Practicing profiteroles

[Tara Sitara]

Taras dream was to open a cafe. so every spare moment she had was spent in the kitchen, making curries, cakes, scones, soups. anything she could. the only constraint was everything was vegetarian. she was really surprised one evening about a month ago when one of her potato curries had been served with dinner. she swore she hardy ate anything that night, instead she watched everyone who ate it. she was pretty sure it had gone down well, since then a couple more of her dishes had appeared on the table. today she was making profiteroles. she had only made profiteroles once before when she was in france last summer. she had ot a copy of many of the recipes they had used. she had had a good experience with the guptas and planned on working for them over the christmas break and over the summer before she started looking for a cafe. she had a piping bag in her hands right now and was piping them onto the baking tray. as she worked she hummed a song that kate her dorm mate had been singing that morning and had it stuck in her head.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

Mima didn't usually do this. She was such a good girl. She never did anything bad like sneak in to the kitchens or go out after hours, didn't talk back to teachers...

...now here she was in the kitchens, looking for something to eat. Mima winced at herself, she didn't need to eat anything, she was just gonna get fat (her brain told her, very unhelpfully), but she was desperate for something sweet and delicious to keep her energy up and to, well, ward off the girly back pain she had been experiencing. She always got a craving for sweet things at this time.

Tugging on her jumper sleeve, Mima looked around the room and spied a familiar face - Tara, a seventh year from her house who she'd spoken to a couple of times over the years but not enough to really get to know. Still, she was a Hufflepuff, and a very nice one at that. Mima sighed in relief. At least she wasn't a teacher or anything.

"Oh, hello Tara!" Mima started, cheerfully. "I um, didn't expect anyone to be in here." She looked down, and saw that the seventh year was piping something on to a baking tray. "Wh-what are you making?" she asked, shyly but pleasantly. She hoped that she wasn't making Tara mad or anything with her intrusion.

 

[Tara Sitara]

at the sound of the door opening behind her Tara turned and saw a girl entering. she had met the girl once or twice around the place, of course she had, being in the same house, and the friendly house together would mean that they had at least met, though they hadn't really talked much before. "Hello Mima, how are you today?" she said her soft indian accent playing lightly at the edges of her words. it wasn't a thick accent seven years in new zealand had thinned it even more but it was still there. "today I am making profiteroles" she said looking down at the near full tray and near empty icing bag. "what are you here for? can i get you a hand with anything" she asked. she had been here often enough by now that she knew where everything was. and the elves had gotten used to here, and now didn't offer her food. and when they did knew not to give her meat.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

((you would not believe how easily distracting werewolf and college combined are ))

Mima smiled, in a much more relaxed manner. Tara was always very serene and kind, Mima hoped that she could be that cool one day. "I'm very well thanks, how are you?" she responded, ever polite. The fourteen year old looked at the pastries that the older Hufflepuff was making. She'd had profiteroles a couple of times before, they were very delicious. She'd never seen them made before, though, so it was interesting to get to see.

"Oh um, I've just...never been down to the kitchens before and..." her voice dropped to an embarassed whisper, "I was just a little hungry. And curious. Mostly curious." She blushed profusely at her own admission. It was hardly becoming of a proper lady, the portrait of her great-aunt would have admonished her, to behave in such a manner. "Do you cook a lot?" she asked, changing the subject.

 

[Tara Sitara]

((don't worry, werewolf took all my muse too and i was only playing and am not back at uni yet either, but a few games ago i was at uni in the library trying to work out the wolf when meant to be studying))

Mima seemed like a very nice friendly girl to Tara, not that it took a lot for tara to like someone. she would like anyone. "It's good to hear that you are well, I am good myself too" she said a indian accent playing at the edges of her voice though seven years in new zealand she had getting used to talking without it. she could see the girl looking at the pastries as she finished the last one. "they shoudn't take too long to cook. then i may need your hand if you want." she said. taking the tray and putting them in the oven before setting a timer byhand. (there were some things she jsut didnt trust to magic) and gleaning the dishes away wih a wave of her wand (there were some things she did).
"you nave never been down here before i should show you around. I am sure the house elves would but they must be flat out with dinner" she said. she new what it was like to be in that position. if she a witch, and her family hadn't sorted things out for her that had since fallen through that would be the best she could hope for as a job, and would likely have been doing it for the last three years. though now she had more opportunities. "here are the ovens obviously. "[/n] she said starting where they were standing where a dozen ovens lined the wall. "those five tables are where the food goes to be sent up to the great hall" she said gesturing to four long tables and one shorter one. and through that door is the biggest store cupboard you could imagine" she said pointing at a pair of wooden doors opposite her. they were silent for a moment before she realised that the girl had changed the topic a few moments earlier "yes, i cook a fair bit as i want to run a cafe when i leave school" she said. it wasn't a big dream, not like saras to be an auror or kate who wanted to be a singer, she would never be in a state to dream big, opining a shop was a big enough dream for her, being employed by one was more where she shoud be. "do you cook much yourself?" she asked the girl maybe she woud make aa new friend today which would be great.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

Mima's eyes widened when Tara suggested that she could help. She'd only ever cooked a couple of times before, Sabrina had figured it was good for the girl to know a few things and so she'd taught her how to bake chocolate cake (which they had shared over tea), and had made pizza with her, and all the sorts of things a big sister (figure) would do with a little sister, really. Still, these looked complicated to make, and Mima didn't want to accidentally mess up Tara's hard work (as her brain so helpfully reminded her, she was likely to mess up). "Ah...if you want help, sure!"

She realised she'd probably shown up at a bad time for the elves, but Tara was kind enough to show her around, which made the young girl feel a lot more at ease. It was fascinating to see all around the kitchen, and see how it worked. The food at Hogwarts was always delicious, and it was really interesting to see where it was all made. Tara stated that she wanted to run a cafe, and Mima was honestly impressed. "That sounds really cool!" she stated, excitedly. "I'll have to visit it when you get it started." She earnestly meant it, too. Mima, only being a fourth year, had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do when she finished school. She didn't feel she had any real talents or skills.

"I haven't really cooked very much before..." she admitted. "It's fun to do, though." She knew she would like to learn to cook more in time, so she could make all sorts of delicious food for herself when she inadvertently went to find a place of her own after she graduated. Living in the Scarlet home was a bit depressing, after all.

 

[Tara Sitara]

Tara could tell that Mima was nervous about helping her. "you should. I need a hand when the come out. they need to be split so the steam is let out before they go soggy, two people can do it a lot quicker" she said, encouraging her to help. she had been brought up with cooking being a social thing. something her whole family (or at least all the females in her family) did together. company was always welcome in the kitchen, though now they still had a few minutes on them. "do you want a drink?" she asked. wondering what had come of her manners, se should have asked before. "of course you should call in. have a drink and something to eat on the house if it ever happens" she said. her friends meant the world to tara. and a drink and some food was nothing in the scheme of things.
Taras natural bubiliness came out when Mima said that she didn't cook much. "now is a great time to start." she said a huge grin crossing her face. "how about i teach you how to make the best chocolate fudge source? it goes brilliantly with the profiteroles, or just on ice cream she said. cooking with a friend was a lot more fun than cooking alone.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

Mima was about to protest, before she closed her mouth and nodded, determination forming on her face. It didn't seem so complicated, and it sounded like a second pair of hands would be useful. She just hoped she wouldn't mess up Tara's hard work. If she'd ever been in the kitchen at home, she'd been told she was getting in the way. It was nice when people like Sabrina and Tara encouraged her to help, it made her feel like she could be useful after all. "Oh! Yes please," Mima replied to the query of if she would like a drink.

Mima was sure Tara would get her cafe, she was such a nice person and she obviously loved food very much, if anyone deserved to succeed it was her. Her eyes widened when Tara suggested they make a chocolate fudge sauce together. "Oh, really? That would be wonderful!" She couldn't wipe the smile off her face - she was going to learn to cook something! That would be a very nice way to spend an afternoon, and it would be useful, too! "What do we do for it?" she asked, enthusiastically clapping her hands together.

 

[Tara Sitara]

Tara could tell that Mima was about to ay now before agreeing to help her. growing up cooking had always been about family ad not necessarily having everything perfect. "what would you like? she asked as she poured herself a watermelon juice and then Mimas request from the row of jugs on the side. "well it is actually a cheats fudge source, but it tastes delicious" she said. she wasn't sure how much exposure the girl had to the muggle world, if she knew what a mars bar was. "it only needs two things, a mars bars and cream" she said in reply to the question. she gestured to the pantry hoping the girl would follow. it didn't take long to find the mars bars once she was inside. the kitchens here always seemed to have whatever you wanted. she had tried recipes with some obscure spices, or other unusual ingredients and they were always there in the pantry. then she picked up a small certain of cream as well as a larger one of whipping cream. "that is all we need to finish them" she said. heading back over to the work station. one of the creams was for the sauce the other was for filling them. some people used custard but that was more because if didn't go off as quick. cream was better. "it is really easy really." she said "you need to cut up these really small" she said. getting out a chopping board and a knife for mima to use. "if you haven't had one before you should try some as you go" she added. a smile on her face, she would talk mima through the sauce and let her make it, it was a fun recipe and hopefully she would likely enjoy it, and it always tasted good at the end. she then poured the whipping cream into a bowl and started mixing.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

"Um. Orange juice, please," Mima asked, politely, thanking Tara kindly after she poured Mima's glass for her. She nodded as Tara explained the sauce - though Mima really had no idea what a mars bar was. They must have been a muggle sweet. Naturally, then, she had no idea where to find them or anything when she followed Tara to the pantry, but at least the older Hufflepuff knew what she was doing. And it only needed cream and these mars bar things. She hoped she wouldn't screw it up, it was simple looking enough.

Mima briefly looked over at Tara who was whipping the cream so efficiently. She grabbed a knife, and carefully began to cut the strange chocolate bars - luckily working in Potions had taught her how to do at least that much reasonably well. They were kind of gooey - Mima was surprised by the caramel being inside them. As she'd never had one before, she supposed it was okay to try a little bit...so she cut off the end of one and popped it in to her mouth. "Oh my gosh!" she spluttered, momentarily forgetting her manners. "These are really delicious!" Muggles knew how to make a good chocolate, apparently. She always lamented the fact that she'd missed out on a lot of muggle things growing up. Sure, she loved the wizarding world, but being the daughter of a stuffy, pure-blooded family meant she really only got to see the wizarding side of things.

Carefully, she cut the rest of them, having to resist the urge to eat some more (or else there'd be none left for the sauce) and then stood back to look over her handiwork. "Alright, so what do we do now?"

((man i really want a mars bar now ))

 

[Tara Sitara]

Tara wasn't really surprised that mima hadn't had a mars bar before. She knew that there was some people who grew up in Wizarding families who knew almost nothing of the muggle world just like she had been a muggle until she was eleven and had known nothing of magic until she was eleven. She smiled when mima said that the mp chocolate was delicious. yes mars bars are pretty good have some more if you want. she said. She didn't have them often when she was growing up as they were not that well off and mars bars were expensive where she lived. But every now an then she would get one as a treat or a tourist would give her one. She continued to whip the great pausing briefly to eat one of the small slices. There was something about mars bars that other chocolate sometimes lacked. "next you need to it it into a pan and pour the cream on it she said reaching a small saucepan from behind her the kind that actually had a lip on it meaning it was designed for liquids. there is no point putting it on the heat yet as the rolls are ready to come out and it is best if the sauce isn't burning" she said as soon as she finished speaking the alarm went off. She had spent enough time in the kitchen to get a good sense of timing. " ready. All you need to do is basically pierce it. To let the steam out. Then put them on one of the cooling racks she said gesturing to the cooling racks that were in the middle of the counter. she then took the trays out of the oven placing one in front of mima and one herself then picked up her own knife. Slitting em each in turn and placing them on her cooling rack.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

Mima couldn't resist snacking on a tiny bit more - though she managed to stop herself from eating too much. They needed some for the sauce, after all. Chocolate itself had been a rare treat for Mima, her mother never had it in the house and Mima hadn't been allowed outside much as a little girl. But she knew how to restrain herself. She was getting better at controlling a lot of things about herself. Mima couldn't help but grin when Tara took a piece of Mars Bar, too. Obviously the older Hufflepuff liked them, and it wasn't just Mima that found them incredibly delicious.

She nodded at Tara's instructions and carefully poured the chocolate in to the saucepan that she was handed, followed by the cream. Luckily they didn't have to put it on yet - and Mima was incredibly impressed by Tara's ability to know the profiteroles were ready before they actually were. She had very quickly gotten the sense that Tara was a very, very good cook, and had a lot of natural talent in the kitchen.

"Okay," Mima muttered in assent as she watched what Tara did first, before doing the same. She stabbed a little awkwardly at first, but she soon got the hang of it, and while she wasn't as fast or efficient as Tara, she seemed to be getting the job done okay. "Did I do it right?" she asked, a little nervously, looking up at the older Hufflepuff for guidance. She hoped she'd done an alright job, the last thing she wanted to do was mess up Tara's hard work.

"H-how..." she began, thinking of the one thing she wanted to ask. "How did you know that cooking and running a cafe was what you wanted to do?" She was only a fourth year, but Mima knew she was getting to the point where she had to have some idea what she wanted to do with her life, and she honestly was at a total loss. Tara seemed to have things under control. Maybe she'd have some good advice.

 

[Tara Sitara]

Tara quickly worked through the profiteroles. she had only made them once or twice when in france and never fully on her own. however these seemed to be working well. though the proof was in the eating. "you did those perfectly, you must be a natural" she said smiling. they would have to stay on the racks to cool before they added the cream. in the meantime they had the sauce to work on. "now we need to put the sauce on a low heat and make sure it doesn't burn" she said moving them over to the cooker. as the cream heated up mima asked her a question. she thought fo a moment. "I didn't. I actually wanted to be an artist. but after some family dramas I realised I needed a more steady job to support my parents and possibly brother." she said thinking back to the summer when she had learned that it was the patils supporting the family so she could marry their son. as that had fallen through they couldn't reply on them and although praneil had promised to support her she knew he had his own family now, a wife and daughter. "then I realised that I liked my art as it brought beauty people couldn't see to them. and although i still love drawing I learned that there are more ways of doing that. food was always something that brought my community together and I guess i liked that feeling and was good at cooking" she said looking down to see the mi was getting warm. she reached for a spoon and gave it a gentle stir. the smell from the mix was mouthwatering.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

Mima blushed slightly at the compliment Tara gave her about working with the profiteroles, it wasn't often she was told she was good at something (especially with her mind constantly reminding her that she was awful and a failure at everything). They put the sauce on to a low heat and Mima nervously kept an eye on it - Sabrina had once said 'a watched pot never boils, Mima', and she kind of understood that, but she didn't want to ruin the sauce. She was sure it would be delicious, after all.

Mima couldn't help but wonder what sort of dramas Tara had had, but she didn't wish to pry. She hoped that things were getting sorted out for her, anyway, and food was a kind of art in itself. She wondered if Tara had considered cake art, because she'd seen some beautiful cakes in shop windows, and her cousins had had really pretty cakes for their birthdays, too. "I'm sure you can do all sorts of great art with food, and without food too! You're really talented, Tara!" She had to admit a small amount of jealousy at having the opportunity to learn what she wanted in life, through all sorts of strife. Mima had been locked up at home and never really experienced much for herself. The sauce smelled really good, that was enough to keep her feeling cheerful for now.

 

[Tara Sitara]

Tara smiled when Mima seemed surprised by the compliment. she could see that the girl was also doing a good job with the sauce so she headed back over to the counter and picked up a rack of the rolls the cream and a piping bag. filling the bag with the cream she started fuilling them through the hole that the knife had made before placing them on a plate. she smiled as Meera said she was talented. and she could do all sorts of great art with food. "Thank you. I hust takes a bit of practice. the summer before last I couldn't make round chapati, and may spaces were never balanced." she said. even now she often heard new mother calling directions to her when she was making indian food. "if you decide on something you want to do. set your mind to it and practice and you will get better"" she said. she had decided cooking was going to be her thing and she had practiced a lot. she now worked as a cook in the holidays and was able to support her family which was something she was proud she was able to do. she looked at the sauce. and smiled at Mima. "that looks done. now there is a sauce jug in that cupboard. can you pour it into that? she asked. continuing to fill the rolls and moving onto the second tray. soon they would be done and done a lot quicker than she had planned thanks to Mimas help.

 

[Tara Sitara]

Tara smiled when Mima seemed surprised by the compliment. she could see that the girl was also doing a good job with the sauce so she headed back over to the counter and picked up a rack of the rolls the cream and a piping bag. filling the bag with the cream she started fuilling them through the hole that the knife had made before placing them on a plate. she smiled as Meera said she was talented. and she could do all sorts of great art with food. "Thank you. I hust takes a bit of practice. the summer before last I couldn't make round chapati, and may spaces were never balanced." she said. even now she often heard new mother calling directions to her when she was making indian food. "if you decide on something you want to do. set your mind to it and practice and you will get better"" she said. she had decided cooking was going to be her thing and she had practiced a lot. she now worked as a cook in the holidays and was able to support her family which was something she was proud she was able to do. she looked at the sauce. and smiled at Mima. "that looks done. now there is a sauce jug in that cupboard. can you pour it into that? she asked. continuing to fill the rolls and moving onto the second tray. soon they would be done and done a lot quicker than she had planned thanks to Mimas help.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

Mima wondered if she'd ever find something she was good at. It really worried the girl. People seemed to have their talents and their passions, but Mima didn't. She did okay at some things, but she wasn't a genius, she wasn't artistic, she wasn't sporty...all she was was a lost little girl who was tormented by something beyond her. It wasn't her fault her twin was stillborn...but she'd been blamed for it since, well, since she could remember. Biting her lip, she cautiously poured the sauce in to the jug as Tara explained.

"I guess you're right, it's important to practice. But what if...what if you're not good at anything?" she whispered, eyes widening before she slapped a hand to her mouth, realising what she said. Damn you, 'Maribelle' whispered. You little idiot. Nobody cares what you think. "I...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." Mima looked away, ashamed, her face burning up. You're a Scarlet, a pureblood. Nobody should be giving you pity. You're a disgrace to your name.

 

[Tara Sitara]

tara could see the girl was really concerned about her future. she watched her as she stacked the rolls into a pyramid on a plate leaving seven on the rack. of them she put three in two bowls leaving one for the head elf. he always checked the food and if he approved he would make sure it went on the tables at dinner multiplying it to an acceptable quantity. "I think we should give them a try" she said passing a bowl to mima.
it was then that mima burst out what if she wasn't good at anything. she went over to her and put her arm around the girls shoulder the way an older sibling would. "Everyone is good at something" she said. "it may be singing, it may be classes and school work, it may be getting along well with others. you may not know yet what it is but everyone has a talent" she said. reassuring mima as best as she could. she had always had a fully optimistic outlook on life and that showed in times like this most. she didn't like seeing other people upset or being negative about things. It made her upset too, and every time she felt like her outlook was extremely naive, but that was who she was.

 

[Mima Scarlet]

She knew it was just hormones making her feel worse, but not being any good at anything was a legitimate worry to the fourteen year old girl. She nodded slowly at Tara. "Thank you," she whispered, calming down. She also knew that Tara was right. Everyone had a talent somewhere, and maybe she hadn't found hers yet, and maybe she wouldn't find it for a long time. All she could do was try her best and someday things would fall in to place. "You're right!" she added, with more determination, a smile crossing her face. After all, the profiteroles looked really good. Cautiously, she poured a little of the sauce over them.

"They look so good," she muttered, before delicately tasting one (or as delicately as possible, she did manage to get a fair bit of chocolate sauce on her face). "Wow! she mumbled through a mouthful of food, momentarily forgetting her manners (before she politely covered her mouth and finished her mouthful). "They taste so good, too!"

 

[Tara Sitara]

the way tara helped other people wasn't like a guide or mother helping pull people up from below. instead she was always much more comfortable in there almost servants role lifting them up from below even if at times it meant that she would be left behind. there were f few reasons for this, one was that she had been brought up in a humble family, a family from the class there kind of family where a servant for a good family was one of the common job options. it was also due to her self sacrificing order of priorities. starting with her family, followed by friends, then a few more people before strangers then herself. in any mager decision her own needs were always the last to be catored for. this s why she was glad that Mima calmed down. if she hadn't she would have tried something else until she had.
she watched as the younger girl poured the sauce over them and took a mouthful. now was the big moment of truth. she let out a sigh of relief as Mima seemed to like them. "that is great. I am glad you like them" she said before briefly looking around the kitchen. "I will be back in a second" se said before heading over to where the house elves were working. A minute or so later she returned followed by an elf. at first glance he didn't seem much different to the others, but the way he stood and the way the other elves had kept asking him for advice and approval showed that he was one of the head elves. "Mima, this is Bok, Bok, Mima" she said to introduce them.
It is a great pleasure to meet you mistress Mima"[/b] came his reply. "we would like to share some of out profiteroles with you to see if you think they are fit for tonights meal" she said handing him the single roll an the jug of sauce. she watched as the elf poured the sauce over the roll and ate it slowly like a expert food critic. A minute after he had finished he nodded his approval "I think the mistresses have excelled themselves, and the profiteroles would be perfect for tonights meal" he said clicking his fingers and the single tray multiplied to become twenty. before he clicked again. "thank you Bok" said Tara but the elf had already rushed off to tend to some emergency and several more came to collect the trays.
Tara looked at mima. "It seems like they passed the bok test. and you will be able to have some more later" she said picking up her bowl and giving them a try. they did taste nice. though she was sure not quite as good as those she had had in france.