Category: berries

Pork Chops dipped in Kama in Plum Sauce. Kamapaneeringuga siga ploomikastmes.

kamaliha (4)This is a unique Estonian inspired pork chop dipped in Kama coating.

What is KAMA?

Kama is Estonian traditional finely milled flour mixture. Estonians buying Kama mixture from shop.. and the easiest way is to try this, probably visit Estonia.  Read more

Estonians call this dish ” pork treats” 🙂
Kama breading gives for meat special sweet taste. In case you do not have Kama, use rye bread crumbs. The tart plum sauce complements pork sweetness very well.

 

 

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Milky and Tender Apple Pie. Piimane Ăµunaplaadikook

piimaga6unakook (1)This is a very soft, tender pie. Use for toppings apples, berries or just cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Milk keeps this pie fresh and soft for days… in case you really have leftovers.
The fragrant smell of cinnamon and baked apples mingling with the heady blend of soft bread……
You know. So
Take a glass of cold milk and.. there is cake no more 🙂

 

 

 

 

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Chicken with Mushrooms and Red Currants. Kana seente ja punaste sõstardega

kana seene ja sostraga 1(14)The perfect recipe to use the first chanterelle.

Sweet chicken, nice mushrooms and tart red currants in the creamy sauce. Very easy to prepare and delicious dinner.

There is so much flavour right here that you can impress anyone. It’s really hearty and tastes like the season.
I love this recipe for the current season

 

 

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Potato and Turnip Casserole with Currants Sauce. Kartuli- kaalikavorm sõstrakastmega

kartulikaalikavorm (14)Today 30 years ago took place The Baltic Way.

The Baltic Way was a peaceful political demonstration which took place on 23 August 1989 when approximately two million people (which is 25% of Baltic State population) joined their hands forming a 600 km long human chain through the Baltic countries, thus demonstrating their unity in their efforts towards freedom.

We were ready for everything: Estonians promised to eat even potato peelings in name of an independent state.

Potato skins are still very delicious dish. But this year I will introduce more advanced recipe 🙂
Let’s add some turnip and currants.
A light vegetable dinner. Sweet turnip and potato are complemented with the tartness of red currants. You get an even better and different result using black currants. to reduce baking and cooking time, use pre-cooked vegetables.

Perfect dish to use leftovers.

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Crispy Gooseberry Cake with Oatmeal Topping. Karusmarjakook

Do you know anyone who does not like gooseberries? Yellow, green, red, small, big, hairy or smooth. Sweet or tart.
complicated to pick but good to eat.karusmarja kaera1 (8)

Very simple dough, sweet and soft and crispy and crunchy oatmeal topping complements juicy berries between.

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Red Currant and Cacao Cake. Punasesõstra ja kakaokook

A delicious and very sweet old school real food cake.

Wonderful combination and good old flavours. Light quark cream complements rich and sweet cacao layers. Sour and sweet berries give juiciest and moisture. And to get real Estonian touch and twist, use for seasoning Vana Tallinn liqueur. Vana Tallinn is a dark brown and robust Rum based liqueur developed in the 1960s. he liqueur is sweet with a hint of Jamaican rum, flavoured by various natural spices, including Citrus oil, cinnamon and vanilla .

Vana Tallinn is the Must Be souvenir from Estonia. But… if you do not have this. Of course. Add some other rum or bake it without alcohol 🙂
s6strakook1 (11)

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Simple Strawberry Summer dessert

Estonian fermented dairy dishes are sour milk, buttermilk and sour cream. From the east came Kefir. But yoghurt is quite new for Estonians.

During the soviet time, we saw yoghurt from Finnish television commercials. And it sounds good and delicious. And it was. I visited first time Finland in 1991, and I got and ate my two dream dishes: bananas and.. yoghurt 🙂
Now it sounds funny. But yes. I dreamt about bananas and yoghurt.

But still, we had strawberries. And we had cream. And simplest and most delicious dessert in the whole world. Mix together cream and strawberries 🙂

What to use? Sour cream or 35% double cream? Up to you. Because both desserts are so delicious but different. I like maybe just a little bit more with fresh cream.
I squeeze strawberries unevenly.  Add some 35% cream and mix until dessert is thick enough.
Maybe little bit sugar, as well.
But Estonian strawberries are sweet enough 🙂 Continue reading “Simple Strawberry Summer dessert” →

Estonian Kama roll with Cowberries. Kama ja pohlarull

he secret of Estonia is Kama. Kama is Estonian traditional finely milled flour mixture.

Historically kama was a non-perishable, easy-to-carry food that could be quickly fashioned into a stomach-filling snack by rolling it into butter or lard; it didn’t require baking, as it was already roasted. Today Kama is a perfect summer dish. Just add some fresh or fermented milk and sugar or salt, mix, and ready! How to do kama, find out it here.
And what is interesting. In Estonian Kama means in slang “stuff, things” and the same time Kama means ” drugs”…:)

This cake is So Estonian:) Bitter-sweet taste of Kama is complemented with sweet and sour cowberries.
I have been studying many dictionaries to find out which is the right translation: cowberries or lingonberry. And still, I do not know the right answer.
These berries grow in a pine forest, They want and like the sunny and dry place. Usually, there are some wild blueberries and Lactarius Rufus are in neighbours.
anyway, no difference what name these berries has. Important is that cowberries are delicious, healthy and suits practically in every savoury dish and in sweet cakes.

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Kefir and Cherry Jelly. Keefiri-kirsitarretis

keefiritarretis 1(36)Estonians eat too much.

Specially during Christmas time.
Look at Estonian Christmas dishes

Estonian Christmas dishes – pork, sauerkraut, mushrooms, salads… are very nourish and feeding. So, usually there are not  too much space in the stomach for dessert … 🙂
Jelly is the perfect and best Christmas dessert. Light and beautiful.
Christmas colours 🙂
Notice: kefir and cherries are both little bit sour. So, taste and add as much sugar you like.

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Duck with juniper berries and Black Currant Sauce. Kadakane part mustsõstrakastmega

partkadakaga (3)I love duck.
Duck fillet is quite expensive and duck legs take a lot of time, so this is a dish I always order in the restaurant.

But sometimes I prepare a duck at home, as well.
Today I suggest duck with the delicious combination: sour and sweet black currant sauce and amazing duck fillet flavoured with little gin and juniper berries. Crispy skin and juicy meat 🙂

Juniper berries (cones) are refreshing and power-giving Nordic treats.
The type of juniper most widely spread in Estonia is the common juniper (Juniperus communis). You can see it growing the most in the Western and Northern parts of Estonia. Juniper symbolizes rebirth, protection and humbleness. „There is no reason to wonder, why the juniper has become one of the symbols of our windy homeland and for all Estonian nation, showing the undying power of life, no matter what comes ahead. (Ants Viires, 2000)“

Picking juniper berries means success that can be achieved with hard work. People widely believe that if you eat one juniper berry in a day, they stay young forever. If children have three juniper berries in a day, they are more likely to stay healthy.
This and many other sayings created a belief that juniper can cure 9 different diseases, 99 diseases in some cases.
Since juniper berry carries a cross formation on it, it was believed that juniper can help against witchcraft, revenants and anything evil.

It is also believed that juniper cleans and strengthens one’s body energetically. For humans, it has the best effect by breathing in, but it can also affect objects around that person. Juniper branches burnt in the house may clean up bad aura.       

 Juniper berries contain essential oils, sugars, resins, colourants, fatty acids, organic acids, carbohydrates and trace elements (Manganese, Iron, Copper and Aluminum). Juniper berries have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects during colds. Berries also stimulate urine and saphenia and promote digestion.

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