When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
Pan-fried muikku (vendace) is a Finnish delicacy. The girls and I absolutely love it. Stuart thinks it is good, but as with many good things, Finns tend to overdo it.
You can get muikku at many lakeside restaurants during the summer, and I even make it myself from time to time. But the best muikku is made by ukki in the boathouse. The boathouse is as important part of the meal than the muikku itself.
Finns are always surprised when the weather is good at Midsummer. Although, I could be a spoilsport and note that every single one of the five Midsummers since we moved bach has been beautiful.
Then again, I still remember the years of +9°C and rain, so I mostly let people enjoy their weather debates.
Anyway, it is hard to capture the essence of Midsummer in single picture. I cheated and made a collage. Good food, good drinks, the midnight sun, summer…
Despite being a foodie, even I admit that frying sausages over the fire is part of summer at the summer cottage.
According to my dad, my mum and I cook far too complicated food in the summer cottage. Then again, he considers anything more time-consuming than fried sausage or pasta too complicated. (Unless it is fish, in which case it is never too time-consuming.)
To be fair, we do occassionally go a bit overboard. Or rather, we like trying new things. And more often than not, one element doesn’t quite work out, so we end up improvising as we go.
Generally, though, we have fun.
And my dad has yet to refuse any of it.
So I would call it a win-win.
The problem with a lot of street food is that it is meant to be quick in large quantities. It is often surprisingly time-consuming to cook for just a few.
Take baos, for example. Making the dough, letting it rise, steaming the buns… not exactly a quick meal.
So that’s when you cheat.
The secret is finding the right ingredients that take you 80% there. In Finland, store-bought baos work great when fillings are flavorful enough.
Naans – not so much.
Georgian is one of my favourite cuisines. And khinkali might be the best thing it has given the world.
The girls agree. When Alanna was maybe four, we took them to a Chinese restaurant. She promptly burst into tears after discovering that the dumplings had no “soup” inside. She still asks every time.
So, for Stuart’s early birthday – Georgian it was.
Long time ago, I preferred red wine. However, white wine has always been a summer drink. After I moved to South Africa and then Singapore, I lived in a long summer (comparatively) for several years. As a result, I only really drink white. Intellectually, I know reds are better and more complex wines. White just tastes better.
Stuart doesn’t care about temperature. He drinks red.
When you are feeling seriously under the weather, soup is good comfort food. It helps to have leftover duck in the fridge.
Cut-all-corners ramen.
I baked a chocolate cake today. I love cooking, but I’m really not a baker. However, family is coming around tomorrow to celebrate Alanna’s and Kiara’s birthday, and the girls specifically asked for chocolate cake – so here we are.
I would probably bake more, if it would be more convenient to bake only a small batch. But Stuart eats nothing sweet and there is only so many pastries and cakes I want girls to eat…
I don’t drink a lot of tea, but when you are sick (as I am now) or cold, a cup of tea can hit just the right spot. And when I do drink tea, I want the whole shebang: a special tea pot, proper loose-leaf tea, a beautiful mug, etc.
The girls have their own particularities. Alanna adores Moroccan green tea (with sugar) and in recent weeks, Kiara has gotten into rooibos – although that is mostly driven by the fact that she wants to eat as much honey as possible, since they are selling it to benefit their scout group.
Stuart only drinks coffee.
Blue Moment 