Roasted Beets with Caraway Seeds

The Beet Princess (aka me) just noticed that it's been a while since her last beetroot post (over a month!?). So it's about time for another one :)

Here's a very-very simple side dish recipe that I served just over a week ago when a bunch of my girlfriends came over for a meal and sharing of some good news. It takes no time to put together, and then it just happily cooks away in your oven while you're preparing for the party. Excellent.

I served it as part of a hot snack table, but these caraway-scented roasted beets would also be a nice hot or warm side dish alongside meat. I love how caraway seeds give this dish a very distinct Northern/Eastern European feel.

Roast Beets with Caraway Seeds
(Küpsetatud peedid köömnetega)
Adapted from Estonian women's monthly Kodu & Aed (Christmas 2007)
Serves 4

4 to 6 smaller beets
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
2 Tbsp caraway seeds
salt to taste

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the beets and cut the beets into 8-12 wedges, depending on their size. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly.
Pour the seasoned beet wedges into a large oven dish that ideally fits them in one layer.
Roast in a pre-heated 180 Centigrade oven for about 25 minutes, until the beets are cooked.
Serve hot or lukewarm.

Jamming in 2008: French Apricot Jam and Estonian Cherry Preserve

I've already put aside a fridge full of various jams and marmelades this summer (luckily, we've got an extra fridge in the garage for that purpose), and I'm still to make some apple jam, lingonberry preserves, not even talking about cranberries and black aronia berries that are ripening as we speak. Here are photos of two jams we've made.

Here's one of K's favourite jams - a French Apricot Jam - French, as we used some very delicious French apricots for this :) K. used 400 grams of caster sugar per 1 kg of fruit, and slowly cooked the jam until desired thickness:



And here's an Estonian Sour Cherry Preserve, using 400 grams of jam sugar per 1 kg of stoned cherries:



Estonian recipes:
Ilus oranž aprikoosimoos
Kirsimoos moosisuhkruga

Swedish Lingonberry Cake Recipe

Remember my recipe for Canadian Apple Pie? Well, it's been one of my most popular recipes - and for a good reason, as it's incredibly tasty. BUT. None of my Canadian friends could recognise the cake, that is to say, they loved the cake, but couldn't confirm its Canadian origin.

I'm a bit afraid this Swedish Lingonberry Cake recipe is the same. You see, the recipe is from a Finnish women's weekly magazine, Me Naiset, where it was published in September 2005 and called "Ruotsalainen puolukkakakku" (that's "Swedish lingonberry cake"). But I've got no particular reason to believe it's Swedish, so I apologise beforehand to all my Swedish readers :)

As I'm off to a Stockholm day cruise next Monday, I thought it's appropriate to share the recipe with you. It's a bit drier than my usual forest berry cakes, but it's tasty. A bit crumbly, almost with a shortcake-like texture. With a strong cardamom flavour, it's festive and somewhat old-fashioned. And different. We liked it, and I hope you'll like it, too.

Oh, and the lingonberries were picked by K's mum. I've got enough for another 5 lingonberry cakes :)

Swedish lingonberry cake
(Rootsi pohlakook)
Serves 10-12

1 large egg
100 ml caster sugar
100 g butter, melted
350 ml plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp freshly ground cardamom seeds

For the topping:
400 ml whole lingonberries
75 ml caster sugar

Whisk the egg with the sugar, then add the melted butter and dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cardamom seeds). You'll get a moist and pretty hard dough. Press that into a buttered and/or lined cake tin (appr. 20-23 cm in diameter).
Scatter lingonberries on top and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 175 Centigrade for 45 minutes, until the cake is cooked through.

Serve at room temperature with some ice cream or custard or whipped cream.