July 16th, 2007

Would Voldemort prefer rich tea or custard creams?

harry.jpg(Am I wrong or are these book covers pretty bad??)

.

(Note: this post would only interest Harry Potter fans.)

.

A bit of light-entertainment this week:

In the run up to the highly anticipated last-ever Harry Potter novel coming out, there sure is a H.Potter fever in the air. I’m getting my copy sent to me via amazon – so come the morning of July 21st (release date), no doubt I’ll be waking up early to run downstairs, in my PJ’s, to see if the parcel has arrived, maybe a bit like a little kid on Xmas day. Oh! Can’t wait!

.

I found a hilarious online discussion on the UK amazon site, titled ‘Would Voldemort prefer rich tea or custard creams?‘. The very idea of Voldy relaxing with milky tea & biscuits (is he a dunker?) had me in stitches. Anyway, the discussion goes on for 11 pages, so I just copy & paste the first page of it, to give you a taster. Get ya self tea & several biccies & enjoy reading!
.

x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x .. x

.

Mr. Derri P. H. Stephens says:
I think Voldemort would be the kind of gut who eats custard creams, and he is deffinately a dunker.
And believe there is some evidence in CoS that proves he would rather a Maryland cookie to a Jammy dodger.
.


John Goddard says:Rich Tea biscuits are a creation of pure evil. They hold out the expectation of a biscuit, but deliver a dry and shrivelled result. Surely Voldermort would therefore keep the custard creams for himself and provide Rich Tea biscuits for the death eaters…
.


Daniel Roach says:

Voldemort is the personification of pure evil. It would therefore lead us to believe that although custard creams do have all the qualities of a biscuit a dark lord would indeed be suited to, they do not hold a candle to thier darker cousins…… the bourbon cream. Rich and pure in flavour, yet with a vile after-taste and disapointing air of being a factory staff room biscuit, the bourbon cream by name gives itself an air of elegance which would be apt as Voldemort hails from pure blood, tho is by muggle born. The bitter aftertaste can also pay dues to Voldemorts bitter and twisted persona, whilst the bourbon cream also holds rank as the darkest of the biscuit family.
.

Anna Leeming says:
I agree with this. Rich Tea are not the kind of biscuit a Dark Lord would eat – after all, they are very bad for dipping (see Peter Kay at the MEN) – and he would be more likely to provide them for the less worthy of his followers while indulging in something which involves far more chocolate.

.

Mary -Ann says:
You`re all way out. It`s got to be a Jacobs cracker, a nice piece of stilton , & a glass of unicorns blood !!!

.

Harry C. Young says:
I would think he liked ginger newts because he disasscociates himself with anything muggle.

.

D. Halliwell says:That is so funny John… i have had to pick myself off the floor i was laughing so much…nice one

.

Alice says:
This is a really crummy thread, it takes the biscuit in my opinion!
Maybe Voldy would like cockroach clusters!
Hmmmm, we never see Voldy eat, except snake venom from Nagini milked by the fair hand of Wormtail!

.

Weasley Fan says:
I don’t think Voldemort would like any biscuit with a soft centre! He seems more of a Hobnob guy to me. I can just see him sitting there with a steaming mug of Unicorn’s blood, wearing his fluffy Dementor slippers! :o )

.

P. M. Fernandez says:
Nobody in their right mind could possibly prefer Rich Tea to anything!
Voldemort is not in his right mind.
Therefore he prefers Rich Tea.

.

Amber R. Wahidi says:
What if he doesn’t see the point in eating. Senses all not in tack. Taste not being there.

.

Ms. V. Lovatt says:
Voldemort seems like a luxury biscuit nibbler to me. The sort of twisted evil person that dunks ‘n’ munches his way through an entire packet of Cadburys Double Chocolate Cookies without offering you a single one, leaving you to lick your fingers and hoover up the crumbs when he’s not looking. I should imagine the biscuits are accompanied by a lovely cup of milky Camp coffee to dunk the biccies in. He probably has Pettigrew go fetch him some from the local Happy Shopper, lest he intergrate with the lowly Muggles. “Wanna biccie, wanna wanna wanna biccie NOW!!!!” (oh, hold on, thats Terry Pratchett)

.

Mevance says:
lol @ biscuits I like a wee rich tea biscuit does this make me a death eater/slytherin?

.

Emily says:
Oh Mr Derri P.H. Stephens..how you mock me! I stated I believe Voldermort would prefer rich teas to custard creams because:
1. I believe he is a ‘man’ (if indeed a man can be a man with a broken soul) with traditional tastes.
2. He does not have a lot of time to eat (his days are full of killing people, cursing people, planning evil things, etc) and anything other than a rich tea is likely to stick in his teeth and cause him to have to use a large amount of energy picking bits out of his teeth (the oats from hobnobs, the jam from the dodgers).
3. He is a man who ‘the whole’ is very important too (other than with regards to his soul)and a custard cream has a tendency to break in two.
4. He has long straggely fingers with very long nails that I feel would find it difficult to pick up and handle a custard cream – a rich tea is a easier biscuit to pick up for those with floppy fingers.
5. There are many varieties of custard cream (e.g. tesco, tesco value, asda, sainsbury’s, morrisons, happy shopper, etc) and so you never know quite what you’re going to get… whereas a rich tea is just a rich tea…Voldermort would hate to not know what was coming and what to expect…he is a man who likes to be ready…he likes to always be one step ahead.
6. Voldermort would sound like a pansy if he asked for a ‘custard cream’ whereas a ‘Rich tea’ is quite a masculine choice I feel.
And finally….
7. Voldermort has a new body now which he needs to take care of…as far as I’m aware custard creams are not sold in 25% less fat versions whereas Rich teas are…Voldermort needs to remember his new figure when he is making his biscuit choices. It would be no good if in the middle of the final duel with Harry, he died just because he couldn’t run away fast enough due to the consumption of two too many full fat custard creams!!So there we have it…Voldermort would prefer a rich tea to a custard cream.

.

Googleplex says:
No….He’ll find all those special, vintage or relegiously special buiscuit, then eat them quickly, not favouring the taste by purpose- in front of whoever they are most important to…

.

Emily says:
Yes but other biscuits have a tendency to ‘crumb’ whereas the grain of a rich tea is as such that it only causes a light powdering when first bitten in to….Voldermort would not look so ‘frightening’ and intimidating with a big bit of hobnob oat, digestive crumb, smudged custard, etc, on his lip!!.


Mevance says:
In reply to J. Vaidya I agree it would be a religious biscuit for voldermort. The only thing however I can think of is a bun a hot cross one.

.

Ms. V. Lovatt says:
What about a Cow biscuit? Not too bad on the crumb front, just that weird biscuit sludge you get at the bottom of your cup of tea. But he could vanish that with a flick of his wand, I’m sure. They are also pretty old skool, a way for Voldemort to sit and relax, reminiscing about zee good old days. Although the cup of milky tea could spoil his image. (but the mug could have an evil slogan printed on it- something like “I enjoy killing people” or “This mug belongs to a violent wizard with psychotic tendencies” that sort of thing to balance it out.)

.

Mevance says:
A cow biscuit..? I don’t remember them…I hav however consumed a fair few NICE biscuits in my time… mmmmm coconutty. I think Voldy would have a mug with ‘muggle free zone’ written on it

.

Emily says:

Interesting suggestion…on a wizard version of a cow biscuit, would the cow move around the biscuit, often leaving the frame of the biscuit?

.


Googleplex says:
he probably has some sort of weak side, so he might like those soft gingerbread biscuits you get in m&s with the thick icing- but he would change it so it looked like his sign- so that he can explain it away if any death eater (or JKR) walks in…

.

Emily says:
And perhaps whilst sat by the light of his wand and the flickering of the fire in the hearth, with his mug of tea and evening biscuit, his ‘slippered’ feet would be those big gorilla feet slippers or perhaps Homer Simpson slippers?

.

Emily says:
And perhaps he would appear to be reading ‘101 ways to kill someone with your eyes closed’ but inside the book he would have the latest copy of the Daily ‘Wizard’ Star hidden…checking out the hot witches on page 3 or ‘Woman’s Weekly’ which he has a subscription to for the knitting patterns???

.

(Wanna read more? Read the rest at this link!) Credit to all these witty comment writers!!

July 2nd, 2007

I have a dream

hwcafe.jpg(Housing Works Used Book Cafe in New York is operated by volunteers, & the profits are used exclusively to help the homeless & people with HIV/AIDS. The welcoming environment has towering bookcases with new, rare, & dog-eared books. There’s plenty of comfy places to sit, & it has brilliant cafe serving drinks, cakes, snacks, & warm food. Good cause, good design.)

.

… x … x … x … x … x … x … x … x … x … x … x … x… x

.
Let me share with you today my friends, my dream.

.

I have a dream that one day I own my very own shop. It’s an idea I’ve been toying with ever since my passion for chocolates & pastry became obsession.

.

Exact ideas of it keeps changing, no, more like evolving.

.

First it was a 100% chocolate shop selling my handmade bonbons/ truffles alongside the best & largest collection of chocolate bars from around the world lining one wall. I thought of tricks like “Top 10 Bars of the Month” & “Coco&Me Reccommendation” panels just like what you’d see done in large bookstores, & to make brands compete. I imagined it as the ultimate hub for serious chocolate lovers in London where they don’t have to sift through inferior brands to find the gems. – The working kitchen would be visible from the shop so that the customers understand straight away that the bonbons by the counter are all properly handmade. There’ll be me, moulding chocolate shapes in this kitchen, & I could organise demonstrations & workshops to be held there too. – The shop will also have a small cafe area to serve the best hot chocolate in town, & plated desserts such as warm chocolate souffle served with cacao nib clotted cream ice cream. – The shop decor would be :: clean but warm & comfy like visiting grandma’s old kitchen, slightly scandinavian in design, lots of quality wooden furniture, with original shaker stove with it’s black pipe work dominant.
.
As my passion for pastry became too prominent for me not to ignore, the shop idea evolved to also serving cakes, etc. I would display the cakes just like I do at the market – on one long table. In the ideal world, I would live above the shop a-la “Chocolat” the movie. No wasting time with commuting in to work, & I’d also be able to be around to see my kid grow while I work.
.

Then my fascination tentacles started to touch the subject of Tea & Coffee that I’d want to serve in my cafe. First off, I bought two dozen tea types from Whittards online (darjeeling, kenya, keemun, assam, lapsang souchong, white tea, etc). As I go through my stock of teas that will last me for many years to come, I read up several books on tea (about origins, how to pour the best cuppa, & how to appreciate each flavour).

.

Next, I wanted to learn how to do latte-art, so I bought this fantastic book from amazon.co.jp called 女性トップバリスタが教えるエスプレッソ&コーヒー which has a teaching DVD of a barista showing you how to draw with the milk foam, aswell as the correct way of making different types of coffee with different equipments (ie: filter, syphon, etc). I really think that if a cafe served their cappuccino like the pictures below, you’ll be the talk of town for sure!

latteart.jpg(This latte art design is called rosetta)

kikicoffee.jpg(Any Miyazaki fans recognise this? Yup, this most amazing art is ‘Kiki’ (Japanese animation character), drawn with a tip with melted chocolate. – It’s to be found at the cafe of Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, Japan. They also draw other famous Ghibli characters on your coffee, such as Nausicaä, Raputa & Totoro!)

.

Anyway, to cut this rather long blog-post short, I’ll fast forward away all the other ideas I’ve been pondering on, & write about my most recent idea for my shop.

.

The idea came when I saw an article on Housing Works Used Book Cafe in New York (see picture of cafe at the top of this post). First off, I fell in love. It’s the sort of place I would L.O.V.E to go to – even on my own. And that’s mighty special because I’m a sort of person that just CAN NOT go places alone because I’d be too conscious with the other people in the room, I just won’t be comfortable.
.

When I found out about the HW cafe, I felt instantly that this was the ‘plus alpha’ that I was looking for. Y’know, that ‘something’ that makes a place special. I can imagine running a small patisserie in a used book shop. I love books, I wanna be surrounded by books, & the more I think about it, I really think that secondhand books are the way to go, what with today’s consumers are so much more conscious in terms of recycling!
.

Currently, I’m pondering wether it should primarily be a “library” with a purchase option, if the customer decided to buy the book instead of borrowing it. I think I prefer it that way. Yess, a library with a very tasty patisserie/ cafe/ tea room! – I love that the Housing Works’ profits goes to a worthy cause, I myself personally donate to three organizations every month since 2 years ago, & I’ll want to duplicate their ethos & put the profits from the library part to a charity too.
.

To be honest, there’s so much I want to do – I want to serve full english breakfast in the morning, I wanna do ‘afternoon tea sets’, I want to serve alchohol & open late in the evening, like til 2am. I’d organise events & workshops. I’m imagining the cafe to be a self-service style – they get a tray & I serve them from behind the counter. Easy style. It’ll be a quiet, cozy place with varied selection of books, where there’ll be comfy armchairs & proper desks to work on. Oh, & most importantly, clean bathrooms!

.

Reality check:

I know that now is not the right time to make this a reality. Right now, I have a much more important project at hand: being a mummy to my little kiddo. I’m up to my neck with life as is now, so how could I possibly add any more projects?! I don’t know anything about running a proper business, & I certainly haven’t a budget for it! And so even though today & tomorrow, it won’t happen, I will like to think that I’m in the ‘process’ toward it. So with this faith, let me ponder away til then & keep on dreaming!

June 5th, 2007

Wedding cake update

Coco&Me wedding cake picture

(Picture supplied by the happy couple, beautifully presented to me in a picture frame!)

.

This week I was given some photographs of the wedding cake I made several weeks ago, together with a very touching thank you card. So here’s one of the pic minus their faces. Notice the cute fimo figures on the top? The clever groom made it himself!! Everyone, one two three, ‘Ahhh…’! I’m so happy it travelled well all the way to Wales, & that the tiers withstood being stacked up during their wedding day. It doesn’t look like the leaning Tower of Pisa like I nightmared about atall! Yay!
.

Last Saturday at the market

… was H.O.T. And I find it’s extra hot under the plastic tarpaulin which covers our stall roofs. I was ‘baking’!

.

The line up of the things I make has changed a bit because of the weather change too. The handmade chocolates have long gone from the line-up for the mo, what with chocolate starting to melt from something like 19-20 degrees apparently, I’ll probably start making them again in mid-Autumn.

.

Others missing from the table are lemon-cream tarts, & chocolate cream/ ganache tarts, & so, to be honest, right now my stall table is looking rather ‘brown’ (except for the bright colours of the fruit tarts), just full of ‘100% baked’ goods. A ‘baking’ lady selling baked cakes… yup, that’s me for the Summer…

.

PS: by the way, have you tried the new ice cream from Magnum called ‘Equador Dark‘ yet? Next time you’re choosing ice cream at the newsagents, believe me, give it a go. I can promise you it’s rather delish. (I was looking at the Magnum website, & they also have a single origin ice cream called ‘Colombia Aroma’ – has anyone tried this? Sounds good…!)

April 8th, 2007

Happy Easter!

Coco&Me Easter Egg

(Left column: smooth, & crocodile pattern egg moulds. Middle column: the lustrously sheen egg halves prior to packaging. Right column: the final packaged product with label & more chocolate goodies inside!)

.

For this Easter I have managed to make 18 large eggs, & about a 100 solid chocolate bunnies. These are all two-toned – a swirl in one colour, & then another colour to complete the shape. Inside, I have put in a bag of assorted El Rey couverture chocolate buttons, & a chocolate bunny.

.

One day I’d like to write a (lengthy) post about how to make these eggs, as it’s actually not so difficult to make & the satisfaction level goes mile high when the eggs come out of the mould super-shiny, just like how every good quality chocolates should do. You just know that the taste of these chocolate eggs would meets your high anticipation…
.

But for now, I’ll just quickly explain the making process:

.

How to make Easter Eggs:

    • 1. temper chocolate
    • 2. make a swirly pattern in to your (half) egg moulds
    • 3. temper chocolate which is another colour from your swirl
    • 4. pour it in the mould
    • 5. pour back the chocolate from the egg in to your bowl, so that you are essentially left with a coating/ film of chocolate on the mould surface
    • 6. Wait slightly, & then pour again for another coating so that the egg shell becomes thicker
    • 7. When the preferred thickness of the egg shell is achieved, thoroughly let it solidify
    • 8. De-mould. It should come out easily if your chocolate was tempered correctly!
    • 9. Place a bag of sweets, etc in the egg
    • 10. Prepare a flat tray with tempered chocolate, & dip the edge of one side of the egg. Stick the two egg sides together
    • 11. Let it dry completely & then package!

March 25th, 2007

The road to Lewes & the groundhog roundabout

street.jpg

.

This week, I decided to take a break from my hectic schedule. I really needed a break from everyday life, which I do love & enjoy, but also grinds me in to a heap of tired state.

.

So I took this Saturday off. There were no pre-orders for big cakes, & the Easter chocolate fever is yet to come. – We planned to do a day trip to a county town called Lewes (East Sussex. It’s near Brighton), where friends of ours live who had left London last Autumn for a better life there (good thinking!).

.

Leaving the house 10am, & thinking that our car journey would be around 2 hours, we left high spirited. It’s so unusual to have a day off on a Saturday, it felt good to make a proper day out of it. We had our car-nav device which would guide us there no problem.

.

BUT… somehow, we managed to spend almost 3 hours on just getting to Streatham! Still, we drove despite being hit by bad traffic everywhere, I mean in a seriously bad way (which was a test of composure indurance). THEN…, our bad luck got nailed down, as we hit a road closure on our exit on a roundabout. We follow the diversion signs – which brings us back to the same roundabout! Jeez, it did not make sense. The diversion signs were just not good enough – pointing this way, that way. D kept his cool throughout & try another route, but again we were at the same roundabout… We program the car-nav to come up with alternate route. but try as it might, it would try to take us back to this god-damn roundabout a number of times…

.

At this point, we were already driving 4 hours. The thought of another 1 hour drive to get to their house, spend a measly 2 hours with our friends & then face another long long time getting home (with an active toddler strapped in to his car seat), in time for his bedtime…, it would be just plain madness. We U-turned home…

.

« Previous Entries   Next Entries »