Revisiting Old Favorites
We cooked a lot this weekend. Between all my recipe testing, mom’s nourishing soups and C’s barbecue experiment, we had enough food to feed an army.
“Do you want to come over for dinner Sunday night? Something very casual”, I asked my friend K. It had been a few days since we had spoken and I really wanted to catch up. We can talk for hours. “I wouldn’t miss it for a thing”, she said.
We didn’t have much time to make a dessert for Sunday’s dinner so I started browsing through my recipe archives for a quick cake that I could serve with some cream and fruit. This chocolate and teff cake caught my mom’s eye. “That one!”, she said. A one bowl cake that is quick and super moist.
In our menu that night, we also had our version of niçoise salad with bonito from the Basque Country, potatoes, eggs, avocados and tomatoes, followed by chicken and chorizo paella.
And lots and lots of conversation. What I always look forward to.
Monday was a holiday and J. was home from school. He loves my mom’s porrusalda or butternut squash and leek soup so he asked her to make it. Mine with a poached egg on top.
He also wanted his usual arroz con leche and I craved something light. Meyer lemon, almond and goat’s milk custard, a variation of this recipe.
And so sometimes, nothing beats old favorites.
I had completely forgotten about your meyer lemon and quinoa pudding. Now I know what I’m doing with my latest treasure of lemons!
Beautiful. You make everything look so effortless. Beautiful photos, a great menu to share with friends and most important of all, mommy to a beautiful girl! Please keep blogging forever!
Betiko errezetak zerbaitengatik bihurtzen dira betikoak. Ai ene, inbidia gehien zure amaren porrusaldak eman dit,, kanpoan izan naiz, eta etxeko janari gosez nago! Argazkiak, beti bezain ederrak
Gozatu liburuaren prozesua, muxuak!
I couldn’t agree more, there is something so comforting about the old favourites! Unfortunately I haven’t been able to source teff flour here in Australia, otherwise I would love to give this cake recipe a go, it sounds delicious!
My God, your photos are utter perfection.
Wonderful menu for your dinner Aran, the cake looks so delicious and your daughter is soo cute and adorable God bless her, love love your photos.
Your photos are breathtaking. Your natural lighting is amazing – in my apartment, it’s terrible. And your custard.. oh my goodness. I don’t eat dairy, but I think I could have just one bite.
Gorgeous photos… I love your blog!!!
Lovely as always. Old favorites are simply the best!
Reading your blog always makes me hungry :) and after seeing your amazing photos I always want to becom food photographer.
beautiful! Wow…the baby is getting big, look at that beautiful hair.
Great post and really nice photography. I love coming here and seeing it.
Wonderful! Your posts are always like a breath of fresh air.
Cheers,
Rosa
Always love your posts, great photos and stories as usual xx
Can I just say how incredibly lucky your friends are. I would drop everythin just to dine with you. I am drooling just sitting here.
Old favorites always have a place. And it’s funny how when there’s not really time for making a dessert, there always is something quick that can still be made and enjoyed!
L’ambiance paisible, feutrée et les recettes aussi gourmandes, je ne peux que nager dans le bonheur en te rendant visite :-)
I like quinoa pudding for breakfast. The Meyer lemon flavor sounds refreshing.
Ah, I’m laughing at myself. I did I double-take when I read the words “chocolate & teff” in the same recipe, thinking perhaps I had misread. I’m very impressed by your creativity. From my Ethiopian-American perch, it’s so interesting to see the way others are adapting Ethiopian cuisine & ingredients. Maybe I’ll try that recipe for a chocolate-loving family member! lol
I’m just curious how the teff affected the flavor as in my experience it can be a bit sour.
thanks for writing such a lovely blog!
I’m having trouble as well finding teff flour here in Tokyo, I completely agree, you do make everything look effortless, giving me inspiration to put more time aside for food styling….
p.s. I’ve almost finished compiling that list for you, I just wanted to double check, and make a few calls before handing it over… I promise to get it to you by this weekend = )
Maria & Elle Marie- you can use another flour instead of teff. Buckwheat would be great.
AbeshaFoodie- The sourness is really not very obvious in this recipe. You should try it!
Thanks everyone!
I’m jazzed about your Meyer lemon, almond and goat’s milk custard! We have a prolific Meyer lemon tree in our backyard and I’m always looking for a new idea. Sounds like a lovely weekend!
I loved this post – especially as now I have your meyer lemon, lime and quinoa pudding recipe. the goats milk and almond custard sounds divine also. How lovely to have your mum there with you, cooking. Your Sunday night, last minute dinner party sounds fabulous.
Heidi xo
todo me gusta…el arroz con leche lo que mas pero porrusalda tambien!! siempre que leo tu blog tengo necesidad de cocinar algo :D
Bso Carmenzh
Yummi! Very inspiering!!
//Ulrika
This custard must be wonderful! And the same should be the chocolate cake!
Wow..I love arroz con leche, and beside the recipe, do you know the spanish nursery rhyme ‘Arroz con leche me quiero casar…con esta senorita …en este lujar (not sure about the spelling…) My abuela was from Argentina and my mum used to sing me that song! Now I am a mother too, my daughter loves the rhyme but not the dessert!
P.S. What is teff flour? :-)
Have a nice week,
Roberta
Your photographs are exquisite!
The goats milk custard looks great… And by the way your photography is absolutely outstanding.
WOW, Im completely blown away by your photos of food and people…and the Meyer lemon and custard looks devine!!!
Dena beti lez zoragarri.
Ba dakit zure liburuan lanean zaudela eta zorte asko opa deutsut. Erderatuko dozu liburua?,… ze euskaratzea asko eskatzea izango da, ez?
Ondo pasa gurasoekin.
beautiful aran, foods that comfort us seem to be food for the soul that transport us to a different place and time yet help us be in the moemnt too.
oh little miren, she has stolen my heart for sure.
lovely photos!
Can I just say that your photography is amazing? :) I’ve been looking at your blog for ages and I just love everything you do. I know that if I want to see something beautiful and delicious, this is the place to come. Can’t wait for you cookbook. :)
Jaime
Another inspiring recap of a weekend well spent! Thank you for sharing your old favorites, expressed with such eloquent writing and timeless photos. I love your blog!
Hello,
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Que rico se ve todo, las fotos preciosas.
Besos
as always everything is beautiful! Loving life.
Seems like a real good recipe. I’ll try it at home today seriously thats how serious I am as a vegan.
Everything looks delicious, and your pics feel like spring… thanks!
Each time I see your blog I need to bake something!!!!!
Your photos always make me salivate. I can taste the lemons, seriously!
and I love the floral napkins! Do you remember where you purchased them?
all of these photos are amazing! sounds like you had a fabulous weekend… I’m going to have to make the teff cake soon. yum!
Lovely menu and sounds like a wonderful afternoon…The pudding is a favorite of mine.
Butternut squash and leek soup with a poached egg…sounds delicious! It all does, actually. Thanks for highlighting these old favorites. I always love your flavor combinations and photographs!
please, please tell me who makes the black flatware (dinner knife pictured with cake) !!
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (continued indefinitely)
Allison- the flatware is from kate’s paperie.
Have a great weekend!
Those napkins are beautiful and charming!
Que bonitas! Mañana tengo que hacer estas magdalenas de chocolate :). Gracias muchos por la receta.
Such a pretty post! Haven’t heard about teff before and am quite curious about it now. Let’s see if I can find it around here.
Have a relaxing, delicious weekend!
I’m so inspired by your photography. You have really created a world, a mood. I just want to step into it, and not just for all of the delicious food and treats you make. It’s a happy place, a feminine and lovely place with nourishing home cooked food. Kudos to you. I’ll be back for more.
las palabras purrusalda y arroz con leche me recuerdan a mi amama, a su cocina y a su delantal. Da la casualidad de que mañana voy a visitarla ;)
Such a nice blog!
The arroz con leche looks wonderful. Thanks for posting this
Hello! I like your blog a lot, I have read almost all of it by this time, I also came to USa since I was young mostly to babysit my cousin during summer and learn english, I also read you can’t eat gluten and in my family we have this recipe for years, they are cheese muffins made from tapioca flour(but it has dairy),
I thought it might be interesting for you.. I post the link down here
http://howisitincalifornia.blogspot.com/2011/02/making-chipas-cheese-muffins-on-rainy.html
if it’s not interesting i am sorry for posting it
:)
Your family and friends must be the luckiest people in the world! I now imagine being a child in your family and eat the way you cook…. Total YUM!
Bless cooks!
Always a breath of fresh air to see you photos. Thank you!
Hola, Aran. Hace poco que conocí tu blog a través de Pimienta Rosa y me encuentro totalmente enganchada!!! Ya he puesto en práctica algunas de tus recetas… En casa nos encantó el Salmón con hinojo y chirivías con leche de coco. Muchas felicidades por tu blog, preciosa tu fotografía y ánimo con el libro. Ja, ja, por cierto tu niña tiene el pelo igual que la mía!!!
Saludos desde Logroño.
Your photos are magical… just light and perfect…
choci cake looks delish and all the more wondrous with liberty fabric ;)
thea.
xx
(spoonfulzine)
Oh yes.. buckwheat..soba, thank you!!! I will do just that.
I know I promised the list last weekend, (my sincere apologies) one place hasn’t gotten back to me yet… I’m going to e-mail you today (tonight).
How you had a wonderful weekend.
If your photos are this delicious, i cannot imagine how delicious your food must be ! seriously, you are a gifted photographer and cook :)
C’est délicieux ! Bisous !