Mr Ong told me to see if i could write a little pastry passage for him on any desserts; thought about it for a long time and decided on Eclairs, here goes the 2nd version:
Eclairs. Chocolate covered pastry with fresh cream within. I remember the first time my mummy bought an eclair for me. It was at Parkway Yamaha, I just had my very first lesson in Ballet. I was in my pink leotard and frilly skirt. She came up to me with a white paper box in her hands, with a great smile, she lifted the cover of the white box. The whiff of the cold chocolate fragrance made my little face light up. I peeped into the box , and saw three inviting eclairs. In my excitement, I took one of the eclairs, and took my first bite. The fresh cream oozed into my mouth, it was a cold and sugar tantalizing moment. The cream blended well with the chocolate topping, it felt like pure sweetness. The cold cream and that slight tinge of saltiness in the pastry lingered in my mouth as I gobbled up the rest of the eclair. I greedily looked at the other two pieces in the white box, but I knew that they are meant for my sister and my brother. I refrained myself from asking for another, but from then onwards, I looked forward to every ballet class. It was pure joy and sweetness at that moment, and there was no guilt of over indulgence within me. Years later, many other desserts came along the way and stole my attention away from eclairs. Till I had once more another taste of my good old eclairs. It was in my baking class that I enrolled in. They were conducting a lesson on chocolate fudge cakes, and also chocolate eclairs. I got really excited, and all the memories of the eclairs came flowing back into me. I stood there in the middle of the classroom, looking anxiously at how the teacher, stirred in the chocolate cream. She carefully explained to us about the pastry, and how it needs to be meticulously baked so that it will not lose the puffiness in the pastry. It was a whole lot of work for a little eclair. Finally the pastry was done, we all helped to fill the cream within the pastry and lastly to spread the layer of chocolate on top of it before placing it in the chiller to cool.
I sat down, and waited patiently for the eclairs to be ready. The eclairs were soon ready, and we were asked to try them. I looked at the little eclairs, and took a bite.
That little bite, felt different. It was the same sweetness that filled my mouth, but that same sweetness tasted much more than what I remembered. There was a pinch of nostagia in that bite, the fresh cream, the tangy salt in the pastry, the sweetness of the chocolate topping. At that moment, i felt like i was zapped back into the past; there i was again. Standing in my pink leotard and frilly skirt and biting into the eclairs. And now all around me were memories. I suddenly realised that when I was a little girl, in my little world, there could never be too much pastries, sweets or desserts. There will be no tooth fairies that come and steal my decayed tooth for eating too much. There was no fear of over-indulgence and no worries. It was like a dream land, where eclairs were everywhere, growing on trees, they were on flowers, and floating like little banana boats along the river of chocolate.
Expounded from this my first version:
Whenever mummy wanted me to smile, she knows what makes me smile. It
was after my ballet classes at yamaha parkway.. In my little pink
leotard, n frilly skirt, i look forward to that moment.. When u bite
into that eclair n your month oozes with the feeling of the cold
cream.. I will always make fun and open wide my mouth to show my mum.
With the chocolate topping on top of the pastry, it felt like pure
sweetness to me, at that time there was no guilt of over indulgence..
It was jus pure joy in that moment, when i delight myself in that
eclair! Just the thought of biting into that soft pastry with the
cream n the chocolate makes my heart skip. Whenever i finished one, i
will always ask my mummy for one more.. Just one more.. It made me
happy n that at that moment forget what my teacher had to say about my
posture, my poise. Somehow eclairs are fun to eat, with three
different fillings in your mouth, you taste the cream with the
chocolate n a tinge of tangy salt to finish the taste on the pastry.
In my world.. There are tonnes of sweets.. And there will no tooth
fairies that steal my decayed tooth for eating too much sweet stuff,
there will be no worries, cos eclairs are everywhere, growing on
trees, as flowers, floating like little banana boats on the river of
chocolate.. They are everywhere...
Jewel
Labels: Chocolate Eclairs
