my husband exclaimed that he remembers Rosettes.  His DODDs principal's Icelandic wife served them to his family at Christmastime when they lived in Iceland!