Complicated Pastries

There's a particular aroma that gets your interest. The sweet smell of flour and butter flowing up your nostrils as it drags you over to the fried dough stand; an elephant with a small cap that barely manages to stay on top of his head is there, mixing the ingredients together. He notices you at the stand, your tongue salivating as you drool at the delicious scents. He smiles and walks over to you, his hands covered in moist flour.

“I see you're interested in these 'Elephant Ears.' You know, there's a particular way to get these done the right way.” As he begins to talk, gesticulating at you, your eyes begin to waver as your head flops to one side. You shake yourself awake as your eyes continue to feel heavier and heavier, his voice sounding more like “Blah blah blah blah” rather than... whatever it is he's saying. Something about his ears? Probably.

“Anyway, that's just about it” you manage to hear as you shake your head in apparent agreement and give him a small applause. He narrows his eyes at you as he folds his dough soaked arms and strokes his chin with his trunk. “You weren't listening at all, were you?” he questions. You frantically shake your hands and insist you were listening, of course you were! He doesn't have to know that you weren't. “Then you wouldn't mind reciting the ingredients I use?” Your heart sinks as your face drops, you gulp.

Ingredients? Well, you remember the butter and flour! That's easy enough. Uh... Water? Or is it milk? But the milk could curdle... Couldn't it? Would it even be in the oven long enough to curdle? Does it even use an oven?! He leans in towards you with his trunk pressed at your neck. “You weren't listening, were you?” You shamefully drop your head and shake it. Oddly enough, he smiles and taps you on the head with his trunk. “That's okay, I can help you remember.”

He grabs you by the legs and pulls you onto his baking table, washing his hands and placing you in a mixing bowl, along with some flour, baking powder and salt, squashing you down into a pile of mush. He then mixes in some butter, mashing you vigorously with his hands, smushing you further and further! He stirs in some water that gives you a slight tingle, pressing harder and harder into you until you resemble a nice, soft and round pastry delight. He places some foil over the top of you, and washes his hands once more. “Now, we just got to let you wait for a while!” You'll have a lot of time to remember what the recipe was and where you're going to be going next, maybe you should listen in future!

Elephant Ears. Never Forget.