You will be free from school, released for Christmas break. You are ready to wake up on Christmas morning, grab a few homemade shortbread cookies and snuggle up with a nice cup of hot chocolate near the fire. But how about spoiling yourself to a treat much fancier this Christmas? Something a little more exquisite, something more satisfying…I’m as ready as you are.
How about spoiling yourself to a cream puff this holiday season? Recently I discovered the chocolatier Beta5, which is located at 413 Industrial Ave, in Vancouver. While looking through the catalogue, the prices were a bit nail-biting for an unemployed student: $4.50 for a cream puff, and $30 for a box of chocolates that are about the size of your palm. They also had a much wider selection of sweets, such as chocolates, confections, and pastries. But despite all the choices, the cream puff was my favorite. I'd say it was even more delicious than the common Beard Papa’s cream puffs from Richmond Centre and Aberdeen Centre. I had the original vanilla cream puff, and it was about the size of a large grapefruit. 85% of it consisted of the filling, which was creamy custard, topped off with a dollop of whipped cream. But its puff shell was its main attraction.
Leanne Yeung
Holiday Sweetness
at a Whole New Level
The puff shell generally was much looser and flakier, and had something special all over it. Spread loosely over the shell was a light, semi-crunchy, cookie-like coating. This added balance to the loose foundation of the original shell. The cookie coating provided a hint of sweetness, but not strong enough to overpower the creamy filling. And on top of the cookie coating, there were small gems of sugar that were spread around 2-3 cm away from each other. The gems were light and easy to bite through, and did not provide a punch of sweetness that I expected. Instead, they were light tasting, and satisfying at the same .
time. The gems of sugar had the size of large beads, and were in a translucent white colour. This cream puff was special in the fact that it had amazing textures to add balance to the smooth custard filling. These textures upgraded the cream puff into a more deluxe pastry, making it something special to have during particular occasions.
Even though these goods may be a bit pricy and may not be first according to our health standards, spoiling yourself just this one time will not be too bad. Beta5 is rated one of North America’s top ten chocolatiers, and is easily accessible as the store is located in Vancouver. Besides cream puffs, they also have a much wide range of desserts to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth.
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