Baked apple and oats with honey

I got this recipe from Noora Shingler's Marjoja ja maskaraa book on healthy living and have made it countless times in the last few months. Completely free of white sugar, it uses honey as a sweetener, and very little butter. Then it's just oats, apple, cinnamon, optional raisons and you're done. It's very easy and quick to make. Freshen it up with some ice cream on the side. By now my friends and colleagues know that I am a little obsessed with Aino's chocolate ice cream. I thought it went well with this too (of course...).

Beatriz's rhubarb pie

This is the easiest pie in the world to make. My mother Beatriz has made pies from this dough recipe since I was a little girl, and I'm carrying on the tradition. I think I can do it blindfolded by now, and can also be made with apples and cinnamon, or frozen blueberries. A very Finnish recipe, I put about 400-500g of chopped rhubarb onto a bed of Beatriz's shortbread pastry (murutaikina). Half an hour in the over later, warm pie is served. I do like it warm, but especially when made with blueberries, I like to leave it in the fridge and see how it 'ages' as it gets so much more moist and luscious with every passing day. Fifth day pie is pretty amazing. I've never had any left to try sixth day pie.

A big thank you goes out to my neighbours Sanni and Mikko, who gave me five kilos of rhubarb straight from their own organic country garden!

Tarte Tatin

It was love at first bite. I first had Tarte Tatin about six years ago and have relished the experience every since, from the caramelised apples and nectar to the crispy sweetness of the crust on the edges. Sheer luxury!

Tarte Tatin is a French upside-down tart made with apples caramelised in sugar and butter. There are a few stories about its origins at the Hotel Tatin in 1898, but apparently it was accidentally invented by one of the sibling owners, Stéphanie Tatin, when trying to fix an attempt at an apple pie in a rush. (A good reminder that making mistakes is not always a bad thing but a most valuable source of creativity!)

Tarte Tatin surprisingly easy to prepare. All you need is the dough, apples, sugar, butter, and an oven-proof frying pan. I leaned mostly on Finnish chef Hans Välimäki's recipe, but also took some tips from Julia Child's classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Needless to say it is not a diet food, but dessert never is. Yesterday was my second try ever, but my three dinner guests all seemed very pleased with the result, enjoyed with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.