EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

It was really only a matter of time before my Peach Strawberry Sorbet turned into a frozen drink. The texture is simply perfect for it, the colour already makes me happy, and on warm days, I can hardly think of anything better than a drink that sits somewhere between a cocktail and a slushy.

Frozen cocktails have long been part of summer in our family. The Strawberry Daiquiri is probably the best-known favourite and makes a very reliable appearance in our kitchen as soon as strawberries are in season. This margarita is a little different: fresher, slightly tart from the lime, and less sweet thanks to the tequila than you might expect from a drink made with sorbet.

The sorbet does several things at once here. It brings in the peach and strawberry flavour, creates the frozen texture, and makes any additional sugar unnecessary. Blended with fresh lime juice and crushed ice, it becomes creamy, almost silky, while still staying wonderfully cold and refreshing.

For the rim, I couldn’t decide between salt and sugar. Salt alone would have been too intense for me, while sugar on its own felt a little boring. A mixture of both works best because it brings out the fruit without making the drink any sweeter. With every sip, you first taste a little salt, then the lime, followed by the sorbet – and that is exactly what makes this margarita so good.

It is also practical that the drink can be blended in just a few minutes when guests stay longer than expected or you suddenly feel like having something a little special in the evening. The sorbet can wait in the freezer, and the remaining ingredients are things you will probably already have at home if you make margaritas from time to time.

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

Sometimes, Classic Vanilla Ice Cream simply ends up in an Espresso Martini. This version is made for those evenings when you do not want to choose between a cocktail, coffee, and dessert.

To me, an Espresso Martini is one of those drinks that gets to be a little bit of everything at once. It is cold, bold, slightly sweet, and usually arrives at exactly the point when the evening has already been very good, but does not quite feel over yet.

For my version, I used tequila instead of vodka. It is joined by Kahlúa, a little sugar syrup if needed, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, ice cubes, and a fresh shot of espresso. The drink stays strong and slightly bitter, while the coffee liqueur adds just enough sweetness.

And then comes the part that turns the cocktail into a proper dessert: an extra scoop of vanilla ice cream placed directly into the martini glass.

The ice cream slowly melts into the Espresso Martini and changes it a little with every sip. At first, the coffee and tequila are still quite pronounced, but later the drink becomes softer, creamier, and almost reminiscent of an ice-cold affogato with coffee liqueur. That is why I skipped the classic coffee bean garnish altogether. The scoop of vanilla ice cream is already the main event.

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

Of course, the Yogurt Lime Swirl Ice Cream had to become a proper dessert. One that looks as though you spent a long time in the kitchen, even though it actually takes barely five minutes.

The idea mostly came about because I still had some lemon cookies and a few of those little meringues left over, and they were far too pretty to simply disappear into the back of a cupboard. So I layered everything in dessert glasses: crushed cookies on the bottom, creamy yogurt lime ice cream on top, and then a generous layer of crumbled meringue. A slice of lime on the rim, a little of the remaining lime swirl spooned over the top, and suddenly it looked very much like a carefully planned dessert rather than a way of using up leftovers.

We had actually planned to eat it straight away. Then we spontaneously decided to go out, so I simply placed the finished glasses in the freezer. To be honest, I was not entirely sure how the cookies and meringue would handle it. But the following evening came with a very pleasant surprise: the cookies were still crisp, the meringue had kept its texture, and the ice cream was, of course, exactly as it should be.

Ever since, I have thought that keeping ready-made dessert glasses in the freezer is almost a little ingenious. You open the freezer on a completely ordinary weekday and take out a dessert that is already finished, served in an ice-cold glass, with nothing else left to do.

Flavour-wise, it reminds me of limeade, only in the form of creamy ice cream. Fresh, slightly tangy, and sweet enough, with crunchy pieces in every spoonful. On a really hot summer day, this combination is hard to beat.

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

You probably know by now that I like things to be a little special. Not necessarily complicated, but whenever a small idea can turn a good dessert into something even better, I have to try it. That is exactly how this Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée Ice Cream came to be.

It started with my Salted Caramel Ice Cream, which is already perfectly good on its own. But then I started thinking about crème brûlée – more specifically, that moment when the spoon breaks through the thin, firm sugar crust. Probably one of the best sounds a dessert can make. Naturally, the question followed: why shouldn’t that work on ice cream too? It does. Surprisingly well, in fact.

Underneath the caramel layer, the ice cream stays cold and creamy. With the first spoonful, the crust breaks into small pieces that mix with the soft salted caramel ice cream. Sweet caramel, a little salt, and that contrast between crisp and creamy.

For the crust, I did not simply use regular sugar this time. I first melted it into a dark caramel, let it cool and harden completely, and then ground it into a fine powder. This allows the caramel powder to melt especially quickly under the blowtorch while adding even more depth and toasted flavour. It does not just taste like caramelized sugar, but intensely of caramel, which is of course perfect with the ice cream.

You can still skip that extra step and use regular sugar instead. The dessert works very well that way too. The caramel version is more for those days when you feel like a small kitchen experiment and a little extra effort suddenly seems entirely reasonable.

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

Thursday, 7 a.m. While other people are still sleepily stirring their coffee, I’m in the kitchen puréeing fruit. Not because I have to, but because this sorbet wanted to get made and my calendar had no other slots left. This is what dedication looks like. The plan was actually a different one. Peaches were on the list, the supermarket had other ideas, and so it ended up being white nectarines. The recipe is still called peach strawberry sorbet, and I’m sticking with it.

That’s the beauty of homemade sorbet anyway: whether peach, nectarine, or whatever happens to be ripe and looking good, what matters in the end is that the fruit tastes like summer. Originally, the sorbet was also supposed to be two-toned, hence the two separate purées. Then I did some quick math on the extra waiting time that would have meant, and changed my mind. Both purées together, into the ice cream maker, done. And honestly? Best decision of the day. Sometimes impatience isn’t such a bad thing after all.

The result: a sorbet that’s fruity and refreshing, completely dairy-free, and feels like instant relief on a hot day. Sweet peach, strawberries, a squeeze of lime for freshness – that’s all it takes to make hot days a whole lot more bearable. And the best part: once it’s made, the sorbet waits patiently in the freezer for its big moment. Whether it’s unexpected guests, a warm evening on the balcony, or just a Tuesday that deserves a little reward. You’ll be glad it’s there.

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

Some recipes work on the first try. And then there’s this yogurt lime swirl ice cream. The lime swirl took me four attempts. Four! But hey, for a yogurt lime swirl ice cream, I wanted nothing less than perfect. My goal was clear: I wanted a homemade ice cream that doesn’t turn rock hard in the freezer, but stays beautifully creamy and scoopable. Sounds simple, but it isn’t. Anyone who has ever had to chisel ice cream out of the freezer knows exactly what I mean. So I tinkered, tested, tossed and on the fourth try, everything finally came together. Creamy, fresh, scoopable. Exactly the way I had imagined it.

I didn’t want to compromise on the color either. The swirl in this recipe gets its color entirely from natural ingredients. It was supposed to look like real lime not like plastic. The base is my tried-and-true Yogurt Ice Cream. Yogurt ice cream is my absolute favorite anyway that light freshness, that creaminess, that feeling of summer in a bowl. But paired with the tangy, fresh lime swirl? It takes the whole thing to a completely different level. The best part comes when you layer it: the yogurt base and lime swirl are added to the container in alternating layers and gently swirled with a knife, creating a gorgeous marble look.

Every scoop looks a little different, and that’s exactly what makes this frozen yogurt so special to me. It’s one of those recipes where even the plating is pure joy. Whether as dessert on a warm summer evening, a little cool-down in between, or the highlight of your next dinner with friends, this yogurt lime ice cream is my personal summer favorite. And I promise you: after the first spoonful, you’ll understand why I don’t regret a single one of those four attempts. I simply love everything about it.

A Little Love Letter

So it was pretty clear that I had to make salted caramel ice cream myself. The beautiful thing about it starts long before the ice cream is even finished. In the kitchen, the sugar slowly turns into caramel, and suddenly the whole apartment smells warm.

And then comes the part I was almost most excited about: the caramel swirl. That glossy, thick caramel sauce that gets layered between the ice cream and creates those beautiful ribbons when you scoop into it.

Here is my very important note: give the base enough time to cool down before putting it into the ice cream maker. Really. Cold base equals better ice cream. But even with my little bit of impatience, it still turned into a creamy, caramel-y, slightly salty ice cream that became even more perfect in the freezer.

And by the first spoonful at the latest, it was clear: this flavor is staying. It tastes like a summer evening, like a little dessert moment, like “just a little bit more” — and then somehow you find yourself standing in front of the freezer again with a bowl and a spoon.

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

Some things sound so simple at first that you almost underestimate them. Vanilla ice cream, for example. At first glance, it is the classic, the safe choice, the flavor that is somehow always there. But when vanilla ice cream is made really well, it suddenly is not plain at all. It is creamy, rounded, soft, aromatic, and exactly the kind of ice cream that makes you think after the first spoonful: Oh, this is what it is supposed to taste like.

For me, homemade vanilla ice cream felt like the perfect way to start our little ice cream month. If you are going to begin with ice cream love, you might as well begin with the foundation. With the recipe that shows whether an ice cream is truly good. No hiding behind toppings, sauces, or wild flavor combinations. Just milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla. But done properly.

And that is exactly why two vanilla pods go into this base. Not because we want to be dramatic — although, maybe a little — but because real vanilla simply makes all the difference. Those tiny black specks do not just look beautiful; they give the ice cream that warm, deep flavor that store-bought vanilla ice cream so often misses.

To be honest, I had a little respect for making ice cream with egg yolks myself, but in the end, it is much more doable than you might think. You take a little time in the morning to prepare the base, let it chill peacefully in the fridge, and then pour it into the ice cream maker in the evening. And then that moment happens: the machine is running, the mixture becomes lighter, thicker, creamier — and at some point, the ice cream looks like the softest vanilla ice cream in the world. Straight from the machine, it is basically like soft serve, which for me personally is already a very strong argument for going in immediately with a spoon.

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

We’re not just having Turkish pizza today, we’re having Mini Turkish Lahmacun Flatbreads. Small, crispy, savory, topped with sauce, fresh vegetables, and exactly the kind of “I’ll just have one more” energy that, of course, is never actually true.

Making Turkish pizza from scratch had been on my to-do list for ages. Not because you can’t buy it on almost every corner, but because I simply love being able to make these kinds of things myself. Also, lahmacun is genuinely one of the best ways to use up leftover vegetables. A little bell pepper, tomato, lettuce, onion, a few herbs, and suddenly fridge leftovers turn into a special dinner.

The thing I was most curious about was the dough, because this dish really stands or falls with it. And what can I say: it turned out perfect. Super easy to work with. After baking, it gets beautifully crispy on the outside while still staying soft on the inside. Exactly how you want it. And the beef filling? A 10 out of 10. I added pomegranate molasses, which makes the savory, spiced mixture a little fruitier and more rounded.

The best part about the mini version is: you will definitely eat more than one. And that is very much part of the concept here. Each flatbread can be topped a little differently: a little more herb garlic sauce, more sumac, extra tomato, or a little more lettuce. I love dishes that let you try a bit of everything.

And honestly, every now and then I just love a recipe that happens in the oven. The beef mixture is spread onto the thin flatbreads, baked for a few minutes, and then all that’s left to do is top them with sauce, romaine, bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, sumac, and fresh parsley.

EVERY RECIPE DESERVES

A Little Love Letter

I already knew I loved this cookie. It is the kind of dough that makes you understand why bakery cookies always feel a little more special than regular homemade cookies. Thick, soft, slightly chewy, buttery in the best way, and honestly just dramatic enough to deserve its own little moment.

This recipe is based on my Bakery Style Vanilla Cookie dough, which has quickly become one of those recipes I want to use again and again. Once you have a good base cookie dough, it almost feels rude not to play around with it. And because I love pistachio cream this version had to happen.

These cookies are made with white chocolate and filled with a little spoonful of pistachio cream in the center. The dough is shaped almost like a tiny cookie sandwich: one small scoop of dough, a little press with a spoon, a spoonful of pistachio cream, and then another scoop of dough on top.

After baking, the cookies are slightly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle, with little pockets of white chocolate and that creamy pistachio center. They are rich, but not too much. Sweet, but balanced by the nutty pistachio. And honestly, they feel like the kind of cookie you would buy from a tiny bakery where everything is a little expensive, but somehow still completely worth it.

And the best part: you can freeze the shaped cookie dough balls and bake them straight from frozen whenever you want. Which means warm pistachio white chocolate cookies are never really that far away.