This is an uncomplicated appetizer, perfect in summer or when you’re longing for the warm and light Swedish summer evenings. Just make sure that you have ripe nectarines and not tasteless ones, like the ones I bougth yesterday. The idea is from Swedish chef Leila Lindholm, but I’m not writing down the quantites as it’s not really necessary.

Ricotta filled nectarines wrapped in Pata Negra

Pata Negra, a couple of slices
Ricotta cheese
Nectarines

Cut each nectarine in half. Remove the pit and cut the halves into wedges. Spread some ricotta on each wedge. Wrap each wedge in a piece of Pata Negra and fix with a tooth pick.

These lovely and moist muffins filled with raspberries are inspired by the ones that I like to buy with my take away-coffee at Espresso House. They don’t look especially pretty but don’t be tricked. l love the idea of crumbles on top of a muffin, however I don’t like the big size of the original ones and I prefer more raspberries. So I decided to bake the muffins at home, using more raspberries and crumbles, and the result was amazing and is definitly my kind of muffins. The cardamon flavour is quite subtile and the tartness of the raspberries goes perfect with the sweet crumbles. Just make sure to have high paper cups so you’ll have enough space for all your crumbles.

Raspberry and cardamon muffins with crumbles
(makes 14 medium sized. Use high paper cups)

muffins:
130 gram butter, room temperatured
200 ml caster sugar (of which half is vanilla infused)
2 eggs
100 ml milk
180 gram flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamon
200 gram frozen unthawed raspberries

crumble:
50 gram caster sugar
100 gram flour
50 gram butter

Crumble:
Place the sugar, butter and flour in a bowl. With the tips of your fingers rub the ingredients together until you have a crumbly mixture.

Muffins:
In a bowl beat butter and sugar with an electric beater until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time while beating. Add milk. Combine the flour, cardamon and baking powder in a separate bowl and then fold into the egg/butter/sugar/milk bowl. Add the raspberries and combine. Spoon the batter into high paper cups, fill the cups to 2/3.

Sprinkle the crumbles over the muffins and bake in 175 degrees C (convection oven) for 20-25 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean.