We ate soup, crumble and cookies

kasha gluten free crumble apple

Lemongrass-flavored celeriac and sweet potato soup with bay scallops

It was a Saturday when it all happened. The crumble and the soup.

We got up early to take Lulu swimming, following our Saturday morning routine. The day was glorious. Mild. Sunny. It was a day without the need for warm jackets. Clearly unusual for November. But maybe not. I don’t know what to think anymore.

One thing I knew, though. That very Saturday was a day we had to spend outside. To feel the season.

A beautiful day in November in New England, once again.

Lucky, that was how I felt.

Spiced apple and kasha crumble

I had gone shopping the day before with many cooking plans in my head. Clearly, I must have been feeling hungry. I cannot recall now. I wanted to make so many things: Poach salmon with coconut milk and lemongrass; bake a vegetable quiche; prepare a fennel salad; make risotto; bake muffins and prepare crêpes which we would eat with sautéed apples. Just writing it down makes me realize that obviously, I had been carried away, determined to bring each one of these dishes on our kitchen table.

But the weather. That deep yellow sun and delicate but invigorating morning air. Those happy autumn colors and the warmth of our wintry sun in early afternoon. I had not thought about the possibility that they might stand in the way. Between me and my kitchen. Inviting us three out. Calling our names assertively. Insistently. Until we gave in.

Frankly, that was easy. No one needed to twist our arms too hard.

Une soupe et un crumble, ça te va ?“(Are you fine with soup and crumble?) I asked P. when we talked about what our weekend eating plans. I always like to share my cooking ideas with him.

In fact, I just had to say the word crumble.

I have not yet met a single Irish person that can turn away from the sweet aroma of a warm crumble. Have you? Crumble! It’s a magic word inside his family: Uncles, aunts, mother and father, sister, cousins–every member of the Irish clan, as I like to call it. Who could not fall in love with a country and its people for their dedication to crumbles?

So there we were. This was how I ended up changing our weekend cooking plans.

Parsnip fries

Left with my large stock of groceries, I improvised.

I baked the salmon with thyme and olive oil , and decided to serve it with black quinoa and mâche salad on the side. I used the lemongrass and bay scallops bought for another more elaborate recipe and prepared instead a celeriac and sweet potato soup with an exotic flair. I made a coconut milk and root vegetable riz pilaf; I baked parsnip fries and stewed apples to make a crumble in which I added kasha–an ingredient I’ve been enjoying eating lately. Making P. and me delighted. And Lulu *really* delighted because anything crunchy makes much more sense to her. Just like the word cookies.

Simpler foods, all in all, that allowed us to play at the park, run through stacks of leaves–because we still have plenty of them in the back garden. Long hours outside until it became dark and we had to go in. Reluctantly.

Spiced apple and kasha crumble

And the next day, when I woke up early at sunrise, before everyone else, and the house sounded peaceful and quiet, I ended up baking cookies. P. and Lulu had given me the hint during the week. Cookies. Cookies. C. o.o.k.i.e.s pleaaaaasssseeee!

I got it.

How could I say no?

We tried the cookies at breakfast. Had one each as a mid-morning snack when we drove to our house to clean up before we can move back in (soon, I hope! I am craving for my kitchen and living space now….) And we finished lunch with another cookie. Happy smiles around.

On Lulu and P.’s faces.

And mine.

And the day was not even over.

Dark chocolate and pecan cookies

Spice apple and kasha crumble

For 4 to 6 people

For the crumble:

  • 1/2 cup (60 g) millet flour
  • 1/2 cup (60 g) almond meal
  • 1/4 cup (40 g) kasha
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) quick cooking oats
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) lightly packed light Muscovado sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) blond cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons (80 g) unsalted butter, cold and diced

Steps:

  • In the bowl of a food processor, combine the millet flour, almond meal, kasha, oats and two sugars.
  • Add the butter and pulse until crumbles form. Add the vanilla and pulse again; set aside in the fridge.

For the stewed apples:

  • 2 pounds 3.5 oz (1 kg) apples (I used Macoun), peeled, cored and diced
  • 1 vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped out
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) blond cane sugar
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 3 dried pandan leaves
  • 1 kaffir lime leaf
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • Zest of 1 lime finely grated

Steps:

  • In a pot, combine all ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cover. Stew the fruit for 15 minutes or so, or until the apples are soft.
  • Discard the cardamom, pandan leaves, kaffir lime leaf and vanilla bean and seeds.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 F and butter a 10-inch dish; set aside.
  • Add the stewed apples and top with the crumble, Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden in color.
    Serve lukewarm with plain yogurt or vanilla-flavored custard.
Lemongrass-flavored celeriac, white sweet potato and winter fruit soup


You need:

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 leek, white part only, chopped
  • 5 to 6 twigs of lemon thyme
  • 14 oz (400 g) peeled and diced celeriac
  • 10.5 oz (300 g) peeled white sweet potato
  • 1 Bosc pear, peeled, cored and diced
  • 2 Heirloom apples, peeled, cored and diced
  • 1 lemongrass stick, diced
  • 1 kaffir lime leaf
  • 4 cups cold water
  • Sea salt and pepper

Steps:

  • In a pot, melt the butter. Add the olive oil and when warm, add the onion, leek and lemon thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and leek soften (about 4 minutes).
  • Add the rest of the vegetable, the apples and pear, and cook for 5 more minutes.
  • Add the water, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass and season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables and fruit are soft.
  • Discard the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and lemon thyme and transfer the soup to the bowl of a food processor. Purée finely. Serve the soup warm with bay scallops lightly sauteed in olive oil. Decorate with fish roe and fresh herbs.

67 comments

  1. What nice images and you’ve given me tons of inspiration and ideas for what I’d like to cook this week. Your pilaf sounds lovely! I know what it’s like to have so many ideas and then to get pulled from the kitchen and have plans change, but that’s what inspires creativity!

  2. All these pictures of your daughter looking so small and solitary, as if there never are any other children around to keep her company.

  3. I was just out photographing the lovely autumn leaves and sites at the lake today, I haven’t even off loaded the images but I can’t wait after seeing yours, they’re lovely! It’s wonderful to see you savouring the season with your family. It’s just what we did this past weekend too! Thanx for sharing it with us:)

  4. There are few things nicer than a warm crumble on a fall day. I make apple crumble (or crisp) here in Tokyo on days when I am feeling particularly lonely and homesick for Minnesota and family. The cozy fragrance and the core-reaching warmth are magical.

  5. very nice to look at it as always. i am leaving your webpage with a big smile and happiness, thanks Bea et Lulu:)

  6. A great meal! Impossible not to like those comforting dishes.

    Lovely shots!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  7. Bea, very nice and beautiful post as always. I fell in love with your blog about 1,5 years ago! 🙂

    The dark chocolate & pecan cookies also look amazing. Will you post the recipe of those yum cookies?

    Cheers,

    Zita

  8. I thought you should know that your celeriac and sweet potato soup picture just made me gasp–out loud. Gorgeous. And what a great way to use kasha … dessert (!).

  9. I neeeed the recipe of those cookies! Ils ont l’air d’être super-delicieux! Please, do your readers a favor and post that recipe as well!

  10. Autumn (which I don’t have anymore), fennel salad (which was eaten), crumble (which is also missing from my home) and warm November air (gone for good) celebrates a day I would relish.

  11. Pingback: Food Blog Digest – Fruits of the Season | FriendsEAT.com

  12. And I thought kasha was only for making Kasha Varnishkas (an Eastern European Jewish dish with kasha and bowtie noodles)! What a lovely and delicious use of this very accessible gluten free grain!

  13. Hello all, many many thanks!

    I used roasted kasha; I had purchased a bag in France in the summer, and bought more here in Boston at Whole Foods, if I recall correctly. I have really enjoyed using it in tons of foods.

  14. Beautiful! I love the absolute vibrancy of the first photo. And Lulu’s outfits…they almost need an entire blog to themselves. Always enjoying.

    Katharine
    agirlinmadrid.com
    gastronomy and everyday life in Spain

  15. Thank you again! Now I am inspired to clean up my kitchen, make my grocery list and give my family crumble for dessert tonight. Just what I needed.

  16. Dom,

    Le kasha, c’est du sarrasin grillé. En magasin bio, tu peux en trouver de la marque Celna.

  17. Ah! Where are those beautiful plates from?! We have similar ones in white but I’ve never been able to find them in bright colors!!

    happensafterfive.wordpress.com

  18. Que ce soit l’automne et ses couleurs flamboyantes ou le printemps comme par ici chez nous, les balades en plein air sont si agréables !
    Et toutes ces bonnes choses à manger ne gâtent rien…

  19. Oh those pictures. So vivid.
    The soup as well as the crumble look delicious. For me crumble is the ultimate comfort food for colder getting days. Haven’t heard about kasha before but I’m eager to try..

  20. your photos are absolutely stunning! you were wise to not miss a day in the beautiful outdoors that surround you. and it doesn’t look like what you ended up indulging in was too shabby either;)

  21. Tout ca a l’air tellement sain, tellement en accord avec la saison. C’est toujours aussi beau ici, Bea.

  22. super une recette avec du kasha. J’en ai en provision depuis cet été, mais je ne sais pas trop comment l’utiliser. Il se cuit très rapidement, tellement vite que j’en arrive souvent à une purée…
    Merci
    PS : dans cette recette, tu l’utilises crue? Il cuit avec le crumble?

  23. bonjour,
    est il possible d’avoir les recettes en français , merci

  24. I never heard of a white sweet potato. ?

    That crumble sounds very good, I think I will try it instead of the recipe I usually use. There is some kasha hanging around dans l’armoire. 🙂 Et beaucoup de pommes du jardin.

  25. Could not have found a better way of describing the day we had on Saturday! Fall is so magic in New England!

  26. Your meals sounds absolutely delicious. I love the look of your soup; I’ve never thought to combine celeriac with sweet potatoes, but I just might give it a try now. The crumble looks so homey and completely perfect for the season.

  27. Je vais essayer de publier les recettes en français bientôt Aurélie. Merci de ta patience.

    Djd, the white sweet potato is sometimes also referred to as Japanese sweet potato. Pinkish skin or white skin outside, and white flesh inside. Scrumptious.

    Sarah, je ne cuis pas le kasha. Il cuit avec le mélange de crumble.

    Thanks everyone.

  28. Merci pour votre site qui est magnifique, vos photos sont superbes et les lumières juste parfaites. J’ai craqué sur ces cookies alléchants, pourriez-vous nous en donner la recette ? A bientôt pour le plaisir de vous lire …

  29. Stunning pictures Bea! It happens to me sometimes too, that I make lots of cooking plans, but the weather turns out to be so beautiful, that I can’t resist and spend my day outdoors. In the end, we’re still having nice food, even it’s not what was originally planned.
    I’ve never had kasha and would be curious to try it.

  30. Quels beaux clichés! Une atmosphère d’automne, des fruits de saison, que demander de plus?

  31. Hi Bea!
    We met yesterday at the market in Copley- thanks for sending me to this wonderful site! Your photos are beautiful and I love reading your blog…
    Come visit us again before the season is over. I’d love to chat with you more…
    -Josie (little Bea’s momma)

  32. Josie, so lovely to see you at the market yesterday. What beautiful vegetables you sell! So colorful! So tasty too. The carrots are so sweet and tender. And so are the radishes and upland cress! I will definitely come back next week….

    Thanks everyone!

  33. Les cookies ont juste l’air d’être trop….. bons, délicieux, croquants et tendres à la fois…. en 1 mot juste “surréalistes”….. “Can we have the” recette? (en french if it’s possible, my english is not so good!!)
    Merci de cette poésie culinaire!

  34. I am looking for sugar free and low carb desserts…do you have any recipes? (I am also allergic to all nuts except pistachios)

    Merci beaucoup!

  35. These pictures are so gorgeous… I wish I could take picture this way. The soup looks so delicious!

  36. Sarah, super contente que tu aies aimé! Merci.

    Thanks everyone else for your nice words!

    Maria, anything with fruit could be a good idea. A fruit soup, for example.

  37. Pingback: T-giving dessert dilemma |

  38. The pictures of your lovely autumn dinner are so inviting it makes me feel as though I can reach through the screen and take a spoonful. I love the blue and white fabric your soup is artfully resting on. Can you share the manufacturer please?

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  40. Pingback: We ate soup, crumble and cookies « Topicco – Find, Read, Share

  41. Hi! My name is jamie and I was hoping you could tell me where you find some of your beautiful dishes… such as the blue, pink and green plates in the photos in this post… also I noticed you have some darling red with white polka dot bowls among some others… are they from France? Anyhow one day when I have loads of money I want to hire you to decorate my kitchen! Your blog is awesome! Keep up the great work!

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