It looks like I love gooey ice cream!

With all those trips to Turkey, I fell hard for dondurma, their traditional ice cream. Like booza, it is also made with goat’s milk. I will try to make it traditionally when I can.

I had 1 litre of cow’s milk. Watching this lady, I dared to use it.

What else?

2g salep powder (make it 3)

200g sugar

Then, you will need pistachios and fruit if you wish to use this dondurma as a base for other flavours (I chose raspberry).

How did I make it?

Let the milk simmer for 30 minutes. Then, mix in the sugar and the salep powder. After 10 more minutes of simmering, your dondurma mixture will be ready.

Pour the mix into the ice cream machine. In my case [I have an older model], it needed 15 minutes. After 1 hour in the freezer, I used the ice cream machine again for 10 minutes. Then, the dondurma rested in the freezer overnight.

If using the traditional method, pour the mixture into a large glass pan. Place it into the freezer. Remove it after 1 hour, then after 2 hours, and mix the dondurma.

The next day, remove the dondurma from the freezer 20 minutes before serving it. Shaved pistachio gives it that Oriental touch – and I even had Antep pistachios!

I discovered this cake during the second detox of 2024. I am only publishing the recipe now, as it’s the fall strawberry season. If you are looking for a light, easy-to-make dessert, this recipe will prove useful.

You’ll need—

120g gluten-free oat flakes

60g coconut sugar

a pinch of sea salt

3g baking powder

50g gluten-free oatmeal

50g tapioca flour

120g coconut oil

200g strawberries

Mix the oat flakes, coconut sugar, sea salt, baking powder, oatmeal, tapioca flour, and coconut oil.

Place half of the mixture in the baking pan (20x20 cm). Then, add the sliced strawberries [Marcel always helps me with the slicing!].

Cover with the remaining mixture. Press.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C.

It will harden beautifully once you take it out of the oven.

Enjoy it!

...and I eventually made booza. What is booza? Lebanese ice cream.

This recipe inspired me.

I adapted it; anyway, I still had mastic bought in Lebanon and salep powder from Albania.

In the end, the ingredients used were:

1l goat’s milk

200g sugar

3 pieces of mastic (powdered)

1/2 teaspoon of salep powder

+pistachios (optional)

After powdering the mastic, mix all the ingredients in a pan. 

Continue stirring for 40 minutes on low heat (the texture changes every 10 minutes).  

In the end, pour the contents into a bowl. Cool it in the fridge. Stir again before placing it into the freezer. Repeat three times, every 10 minutes.

You should feel a gummier dessert; let it rest in the freezer for a few hours.

Serve with crushed pistachios; enjoy the booza taste, as it is traditionally made from goat’s milk, similar to (Turkish) dondurma.

For 5 medium pieces of cartof, you will need

130g biscuits

50g butter

60g condensed milk

2 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 dash of rum

+2 tbsp of cocoa powder

After crushing the biscuits, add the melted butter, condensed milk, cocoa powder, and rum.

 

I suggest removing them from the fridge a few minutes before eating them. This way, they will not be too hard. Roll them through cocoa powder; then, enjoy their taste!

I barely managed to make a jar of strawberry preserves! However, I got some magical preserves from the strawberries purchased when we returned from the Delta!

Well, using my Mom’s recipe, I needed:

180g small strawberries

180g sugar

45ml spring water

juice from half an organic lemon

After Marcel cleaned and washed them, I let the strawberries sit with the sugar for one hour. Then, I added the lemon juice and the water. I let everything boil, then simmer for half an hour.

Then, I poured the preserves into the jar.

We still have a small amount of preserves left in the jar. We don’t want it to end; it was that tasty! ♥

We travelled to Naples and its surroundings in March, for Marcel’s birthday. On Procida, an island I had wanted to explore for a long time, we were gifted many lemons. So, when we returned home, Marcel made limoncello.

What did he use?

8-10 organic lemons

1 litre of 96% alcohol

750g sugar

1 and a half litres of water

Carefully peel 10 medium organic lemons (as the Procida kind is large, we peeled 8), not to add the white part (which turns the drink bitter and cloudy). In a three-litre jar, pour the alcohol. Leave to set for at least 2 weeks (preferably 3) in a cool spot (but not the fridge); stir every 2-3 days.

After 2 or 3 weeks, melt the sugar in the water. Let it cool. Then, pour it over the mix in the jar (strained from the lemon skins). Leave another week to set fully.

I tried this recipe a while ago, and I’m eager to try it again. Summer will bring along the fresh raspberries. Until then, I’m using the raspberries from the freezer, which I've stored especially for these winter days!

• What do you need to have for 2 portions?

For the dessert base

250g gluten-free oat flakes

3 teaspoons of Caju Fresh from NoMoMoo

250ml plant-based milk

60g raspberries

60g almond flakes

30g agave syrup

70g honey

For the raspberry sauce

160g raspberries

20g coconut sugar

20ml water

• How to make it?

In a bowl, mix the oat flakes, Caju Fresh, vegetable milk, raspberries, almond flakes, agave syrup, and honey.

Let it rest in the fridge overnight.

The next day (for us, it was perfect at breakfast), I took the dessert out of the fridge and divided it into two smaller bowls. I then made the raspberry sauce.

Let the raspberry and coconut sugar sit for 10 minutes; then, add the water. Boil on low heat until it thickens. Pour it over the dessert. Savour it.

It is a filling and healthy dessert! Plus, it’s so easy to make!

Yesterday (December 17th) was St Barbara, a very important celebration in Georgia. Lobiani is the staple dish.

What is lobiani? It is a pie filled with beans. (I loved it when I tried it in Tbilisi.)
Marcel had the idea to make our version at home, so here's the recipe—

For the dough (makes 2):

80ml water

2g fresh yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

125g flour

2g salt

Let the yeast and the sugar sit in the water for 5 minutes. Add the flour and the salt. Knead. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.

For the filling (makes 2):

250g boiled beans

4 garlic cloves

salt

Mash the beans and garlic cloves. Add the salt.

Method:

Split the dough in two equal parts. Roll each half out. Spread the beans and garlic mixture over each of them. Make a crescent moon by sticking the ends of the dough. Bake in a pan on low heat until brown. Munch.

It was delicious and filling!

We eventually got to my last favourite ingredient. There may be more; I may discover some others, but I end my list in style!  

Today: flour

What terrifies me the most when working with flour? There are two issues: that it’ll attract flour moths and that I’ll burn the flour by adding too much of it to the dough.

Where do I get flour from? As we are discussing wheat flour, Romania used to supply the wheat for the whole of Europe. I prefer Romanian wheat, grown in Romanian soil. I found some great, versatile, and elastic types of flour.

Why do I love it? Butter is the only ingredient that I love more! I guess that says it all. There are many things you can’t bake if you’re out of flour.

How do I use it? In almost everything! Even if you suspect there isn’t any flour in a food item, I add it as a thickener. There are a poppy seed beigli and a walnut beigli in the picture; my Mom used to bake them at Christmas and Easter. The recipe will follow. Of course, you need quality ingredients for all these bakes!  

One year ago, right before Christmas, I discovered a recipe for some Italian almond cookies by Nonna Fina. They turned out so great that they became a popular treat in our family. I adapted my ricciarelli recipe; you could try it out these Holidays!

You need:

225g almond flour

150g sugar

2 egg whites (room temperature)

*Vegan ricciarelli are possible, with 6 tbsp of water + 2 tbsp of psyllium or flaxseeds.

a dash of salt

the lemon zest from half a lemon

3 drops of almond extract (optional)

How to bake them?

Beat the egg whites with the salt. Add the almond extract if you decide to use it.

In a separate dish, mix the almond flour, sugar, and lemon zest.

Add the foam to the mix; stir easily. The dough will be slightly sticky.

Split the dough into two parts; shape them into two rolls. Cut the dough slices with a knife. Shape them into diamonds. Then, place them into a baking pan lined with baking parchment. You will get 13-14 ricciarelli from a roll.

Bake them for 15-20 minutes at 180°C. After 10 minutes, supervise them so you don’t burn them. ;-)

Enjoy them! ♥

Upon our first trip to Scotland, our host in Edinburgh served us these treats at breakfast. When he saw how much we liked them, he gave us a bagful.

We munched them at the airport; we didn’t want to let them fall into the wrong hands.

Marcel made them once; it was my turn. I adapted the recipe considering my tastes and heart. In Scotland, they use golden syrup to make flapjacks; I preferred maple syrup.

Baking pan—

24 x 34 cm

Ingredients—

225g butter

100g coconut sugar

50g maple syrup

450g gluten-free oats

salt

Method—

Melt the butter; add the coconut sugar, the maple syrup, the gluten-free oats, and the salt.

Pour the batter into the baking pan lined with baking parchment.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven at 190°C.

Cut them immediately after removing the baking pan from the oven; then, let them cool entirely. Otherwise, they would crack.

Marcel and I got hooked on them.

I hope you like them, too!

I’ve said it before. It was this year’s ingredient for me. I love its colour, texture, and barely-perceived flavour.

Today: orach

What terrifies me the most when working with orach? That I’d stain something – the counter or the clothes.

Where do I get orach from? I started with Romanian orach; I’ll continue with it.

Why do I love it? It is a plant traditionally used in Romanian cuisine. I feel it’s making a comeback.

How do I use it? Orach pies are some of my favourite pies. The picture is taken in Greece, as I specified in the recipe. I couldn’t stay away from it, not even there!

• Spring version

Dough:

200g flour

5g fresh yeast

100ml buttermilk

salt

Filling:

2 orach bunches

salt

butter

1 green garlic

+1 small egg

Variant: Add ewe cheese on top of the filling if you wish.

• Fall version

Dough:

240g flour

5g fresh yeast

160g sour cream

salt

Filling:

300g orach

salt

butter

1 pestled garlic clove

+2 tbsp of milk

Baking pan: 20x20 cm

Orach was the ingredient of this year for me! I fell in love! I felt lucky to be able to bake this orach pie in spring and fall!

The recipes are almost similar. To make the dough, mix the yeast with the buttermilk or the sour cream, adding the required amount of flour. You’ll get a non-sticky dough, slightly hard. Let it rise for 1 hour. 

Then (a kind man named Marcel helped me), wash the orach leaves. Be careful, that pink liquid stains (I used red orach). Let the orach leaves simmer in butter; add the salt, the green garlic or the garlic clove, depending on the season.

Roll out half of the dough in a buttered and floured baking pan. Add the filling and the ewe cheese if you wish. Then, add the other half of the rolled-out dough and stick the two pieces together.

Brush the egg or milk on top of the pie, then bake it in the preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes. 

Shells

170g flour

2 tbsp of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 tbsp of butter

1 small egg

3 tbsp of Port (if you don’t have Marsala)

Filling

325g ricotta

130g sugar

for 8 cannoli

I don’t like the scent of burnt oil in the house; on the other hand, I was craving cannoli. I’m thinking, ’Could I bake them?’.

I had prepared the filling the previous night, draining ricotta and mixing it with the sugar.

To make the cannoli shells, mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, butter, and egg. To give them their typical flavour, add 3 tablespoons of Port if you lack the classical Marsala.

Knead until you have a compact dough (insist until all the ingredients are fully incorporated!). Let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 balls. Then, crush them and roll them out. Draw circles using a 12cm-diametre bowl. Cut them out. Wrap them around the cannoli tubes. Use a few drops of water to stick the ends.

Place the cannoli tubes into a baking pan. Then, bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.

By using a piping bag, fill the shells with the ricotta and sugar mixture.

Tip: I prefer filling the shells every time we have cannoli, keeping the piping bag in a mug in the fridge.