(This week, I have revisited my old post about the Tarte Tatin & photographed each process. Please click this text to have a look!)

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I own many many cookbooks. English, French & Japanese. I have formulated a very strong idea of what a cookbook should be like. I know what works, what doesn’t.

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One of the ‘major’ features that every cookbook should have is, that it HAS TO have a picture of the finished product with ‘every’ recipe. It is a total ‘must’. Otherwise how would the reader know how it is supposed to look like at the end, or even muster the will of making it in the first place?! I tell you, so many western cookbooks are stingy with photography. Soo dissapointing. There’s even books with black & white photographs - to save on the CMY of the CMYK. It makes the food look unappetizing. What’s the point? Or worst still, the relevant cake picture is not next to the recipe page! How unfunctional! For someone like me, who takes a cookbook to bed to read, & fantasize each recipe being cooked out (how sad am I), pictures must be there to do it to me (D calls it my ‘food-porno’).
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Now, the Japanese cooking books - they are the gems (yes, I am biased). They’d always have the picture of the product by the recipe. It’s always a perfectly fuctional shot of the whole cake too - not arty-fartied-up with blurring & cropping in an odd way to make it look trendsy. Not only that, most Japanese cooking books have ‘the process’ pictures depicting each stage of the recipe. At a glance, you’d know what is involved. It truly is my best source of ‘food porno’…
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I realized that I’d like to do such approach to my recipes in my blog too. So this week, I have revisited my old post about the Tarte Tatin & photographed each process. Have a look. I plan to revisit my other recipes in my blog & do ‘process-images’ for them too.
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This week:

My son is not adapting to the new arrangement of going to nursery very well - hates it infact, and gives a right old tantrum when we try to leave the house for it. I have been at the nursery with him everyday, waiting in the parent-room, & then get pulled in to the classroom when my son is distressed. - It’s tough for the kiddo y’know - he’s always been looked after by me, or if I’m working, by his grandparents - he’s maybe been looked after once or twice by his best friend’s mummy, that’s all, which is different because he knows her & has his best friend to play with. - I mean, I’d find it super-stressful if I was unknowingly thrown in to the nursery with 50 new faces! Go go my little kiddo! I know he’d shine there once he settles in…, just takes time that’s all…

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This year I will be making a 3 tiered wedding cake. No no, it’s not for me, it’s for my market stall friend Sue’s daughter. The wedding is in May, so it is plenty of time ahead, but being of a slightly panicky character, I’ve been thinking about it rather a lot - I just had to get the test bake done to rest my mind by knowing what is involved. A wedding cake must be Perfect with a capital P, no slip ups allowed, & certainly not a sorry ‘leaning tower of Pisa’.

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The design came about after intensively conversing with the client. The brief from the onset was to create a chocolate wedding cake. Chocolate, totally my forte! Additional specs were for it to be simple, no fancy decoration, & to fit on top of a 12 inch cake stand they wish to use. Oh, & it has to travel to Wales!

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The result was this. A chocolate pound cake with raspberry & dark ganache layers, covered with white chocolate glacage. There are white couverture chocolate rectangles stuck all around the side. The rectangular slats are super shiny as it is hand-tempered.

The advantage of doing slats is that the cake can be neatly cut in to equal pieces when plating out to the guests. Also, I can make these slats well in advance, which would take the pressure off a great deal. I’m going to supply extra slats as reserves, just incase some snap on journey to Wales - although I really think it’ll be okay because I will be making these slats rather thick.
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Each tier will be supplied in seperate boxes, for safer transport. They will then have to stack it up on location themselves. Each tier will be balancing on the wooden plinths poked in to the cake (as in the picture above) which is very snugly secure.

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I’m just so happy I did the test bake. So many lessons to be learnt came to light:

- Like how on conception, I was invisaging a ribbon around each tier to keep the slats bound together - but now I know that the glacage acts really well as a ‘glue’ to hold the slats in place & it’s pretty solid. I tried a ribbon around it, & it just took away the beautiful simplicity from it all.

- Another lesson was that it was difficult to cut it in to pieces because the slats were overlapping each other & I could not run the knife down unless I brake the slats in to pieces. So I must not overlap, which is a shame, I really like it as is. I’m afraid that if it were just jutting next to each other there will be inevitable & ugly gaps appearing. I need to work on a solution for that.
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This week I’m in a right old moany mood.
I’ve been helping a family friend sell her stuff on ebay as she is moving house. Not fun at all, answering too many questions from the potential bidders & each time having to phone her n’ ask. And she keeps digging out more stuff for me to sell for her. My heart is not in it atall, & I can’t wait to start my stall so I have an excuse to get out of this…

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On Tuesday night, we had to take our son to the hospital emergency room. He was breathing fast, sometimes tensing his body & even holding his breath for a few seconds. Soon the shivering started & his lips went blue which got us really worried. We hurried to the accident & emergency room, & while waiting to see the doctor, his temperature went shooting up high. The nurse gave him a paracetamol, which helped calm the temperature. We waited for almost 4 hours (which really gets me - there just aren’t enough doctors around!). During which I had to hear a man groaning in agony from behind the curtain because he can’t pee, & were stuck next to a chatty self-harming woman who has probably been there too many times. When we saw a doctor I was so thankful & appreciative, like I was seeing God. After examination, the doctor told us our son has tonsillitis. We were so relieved to know it was nothing serious… But they could not give us the prescription medicine because their pharmacy is shut over night. I mean, come on, what’s that all about hey? We want to give the medicine to our child there & then thanks…

(Lemon cream & frangipane tart - white chocolate lettering)

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How Saturday 23rd went:

I made roughly twice as much stuff than usual anticipating good sales - & yes! just as I hoped, the big cakes & the chocolates went in no time! I had stacks of pre-made chocolate boxes (twelve truffles inside) & I managed to sell-out on them by 11.30 in the morning. The ‘flourless chocolate cake’ (which I made 12 of) went by 2pm. Along with pretty much all the other big cakes & tarts. I also had the pre-orders from my regulars. Truly amazing! So happy!

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Except my little items such as individual slices of cakes were slow on the uptake. To my annoyance I realized that I should have allocated the time making those to making more chocoates instead… (mental note for next year). So despite all that selling I had so much left, I ended up shouting; ‘End-of-day sale on cakes! Cake Discount!!’ (which, my technique is to look left & right for potential punters first, but never look at them as I say it because it’ll make them feel especially targeted & therefore make them feel uncomfortable…). I really, really hate shouting discount… (but I have to - my efforts that went on til 3am would go down the drain otherwise). It scratches at my pride & it invites petty hagglers to sneer over my produce. Like offer £1 for a tart that is priced £9, which I very politely tell ‘em to stop joking and move on.

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The market itself was not as busy as I imagined though. Non-food stalls seemed to have a slow start. Most shoppers had a mission as it was the last few days to Christmas & was not cruising down the street like they normally do. Now that I think of it, I realize that this was the reason why my slices weren’t selling so well - the ‘cruisers’ who eat as they walk down the market weren’t around.
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What I truly love about working at the market is that I can fully experience the spirit of the festive season. Everyone wishes ‘Merry Christmas’ to one another. And when I say ‘Merry Christmas’ to the customers, I see their faces light up several notches & seem to take pleasure in repeating it back to me. The friendly market manager went around giving cups to all the stall holders for a swig of whisky: ‘Here, have that. Drink up in one go! It’ll warm you up.’ And it did. - There were also some customers who were festively loose with their purse s trings too - telling me to keep the change! Thank you!
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So, here we are, another Christmas. How will you be spending yours? For me, it’ll be about opening the presents that’s been patiently waiting underneath the Christmas tree in the hallway & then cooking up the celebration dinner from the morning. We’ll start the dinner from late afternoon. We’ll be feasting on the roast beef joint I bought from Richard at the market (a couple of stalls to my left), the good ol’ brussel sprouts, roast potatoes, home-made yorkshire puds… & lots of bubbly which has the power of making me deliriously happy than any other drink can do.

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Merry Christmas 2006!

L.o.v.e, t xxx
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“Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”

(Quote by Oren Arnold)

Quick message from Germany! How are you all doing? I’ve spent all today wondering about the market… How was the weather in London this Saturday?? I wonder if it rained like here in Hamburg…

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Holiday: pretty cool - mostly been seeing friends & family & going shopping in amazing shops like Manufactum where they sell seriously the ‘best’ quality household goods they picked from around the world - There I bought a selection of Bonnat Chocolate Bars which seem much cheaper than in UK (Bonnat’s one of the best makers around), the most beautiful French Coffee Bowls (now I can drink coffee like those French films!), a can opener that cost me twenty pounds (it better be good!), an aluminium ice cube tray (which D insisted on buying as he used it when he was a child & that it is ‘the best’) & some other little objects like a kitchen sink strainer. It may not sound exciting for some people I’m sure, but for me this shop is heaven. Any product from here is a winner.

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Food: many many happy mugs of Glühwein at the outdoor Christmas Markets (getting red cheeked from the alcohol & the cold), & sausage n’ bread rolls from stalls. We’ve been scoffing on Germknödeln with cherries & vanilla sauce, & Baumkuchen. Also bought two different types of Stollen to take home.

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Anyway, I’ll be back in England on Monday & will be back at Broadway Market on this coming Saturday 23rd! Hope to see you there! Love, t xxx

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Note: I seem to be having problems with how this page layout looks in some of the browsers… I know that on Apple’s Safari (1.2.3 v125.9) the left column decides to live underneath the main text at the bottom of the page… If you are experiencing similar or any other layout problems, & using a different browser than mentioned, could you PLEASE email me & let me know of which browser you are using & what version? I would very much appreciate it! Thanks!

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Last Saturday:

Beautifully sunny. I wanted to get there early - we always arrive there a bit late than desired (around 9:30) & I fear that I miss out on some of the early customers, the types that seem to have a shopping mission like for a party that night & are looking to buy big cakes.

So the alarm clock goes off at 7am. To my devious pleasure, it was my turn to wake my toddler up - normally it’s the other way around, with him tapping my face continuously & to my annoyance until I wake up from my deepest of sleep that my body needs more of.

The plan was to leave at 8, but it ends up being 8:30. Getting him dressed, brushing his teeth (which is currently a nightmare with tears), getting myself ready, eat a bit of breakfast, loading the goods in to the car… D drives everytime, bless him - he only complained only once within this last year, & that was when he was fed up after a careless car hit his rear lights while stopping at a signal.
Once there at the market (where the stall structure is already up & is supplied with the table), it takes 30 minutes to set up my goods. I had a big puffa coat on, which makes me look like a Michelin Man, a Mini Me version of, but it’s difficult to move my arms efficiently, so for the ’set up’ I took it off. I was moving around anyway so I didn’t feel too cold.

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BUT, from around 12 I started to feel ill. My throat hurt & I was hotting up. Drowsiness & feverishness. I ask for the strongest medicine from the pharmacy. My ears started to ring, & at this point I thought I might faint (which, my close friends & family would tell you is quite commonplace - I’ve fainted in clubs, bars, pubs & on the street… although these were due to alcohol & lack of food in the stomach! Just one glass at the wrong time can do it).

I ask Bart, my stall neighbour on my left to help me with the stall. Such a nice guy. Chef/ owner Rogerio from Armadillo made me hot lemon & honey. But by 3pm I was still not feeling any better & Zita urges me to call D for help. He was at Barbican which is not so far away, so he came to the rescue straight away. He helped me pack up, & we left with still quite a few items left.

By the time we were in the car, I had lost my voice completely - which D jokes is actually rather nice for a change! Pah!

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This week, I’d like to write about how my week goes:

Monday & Tuesday & Wednesday:

We go to Mother & Toddler Groups. Monday & Wednesday is to the English one, & on Tuesday it is a Japanese one where we get to sing songs, & do many other Japanesey activities. This way our Kids can experience a Japanese environment to not to forget its language & culture.

Wednesday night:

After my Kid goes to sleep, I do some chocolate work such as tempering & molding the mendiants. I also fiddle about with various bits & bobs like prepare the food trays, get the bags ready, etc. It’s usually 9pm to 11pm.
Thursday afternoon:

We go shopping for the fresh ingredients like raspberries, eggs, butter, cream. I go with my Kid, & it is fun but slightly stressful. He is at a stage where he wants to ‘help‘ me, y’know ‘be mummy’s little helper‘ (which is sweet), but infact I worry that he might knock a glass jar from the shelf. Or start putting all sorts in to the trolly until its madness. There is me shouting his name loud, trying to keep control… So mumsy, I know… I remember wincing at ‘em mums when I was young & single, thinking ‘Can’t you control your own kid’ & ‘I’ll never be like that when I become a mother’. *Just wait til you’ve got kids…*
- After that the tart dough is made & clingfilmed for the vital fridge-rest for atleast 6 hours. I also pipe & roll the ganache for the truffles. It is kept in the fridge so that I can temper the chocolate for coating them at night.
Thursday night:

Once D sends our Kid to sleep, the kitchen marathon begins (I find that it really is a sport - my kitchen is designed badly & I end up circling the table in the middle of the room - just like the film ‘Kitchen Stories‘). I roll the tart casings, make the Gateaux Basque dough, prepare the tins for the chocolate cakes, etc.
Friday:

My parents look after my child. They tend to get out of the house & go to a shopping centre like Brent Cross, to Activity Centres, or go to a park from the morning. I am very lucky. I know it & I appreciate it. I can bake without interuption. When they return home around 2pm, my Kid is happily napping in the car seat after a good day out, who I then lift out of the car slowly & carry to bed.
- My day is spent whipping up a storm in the kitchen. It’s usually 9am to 12pm (with lunch & dinner breaks inbetween).

Saturday:

Market 9am - 4pm. Most of the time I go straight home, but once in a while I might have friends who would visit me & we have a drink in the local called The Dove which is on the market street. Or visit friends’ place for a bit with D & Junior.
Sunday:

The weekend day. We tend to make the most of it & do family stuff like go to a nice park together… I would prefer to have a Sunday-lie-in but it’s just impossible with our Kid waking us up early & promptly no matter what… *sigh*…

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Last Saturday’s trade:

Business felt slow - there just wasn’t as many people - the man from the French cafe opposite my stall says it is because of the school half term. I had tonnes left still at 2pm. In the end I stayed til 5pm. But every cloud has a silver lining, I sold everything without giving any ‘end-of-day-discount’ except for two slices of cake, so I was tired but smiling. Sometimes I wish I was selling non-food products like clothes that can be brought back again to sell the next week - but all my items are freshly made - I need to sell them on the day, otherwise it’s a loss (well… not a complete loss… it just goes in to my stomach that evening!)
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This week’s post is about the people I meet at the market who have become special in my heart:
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A few stalls to my left, there is the ‘Ladybird Lady‘ who sells secondhand Ladybird books & other little found gems. She would source cooking books, children’s books & cake plates I might like & would just give them to me. Not only that, she would buy cakes from my stall when I’m having a bad day, & would genuinely worry for me if I was not there one week. Her daughter is getting married next year & I will be making her wedding cake (chocolate of course!). It’s such an honour to be able to make a cake for such an important occasion in someone’s life.
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Next to the Ladybird Lady is a stylish Danish lady who sells vintage Danish items. In principle, I try not to buy from the market for myself so as not to spend the money I worked so hard to earn. But, that said, there are some items that you just fall in love with at first sight, it ‘rocks your boat’ & you just have to get. You just know that if you don’t, you’d be thinking about it all week, & you’ll be getting it the next week anyway. - So I bought a plate by a famous artist/ painter/ ceramist by Bjørn Wiinblad (who was a chief designer for Rosenthal), the title of the plate is ‘tea for two‘, perfect for serving biscuits on. (I have my eyes on another item by him, which is a set of wall plaques depicting a couple’s journey through January to December, first meeting during snow sledging, falling in love & then finally the woman giving birth. A bit too girly? I especially like December plaque because that’s the month I had my child too!).
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Then there is Richard the farmer meat seller two stalls to my left. We once exchanged cake to steak meat - which I cooked as ‘Steak au Poivre‘ as recommended by the French guy Bruno from the cheese stall behind me.

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My stall neighbour to my right is Kim who sells her handmade bags & cards (I buy my girlfriends bags & birthday cards from her which are always popular with them). Whenever we both get a moment of free time we chat all sorts. It was through Kim’s kindness & her partner’s willingness that I had the chance to do work experience in a pastry department at a five-star hotel over the Summer this year. - Just think of what your ‘dream‘ work experience would be, & that’s what I did! A chance to see how the top professionals go about using their just refurbished high-tech kitchen (they had two ovens the size of an American-fridge, & a shock-freezer room bigger than the size of an average living room). I saw to what extent they would cream the butter before incorporating the sugar. I got to get hands on experience creating beautiful & delicate French pastry. But ah, & also how seriously cold the pastry department was kept at (very low temperature for optimum condition to work the dough & the crèmes, & to do chocolate art.- I wore short sleeve chef jacket & I was shivering all the time…).

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My fix(es) of coffee are from the French Cafe L’eau à la Bouche opposite me - they would use proper porcelain cup & saucer for me to take to my stall table - because I don’t like sipping from plastic lids if I can avoid it. Drinking good coffee with a proper cup, such little luxuries bring happiness to my day there.
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Our market manager Louise is like a mother figure to all - she was so kind to me when my money till was stolen (I was stupid to have had a till on the table in the first place)… I was so shook up when I realized it was gone… The market boys took control & looked after my stall while I had the sinful ciggie (that I quit five years ago) with Louise to calm myself…
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Down the other end of the market, there is my friend Zita who sells fashionable clothes. Our sons are good buddies & they have the greatest fun scooting fast with their ‘Like-A-Bikes’.

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Then there are the customers who will hang around & chat with me & keep me entertained. That’s the coolest thing about the market - people are so much more at ease & enjoy shopping & approach the seller to find out more about what they are buying! - There is also a sense of community with so many locals using the market too. Regular faces showing up just to give me a feedback on their last week’s purchase from my stall. - Another aspect is the exchanging of the regular ‘hello’s & the typical market banter with other stall holders. It makes me think I’m in Eastenders drama.

- And when my friends would journey to come to see me at the stall, well it completes the icing on the cake.

Welcome to Coco&Me blog. I plan to post the first entry this weekend…