Crunchy Apricot Blueberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream

A few years ago, a friend visited me in Berlin. It was a short visit, we only had a few hours, but we made the most of it and enjoyed an afternoon of baking in my kitchen. The result was nothing less than heavenly: Cristina's addictive Gooseberry Crumble!

Cristina has always been obsessed with baking, so many afternoons I’ve seen her standing in the kitchen, excitedly staring at the oven to see her sweet creations rise and turn into bites of happiness. She always reminded me of myself as a teenager. Those afternoons with my girls, a pound of flour, sugar, and eggs, created some of the best memories of my early teenage years. There's something about the combination of young girls and baking that seems like a match made in heaven. How much we enjoyed trying out new recipes or baking our old classics again and again and again (red wine cake was always high up on our list!). It was an innocent time, before the real troubles of life started.

When I saw the pictures again of Cristina in the meet in your kitchen feature I did with he, how she made this wonderful crunchy crumble in her pretty white dress, I felt reminded of my early baking days - and of her fantastic recipe. As I got over the first wave of nostalgia, I pulled out the baking dish and made a sweet and fruity crumble with apricots and blueberries. I'm sure Cristina would approve of it, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Apricot Blueberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream

Serves 4-6

For the crumble

• apricots, pitted and cut in half, 10

• blueberries 250g / 9 ounces

• plain flour 300g / 2 1/3 cups

• Demerara sugar 160g / 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon

• a pinch of salt

• butter, at room temperature, 200g / 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon

For the topping

• Demerara sugar 2 tablespoons

• ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon

For serving

• vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (preferably convection setting) and butter a medium baking dish (mine is oval, 19 x 28cm / 7 1/2 x 11").

Spread the apricots and blueberries in the prepared baking dish.

For the topping, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and quickly mix with your fingers until you have a crumbly mixture. Spread the crumbles on top of the fruit and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Let it cool for about 10 minutes and serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich with Garden Vegetables

In a couple weeks I'll be off to Malta and my heart is already there. There isn't a single day that passes without thinking of my family and friends in the Mediterranean. With every month that summer gets closer, I feel the urge to go there and the pain of not yet being there becomes almost unbearable. As much as I love Berlin - it's my home - I see myself spending far more time on my beloved archipelago south of Sicily.

You can ask any Maltese person living abroad what he or she misses the most and almost everybody will tell you the sea and family. I'm not Maltese, but I agree. With every passing year I feel closer and closer to the life we live there. Being surrounded by the sea and the people who are so important in my life is a great gift I don't really want to let go off, but it's also the food, the pace, the culture and lifestyle that makes me miss this place so much.

In two weeks I'll be starting my days with a cup of tea in my Maltese mama's garden, sitting under her citrus trees. Then I'll pick some honey sweet fruits and crisp vegetables from my favourite mobile vegetable truck in Msida and prepare a luscious breakfast. For whatever reason we started the ritual to have very opulent and rich breakfast sandwiches when we live in the South. If we leave out my spontaneous (but very regular) visits to bakeries, cafés and pastizzi shops, we only eat twice during the day: before we go to the beach and afterwards, and both meals are little feasts. We end our days with Mediterranean inspired dishes but we start the day following the small country's British tradition. There are fried eggs, different kind of cheese, and a bit of meat on the table. Be it crisp bacon or a selection of course sausages from our butcher in Sliema - classic Maltese style with fennel and coriander or English sausage with apple and sage - our breakfast is quite a hearty affair, often sandwiched between two slices of Malta's amazing sourdough bread. But what comes with baked beans in the cold North is served with fresh garden vegetables in the South. Juicy cucumber and tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, or sautéed zucchini - qarabali in Maltese - there are always the freshest fruits from the garden involved. You could easily leave out the meat and keep it light and vegetarian, sliced fennel bulb, sautéed onions, or a juicy caponata are nice too, but the current star of the toast scene - thinly sliced avocado - made it into my creation, along with cucumber and red bell pepper.

This is the third sandwich of the tasty trilogy I created for Leerdamer:

• Grilled Persimmon, Ham and Cheese Sandwich with Basil

• Zucchini Cheese Fritter Sandwich with Strawberries and Lemon Balm

Egg, Bacon and Cheese Sandwich with Garden Vegetables

Makes 2 large sandwiches

• olive oil

• bacon 8 thin slices

• organic eggs 4

• flaky sea salt

• peppercorns, crushed in a mortar

• large rustic buns, cut in half, 2

• Leerdammer cheese, or another mild hard cheese, very thinly sliced, about 170g / 6 ounces

• small red bell pepper (and or tomato), cut into rings, 1

• small organic cucumber, rinsed and scrubbed, very thinly sliced with a mandoline or cheese slicer, 1

• medium ripe avocado, very thinly sliced with a mandoline or cheese slicer, 1

In a heavy pan, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the bacon until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, but leave the fat in the pan.

In the pan used to cook the bacon, cook the eggs for a few minutes until the egg yolk is still liquid, season with flaky sea salt and crushed pepper.

Divide the cheese between the bottom sides of the buns and arrange the bacon and vegetables on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Finish it off with 2 eggs for each sandwich and close the bun. Squeeze and enjoy!

meet in your kitchen | Tasting Rome with Kristina's Maritozzi con La Panna

As soon as the air is filled with flickering heat and the sky over Berlin is painted in the deepest sparkly blue, my mind tends to travel to the South, I'm desperately lost in Mediterranean daydreaming. One of my favourite imaginary destinations - apart from Malta - is Italy. Take me to the soft hills of Tuscany, the Renaissance statues at Florence's Piazza delle Signora, or to the ancient city of Rome and my heart is filled with joy. My schedule doesn't allow me to travel in person, but thanks to two American girls and their gorgeous cookbook Tasting Rome I can travel without having to leave (although I wouldn't mind moving south for a few days).

The first time I was in touch with Kristina Gill, she asked me to come up with a sandwich recipe for her In the Kitchen With column on DesignSponge.com. She was happy with my creation, a lusciously stuffed Mediterranean Baguette, and we stayed in touch. I always assumed that Kristina lives in the US, Design Sponge is an American site. But the girl from Nashville moved to Rome almost two decades ago and dug deep into la dolce vita - into the culture, food, and history of her newly adopted hometown.

Years of walking down Rome's cobblestoned streets, soaking up the loud scenes on the piazzas, and passing by baroque fountains and silent palaces also made her aware of the city's vivid contrasts. To see the past and present meet, old buildings taken over for unconventional use, kitchen traditions being respectfully transformed into contemporary dishes - this lively process fascinated Kristina. When she met her pal, Katie Parla, who's a New Jersey native, the two girls realized that they explore and experience their city in a similar way. Katie, who has a master's degree in Italian gastronomic culture, and Kristina, the photographer and food and drinks editor, both loved documenting Rome's lost recipes and contemporary innovations. So they decided to use their vast insider knowledge to write a cookbook together.

Tasting Rome is a collection of traditional Roman recipes and their modern interpretations. You can find pasta, vegetable, and meat classics side by side with scrumptious pizza variations and sweet Italian treats. I was impressed - and also glad - that the authors didn't skip the city's peasant tradition of using the whole animal, including offal, like sweetbread, liver, or tongue, and the more simple cuts of meat. It's a tradition that corresponds with the great movement of eating sustainably and with respect for our environment.

The two women developed the recipes together and asked the city's great chefs for advice when it came to pizza and cocktails. The colourful pictures in the book that make you want to pack your bags and go straight to the airport - or at least to a Roman restaurant for dinner - were all taken by Kristina. Together, Kristina and Katie manage to share a taste of Rome through their words and delicious dishes.

I chose to share their recipe for Maritozzi con La Panna with you, tender sweet yeast buns filled with whipped cream. Apart from enjoying 4 (!) of these little temptations in one go with great pleasure, I was quite impressed to learn about a very simple technique that they use to roll the buns to give them a tight surface. Usually, I roll yeast buns between my two hands, holding one like a dome and the other one flat, rolling the dough about 20 times. Tasting Rome taught me to use only one hand, rolling the piece of dough and pressing it against a lightly floured kitchen counter until it's a firm ball. It works perfectly!

The beautiful Rome pictures are by Kristina Gill, the food pictures are taken by me.

Update, June 13th, 2020:

Statement by Kristina Gill about the work on Tasting Rome "... my editor forced my voice and views on the book to be subordinate to my co-author's.", click here and here for Kristina's full statement.

Maritozzi con La Panna - Sweet Buns with Whipped Cream

Makes 12 maritozzi

For the sponge

• warm milk (between 40-45°C / 105-115ºF) 120ml / 1/2 cup

• active dry yeast 1 1/4 tablespoons (I used fast-acting yeast)

• bread flour 130g / 1 cup (I used white spelt flour)

• granulated sugar 1 tablespoon

For the dough

• unsalted butter, at room temperature, 100g / 7 tablespoons

• granulated sugar 100g / 1/2 cup

• fine sea salt 1/8 teaspoon

• large eggs, at room temperature, 4

• bread flour, plus more for dusting, 325 g / 2 1/2 cups (I used white spelt flour. I added 90g / 2/3 cup to the dough)

For the egg wash

• large egg 1

• whole milk 1 tablespoon

For the filling

• heavy cream 480ml / 2 cups

• granulated sugar 1 tablespoon

• my addition: ripe strawberries

Make the sponge: In a medium bowl, whisk the yeast into the milk, then add the flour and sugar and stir to combine. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and set aside until it becomes puffy, about 20 minutes.

Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, salt, and eggs on low speed.

Replace the paddle with the dough hook. Pour in the sponge, mix for a few turns, then add half of the flour. Mix on low until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining flour and mix again on low until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. When the dough was smooth, but still too sticky, I added 90g / 2/3 cup of flour and mixed it for another 2 minutes on '4' on my KitchenAid.

Allow the dough to rest in the bowl for 10 minutes, then run the mixer on low for 10 minutes to stretch the gluten. Meanwhile, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into twelve equal-size pieces (each approximately 70g / 2 1/2 ounces). Using one hand, roll each piece into a tight ball, pressing it against the counter to ensure a smooth, tight surface. Next, using both hands, roll each ball into an elongated loaf shape, fatter in the middle and tapered on the ends, about 4 inches long, similar to a small football.

Place the maritozzi on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them (at least) 4cm / 1 1/2" apart. Cover with plastic wrap, then a kitchen towel, and allow to rise in a warm place (20-25°C / 70-80ºF) until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350ºF.

Make the egg wash: Whisk the egg with the milk in a small bowl. Immediately before baking, brush the tops of the maritozzi with the egg wash.

Bake until deep brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack.

While the maritozzi cool, make the filling: Whip the cream and sugar to firm peaks.

Slice each maritozzo open without cutting all the way through. Fill with the whipped cream, dividing it evenly, and serve immediately. Optionally: serve with fresh strawberries.

From Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors and Forgotten Recipes from an Ancient City. Copyright (c) 2016 by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

When and why did you move to Rome?

I moved to Rome in October 1999 for work. I was in the US diplomatic corps.

What fascinates you about Roman culture? Was it easy to adapt, to become a part of it?

Roman culture was a bit different then than now -  internet was far less diffuse, and people were still pretty insular. It is hard to break into a ‘friendship’ culture in which bonds are created from childhood and don’t really change. Luckily, one summer several years before I moved here for work, I stayed in an apartment in Rome with other students, and they introduced me to their friends, so when I subsequently studied in Florence and Bologna, their parents made sure I was introduced to families in both cities with children my age. I guess you could say I adapted well because I was adopted! I spent a lot of time with these families - I was never alone on holidays. As time went on, the internet brought more curiosity about other places and people, and provided a way for Romans to cultivate their interests more - people wanted to connect more and that sped up forming relationships, especially around common interests, that their traditional network didn’t provide, so I’ve seen over time that Romans have become much more open to expanding their friendships beyond that childhood crew.

What do you miss about your life in the US?

Where to start? The cheeseburgers, the supermarkets, the variety of food available from different cultures, the variety of food available period, gourmet ice cream, parking, airconditioning, well-heated homes in winter… The ability to realize a dream with your own two hands. There’s a sense of freedom in the US that I don’t feel here - young people are leaving Italy in droves so that they can pursue their dreams. I’m lucky that I am able to be a part of both places.

What is your favourite spot in Rome and why?

My Savoir Bed is my favorite place…sleeps like a dream! But if you mean in the city, there are so many public squares to sit in and soak up thousands of years of history, which I find so mindblowing and relaxing. But lately, I think my favorite place is the MAXXI Museum, designed by Zaha Hadid, where I can check out contemporary art exhibitions. Just a small modern parenthesis in the middle of an otherwise gorgeous ancient landscape.

Can you see yourself living in Rome for the rest of your life?

I would like to move back to the United States to be with my family after so many years of being away and missing everyone. Seems like my cousins’ children were born last year, but are already studying at university!! I’ve missed out on a whole generation!

You wrote your book, Tasting Rome, together with Katie Parla. How long have you known each other and who came up with the idea to write this book together?

I can’t remember how long, however, we met over Twitter, a few years back. I already had the full proposal written when I met Katie, and a couple years after we knew each other, she mentioned that she had written a proposal, a memoir I think, that had been unsuccessful and was a bit down so I said - well, I have one that you might be interested in that we could do together! I sent it to her and asked her if she thought she saw herself in it. We added her name and bio to the proposal, and worked on some refinements with an agent I had already been in contact with. I approached Katie because I thought her knowledge of the history of Roman dishes and food culture would be a valuable addition to the book that would help ground it in fact and set it apart from the typical expat book that is written more from a personal perspective and is often an adaptation of cuisine. I wasn’t wrong!

How did you develop the recipes in your book?

From the proposal and through signing the deal, I was originally going to do all of the recipes and photography in the book, and Katie the features and headnotes, but once we started working on the book and came up with the list of recipes, there were clearly items that I had never eaten, like the offal chapter, and items for which I had no capacity to develop recipes, like the baking chapter and the cocktails chapter. Also, for the classics: Amatriciana, Gricia, Carbonara, and Cacio e Pepe, since Katie spends a lot of time eating out and had written numerous articles on which restaurants’ versions were the best in Rome, we agreed that she was in the best position to identify those recipes. That left roughly half of the book for me to develop, which I did over the course of four and a half months. Sometimes I did eat out to test recipes against my memories, but for the most part, I had clear ideas of how I liked the food I was working on, I knew the elements and knew more or less how to prepare. I had to check technical books for proper frying temperatures as starting points, or baking science (sweets). I did also consult with a friend who is a pastry chef for guidance on the maritozzi because I knew I wanted a rich soft brioche dough for that, and wanted to explore various options. I also talked with a couple of chefs to find out their views on the “proper” way to prepare certain dishes. Interestingly enough, they went over both the tradition and their variations. This gave some latitude and discretion in determining an approach for the book which remained authentic. For the other half, Katie procured recipes from local mixologists, local chefs and restaurant owners, and a good friend of hers who is an amazing baker for the baking chapter. When I look at the book, I think it represents the perfect mix of everything you would encounter in Rome today that defines Rome.

Who is your biggest inspiration in the kitchen?

On a personal level, Lucia, the mother of the family I stayed with when I studied in Florence. She has since passed away. She grew up in a town called Ristonchi a little outside of Florence, with chickens and a garden and the usual rural life. She could make the best food out of any ingredients you gave her. I loved the food made from leftovers the most. Her ribollita was the best on the planet, and her mother’s chicken broth which was liquid gold (and pure fat) made an indelible mark on my palate! She introduced me to Alessandra from Padova, whose mother, Gianna, took the cooking crown (and still wears it). Lucia, Alessandra and I both agreed that Gianna is the best - and between the three of us, we have eaten a lot of Italian cooking. Eating at Gianna’s house was better than any restaurant - and she took ‘orders’ in the morning before each meal so that when lunch or dinner came around, you had anything and everything you wanted. My inspiration from Gianna and Lucia came from their knowledge of how to prepare food, and how to be resourceful, and really how to eat. Gianna’s father was a baker. Food was always a central part of both households and you could tell that each meal was to be savored.

Has food always played an important role in your life? Do you come from a family of foodies?

Not really in the way you would think. I grew up in a household which consumed its fair share of whatever junk food was popular at the time - but which also shopped at the farmer’s market for weekend meals. My grandmother kept her own garden and fruit trees, and three freezers to keep all the produce throughout the year. I used to think she was a magician because this amazing feast appeared on the dinner table from food I hadn’t seen in the refrigerator during the day. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned about the other freezers!!

You took all the pictures in your book, when and how did you discover your passion for photography? What do you love about it?

I started taking pictures to be able to produce the In the Kitchen With column on DesignSponge, in 2008 I think. I think I started to love photography when I started taking more than just food pictures and found that capturing my environment was a way to see all the things I overlooked when I just passed through on my daily routine. It was like discovering a new world.

Do you prefer to capture the atmosphere of a city with your camera or delicious food?

Both. I love to explore a culture through its food, why certain ingredients or cooking techniques play the role they do, how the cuisine of one city differs from another and why. I love to capture the mundane and everyday of a city with my camera.

What was the first dish you cooked on your own, what is your first cooking memory?

I can’t remember! But in high school I think I used to make pizza from ready made pizza dough, and at university, I prepared a meal from an African cookbook, featuring mostly Ethiopian food and my friends and I all liked it a lot!

What are your favourite places to buy and enjoy food in Rome?

My Saturday routine is concentrated in one neighborhood. Before the market I have a pastry (made in house) from Fabrica, a cafe near the market. Then at the Trionfale market I buy fish, produce, and a lot of Asian food staples (lime, rice noodles, bok choy, tamarind paste, palm sugar, ginger, galangal etc). I get cheese and nduja from La Tradizione (which is near Trionfale market). I pick up wine and alcohol from an enoteca named Costantini. I pick up oatmeal (flakes) from the healthful store around the corner from my office. It is a chain called Il Canestro. When I don’t have time for breakfast at home, I stop by Bar Benaco on the way to work because they make all their pastries in house and I can get them while they are still warm. I don’t eat out a lot because I have a bazillion cookbooks and am always excited to try new recipes, but when I do, I eat most often at Cesare al Casaletto because they always find me a table, or takeaway pizza from a place near my house or at pizzeria Tonda.

If you could choose one person to cook a meal for you, who and what would it be?

Bryant Terry, anything he’d like. I would love it all. Unless it had beets in it.

You're going to have ten friends over for a spontaneous dinner, what will be on the table?

I learned about Bo Ssam pork at a meal at Matt Armendariz and Adam C. Pearon’s house. I would prepare Bo Ssam, and a selection of Asian-inspired salads. For dessert, a maple hazelnut cookie by Nigel Slater, and a selection of chocolates and coffee.

What was your childhood's culinary favourite and what is it now?

This is tough because I have no memory of a favorite food… Meatloaf maybe! Now… I have too many favorites, but cheeseburgers are top of my list. And dumplings. Chinese, Korean, Japanese…

Do you prefer to cook on your own or together with others?

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two years working on the book alone - not just developing the recipes, but also preparing food for the photography. I styled about half of the recipes in the book, and Adam C. Pearson did the other half and the cover. When I was in the studio shooting, I did a lot of food prep as well, and enjoyed the atmosphere and working with Adam and his team of stylists. It’s definitely easier working with others! But sometimes, cooking is therapy and being alone is great.

Which meals do you prefer, improvised or planned?

As long as it’s good, either is fantastic!

Which meal would you never cook again?

I made some dog biscuits for my dog once that were made of like chopped liver and garlic or something. When they started to bake, the smell was SO BAD, I thought I’d have to move out of my apartment. He loved the cookies, but that smell stayed around for a LONG time and it was AWFUL.

Thank you Kristina!

Elderflower Lime Cake

Whenever I ride around the city on my bike at the moment, I feel enwrapped in the sweetest smell of elderflower, black locust (acacia), and chestnut flowers. An invisible cloud meandering through the city. As soon as I open my kitchen window in the morning until I close it at night, I'm mesmerized by this perfume of early summer.

Together with a group of friends, I recently went on a bike tour to the countryside. We chose Beelitz, an area outside Berlin, to spend a day away from noise and distraction. I wrote about this area two years ago, it's a picturesque village surrounded by fields and dense woods and it's famous for Germany's best asparagus (you can see the pictures here). Last time we went a little earlier, in May, the asparagus fields were still covered in foil - white asparagus grows in the dark - but now, in June, the scene looks completely different. What used to grow under ground, pale and slender, turned now into a filigree green plant gently swinging in the breeze. The white asparagus season in Beelitz’ forest is now over.

After our 2-hour bike ride through forest and fields we needed a break and enjoyed asparagus with Hollandaise sauce at a secluded restaurant, called Landgasthof Rieben. We chatted with the owner and learned that you can only grow asparagus on the same field for 7 years, then it also needs a break, for another 7 years. The magic number.

So one of the flowers that smell the most captivating right now, are elderflowers and their season is almost over too. I love to use their sticky syrup for refreshing Hugo cocktails (you find the recipe in the link for the syrup), or to make caramelized onions or chicken taste even sweeter; but using it for baked sweets, is one of the best ways to enjoy elderflower on a Sunday afternoon. I went for a simple lime loaf cake, the warm cake soaked with a wonderfully fragrant syrup made of lime juice and elderflower. Sometimes, these simple cakes are just the best.

Elderflower Lime Cake

Serves 4 to 6

For the cake

• plain flour 210 g / 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons

• cornstarch 70 g / 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons

• baking powder 3 teaspoons

• fine sea salt 1/4 teaspoon

• butter, at room temperature, 180g / 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon

• granulated sugar 180g / 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons

• organic eggs 3

• freshly grated lime zest 2 tablespoons

• freshly squeezed lime juice 3 tablespoons

• buttermilk 90ml / 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon

For the syrup

• elderflower syrup 100ml / 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon

• freshly squeezed lime juice 3 tablespoons

For the topping

• a few elderflowers (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F (preferably convection setting). Butter a 23 x 10 cm / 9 x 4-inch loaf pan.

For the cake, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a second large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for a few minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next one, and beat for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and creamy. Add the lime zest and juice and beat for 1 minute. With a wooden spoon, fold about 1/3 of the flour mixture gently into the batter, followed by 1/3 of the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, folding just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes (slightly longer if using a conventional oven) or until golden on top. If you insert a skewer in the center of the cake, it should come out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack.

For the syrup, in a small saucepan, bring the elderflower syrup and lime juice to the boil and cook for 1 minute over high heat.

Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer and slowly pour the elderflower-lime syrup over the top. Decorate with elderflowers just before serving.

Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini with Feta, Basil, and Pine Nuts

Soon I'll be eating stuffed vegetables in the kitchens of many Maltese mamas and I know that I'll never want to eat anything else again once I get into the groove. This dish is a cozy classic in Malta's Mediterranean cuisine and I love it for its simplicity just as much as for its pure taste of summer. Ripe zucchini, bell pepper, and eggplant turn into juicy shells full of flavour to wrap scrumptious fillings of cheese, meat, seafood, or even more vegetables. Brunġiel mimli (Maltese for stuffed eggplant) is the most popular of them all - and the richest, stuffed with Bolognese - but there are endless possibilities to turn this recipe into a lighter summer treat.

In mid July we'll be off to spend a few weeks with our family in the South and this will have a huge effect on our daily routine and on our cooking and eating habits. There will be far more fruits and vegetables on the table, they will taste much better than in the North, I will complain less about quality (or not at all), and the results that I stir up in the pots and pans in my Maltese mama's kitchen will give me deep satisfaction. I love to cook in Jenny's kitchen (on gas), with the best produce you can possibly ask for, fresh from my favourite farmer.

There's always a pile of round and long zucchinis in the vegetable drawer, which I either slice up and sauté until al dente or scrape out and stuff - often with ricotta, the island's most popular dairy product. To get into the mood, I came up with a recipe that uses a fragrant composition of dried-tomatoes, pine nuts, basil, and orange zest stirred into feta - instead of ricotta (I'll eat so much of it while I'm in Malta that I should take it easy for now). It looked and tasted like a summer holiday and it was so easy to prepare that I'll make it soon again.

Here's one of my posts from last year, which always makes me want to go straight back to Malta (just in case you're not in the mood for summer yet)!

Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini with Feta, Basil, and Pine Nuts

Serves 2

• sun-dried tomatoes (preserved in salt) 3

• pine nuts, toasted until golden, 40g / 1/2 cup

• medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, soft pulp scraped out, 2

• olive oil

• fine sea salt

• ground pepper

• feta 200g / 7 ounces

• fresh basil, chopped, about 15g / a large handful, plus a few leaves for the topping

• freshly grated orange zest 1 teaspoon

• flaky sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (conventional setting).

In a small saucepan, bring the sun-dried tomatoes and a little water to the boil and cook for about 3 minutes or until soft. Rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper and chop finely.

Chop half the pine nuts with a large knife or in a food processor.

Spread the zucchini in a large baking dish (cut side up), brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.In a medium bowl, mash the feta with a fork and add the chopped pine nuts, basil, dried-tomatoes, orange zest, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix and mash until well combined and season with pepper to taste. Divide the feta mixture between the zucchini halves, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts and a little flaky sea salt. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a little water and bake for about 45 minutes or until the zucchini feels soft when you prick it with a metal skewer. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.

It makes a great lunch or easy dinner, but you can also serve it at a summer picnic.

Cherry Lemon Tea Time Tart

I had a passionate discussion about 'the best cherries' with the owner of a vegetable shop in my neighborhood. He's a very kind, very hard working guy from Turkey who never seems to sleep. No matter what time I pass by his shop, the young man is always busy as a bee. He helped me out many times when I needed a certain fruit or vegetable for a photo shoot that wasn't in season. Calling his buddies from all over, he makes the impossible possible. He managed to bring red currants to my kitchen when everyone else laughed at me when I asked for the little berries weeks before their season. He always finds someone in Spain, Greece, or Turkey to make me happy and my photo shoot work. My private cooking follows the season but unfortunately, editorial schedules don't.

So last week he told me that he has very good cherries at the moment, he praised their glossy beauty and outstanding taste. He went even further and said that they are better than German cherries, which, in all respect, is quite a bold statement. In my eyes, I had the best cherries of my life in my granny Lisa's garden and I don't think that anything in the world is ever going to change that. Her juicy fruits were not only packed with so much flavor, but also with the most precious memories. And this is something I love about summer fruits. Take strawberries, blackberries, red or black currants, or cherries, almost everybody, seems to have childhood memories connected not only to these fruits but also to picking and eating them. This is priceless and in a very beautiful way, saved for a lifetime. For my vegetable man from Turkey, the Turkish cherries will always be the sweetest and juiciest and I understand why this is how he feels, and for me, the crop from Lisa's garden used to beat every cherry in the world, because it was her tree - and I miss it.

When I tried my friend’s cherry at the shop, I had to admit that they were really good. So I bought a huge bag full of them, went straight home, and baked a cherry lemon tart. It's a tea time classic in my kitchen and the sweet and sour filling can easily take a little summer-makeover - the cherries make it a bit sweeter and juicier. Next time I'll make it with red currants, but they'll have to be in season.

Cherry Lemon Tart

Serves 6-8

For the pastry

• flour 200g / 1 1/2 cups

• granulated sugar 65g / 1/3 cup

• a pinch of salt

• butter, cold, 110g / 1/2 cup

• organic egg yolks 2

For the lemon filling

• organic eggs 2

• organic egg yolks 2

• heavy cream 100ml / 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons

• crème fraîche or sour cream 3 tablespoons

• granulated sugar 100g / 1/2 cup, plus 1-2 teaspoons for the topping

• a pinch of salt

• ground cardamom 1/4 teaspoon

• freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 tablespoons

• lemon zest 2 1/2 tablespoons, plus 1-2 teaspoons for the topping

• fresh cherries, with their pits, 20 (plus a few cherries for decoration, optional)

For the pastry, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the butter and use a knife to cut it into the flour until there are just small pieces left. Quickly rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until combined. Add the egg yolks, set the mixer to medium speed, and mix until crumbly. Form the dough into a thick disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze for 12 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (conventional setting).

Roll the dough out between cling film and line a 23cm / 9″ tart pan (preferably loose-bottom) with the pastry. Prick with a fork and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden and crisp. Take the pan out of the oven and set aside.

Turn the oven down to 180°C / 350°F.

For the filling, in a large bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, crème fraîche, sugar, salt, and cardamom for about 2 minutes until well combined. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and mix well. Pour the lemon filling on top of the pre-baked pastry, spread the cherries in the filling, and carefully transfer the tart pan back to the oven. Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake for about 40 minutes or until set.

Let the tart cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with a little lemon zest and decorate with the remaining cherries (optional). Serve warm or cold.

Pizza Bianca with Green Asparagus, Salsiccia, and Mozzarella di Bufala

I got my first KitchenAid and I feel like a little girl on Christmas Eve. To call the current mood in my kitchen excitement would be a serious understatement.

After years of seeing - and admiring - these sparkly, polished beauties in the kitchens of my friends and family (my sister has two!), the time had come to get my own. At a certain age, one deserves these special treats. I'm a strong believer that it's good to wait for things in life, it strengthens your character and makes you deeply appreciate what you have. But 20 years of waiting was more than enough, that's how long it took me to finally see this powerful stand mixer on my marble counter tops.

In various phases of my life, I always had my favourite KitchenAid colour. In my young twenties, I loved the creamy white surface, followed by a fascination for the 50s and its soft pastels. Light blue, mint, or pink, I would have taken any of them. Then I got into puristic minimalism and only a black mixer would have made it into my kitchen. In my thirties, I fell for light yellow, but now, all of a sudden, I had to make a decision and decide which colour I would finally get and see for the rest of my life. It wasn't easy and it took a few visits to various appliance shops. In the end, I had to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of cream, yellow, black, copper (which looks really hot), and brushed stainless steel. This process brought back lots of memories of the different eras of my life connected to each colour. After a couple weeks, my decision was made: brushed stainless steel is the winner! When the large package arrived I couldn't wait to see my object of desire on my counter tops - I was almost hysterical, which is excusable in my eyes, it's been 20 years after all. So here it is and it looks amazing. The mixer's metallic surface fits perfectly to my white marble and brushed aluminium wall panels. I'm totally in love and can't stop looking at it.

Testing its functionality was the next step, I had never used a KitchenAid before. My unbreakable hand mixer, a gift from my mother when I moved into my first flat two decades ago, has been a loyal partner during all my kitchen adventures. I was a little nervous and decided to start with two easy recipes - Sunday morning pancakes and Sunday evening pizza. This allowed me to get used to the three different attachments. My hand mixer only has two, but my new beauty offers a whisk, a paddle, and a hook -  I needed a conference call with my sister to figure out when to use what.

Before I switched on the power, I had to call my boyfriend for this special moment. And this was our maiden voyage: I - rather the mixer - started beating the egg whites with such calm, persistence, and firm perfection that I thought I'd never touch my hand mixer ever again (sorry hand mixer). My next project - pizza dough - gave me the same satisfaction. The yeast dough was well mixed, smooth, and ready to be kneaded with my hands for a few minutes, which I always do to turn it into a soft and silky ball. I thought I'd use the time while the dough was getting mixed in the machine to prepare the toppings, however, I couldn't help but sit next to it with a glass of rosé wine in my hand and watch it work with elated enthusiasm.

Our first KitchenAid pizza was such a great success that I made another one only three days later, but this time it was an oily pizza bianca topped with green asparagus, Italian salsiccia, and mozzarella di bufala. On our latest Saturday leisure trip, we went to the food market at Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg in Berlin and enjoyed a luscious piece of very oily pizza bianca at Sironi. The baker, Mr. Sironi, went for a topping of broccoli, sausage, and mozzarella. It was very minimal and very good and a reminder that it's time for a white pizza in my kitchen. I find it lighter and quicker to prepare and it tastes just as good when it's cold, which makes it perfect for summer picnics or easy dinners on the balcony or in the garden. I'm really impressed by the simple combination of greens, mozzarella, and sausage. Asparagus is in season at the moment, but feel free to replace it with broccoli, leek, zucchini or whatever veg comes to your mind. You could also add a little garlic oil, which I don't find necessary. But we're talking about pizza, so everybody should just follow their personal preferences. Enjoy!

Click here for more pizza inspiration.

Thank you KitchenAid for helping me make my little kitchen dream come true!

Pizza Bianca with Green Asparagus, Salsiccia, and Mozzarella di Bufala

I start to prepare the dough 2 hours before I bake the pizza to give it enough time to rise and I bake it on a hot baking sheet, which has a similar effect to a pizza stone.

Makes 2 pizzas

For the dough

• plain flour 350g / 2 2/3 cups

• fast-acting yeast 1 (7g / 1/4 ounce) envelope

• fine sea salt 1 teaspoon

• water, lukewarm, 180ml / 3/4 cup

• olive oil 6 tablespoons

For the topping

• olive oil

• green asparagus, trimmed, 14 young stalks

• flaky sea salt

• black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar

• large Italian salsiccia sausage (or any other coarse sausage), skin removed and cut into chunks, 1

• mozzarella di bufala, torn into chunks, 125 g / 4 1/5 ounces

For the dough, combine the flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and knead on medium-high speed for a few minutes until well combined. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. Transfer the dough to a table or countertop and continue kneading and punching it down with your hands for about 4 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic ball of dough. Place the dough back in the mixer bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm place, or preferably in a 35°C / 100°F warm oven, for about 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, prepare the topping: Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large, heavy pan and sauté the asparagus, turning occasionally, on medium-high heat for about 7 minutes. Season with flaky sea salt and crushed pepper to taste and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, take it out of the bowl, and divide into 2 parts. On a well-floured work surface or pizza peel, stretch or roll each piece of dough into a 28cm / 11" disc. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for about 30 minutes or until puffy.

Place a baking sheet (or pizza stone) on the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to the highest temperature, 260°C / 500°F or higher.

Once the baking sheet is hot, carefully take it out of the oven, flip it over, and place it on a trivet or other heat-safe surface. Arrange 1 of the risen dough discs on the baking sheet and spread half the asparagus, salsiccia, and mozzarella di bufala on top. Push the asparagus gently into the dough. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a little flaky sea salt, and crushed pepper and bake on the bottom of the oven for about 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crisp and the mozzarella is golden. Repeat to make the second pizza and serve hot or cold.

The juiciest Rhubarb Chocolate Cake

The amount of recipes I've been creating by request in the past few months could almost fill another book. My mind had to come up with all sorts of sandwiches, roasts, seafood dishes, salads, and cakes, which to be honest, is one of the most satisfying things I do amongst all the fields that I've worked in since I started my blog. I love to write and take food photos, but there's something very calming and, at the same time, very exciting about creating recipes. Re-thinking culinary traditions, playing with old and new combinations and various ingredients in my head until a whole dish finally comes to the table is my true passion. It's one of the few things that never pressures me, it comes out so easily that I wouldn't dare to call it work.

Working on so many new creations at the same time has one side effect: I have to remind myself to keep it simple - my personal kitchen mantra. I tend to go further and further, adding more and more ingredients, and forgetting that kitchen magic often lies in the little details. A small change can add a completely new quality to a dish, like to my chocolate cake - or the darkest Gâteau au Chocolat. It's a good cake, with chocolaty depth and a moist texture. As in all of my baked treats, I prefer chocolate over cocoa powder, taste and texture is what I'm after when I want to satisfy my chocolate cravings. Back to my cake, there was no need to improve on this formula, it's just right, but I've been wanting to bake a rhubarb cake for days so I just combined the two. I added so much rhubarb to my dark loaf cake that it ended up being the juiciest and fruitiest chocolate cake I ever baked - with a slightly sweet-sour note.

A short note: I let the loaf cool for just a few minutes before I cut it - I was too impatient - but I recommend letting it cool completely, otherwise it's a little too fudgy. So be patient, let it cool, and enjoy! For my Gâteau au Chocolat, I used very dark chocolate (99%), however, for this rhubarb chocolate cake I would go for a lighter one, 55% was my chocolate of choice.

Rhubarb Chocolate Cake

Serves 6

• trimmed rhubarb 450g / 1 pound

• dark chocolate (about 55%) 150g / 5 ounces

• butter 150g / 2/3 cup

• organic eggs 4

• a pinch of salt

• plain flour 130g / 1 cup

• ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon

• ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon

• granulated sugar 180g / 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons

For the top of the cake, cut 5 thin long pieces of rhubarb, about 25cm / 10" long. Cut the remaining rhubarb into 2cm / 3/4" long pieces.

Set the oven to 180°C / 360°F (preferably convection setting) and butter a 11 x 25cm / 4 1/2 x 10" loaf pan.

In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat, whisk well, and let cool for a few minutes.

Whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Mix the egg yolks and sugar until light yellow and thick, then whisk in the chocolate-butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture and mix until well combined, then gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Fold in the shorter rhubarb pieces and scrape the batter into the buttered pan. Arrange the long rhubarb pieces on top of the cake and bake for about 75 minutes (slightly longer if using a conventional oven) or until the cake is golden brown and firm on top. If the top of the cake gets too dark, cover it loosely with aluminium foil. Check with a skewer, it should come out almost clean. Let the cake cool completely for a couple hours before you take it out of the pan.

Crispy Pan-Roasted Coriander Potatoes with Chèvre and Lemon Thyme

Golden roasted potatoes eaten straight out of the pan are an unbeatable culinary delight. Spice it up with crushed coriander seeds, mild fresh chèvre, and aromatic lemon thyme and you'll have an easy summer lunch (or dinner) that won't disappoint you. It's a rustic side for barbecued sausage, steak or ribs, you could even serve it as a cold or warm salad. But don't forget to cook the potatoes a few hours, or preferably a day, in advance. To create crispy potatoes, they have to be cold and dry from the start.

I often enjoyed pan roasted potatoes with my mother when I visited her for a one-night sleep over while I still went to university. We would open a nice bottle of red wine, fry some onions and Tyrolean prosciutto, and mix in the crispiest potatoes. These were the perfect girls' nights, just us, chatting and cooking, and enjoying the simple treats of life, which my mother mastered to perfection!

If you're looking for more inspiration for roast potatoes, here are a few scrumptious recipes:

• Fennel Potatoes

• La Ratte Potatoes with Lemon Peel, Olives, and Parsley

• Rosemary Potatoes with Feta

• Spicy Potato Wedges

• Roast Potatoes with Pear, Grapes, and Rosemary

Crispy Pan-Roasted Coriander Potatoes with Chèvre and Lemon Thyme

Serves 2-3

• olive oil

• waxy potatoes, peeled, boiled, and rinsed, about 700g / 1 1/2 pounds

• flaky sea salt

• black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar

• quality coriander seeds (preferably organic), lightly crushed in a mortar, 2 tablespoons

• fresh chèvre, crumbled, 100-150g / 3 1/2-5 ounces

• fresh lemon thyme leaves (or regular thyme and a little lemon zest) 2-3 tablespoons

Let the potatoes cool and dry on a wire rack for at least 1 hour or a day and cut them into thick slices. In a large, heavy pan, heat a generous splash of olive oil and roast the potatoes on medium-high for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Cook them in batches and turn them one by one with a fork. Season with flaky sea salt and crushed pepper to taste and transfer to a plate. Cover them with a lid to keep them warm.

Heat a splash of olive oil in the pan used to roast the potatoes and cook the coriander seeds on medium heat for 1 minute (they shouldn’t get dark). Add the roasted potato slices to the pan, mix gently with the coriander, and sprinkle with crumbled chèvre and the lemon thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy warm.

Hemsley + Hemsley's Cannellini Sponge Cake with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

No flour and no butter - the Hemsley sisters did it again! The two gorgeous girls from London impressed me with a recipe that leaves out all the ingredients that I usually pull out of my pantry and fridge when I turn on the oven to bake a sweet treat.

There's a beautiful cake in the sister's new book Good + Simple that surprised and challenged my traditional idea of sweets and baking. When they published their last book I was in a similar situation, I gave their raw avocado lime cheesecake a try and I was more than a bit skeptical in the beginning. However, there was no need for any doubts, the Hemsley's taught me that you can make a cheesecake without cream cheese, using avocados instead. It has the same creamy texture, it tastes great, and it's healthy! But this time, Jasmine and Melissa went a step further, they made a sponge cake with canned cannellini beans and a little coconut flour. To my big surprise, the result looks like a sponge cake, feels like a sponge cake, and tastes like a sponge cake. It was a little like a science project that works out when you least expect it. I could not imagine how canned beans could turn into a spongy cake, layered with chocolate avocado frosting. I got used to the avocados from their last book, but the beans seemed a bit far fetched. I was wrong. It's kitchen magic, I don't know how, but the mashed legumes become a light cake (with the help of a few other ingredients).

I always believe that it's important to have an open mind in the kitchen, to exchange ideas with other great minds that love food just as much but maybe follow another diet, a different approach. Our culinary traditions can only evolve if we try out new recipes, ingredients, and combinations. I'm lucky, my own diet only follows my mood, I don't suffer from any allergies or food intolerance. You'll see a cakey nibble on my plate quite often during the week - and an even bigger piece on the weekend. My health doesn't mind my little sweet treats, but even I changed to white spelt flour (type 630) for all my baking recipes (sweet and savoury) a few years ago. I just prefer its nutritional value. So we all have to find out which kind of food makes us feel good, the body and the mind. The beans were a great reminder for me that there are many ways to enjoy the sweet side of life.

On my last trip to London, I visited Jasmine at the new Hemsley+Hemsley café at Selfridges in London. She and her sister told me about their latest project so enthusiastically when we last met in Berlin that I couldn't wait to see their new "baby". It's the perfect place to enjoy a little shopping break, to snack and feel good. If you happen to be in the capital and you're after the kind of food that gives you energy during a busy day and tastes delicious at the same time, follow the Hemsley's to their new kitchen.

Cannellini Sponge Cake with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

I only made half the recipe and used an 18cm / 7" springform pan. I baked the sponge cake for 25 minutes. 

Serves 6-8

For the sponge cake

• coconut oil, melted, 125g / 1/2 cup, plus extra for greasing

• cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 3 cans (each 400g / 14 ounces)

• medium eggs 9

• vanilla extract 1 tablespoon (I used a pinch of fresh vanilla seeds, scraped out of the bean)

• maple syrup 220ml / 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons

• apple cider vinegar or lemon juice 5 teaspoons

• coconut flour 90g / 3 1/4 ounces

• baking soda 2 1/2 teaspoons

• fine sea salt 1/4 teaspoon

• fresh mixed berries 150g  / 5 ounces,  to decorate the cake

For the Chocolate Avocado Frosting

• medium, ripe avocados 4

• coconut oil, melted 5 tablespoons (about 75g / 2 1/2 ounces)

• raw honey 8 tablespoons (to taste)

• cocoa powder 10 tablespoons

• vanilla extract 1 tablespoon

• lemon juice 2 tablespoons

• orange extract (not essence) 1/2 teaspoon (I used a little freshly grated orange zest)

• a pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (convection setting), then line the bases of two 25cm / 10" springform pans with baking parchment and grease the sides with butter or coconut oil. (I baked one cake after the other in the same pan and kept the dough in the fridge while the first one was baking.)

Blend all the ingredients for the frosting together in a food processor until smooth, adding a dash of cold water if needed. Adjusting the flavouring to taste, then transfer to a bowl and set aside in the fridge.

For the cake, add the cannellini beans to the cleaned food processor bowl along with the eggs, vanilla extract, and maple syrup and blend until smooth. Add the remaining cake ingredients, except the berries, and blend to combine.

Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake tins, spreading out evenly and smoothing the surface. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until well risen and lightly golden on top. Check the cakes after 25 minutes and swap the tins between shelves, if necessary, as they will cook at different rates.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the springform pans before turning out.

While the cakes are cooling, gently wash the berries and dry them carefully using kitchen paper or leave to air dry; they must be thoroughly dry before adding to the cake.

Spread half the frosting on one of the cooled sponges, top with the other sponge and spread over the rest of the frosting. Store in the fridge and bring to room temperature to serve. Decorate with the fresh raspberries just before serving. (I sprinkled the berries with icing sugar and added a few mint leaves.)

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato and Pistachio Pesto and a new Saturday ritual

We started a new ritual and that's to spend our Saturdays without any electronic devices, preferably in the countryside. It's just the two of us, no duties, meetings, parties or anything, we just go with the flow and see where our mood takes us. I can't even say which part of this ritual I enjoy more, the fact that we leave the city for a few hours or that I have 24 hours without emails, Instagram or any other social network activities. I love it.

Last Saturday we spontaneously decided to take the bus to the west of Berlin to have a cup of espresso in my aunt Ursula's kitchen. She and my uncle Uwe make the best coffee in town and whenever I announce our visit, I can be sure to find a few pieces of cake on their table - they know me well. The espresso tasted so good that I had to have 2 doppio, which made me a bit hyperactive and ready for the next adventure. We wanted to visit Berlin's best farmers market at Karl-August-Platz, but we got "stuck" on Kantstraße, a street famous for its Asian restaurants. We stopped at a restaurant that I've been wanting to test for years, but unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. We ordered 6 dishes and none of them really struck me. The problem with hyped food places in the city is that you expect something outstandingly amazing if so many people talk about it. So if it's just average, it's disappointing. Our dessert was ice cream from the supermarket, which I don't do very often, but it never lets me down and it's a reminder of lots of good childhood memories. Stuffed and happy we walked to a small lake and fell asleep in the warming sunlight. The whole scene felt a bit Roman: Two happy people after a lavish meal taking a nap on a blanket in the grass.

Revitalized, we drove back home, planning our dinner of white asparagus, fresh from the fields in Beelitz. It wouldn't be a proper Saturday if our plans didn't change with our mood. We stopped by at our favourite local wine shop to buy a bottle of rosé for our meal, but the little bistro tables looked so inviting that we couldn't resist sitting down for a glass of German Weissburgunder, some lemon olives, and an asparagus quiche. We got chatty and silly and stayed until 11pm, needless to say, we didn't stop after the first glass.

We haven't made any plans for next weekend yet, but at one point there will be this pasta dish on the table again, which I came up with last week and got hooked on. It's a quick pesto made of sun-dried tomatoes and pistachios, the combination is divine, and it's even better when it's stirred into warm spaghetti. It also works very well as a thick spread on rustic white bread, the perfect nibble along with a glass of chilled German white wine. There's one thing that our Saturdays have in common, there's often a bottle of good wine involved - la dolce vita for a day!

Here's my recipe for another sun-dried tomato pesto, with rosemary and thyme.

Pasta with Dried-Tomato and Pistachio Pesto

Serves 2

For the spaghetti

• dried spaghetti, about 200g / 7 ounces

• flaky sea salt, for the topping

• black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar, for the topping

For the pesto

• sun-dried tomatoes, preserved in salt, 50g / 1 3/4 ounces

• salted shelled pistachios 60g / 2 ounces, plus a few chopped pistachios for the topping

• olive oil 60ml / 1/4 cup

• garlic, crushed, 1 large clove

In a large pot, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente.

In a small saucepan, cook the sun-dried tomatoes in a little boiling water for about 3-4 minutes or until soft. Reserve the water and rinse the tomatoes under cold water. Pat them dry with paper towels.

In a food processor or blender, purée the dried tomatoes along with 4 tablespoons of their cooking water, the pistachios, olive oil, and the garlic until smooth. Add more of the cooking water and olive oil if the pesto is too dry.

Divide the pasta between 2 plates and stir in some of the pesto. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and season with flaky sea salt and crushed pepper to taste.

You can use any leftover pesto as a spread on bread.

Strawberry Mascarpone Panna Cotta

If I could choose between a cake or creamy desserts, I think I would always go for the cake. I just love pastries, no matter if it's buttery shortcrust, flaky puff pastry, soft sponge, or juice-soaked lady fingers in a trifle. The combination of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar is pure magic in my eyes. Since I was a child, I've always been the first at the cake buffet when we have our luscious family feasts, and I'm also the last one, when the platters are almost empty.

As I'm the one who's responsible for sweet treats at home - at least most of the time - we barely get to enjoy the dark depth of a mousse au chocolate, the sweetness of a vanilla scented Bavarian cream or a crème caramel. If my boyfriend could choose, it would be the other way around; we'd have cake maybe twice a year. He loves anything sweet, smooth, and creamy and if I want to spoil him a little, I make a panna cotta. The Italian classic is usually made with heavy cream and milk, but I like to sneak in some ricotta (like I did for my rosewater and pistachio panna cotta), or a little mascarpone, which fits perfectly to the juiciest strawberries I've found this year so far. A bit of fresh mint on top and these little beauties are done. When we have guests for dinner, I usually serve this dessert in small ramekins, but this time I went for wine glasses. The shiny red fruit looks really pretty in the bright panna cotta, it would be a pity to hide them.

Strawberry Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Serves 2 to 4

• gelatin sheets (7 x 11cm / 3 x 4") 2 1/2, or 2 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin

• heavy cream 240ml / 1 cup

• whole milk 120 ml / 1/2 cup

• a pinch of fine sea salt

• vanilla pod, scraped, 1

• granulated sugar 50g / 1/4 cup, plus more for the strawberries

• mascarpone 60g / 2 ounces

• fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced, 140g / 4 ounces, plus 3-4 whole strawberries, quartered lengthwise, for the topping

• a few fresh mint leaves, for the topping

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream, milk, salt, vanilla seeds, and sugar to the boil. As soon as the mixture is bubbling, take the pan off the heat. Squeeze the excess water from the soaked gelatin sheets and crumble into the warm cream mixture; whisk thoroughly. Stir in the mascarpone and whisk until well combined. Leave the cream in the saucepan and let it cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, whisking occasionally. Then chill the panna cotta in the fridge for about 1 hour, whisking 3-4 times, or until it starts to set.

Divide the sliced strawberries between 4 ramekins (120ml / 4 ounces), or 2-4 wine glasses, and sprinkle them with a little sugar. Divide the panna cotta between the glasses and chill for about 30 minutes or until set. Arrange the quartered strawberries and the mint leaves on top of the cream just before serving.

Strawberry, Chickpea, and Raw Asparagus Salad with Basil and Pink Peppercorns

Whenever I buy a new appliance for my kitchen, a bigger wardrobe for our bedroom, or a more powerful driller for the tool box, I always ask myself how I managed before the new purchase entered our home. I'm totally fine with having to deal with limited space or less satisfying equipment in the house, but give me the comfort of improvement and I'm hooked for life.

This is exactly how I felt when I got my new fridge last December. It's only the third fridge I have ever owned and although I can't really complain about its predecessor - it did a decent job for more than 15 years - it drove me crazy at times. Mainly because the space it offered and the food I tried to put inside it did not match at all. I love fresh food, I buy a lot of fruit and vegetables every week at the farmers' market, and all kinds of cheese, olives, capers, prosciutto ... and wine of course. There are only two people to feed but our food needs space. Thinking back, I don't know how I managed to store all the greens in my old fridge while I was working on my book a year ago, I have no idea. It worked, but now it's different, now I actually enjoy my fridge. A few days ago I came into my kitchen with lots of bags and baskets full of rhubarb, berries, asparagus and other spring produce and everything fit. I looked at this silver beauty and couldn't help but say "I love my fridge!". When Samsung offered me their Chef Collection for my kitchen, I was over the moon and I still feel the same. When you love food and cooking you truly appreciate having the right equipment.

So when I took a look at all the vibrant colours in my fridge, I came up with a salad that looks and tastes as bright and fresh as this season. I cut raw green asparagus very thinly and mixed it with a handful of arugula and canned chickpeas. A few fresh strawberries on top and a light vinaigrette made with orange juice drizzled all over and it was almost done: Some pink peppercorns added subtle spice and their distinct aroma. It was a very satisfying spring creation.

Strawberry, Chickpea, and Raw Asparagus Salad with Basil and Pink Peppercorns

Serves 2

For the dressing

• olive oil 3 tablespoons

• freshly squeezed orange juice 2 tablespoons

• white balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon

• fine sea salt

• ground pepper

For the salad

• young green asparagus, trimmed, 4 stalks

• arugula leaves, 1 large handful

• drained canned chickpeas, 2 handfuls

• fresh strawberries, cut into quarters, 6

• a few fresh basil leaves

• a few pink peppercorns

For the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, orange juice, and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut off the heads of the asparagus and cut them in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline, a cheese slicer, or a sharp knife, cut the asparagus stalks into long, very thin slices.

In a large bowl, arrange the arugula, asparagus, chickpeas, and strawberries in layers and drizzle with the dressing. Sprinkle with pink peppercorns and basil and serve immediately.

Cardamom Churros on the table and my German book is ready for pre-order!

I almost live in my kitchen, day and night, at least that's how it seems at the moment. Although I'm used to spending a lot of time in this room - and I love it, that's the reason I started this blog - but I barely see anything other than my pots and pans right now. I was asked to develop a bunch of recipes for a project (which I can't talk about yet) and this task ties me to my kitchen again, just like a year ago when I worked on my book. It's so funny that some things tend to repeat annually and you don't really know why. It becomes a theme without a deeper sense to it. So I accept, it's the second year in a row that I spend the month of May developing, cooking, and shooting recipes and producing more food than two people can possibly eat. But luckily, our friends are more than pleased about these circumstances. I cook and bake and they indulge in plates of cakes, roasts, seafood dishes, and salads.

Although I basically do exactly the same as last year, it feels different. It's not my book, these aren't my blank pages that I have to fill. I have to accommodate someone else's vision, which is fine as I have complete freedom with the recipes. But when it comes to taking the photos, I have to match my own ideas with the visual concept that my partner in crime brings to the table. It works surprisingly well but when it comes to the amount of sauce - as banal as it may seem - there are worlds between us. I like it a bit less soggy, however, my creative supervisor prefers more juices on the plate. We compromise and meet in the middle.

The fruits of last year's kitchen work are getting closer and closer to coming to the analogue world - the Eat In My Kitchen book is at the printing press! After I shared the Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk pre-order links for the English book a few weeks ago, it's time for the big announcement for my German readers: Eat In My Kitchen - Essen, Kochen, Backen und Genießen is ready for pre-order on Amazon.de! It will be published on the 26th September, a few days before the English book (on the 4th October). The cover picture is the same as the English book and we also kept the subtitles quite similar. Apart from the last word, 'to treat' in English (einladen / verwöhnen in German) became 'genießen' (meaning 'to enjoy'), the books are the same and both completely written by myself (I was offered a translator for the German version but that felt a little weird).

My book emerged out of this blog, which is all about cooking, baking, eating, treating, and enjoying the pleasures created in this marvelous space - my kitchen!

One of the latest creations I passionately enjoyed from my kitchen were churros, the famous Spanish fried pastry snack. It was the first time ever that I made them and I was impressed how easy they are to prepare and how good they taste when they are made at home. Fresh out of the boiling oil, soft inside and golden and crisp on the outside, I tossed and coated them with aromatic cardamom sugar and ate them warm with fresh strawberries. The combination is perfect as it balances the churros' richness with a bit of sour-sweet fruitiness.

I love my kitchen, especially when it produces such deliciousness.

Cardamom Churros

Serves 4

For the topping

• granulated sugar 150g / 3/4 cups

• ground cardamom  1 1/2- 2 teaspoons

For the churros

• sunflower oil, for frying, about 1,3l / 5 1/2 cups

• water 350ml / 1 1/2 cups

• olive oil 2 tablespoons

• granulated sugar 1 tablespoon

• fine sea salt 1/4 teaspoon

• plain flour 200g / 1 1/2 cups

• organic egg 1

For serving

• fresh strawberries

For the topping, combine the sugar and cardamom and spread on a deep plate.

In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat the sunflower oil over medium-high heat.

In a large saucepan, bring the water, olive oil, sugar, and salt to the boil. Take the pot off the heat, add the flour, and, using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until smooth and the dough comes away from the side of the saucepan. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Using a spoon, beat in the egg and mix until well combined.

When the oil is hot – dip in the bottom end of a wooden spoon, little bubbles, should form around it – fill the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (about 1cm / 3/8"). Carefully squeeze the dough into the hot oil and snip it off when the churro is about 7cm / 2 3/4" long. Fry about 5-8 churros at a time, depending on the size of your pot, and turn them a few times, using 2 large spoons. The churros should be done and golden after about 4-5 minutes. If they turn dark quicker, turn down the heat a little. Take them out with a slotted ladle and transfer them to the plate with the cardamom sugar. Toss and coat them and keep them in a large bowl while you continue frying the remaining dough. Serve warm with fresh strawberries - and preferably with a dark espresso.

Churros taste best on the first day. You can freeze them once they are fried, but they become a little rubbery (my aunt still enjoyed them though).

Zucchini Cheese Fritter Sandwich with Strawberries and Lemon Balm

A lusciously filled sandwich will always excite me. It only needs the right combination of flavours and textures to lift this comfort treat to new heights. Playing with contrast is a good way to start: soft and crunchy, fresh and creamy, sweet and salty - there are endless possibilities to create a little firework between two slices of bread.

If you follow the seasons, you can find inspiration in the pantry during the colder months of the year or while strolling through the farmers's market to see what nature offers as soon as it gets warmer. And that's what I did. Although I can find zucchini all year round, it's only at the peak of spring that squash is finally packed with sweetness again. Mine comes straight from the fields in Italy and it has all the qualities it needs to become golden fried fritters. Mix in some cheese and lemon balm and you have a fragrant little snack on your plate. My cheese of choice is Leerdammer, which worked so wonderfully well in my Grilled Persimmon, Ham, and Cheese Sandwich. It's not too overpowering next to the zucchini yet adds its particular subtle sweetness. Bringing in lemon balm makes it fresh and citrusy. And don't be distracted by the strawberries graciously arranged on top, it may seem a bit brave but their sweet-sour fruitiness makes the composition complete.

This sandwich is just right for a decadent breakfast, a springy lunch, or a cozy dinner enjoyed on the sofa. And it works just as well without the bread: arrange the warm zucchini cheese fritters on plates along with fresh strawberries, sprinkle with lemon balm, and scatter some grated cheese and pink peppercorns all over this colourful feast.

This post is sponsored by Leerdammer.

Zucchini Cheese Fritter Sandwich with Strawberries and Lemon Balm

Makes 3 sandwiches

For the zucchini cheese fritters

• zucchini, grated, 450g / 1 pound

• fine sea salt

• spring onions, the green only, thinly sliced, 2 (about 2 tablespoons)

• mild hard cheese, freshly grated, 30g / 1 ounce

• organic egg, lightly beaten, 1

• fresh lemon balm, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon

• a generous amount of ground pepper

• plain flour 40g / 1/3 cup

• olive oil, to cook the fritters

For serving

• fresh ciabatta, about 6 slices

• rucola 1 handful

• Leerdammer cheese, thinly sliced, about 6 slices

• ripe strawberries, hulled and cut in half lengthwise, 6

• pink peppercorns

• fresh lemon balm, about 9 leaves

For the zucchini cheese fritters, in a large bowl, combine the grated zucchini and 1 teaspoon of salt. Rub the salt into the squash and let it sit for 10 minutes. Drain the zucchini and squeeze it in your hands. Spread the zucchini on a kitchen towel, cover with a second towel, and squeeze out any remaining liquid.

In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, spring onion, grated cheese, egg, chopped lemon balm, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add the flour in batches and mix with your hands or a large spoon until well combined.

In a large, heavy pan, heat a generous splash of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add 2 tablespoons of the zucchini mixture for each fritter to the pan; give the fritter a round shape and flatten it lightly. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, flip the fritters over, and turn down the heat to medium. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the fritters to paper towels and cover with a lid while cooking the remaining fritters, add more oil if necessary. This makes about 6-7 zucchini fritters.

For the sandwiches, spread a little rucola on 3 slices of bread. Cover each slice with 2 slices of cheese and 2 warm fritters and finish it off with 4 strawberry halves. Sprinkle with pink peppercorns and a few lemon balm leaves and close with a slice of bread. Squeeze the sandwich - gently - and enjoy.

Blueberry Victoria Sponge Cake, London, and my first book presentation

London welcomed me with blue skies and the brightest sunshine - the city looked like a blossoming beauty as I stepped off the train. It was supposed to be a two day work trip but spring temperatures made it feel like a little holiday. Great food and wine and the company of wonderful people almost made me forget why I went to the capital: my publisher's London team invited me to present my Eat In My Kitchen book for the first time at the Photographers' Gallery. To say that I was nervous, is a slight understatement. I drove the people around me crazy in the past few days! We just finished the last edits for my book this week, which means I can't change anything anymore and I'm not yet sure if I like this feeling. Now I have to learn to let go. But the thought of talking about it in front of 30 people straight after closing the last pages of my book to send it to the printing press felt a little overwhelming.

I booked an early flight on Wednesday morning so that I'd have the day to myself. I wanted to have enough time to meet a couple special people. My first stop was the gorgeous Brown's Hotel in Mayfair where I stayed for the night. My last visit to London - and a scrumptious meet in your kitchen tea time feature - made me fall in love with this wonderful hotel. It's the perfect choice when you need a relaxing place to stay during a busy trip. London is like a beehive but Brown's Hotel is the calm oasis you can go back to to rest. Thank you Sophie Grounds for making me feel so good again!

A stroll through the sunny streets of Mayfair took me to busy Oxford Street and the charming building of Selfridges. I came here to visit Melissa Hemsely at the sisters' brand new Hemsely + Hemsley Café located on the third floor of the luxury department store. It's a cozy place that's only been open for a month and it was totally packed. All the tables were taken and I saw lots of happy faces enjoying beautiful dishes from the girl's books, like quinoa roasted vegetables with basil pesto (delicious!), salmon burger with lime slaw, and the sisters' fantastic sweets. We chatted about our books - they just published their second book called Good + Simple - and I also got to try a wonderfully juicy banana cake that's not on the menu yet.

Spitalfields was next, and here I met a man whose work I've admired for quite a while and who I got to know through another one of my meet in your kitchen features: Sami Tamimi. This man is a great inspiration, he's open and charismatic and he talks with a warm, calm voice. Sami seems to smile the whole time, genuinely, and it felt like I've known him for years. He gave me such a flattering quote for my book and I wanted to thank him in person. Sami invited me to the latest addition to the Ottolenghi restaurants, their deli in the heart of Spitalfields that opened just a year ago. The place is bright and airy and the long counter right at the large window front is filled with the most beautiful food you can imagine. No one presents food as tempting, lush and perfect as the Ottolenghi crew. Large bowls filled with colourful salads and vegetables, the freshest meat platters, and piles of colourful meringue, delicate tartlets, and cakes dripping with thick icing turn this room into a food lover's paradise. I was in heaven.

Sami constantly works on new creations and tries the food prepared by his team working in and for the five restaurants, he's an absolute perfectionist. There was a little banana cake on a plate of six that he spotted, it wasn't as straight as the other ones, so it had to go - right into my mouth, I didn't mind. Seeing him in this environment, surrounded by the food he creates with so much passion and perfection, made me understand why he's so successful and why guests from all over the world love the Ottolenghi restaurants so much. The vision that the team behind Ottolenghi once had, has been brought to life completely. There's no compromise and that makes it so good. Before I left, we exchanged spices, and when I stepped out onto the street I felt a little sad to leave.

My dinner plans took me to an old, traditional pub, The Grenadier in Belgravia. It was an early night, I enjoyed my obligatory fish & chips and a glass of wine to the fullest and went to bed early - I had an exciting day ahead.

On the morning of my presentation, I felt like a student going to her exams, but after a few minutes of talking I was fine again - as always in life. The Photographers Gallery was the perfect surrounding and I can only recommend visiting one of their great exhibitions when you're in town. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for the arts but I had a lovely crowd to talk to about my book instead, which felt even better. Thank you everybody at Prestel for inviting me and for making me feel so welcome. It was a pleasure to meet you, Andrew, Emma, Oliver, Lincoln, and Will!

My London days called for a traditional British treat when I was back home in Berlin, ready for a cozy weekend on the sofa: a simple Victoria Sponge cake refined with lemon zest, filled with plump blueberries, jam, and whipped cream. It's an honest, uncomplicated treat that fits perfectly after a week of lots of excitement.

Blueberry Victoria Sponge Cake

You'll need 2 18cm / 7" springform pans for this cake. If you only have one pan (like me), divide the ingredients in half and prepare and bake one cake after the other. For the 3 eggs, beat them lightly and then divide in two equal portions.

For the sponge cake

• plain flour 145g / 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons

• cornstarch 15g / 2 tablespoons

• baking powder 1 teaspoon

• a pinch of salt

• butter, at room temperature, 160g / 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon

• granulated sugar 160g / 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon

• freshly grated lemon zest 2 teaspoons

• vanilla bean, scraped, 1/2

• organic eggs 3

For the filling

• blueberry jam, lightly beaten, about 4 tablespoons

• fresh blueberries 120g / 4 ounces, plus a few berries for the topping

• heavy cream, whipped, about 120-180ml / 1/2-3/4 cup

• icing sugar, for the topping

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (conventional setting) and butter 2 18cm / 7" springform pans.

For the sponge cake, in a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, using in electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla seeds until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between. Using a wooden spoon, fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well combined.

Divide the batter between the two buttered springform pans and make a slight dip in the middle of each of them (to prevent the cakes from rising too high in the middle). Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden and spongy. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean. Take the cakes out of the springform pan and let them cool completely (about 15-20 minutes).

Transfer 1 sponge cake to a plate and cut off the tip if it rose to high, it shouldn't be too pointy but it doesn't need to be completely even either. Brush the top generously with jam and spread the blueberries on top. Spread the whipped cream all over the berries and sandwich with the second sponge cake (you don't have to even this cake out). Dust the cake with a little icing sugar and, if you want to decorate it with blueberries, dip the berries in the jam and stick them on top of the cake.

Potatoes with Cinnamon Hummus, Basil, and Prawns

When I have a bowl of hummus in front of me, I grab the biggest spoon I can find and enjoy this creamy, nutty deliciousness with inexplicable enthusiasm. I don't know where this fascination comes from, I only discovered this Middle Eastern dip relatively late in my kitchen, but I'm obsessed with it.

Most of the time I'm not even very experimental, I just stick to my basic recipe, but sometimes my mood calls for a little change. I either replace the chickpeas with white beans, stir in some fresh or dried herbs, or I try less pleasant combinations that I never ever want to taste again (like my avocado hummus - disastrous!). There must be something in the tahini - the rich, oily sesame sauce that's used for hummus - its nutritional value, that my body is almost addicted to. I can eat the thick, pure sauce by the spoon, straight out of the jar. It's strange.

One of my latest experiments led to a very simple yet absolutely scrumptious result: a generous amount of ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground cumin. The spices enhance the dip's sweetness and give it a warm and earthy touch. You don't actually taste them, they merge with the other ingredients and create a new flavour, which makes me want to eat even more of it. To accomplish the sweet side of the hummus, I added sliced boiled potatoes (warm or cold, both work), fresh basil, and a few prawns. It felt like summer on a plate and reminded me of a similar Mediterranean meal we had in Malta last year.

Potatoes with Cinnamon Hummus, Basil, and Prawns

Serves 4

For the hummus

• drained and rinsed canned chickpeas, 240g / 8 ounces

• tahini 150g / 5 ounces

• water 120ml / 1/2 cup

• freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 tablespoons

• garlic, crushed, 1 large clove

• ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon

• ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon

• fine sea salt about 1 teaspoon

For serving

• olive oil

• prawns, the heads cut off, 8-12

• boiled potatoes (warm or cold) 8-12

• flaky sea salt

• black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar

• fresh basil leaves, a small handful

For the hummus, purée the ingredients in a blender and season with cinnamon, cumin, and salt to taste.

In a large pan, heat a splash of olive oil over high heat and sear the prawns for 1-2 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Arrange the sliced potatoes on 1 large platter or on 4 small plates, drizzle generously with the hummus and additional olive oil, and season to taste with flaky sea salt, crushed pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Place the prawns on top, sprinkle with basil and enjoy immediately.

Strawberry White Chocolate Breakfast Cake

This is such a kiddy cake: it's light and fluffy, sweet and juicy, and packed with soft strawberries and creamy white chocolate. And although my childhood days are long over, I love this cake. I would even call it my favorite spring cake (for the time being, until my next discovery). And the fact that it's so easy to prepare - you just have to roll out of bed on a lazy Sunday morning and throw it all together - makes it a perfect weekend breakfast cake.

The combination of the ripe red berries and the milky chocolate works unbelievably well in a cake. I'm familiar with this duo in ice cream and other sweet snacks, but it never struck me as much as in this composition. I was worried that the sweetness could be a little overpowering, but there was no reason to worry, it was still balanced. In fact, this cute little teaser tastes so good that it was gone in less than 24 hours. I wanted to freeze a few pieces - my new habit to eat a little less sweets - but it was hopeless. One piece after the other kept disappearing until the last crumbs were gone and the plate looked almost clean. I think if I could choose between a plate full of cake or a little less on my hips, I'd always go for cake.

Strawberry White Chocolate Breakfast Cake

Makes 1 cake

• plain flour 130g / 1 cup, plus 1 tablespoon for the strawberries

• cornstarch 30g / 1/4 cup

• baking powder 1 heaping teaspoon

• fine sea salt 1/8 teaspoon

• butter (at room temperature) 160g / 2/3 cup plus scant 1 tablespoon

• granulated sugar 100g / 1/2 cup

• vanilla bean, scraped, 1/2organic eggs 3

• fresh strawberries, cut into cubes, 150g / 5 ounces

• white chocolate, chopped, 100g / 3/1/2 ounces

For the topping (optional)

• icing sugar or finely grated white chocolate 1 tablespoon

• fresh strawberries 3-4

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (preferably convection setting) and butter a 20cm / 8″  springform pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

In a second large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla seeds until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well in between. Continue mixing for 2 minutes or until the mixture is thick and creamy. Quickly mix in the flour mixture until combined. Mix the strawberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and add, along with the chopped white chocolate, to the batter. Using a wooden spoon, gently fold in the berries and chocolate until just combined. Scrape the batter into the buttered springform pan, even it out, and bake for 40-45 minutes (slightly longer if using a conventional oven) or until golden on top. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean. Let the cake cool for a few minutes before you take it out of the springform pan.

Sprinkle the cool cake with icing sugar or grated white chocolate and decorate with strawberries.

Rhubarb Tartlets with Cinnamon Oat Crumble

The combination of rhubarb and cinnamon crumble is so perfect that I dare to call it one of my favourite baked sweets. It's sweet, fruity-sour, and buttery, what more could I ask for? I could add oats, which I've never done before for some reason, so I gave it a try and the result was extremely pleasing. The first bite through the crunchy aromatic crust and soft fruit gave me the feeling that home-baked sweets are simply the best.

The past few days were a little rough and rocky and I often wished I had two Meikes to sort out all the tasks and problems piled up on my desk. Late night work led to sleep deprivation and a paranoid me, worrying that I wouldn't manage to finish everything in time. I call myself quite disciplined, I can work hard, but luckily, I also know when to pull the brake. It was a bright and sunny afternoon and I started to feel like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel - although not all problems were solved yet - but I decided to close my laptop. Trying not to think too much, I grabbed my bag and jumped on my bike. Cycling through springy Berlin and enjoying the bumpy ride over cobbled roads put a smile on my face as I saw nature's leaves and blossoms taking over the city again. I stopped at a café for a creamy cappuccino that felt like the best coffee I had in a while, and leafed through a cheesy magazine. Life can be perfect and sometimes it's so easy to get there, all you have to do is forget about your duties for a little while and follow whatever your mood calls for.

Rhubarb Tartlets with Cinnamon Oat Crumbles

Makes 10 tartlets

For the filling

• trimmed rhubarb, cut into 5cm / 2" pieces, 600g / 1 1/3 pounds

• granulated sugar, 100g / 1/2 cup

For the pastry

• plain flour 260g / 2 cups

• granulated sugar 80g / 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon

• a pinch of salt

• unsalted butter, cold, 160g / 2/3 cup

• organic egg yolks 2

For the oat crumble

• rolled oats 100g / 3 1/2 ounces / 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon

• plain flour 65g / 1/2 cup

• granulated sugar 90g / 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons

• ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon

• unsalted butter, melted, 80g / 1/3 cup

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (preferably convection setting).

For the filling, add the rhubarb and sugar to a large baking dish and toss to combine. Bake for about 25 minutes or until soft but still in shape. Set the rhubarb aside and let it cool completely.

For the pastry, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and rub the butter into the flour until combined. Add the egg yolks and continue mixing with the dough hooks of an electric mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a thick disc, wrap in cling film, and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Butter 10 (10cm / 4") tartlet pans and dust with flour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Divide the dough into 10 equal parts. Roll out the 10 pieces of dough between cling film into 12 cm / 4 1/2" circles. Line the tartlet pans with the pastry, push the dough into the pans, and prick with a fork. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until golden, bush the dough down with a fork if it bubbles up. Take the tartlet pans out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Using a metal skewer, loosen the pastry shell gently along the rim and turn the tartlets out onto the lined baking sheet.

Turn the oven down to 180°C / 350°F.

For the crumble, combine the oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter and mix until combined and crumbly.

Divide the rhubarb among the tartlet shells, sprinkle with the oat crumble, and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Green Minestrone with Lime-Arugula Meatballs

Sometimes I am asked by a reader to come up with a certain recipe. Quite often it's a dish connected to a childhood memory of theirs, a food experience saved many years ago, and now they're hoping to find this specific flavour again. But it's a tricky thing, it's almost impossible to relive something as an adult and expect the same satisfaction that we felt back then when we were young.

I used to love Dutch coconut sheets for breakfast, which is as weird as it sounds. This is compressed dessicated coconut, pressed into thin sheets and, to make it even more appealing, they were either pink or pale white. I was obsessed with them. After a culinary break from this delicacy, I tried them again years later and I was so disappointed. But there's another Dutch classic, which still lives up to my memories, and I enjoy it with the biggest passion whenever I pull it out of my oven: sticky honey cake.

At the end of this winter, I got asked to share a traditional German hot chocolate recipe, which my reader, who lives in the US, connects with the time he spent in Germany as a child. Somehow, I never felt in the mood for it, and my hot chocolate is also a rather simple creation made of milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, and ground cinnamon and cardamom, which is not a traditional German take on this drink. I'm sorry, I'll try to write about it next winter.

But last week, someone dropped a comment on Instagram, telling me that I haven't made a soup in a long time - and this person was right! She lives in Asia and asked for a soup that she can have with her morning rice. I don't think that someone who lives in Asia, needs a German girl to tell her how to make a fragrant broth with ginger, spices, and lemon grass, so I thought about something that I could share from my background. Our summers spent in Malta made me fall for minestrone, and when I cook this warming soup with just green vegetables - like fresh beans, peas, and zucchini - it tastes like spring. To turn it into a full lunch, I add tiny meatballs refined with lots of chopped arugula and lemon zest. The strong aroma of the citrus fruit reminds me of the Mediterranean but at the same time, it adds the same lemony freshness that you know from a clear broth made with ginger. Enjoy!

Green Minestrone with Lime-Arugula Meatballs

Serves 2-4

For the meatballs

• ground beef 400g / 14 ounces

• fresh arugula leaves, finely chopped (with a knife or in a blender), 1 large handful / 50g

• zest of 1 lime (1 heaping teaspoon)

• garlic, crushed, 2 cloves

• fine sea salt 1 teaspoon

• a generous amount ground pepper

For the soup

• olive oil

• garlic, cut in half, 1 clove

• green vegetables (a mix of trimmed green beans, peas, and zucchini), beans and peas cut into bite size pieces, about 350g / 12 ounces

• vegetable broth, hot, 1l / 4 1/4 cups

• freshly squeezed lime juice 1 tablespoon

• bay leaf 1

• fine sea salt

• ground pepper

For the topping

ramp leaves, thinly sliced, 2 and / or spring onion, thinly sliced, 1

For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine the ground beef, chopped arugula, lime zest, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until well combined. Wet your hands and form the mixture into tiny meatballs.

For the soup, in a large saucepan, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the vegetables, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth, lime juice, and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper to taste, and bring to the boil. Add the meatballs and bring to the boil again. Reduce the heat to medium, cover with a lid, and simmer for 4 minutes. Split 1 meatball to check if it's done. Season the soup with salt, pepper, and additional lime juice to taste.

Serve the soup in deep bowls, sprinkled with ramps and / or spring onion, and enjoy warm.