My Favorite Childhood Food Memories: A look back in time

Welcome to the culinary journey through flavor on Teddy's Table!

One of our first steps on this journey is to look back on our favourite childhood food memories. When I think back on my childhood, there are many food memories that come to mind. My mom creating the most elaborate birthday cakes you could possibly think of. She'd make a princess castle, a train with candy in each compartment and a jewellery box with wearable toy accessories, dinner favourites like oxtail and rice and classic family recipes and desserts (yes, we were pretty spoiled).

But the two childhood favourites recipes that captivated my heart and kick started my love for baking and desserts; Malva pudding and a South African take on a classic English trifle.

When it comes to community and family events, contributions are the back bone of a successful gathering. Everyone pitches in to make sure there's more than enough for the whole group. So it only made sense that my mother and I contributed what we believed would highlight that, a classic malva pudding and custard or our trifle that honestly never failed will never failed.

A stray recipe from a special 2011 edition magazine leaflet quickly became a favourite of ours. It is still a recipe that I swear by to this day.

My malva starts off by creaming together sugar and fat (usually butter) until it's light and fluffy, then adding in eggs and mixing until it's combined. Then adding in vinegar and apricot jam which gives the malva pudding its distinct taste. The apricot jam can even be substituted for orange marmalade which also creates a unique flavour. After that the flour, salt and baking soda is added in alternation with milk or a milk alternative until thoroughly mixed together. After the mixture is baked in a greased tray, you pour over a simple syrup made from evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla essence to give it the moist and flavourful texture that goes so well with either homemade or store-bought custard or ice-cream.

This rich and flavourful malva keeps your sweet-tooth satisfied and has become a famous recipe with friends and family and there isn't an event where I'm not asked about it. It's a cozy recipe that can be great for big events or just when you're craving a comfort dessert.

And of course, our classic South African trifle. Refreshing layers of cake, jelly, fruit, custard and cream creates a perfect summer treat that is loved by both kids and adults. It can be a labour of love or a quick and easy treat. You can obviously use store bought cake, premade jelly, tinned fruit, store-bought custard and canned whipped cream. or you can go through the effort to prepare all the components from scratch just to elevate the taste.

Personally, I prefer to make a genoise sponge-cake which is made by whipping whole eggs and sugar together, which I do by making a hot sugar syrup and slowly adding it to the eggs as they whip but can also be done by heating the eggs and sugar together over a warm water bath until the sugar is dissolved and then whipping the mixture on high. Once it has been whipped, you fold in the flour. Then fold in the oil and milk. Once baked, this cake is fluffy and light and is the perfect base for the trifle.

For a touch of flavour, I usually soak the sponge cake and fruit in a simple syrup with a tot of Brandy or with brandy essence for an alcohol free version. For the custard, I usually use custard powder, sugar and hot milk and cream with an egg yolk or I make the custard from scratch entirely with a combination of egg yolks, milk and cream, sugar and cornstarch. You can use any fruit and since I usually make this during summer I use summer fruits like pineapple, strawberries, blueberry and apples. After layering the fruit over the sponge cake, you add the jelly on top of that followed by the custard and repeat as many times as you'd like or as many times as your serving container will allow. After the final layer, top with one more layer of sponge cake and decorate with whipped cream and fruits. You can also add chocolate shavings and other sweet sauces to the top for flavour and decoration.

For both recipes, although delicious, the biggest part they play in my life is the memory of making them with my mother. Sometimes, relationships with parents can be hard but our happiest memories are always in the situations in which they share activities with us. Baking, painting, woodworking or any other creative activity can often bridge generational gaps between parent and child. Cooking has always been an art of countless histories through recipes that are passed down through the generations. It speaks through memory and history and can teach us about our cultures and connect us to our family history.

The beginning of my food journey started with a love for connecting with my mother and evolved to a love for building a connection with those I share my food with. Clients, family, friends and lovers become a part of us when we learn about their different backgrounds and I have always enjoyed learning favourite foods, different cultural ways of preparing food and how those foods have affected the people I love.

So, my question to you is what are some of your favourite childhood recipes? Let me know!