Buckwheat buns with figs, cream and walnuts

Figs = one of my favorite things about this transitional season

Welcome back to your daily routine, your office desks, or whatever you have embraced again this September.

I’ve been on holiday until the very last day of August, soaking up every last moment of relaxation and good food (cooked by someone else, which is the best part of it).

Back to my work and my usual grocery sources, I was delighted to find some of the treasures of this mid-season, jumping from summer to fall. Figs, grapes, wild mushrooms… they all bring to my mind a list of recipes that I usually make every year in this season. There’s my beloved tagliatelle with porcini — these wild mushrooms work far better with pasta, preferably fresh, than in a risotto, where dried porcini give a deeper flavor that balances well with Parmesan cheese. I made a pan of tagliatelle already last week, the very same day I saw porcini at the market stall for the first time.

The second recipe I immediately think of is a focaccia bread with grapes, a recipe from the Tuscan countryside made with the grapes that were abundant during this vendemmia (grape harvest) period. It has a salty-and-sweet flavor thanks to the olive oil mixed with sugar that glazes the top. The complete recipe is on my blog.

Another simple yet flavorful recipe I make each fall is this fig and honey recipe (see picture above) I adapted from a NYT Cooking recipe. My gluten-free version is also on the blog.

But this year, to give to a boost to my September mornings (when the weak sun light is definitely not enough to wake me up) I baked these soft buckwheat buns. They have a filling of lemon and vanilla custard cream, fresh figs, and walnuts. It is the perfect treat to serve in this season, even for a teatime with a spiced chai latte.

Ingredients for 6–8 buns: