saudade and a tart fruit crumble

I’ve just stumbled on this word – saudade – pronounced “sau-da-dee.”

It’s Portuguese and it’s one of those words that we don’t have an equivalent single word for in the English language. But we really should. Because when you hear the definition – you just know we need to have our own word for this….

Saudade is “the love that remains.” The beautiful longing for something or someone loved and then lost or left behind.  Even the way it sounds is soothing and beautiful.  Poetic.

My life is full of saudade. A trail of places I have lived and loved but left behind – and people I’ve loved and lost. And then I remember the love that remains. The saudade. Bittersweet.

I like things that are bittersweet. Like the beautiful bittersweet vine.

I love bittersweet stories and films. Never mind the happy story-lines, I like the ones that wrench my heart and make me know I’m alive and thinking and feeling.

And I like bittersweet food too – tart, full flavours  like lemon, rhubarb, cranberry, and bitter orange marmalade.  This tart crumble is something I make so often that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t already posted it. It’s probably the dessert I make more often than any other. It’s easy to whip up, healthy, and intensely flavourful. It’s perfect served hot, warm, or cold. Serve it with whipped cream for dessert or with plain yogurt for breakfast. The recipe comes from A Taste of Wintergreen. Mix up the fruit to use whatever you have on hand. Don’t add sugar to the fruit unless you absolutely have to. Keep it tart.

Tart Fruit Crumble

• Servings: 4-6
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

• 2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or mixed berries
• 2 medium or large cooking apples, peeled and chopped
• OPTIONAL 1/4 cup dark brown or demerara sugar (or whatever sugar you like really)

Topping

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats (I use organic, old-fashioned large flake rolled oats)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine (room temperature)

Butter a 9 x 13 inch glass lasagna pan. Spread the fruit in the bottom. Add 1/4 cup sugar if you must and toss it about to mix.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and butter. I use a hand-mixer for this. If I had a big enough food processor, I’d use that. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit.

Bake at 350 deg F for about 35-40 minutes or until browned and the fruit is cooked.

Let stand for ten minutes before serving.

 

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