Spring shoots!

In april and may, whenever I walk past a fir hedge, I can't help but instinctively reach my hand for some bright green fir shoots. Ah, I don't think I'm the only one doing that (and I mean doing that after the age of ten;)). They are, after all, so pleasantly sour and packed with vitamins.

Fir shoots are actually a funny subject. Because whenever I tell someone that one can use them in actual dishes, in addition to just nibbling on them from time to time while outside, people answer 'ohhh, hmmm, yeees, I've never actally thought about it'.

But fir shoots are really healthy as well, when not polluted by a nearby street. Syrup and tea made with them should work well when trying to get rid of cough and cold, but also tiredness and nervousness. They liven blood circulation and even have a slightly antibiotic effect!
(yes, now would be the right time to stop asking the question 'are you sure it's okay to eat them?')

Here's my first experiment with fir shoots:)

Fir shoot butter

Bright green fir shoots
Butter at room temperature
(sea)salt, pepper

1. Rinse the fir shoots
   
2. If you want a soft butter, throw the shoots into boiling water, boil for about 10 minutes, then chop into little pieces. Using fresh shoots will result in a crunchier, but brighter butter.
3. Mix the chopped fir shoots with soft butter and flavour with salt and pepper.

It's great to eat the butter with a simple crunchy bread, but I can imagine it being wonderful with meat, vegetables or young potatoes..oh yes. A scrumptious sour fir-y taste, somehow homely.

Next I'd like to throw some fir shoots into casseroles and salads. I've also found recipes for flavoured oil, tea, syrup, chicken roast, marmalade and ice cream coctail using fir sprouts. If you're interested, I'm ready to translate or try them out:)
And if you've got ideas of your own...I'm one big ear!

Brown butter flavoured butter

Elegant, yet sinfully simple.
Er...just let me go and get myself a slice of bread!

Or, let's be serious. I'm a butter person. There's a reason why there's the word 'või' (butter') in the Estonian word 'võileib' (translates as 'sandwich', but literally means 'butter bread').

When I was little, I used to eat rye bread with a thick butter layer, taking tiny bites at a time. Then I got older and discovered the charm of cream cheese, but from time to time I still get a rye-bread-with-butter-now! craving or enjoy soft brown bread with a layer of butter and sprinkles of sea salt.
Last March Ideas in Food came out with the idea of brown butter flavoured butter. There's yet much to discover about the opportunities of using this ingredient, but -well- I do like a little treasure hunt. This one's a treasure for sure.


Brown butter flavoured butter
(Ideas in food)

Good quality butter
Sea salt

1. Divide the amount of butter into two.
2. Melt one part of the butter on a skillet and brown it until quite dark brown. Cool it (over an ice bath).
3. Dice the remaining butter and add, whisking.
4. Flavour with salt to taste.

The butter has a deep, an earthy taste of browned butter to it. Perfect for a festive table or just over bread for a weeknight dinner. I've only had the chance to eat it with brown bread and rye bread, but I imagine it complementing my broccoli with pistachio butter...