I want to talk about something we all love. I doubt there will be anyone on this planet who does not like it, if not craves for it. Wait for it…Yes, I am talking about ice cream which is the coolest thing –literally- on a hot summer day.

The story of ice cream begins a long time ago –over 3000 years- in China. We all know that Chinese invented so many things throughout the history like gunpowder, ink, umbrella, porcelain etc. but let me say, ice cream is the tastiest discovery of them among all. No need to say it was not the same ice-cream as we are used to consume today. Ancestor of today’s ice cream was mostly a mixture of snow from the mountains, fruit, wine, and honey. As expected it could not be found easily since you need to obtain ice from a mountain or let’s say you need some slaves or soldiers to do that for you. This difficulty in ice supply turned ice cream to a delicacy that could only be found on the emperor’s dining table at first.

Well known adventurer Marco Polo was the one to return from China to Italy with this recipe in hand, snow ice cream with an addition of extra milk. Not surprisingly, rich people of Italy loved the idea of this frozen milk. When you use rich and Italian in the same sentence you should expect another famous figure, Catherine Medici, to come out at the same instant. This gourmand lady took the recipe to France when she married the French king Henry II in 1533. French chefs added chocolate -what would you expect other than that- and strawberry to make it closer to the ice cream we eat today. It took almost 300 years more for White House guests to be served ice cream.

When we come back to our time I feel so happy that we don’t need to be rich or a high-born to enjoy a scoop of this beauty. It is not that difficult to make your own ice cream. For sure it is more laborious than buying from a supermarket in your neighborhood but also easier than climbing up the mountains for a bucket of snow. There is no point in mentioning the superior taste of homemade ice cream over fabricated ones I guess. Consider this recipe as a treat to yourself and indulge in the deep flavor of chocolate and coconut with each spoon. Bon appétit!

Ingredients (for 1 liter of ice cream)

• 200 ml (6,8 fl. oz)heavy cream
• 400 ml (13,6 fl. oz) coconut milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 220 g (7,8 oz) dark chocolate
• 190g (28,2oz) sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 60 gram (2,1 oz) oatmeal cookies

Instructions

Note: If you do not have an ice cream machine that does not mean you cannot make your own ice cream. Take a large and shallow glass bowl -like the ones we use as ovenware- and pour the final mixture in it. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours than place the bowl in the deep freezing section. Wait for approximately half an hour then take the bowl out and mix well with a metal fork for 3 minutes, you may use a hand blender (with metal blade) as well to make this task easier. There should not be any ice crystals left on the edges. Put the bowl back to the deep freezer and follow the same procedure for 3-4 times. After the ice cream is ready add chopped oatmeal cookies and mix, transfer your ice cream to an air tight container and keep in the deep freezer till you serve.

I don’t know about the place you live in but nowadays we are experiencing an interesting summer time in İstanbul. You have to make sure that your sunglasses and umbrella are with you before you get out of the house and I assure you that both will be used alternately during the day.

Experiencing such a wet and relatively cool summer is something new for us who live in here and makes me question the existence of a lot spoken and over used global warming issue. I really doubt whether this part of the globe is warming or getting cooler contrarily.

Thanks lord the capricious weather did not affect the abundance of summer fruits in the market. Everywhere is full of fresh strawberries with breathtaking fragrances and many other members of berry family. By the moment I came across these beauties at the neighborhood market, I decided to prepare one of my favorite summer desserts without any hesitation. I was planning to share some details of the food scenery in Paris but this could wait for a week unlike these fresh strawberries which should immediately turn into a delectable memory on my palate.

Strawberries can stay fresh only for a few days in the refrigerator with the condition that they kept in the paper bag they were put at first. They should not be washed and their caps should not be removed till you serve them. Otherwise your beautiful red strawberries would absorb excess water leaving them with a fading flavor and a degrading texture.

Berry Family

Strange but true, strawberries are a member of rose family. Could that be the reason of romance attached to them? I do not know why but one of my friends in the office once told me that she would be deeply affected from a guy who sent her fresh and zestful strawberries rather than a box of expensive chocolate. Probably she would also love to see a note attached to strawberries “will you berry me?”

It will be unfair to look at this delicious fruit only from a romantic point of view. Though this is not widely known, a serving of 7-8 strawberries contains more vitamin C compared with a mid-sized orange. Besides strawberry is a rich source of potassium, fibre, antioxidants, and heart disease-fighting flavonoids. So here another myth, “Anything too delicious is detrimental for your health” is buried under solid facts.

As for my recipe, I can assure you that it will bring you to ecstasy with the first spoon you take. Slivered crunchy almonds on top create perfect contrast with smooth and soft texture of mascarpone cream. Raspberry purée is just so right to balance the overall sweetness of dessert and to elevate the taste of strawberries.

In short, this is a perfect summer dessert for a perfect summer night. Even if your summer is a bit rainy like mine, you can still be sure that a glass of this beauty will dissipate the clouds in your head.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

• 400 g (14,1 oz) mascarpone cheese
• 200ml (6,75 fl.oz) heavy cream, chilled at least 12 hours
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups strawberry, hulled and halved
• 1 cup raspberry purée (nothing added, plain raspberries just puréed in a food processor)
• ½ cup cranberry
• ⅔ cup slivered almond

Instructions

Chocolate Monster Cake

Last time I told you that I was going to tell about my vacation so here comes the first part. This will also help you figure out why the far-famed performer (calling her as just a singer will be unfair) Lady Gaga is placed at the right side of this incredibly delicious piece of Chocolate Monster Cake I call.

Going to Antwerp for Lady Gaga Concert

A couple of months ago, I miraculously managed to get two tickets to Lady Gaga’s “The Monster Ball Tour” which is said to be a phenomenal performance to be seen. Initially I aimed to buy tickets for the Paris stop but there was not even one ticket left both for two nights. The situation in Rome was the same but I was determined to buy the tickets even I need to check each and every country on the list. Finally I found two of the last tickets left (what’s more, each seat in a different row!) for the show in Antwerp.

Antwerp Shops

We flew to Paris first and from there headed for Antwerp with the car we rent just to make a change (what a brilliant idea!). Let me tell you one crucial thing at that point; do not make a change, never ever consider renting a car in Paris. I am serious. Even though I live in Istanbul which is also well known for its traffic jams, it rarely takes two hours to get in the nearest highway exit on a week day. I really do not want to remember this part of the trip, be hundred percent sure that train is the best choice.

Antwerp seems like an empty city!

To me, Antwerp seems like a deserted city; there are few people on the streets, in the restaurants, or anywhere you may think. I was asking myself “How come on earth, they will find enough people to fill the concert area for two consecutive nights?”. Then I made such a strange assumption that all of the city dwellers were resting at their homes to save their energy to dance with Lady Gaga that night.

Main Square in Antwerp

The common side of Belgian cities is that one day is well enough to discover the city and to see the basics. Unfortunately food is not varied compared to other sides of Belgium, waffle and mussels are again the most well known examples of local cuisine in Antwerp. I will give you an outstanding mussel recipe by the time I find fresh and quality mussels in the fish market to retest it. As for the waffle, you may check this post to find all about its history and a delectable recipe as a bonus.

No one's around but fashion is all around!

The city has more to offer when it comes to design and fashion industry. There are many local brands, hip stores and well known fashion labels like Dries Van Noten originated in here. It is a better idea to cruise around the central area and discover these nice stores. Diamond exchange market might be another attraction if you are inherited some diamonds from your beloved aunt.

Dille & Kamille Shop in Antwerp

As for me, my favourite was the Dille&Kamille store with all its culinary supplies, simple but chic tableware, cutlery, home and garden accessories etc. It is one of the stores that provide you a peaceful atmosphere to spend hours in it and makes you want to buy each and every item you see for your house.

In front of Dille & Kamille Store

As the sun sets down, we put our tickets in our pockets and headed for our appointment with Lady Gaga that night. I was planning to take beautiful photos from the concert but unfortunately security people took my camera, on the grounds that it was too professional. So sad but not enough, second shock was on the way; our hardly found separate seats had the worst possible viewing angle (this explains why I was able to find them in the first place). We moved to a better place accepting the fact that we would be standing all night on top of our exhausted feet.

Chocolate Monster versus Fame Monster

No matter how hard were the conditions, Lady Gaga’s show was amazing. Let alone her fantastic performance as a singer, scene settings, choreography, costumes and theatrical details were awesome. It looks like the music world found its next revolutionary. Lady Gaga was already named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year. If you have a chance to visit any of the countries included in her tour schedule, rush to buy your tickets (if not sold out already!).

Antwerp Street Painting

It was one of the best live performances I have ever seen up to now. Her recent song “Monster” inspired me to call this cake as Chocolate Monster due to its 250 gram dark chocolate content. It is a bit fancy, not fancier than a Gaga dress though, with its waved style chocolate coating on top and raspberry-chocolate cream filling inside. Once you prepare it, call your friends to share before you taste. Otherwise it is highly possible that you will turn into a selfish monster after the first piece and will keep it all for yourself. Eat responsibly!

Note:I never use photographs taken by other parties on this blog. However due to restrictions my camera was taken before the concert. That’s why I used Lady Gaga photos from her official website.

Chocolate Monster Cake

Ingredients (makes 8-10 servings)

For the cake

• 6 eggs
• 125 g (4,5 oz) plain flour
• 175 g (6 oz) sugar
• 85 g (3 oz) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50 g (1,75 oz) cocoa powder (a high quality one like Varlhona is preferred)

For the filling

• 450 g (15,8 oz) raspberries (washed and drained)
• 120 ml (4 fl.oz) heavy cream
• 150 g (5,3 oz) quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 2 tablespoon Kirsch (optional)

For the coating

• 100 g (3,5 oz) quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 40 g (1,4 oz) butter

Making of Chocolate Monster Cake

Instructions

This winter I gave a promise to myself about not getting sick more than three times and up to know I got only once, which is an outstanding performance considering the unsteady weather conditions. I know that it might sound a bit nonsense but running outside instead of cold weather makes you more durable against chill. Besides, I consume much more vitamin C compared to previous years thanks to various members of citrus family, like clementine, orange, tangerine and the cutest of all, kumquat. They grant us the positivity we need during winter times with their bright colors as well as their unique tastes.

Kumquat is my personal favorite due to its unusually sweet rind, tangy- juicy inner parts and most of all its ease of consumption. You may eat kumquat as a whole, without peeling its rind which makes it as convenient as eating a pack of nuts. These cute miniature oranges are having time of their lives. You may come across them in a salad, in the jam on your breakfast toast, at the bottom of your favorite martini (sorry for green olives) and sometimes in the candied form on an irresistibly delicious chocolate cake.

Like polar bears, kumquats also go through hibernation (winter sleep) period without growing any blossoms for several weeks and this property renders this plant as the most durable member of citrus family against extremely cold weather conditions. Even though Chinese people know this resilient fruit since 12^th century, its introduction to Europe and North America was not before late 1800s. It’s a little late, but better than not having any I guess.

I was nibbling my fifth kumquat by the time I came across the “improved lemon curd” recipe of David (none other than David Lebovitz for sure). Strikingly I imagined myself spooning a tasty kumquat parfait made with such a homemade curd and said “Why not?”. In a while I was going to understand why.

Improved lemon curd recipe requires a considerable amount of juice which means to replace Meyer lemons in the original recipe; I need to squeeze around 60 kumquats that I do not have. However this could not put an end to my parfait dream. I decided to use grated kumquat rinds to get their full flavor and replace Meyer lemon juice with a combination of tangerine and lime juices. It would be a toothsome citrus curd with different representatives from the citrus family and consequently this homemade goodie would play the leading role in my long dreamed movie, “Citrus Parfait”.

After going through all the steps I summarized below, parfait was set and ready to be served. We all enjoyed this concentrate winter flavor with some blueberries served beside and brimmed with energy to combat the cold outside, like a tiny kumquat tree.

Ingredients (makes 8-12 servings depending on the size of molds used)

For citrus curd-makes around 1 cup- (adapted from David Lebovitz’s Improved Meyer Curd Recipe)

• 100 ml (3.3 fl. oz) tangerine juice
• 25 ml (0.83 fl. oz) lime juice
• 60 g (2.1 oz) sugar
• 75 g (2.63 oz) unsalted butter (cubed)
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• A pinch of salt

For Citrus Parfait

• 1 cup of citrus curd prepared before and cooled.
• 200 ml (6.6 fl. oz) chilled heavy cream
• Rind of 3 kumquats (finely grated)
• 1 ½ teaspoon lemon extract
• Lemon zest

Instructions

For citrus curd-makes around 1 cup- (adapted from David Lebovitz’s Improved Meyer Curd Recipe)

For Citrus Parfait