just before this unscripted summer hiatus, i was about to write one last post about finland – the obligatory trip to the supermarket. it’s always one of my favourite parts of any trip :) here are some things that drew our attention:
it’s funny how many moomin or angry birds-themed things you can find in a finnish supermarket!
for the longest time i had this dream of making ice-cream, but somehow the dream always got pushed aside… turns out, ice-cream making is a finicky business, requiring more patience, special equipment and room in the fridge than i currently possess… or so i thought, until the day i heard of the this fantastic one ingredient ice-cream recipe!
it goes like this:
– cut a banana in slices, spread it on a surface
– put it on the freezer for an hour or so
– once it’s frozen, blitz the pieces with an immersion blender or a standing mixer until smooth
– et voilá! :D the banana takes on a custardy consistency which is just like ice-cream! it’s… magic!
seriously… who eats bananas in summer when they could be having ice-cream?! :D
the boy is originally from oliveira de azeméis, which isn’t far from the coast. the nearest beach is called furadouro, and it is famous for a special kind of “beach dessert” which he had never tried before: the tripa! we’d been hearing about this tripa (which means gut in portuguese) for such a long time that by the time we finally tried it last winter, it had reached epic fame proportions… could it live up to our high expectations?
turns out, yes! especially the one filled with ovos moles… it was delicious! the dough is a mix between a crepe and a softened wafferish cookie which is folded over your selected filling… it was soft and warm and just the thing for a windy cold the day by the sea! can’t wait to go back and try the one with condensed milk mmmm…
chocolate and coffee! what else do you need? :)
ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the best thing this side of nutella’s invention:
i wish blogs could convey the scent that emanates from this precious jar. it’s… indescribably mouth-watering. our friend isa showed it to us when we were staying with her, and in our excitement we almost forgot our manners and inhaled all of her precious stock! good lord, i could swear they lace it with crack…
speculoos are crunchy spiced (pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg) cookies from the netherlands and belgium. they taste a bit like crispier gingerbread cookies… but better! it’s hard to explain, the flavour is so characteristic – and in my mind irrevocably connected to afternoons writing my master thesis in the netherlands, with a cup of tea by my side.
the spread tastes like the cookies, and has an interesting story too:
In the area of Europe centered on Eeklo, Belgium, where the speculoos cookie originated, local workers had long known that a sandwich made in the morning with butter and speculoos cookies would develop a spread-like consistency by lunchtime.
In 2008, two competitors entered a contest on the Belgian television show, The Inventors (de Bedenkers), with a spread made from speculoos cookies— Els Scheppers, who reached the semi finals, and the team of chef Danny De Mayer and Dirk De Smet, who weren’t selected as finalists. Spreads made from crushed Speculoos cookies would subsequently go into production by three separate companies, and by the time they arrived in Belgian supermarkets, Speculoos spread caused a sensation, taking the “Benelux market by storm.”
it’s still hard to find in germany, but we’ve spotted it at kaiser’s and have been sharing it with all our friends ever since. seriously, give it a go if you can get it! :D