​You say Summer, heat and sunshine and I say iced tea.
This is the one refreshing drink I really enjoy having when the weather is hot. And water of course, but that really just makes sense, right?
I love it unsweetened. Just plain cold brew tea served in a tall glass with plenty of ice cubes and a few slices of lemon. The perfect Summer thirst-quenching drink in my book.
I am also partial to a sweet version when it is nicely made and not full of artificial flavours.

Six years ago to this day, I pressed 'publish' on my very first blog post. And for the occasion I also shared a recipe for apricot halves with crumble.
At the time, I viewed Creme de Citron as only a food blog and as the years went by, it evolved into something that is not just limited to food. In a way, it grew to match more the way things evolved for me over the years and ongoing: delicious food yes, but also travels to beautiful and interesting places, and putting value in worthwhile things for a nicer way of life. 
Everyday, I am so thankful to all of you reading this blog. When I sit down at my desk to write those posts, I always think about you: the people who will read what I have to say and hopefully try some of my recipes, maybe even share them as a meal with friends and family, daydream at the travels I talk about and possibly take a few notes for a planned trip or a future holiday, enjoy breakfast or brunch time with some of the It's Saturday! links I collect for you, and perhaps attempt some of the lifestyle tips I give you.
To all of you, I say a huge MERCI for reading!

I could not just say thank you and not share something nice to go along with this note of course! 

I was recently thinking about those delicious blackberry rochers I made a while back and thought it would be a great idea to adapt the recipe to a Summer fruit and a different type of nut. Since raspberries are currently in season, they are ideal for this type of sweet treat and even better with the addition of pistachio nut.
The idea kept popping up in my mind so as soon as I found some time for it, I rushed to my nearest shop and got the three ingredients I needed: fresh raspberries, good quality Belgian white chocolate and ground pistachios (well, those were whole peeled one but I finely chopped them for a similar effect).

One of the things I love serving at a dinner party is a platter of various delicious cold things with a bowl of dip. You can find some really good store-bought dips but it is not actually that hard to make your own and it is also much nicer.
I became familiar with the idea of dips while living in Australia as I discovered entire supermarket aisles dedicated to this. And then every party we went to there always had a huge selection: spinach, corn, caramelised onions, artichoke, cheese, humus, beetroot humus, guacamole etc. the list could go on an on.

I do love having dinner parties where the main course is just a giant platter of cheese and charcuterie. To balance it, I add a few crudités (selection of raw vegetables) and a dip or two. As much as there are many many dips to choose from, I prefer to stick to just a couple I really like: humus and whipped feta. Those are easy enough to make at home rather than buying ready-made.

Is it Spring time already? Why am I still wearing a Winter coat then... I guess it is a season that is only warming up slightly so I feel it is reasonable enough to continue sharing soup recipes over here.
After all, there is a French expression that says 'en avril ne te découvre pas d'un fil' (in April, don't remove a thread - of your clothing). So, my plan is to keep a few (a lot actually these days) layers on and make some delicious Spring vegetable soup such as the leek one I am sharing today. The thing about this soup is that it is not just plain leek. There is some added celery for flavour and potato for creaminess. And to make it even better I add a wonderful topping to it: whipped feta.

Another day, another rice pudding. I told you all about how much I enjoy this childhood dessert of mine last month and even shared a recipe for chocolate rice pudding with poached pear and praline.
This time, what I want to share with you is a wonderfully creamy vanilla rice pudding topped with caramelised apples.