‘A June party requires wild flowers or a great set of peonies & homemade treats’

What an amazing birthday it was this year! First my hubby and I celebrated traditionally in Southern Finland in Hanko and on my actually birthday my day started with a delivery of my favourite flowers, aka peonies and an espresso in bed. Flowers make me so happy, its ridiculous. I later collected a bunch of wildflowers from meadows and had a little rosé party for my closest girlfriends. Of course I made another semi-naked cake (find recipe here)  although this time it had more layers and the filling was a mixture of white chocolate, raspberry curd and butter cream frosting. I attempted to make macarons 3 times, meaning that I possibly made 100 pieces and failed every single time! Although all my friends said they tasted purely amazing, visually they did not look like macarons. I have a feeling the problem was that I did not have a scale and perhaps my eggs weren’t aged enough. Or then I over whipped or under whipped the meringue but never managed to get the feet on them. I will share this recipe later on as they tasted super anyways.

The day was spectacular, surrounded with friends in a glorious white jumpsuit and lots of great moments throughout the day. June is at its end, garden parties and picnics are big at the moment, midsummer is in a few days, so I wanted to share some easy delights with you. If you are celebrating midsummer, the cake will be spectacular front and centre in the table while the little canapes are always welcome at any given party. The salad cups are perfect for a picnic that can be washed with homemade Bellinis. In June, pick a lot of wild flowers that are in full bloom at the moment or treat yourself to an amazing bouquet of peonies, as they are in season. Serve pale rosé from Provence, use a touch of highlighter to extenuate your sun-kissed skin and move your party outdoors, when ever its possible!

 

ps. the little tassels on the right are from Venice, just had to sneak in a picture of them as they are so beautiful

 

 

Find the Thyme Bellini recipe here

Canape Recipes

Parma ham Peach puree  Canape

• parma ham
• tiny green mimosa leaves
• peach puree (I used the excess puree from the bellinis I made but of course you can buy store-bought)
• salt/pepper
• capers
• herb flavoured cream cheese

Caramelized apricot Paté Canape

• caramelized apricots (dollop butter, teaspoon rosemary, 1 grated garlic, 1-2 tablespoons honey)
• paté of choice
• tiny green leaves
• salt/pepper

For the base for both canape: slice some rustic baguette into thin slices and fry on a pan with some oil. Sprinkle with salt while still warm and leave to cool on a kitchen towel. This can be down a day before if you are limited to time.

For the parma ham canape. Begin by making the peach puree. I actually was making home-made bellini’s and during the sifting process you are left with a “mush of thyme peach puree”.  I saved the mush for these canapes. Find the recipe here: Peach puree form Bellini. Once the puree is cooled, begin by assembling the mini toast. Place cream cheese on the bottom, add a slice of parma ham and a little spoonful of peach puree in the centre. Garnish with tiny green leaves and grind black pepper on top.

For the paté canape: Begin by making the caramelized apricots. In a heated pan add a bunch of halved apricots, finely chop rosemary, grated garlic and a dollop of butter. Cook gently so all the juices are released and add a few tablespoons of honey. Let them caramelize and once ready, leave to the side to cool. sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. To make the toast, spread some pate first. Add an apricot on top, some black pepper and little green leaves.

Find the recipe for these mini blinis here

Country salad in a glass

• shaved zucchini ribbons
• arugula and green leaves of choice
• white asparagus
• basil leaces
• new potatoes
• radish
• pesto

Pre boil the new potatoes until aldente for about 10 minutes. Once cooled, sauté in a pan with some butter, garlic and thyme. Add in the halved radishes and the roughly chopped white asparagus (remember to remove wooden ends) and cook gently for a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and let it cool.

In a bowl, mix together the green leaves and the cooked vegetables with a few spoonfuls of pesto. Add some chopped basil and place into glasses. Lastly, add raw shavings of zucchini that are rolled up on top as garnishing.