Pumpkin and Apple Crumble Recipe

My pumpkin and apple supplies don't seem to end any time soon, so I'm still trying out various recipes and cooking numerous dishes using those two autumn ingredients.

Here's a lovely autumn dessert. The idea for the filling is from an Estonian food magazine, but the crumble topping is my old favourite. We ate this with some soft vanilla ice cream, but custard or whipped cream or even crème fraîche would work well, too.

Pumpkin and Apple Crumble
(Kõrvitsa-õunakrõbedik)

2 Tbsp butter
100 ml caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon*
100 ml seedless raisins (I prefer light ones)
500 g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into small cubes (weight after peeling)
500 g tart apples, cut into sixth or eight (weight after cleaning)

Crumble topping:
100 ml plain flour
200 ml old-fashioned rolled oats
100 ml brown (demerara) sugar
100 g cold butter

* Feel free to use mixed spice (in the UK) or pumpkin pie mix (in the US) instead.

Note that a cup is 240 ml, so 100 ml is just about half a cup minus 1 heaped Tbsp, and 200 ml is about one cup minus 2 heaped Tbsp.

Mix butter, sugar, cinnamon, raisins and cubed apples and pumpkin. Heat, stirring regularly, on a low heat for about 15 minutes, until pumpkin cubes are softened.

Mix flour, oats and brown sugar in a bowl, then add the cold butter and cut with a knife until you've got a rough-textured crumble.

Spread the apple-pumpkin mix into a buttered oven-proof dish, sprinkle with crumble topping.

Bake in a pre-heated 200 C/400 F oven for about 30 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown and crispy.

Cool a little, then serve with your favourite crumble accompaniment (ice cream, whipped cream, custard, crème fraîche).

Roasted Figs with Candied Ginger

No recipe, just a simple dessert idea. Halved figs are sprinkled with sugar and topped with couple of Buderim candied ginger nibbles. Roasted in the 200 C/400 F oven for 15 minutes, just to warm through, then drizzled with lemon juice and garnished with lemon zest.

Perhaps not the best fig dessert ever, but it's quick and easy, and I love the picture :)

(Röstitud viigimarjad suhkrustatud ingveriga)

Goat Cheese Mousse with Cloudberry Compote

Looking for that little something after your main course, but don't feel like baking or making an elaborate dessert? Well, then this simple goat cheese mousse is for you :) It's served from small dessert glasses or espresso cups, and the combination of tangy goat cheese mousse and sweet Nordic berries is a winner.

The original recipe from a Finnish food magazine MAKU makes a compote out of cloudberries. I must confess that I cheated and simply took another glass of home-made cloudberry compote from the larder and used that.

If you cannot get fresh cloudberries (or don't have any cloudberry compote in your fridge), you've got two options:
A) use a cloudberry jam (like the one from IKEA), and dilute it with some cloudberry liqueur (Lapponia from Finland makes a good one)
B) use a berry with similar characteristics - I'd probably go for raspberries, which are slightly softer, but have a lovely sweet-sharp flavour that would complement the goat cheese mousse nicely.

Goat Cheese Mousse with Cloudberry Compote
(Õhuline kitsejuustuvaht murakamoosiga)
Serves 6

Goat cheese mousse:
2 gelatine leaves
150 g soft and creamy goat cheese (f. ex. Chavroux)
75 ml (5 Tbsp) caster sugar
150 ml plain yoghurt
1 egg white
50 ml (3,5 Tbsp) milk

Cloudberry compote:
100 g fresh or frozen cloudberries
30 ml (2 Tbsp) caster sugar
1-2 tsp cloudberry liqueur

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes.
Mix the goat cheese with 3-4 Tbsp of sugar, then add the yoghurt and stir until combined.
Whisk the egg white in a separate bowl until light and airy. Add the rest of the sugar and continue whisking, until you've got a fluffy and glossy meringue foam.
Heat the milk in a small bowl. Drain the soaked gelatine leaves and squeeze slightly, then mix with the hot milk, until dissolved.
Now pour the gelatine mixture into the goat cheese and yoghurt mixture, stirring continuously.
Finally fold gently in the whisked egg white mixture (add about 1/3 first, stirring, to soften the mixture, then carefully fold in the rest of the egg white).
Pour the mixture into small ramekins, espresso cups or dessert glasses. Cover and place in a fridge for at least 2 hours to set.

To make the cloudberry compote, place the sugar and berries in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat, then simmer for 5 minutes, until berries are softened. Remove from the heat and cool to the room temperature. The add the cloudberry liqueur.

To serve, top each portion of goat cheese mousse with a generous dollop of cloudberry liqueur.

Enjoy!