Hello!
It's Acchan from Aliba.
With GIRLS RIDE ALIVE in Hokkaido just next weekend, and the idea of "let's all just get together and go ride bikes!", the bicycle workshop series FIXLIKECOOK, hosted by our mechanic Aya-chan over June, July, and August, has officially come to a close with the last session.
The number of participants grew with every session, and it was impressive to see everyone facing their own bikes with such serious expressions, even amidst the lively atmosphere of the school!
The workshop covered everything from fixing flat tires to packing your bike for travel and handling mechanical trouble. Through Aya-chan's careful and easy-to-understand lectures, everyone was able to learn more, step by step. When you start being able to work on your own bike, you become more eager to try new challenges and want to head out to all sorts of places, don't you? And more than anything, it makes you feel even more attached to your bicycle!
And after working hard and getting your hands dirty working on your bikes, it's time for the reward: snack time!♩
Girls definitely need things like this to look forward to, right?
I was in charge of the tea treats for this three-month-long girls' workshop!
What kind of snacks should I serve...?
Something everyone likes? Maybe something a little different?
Since it's a special treat, I wanted to make something memorable. After giving it a lot of thought, these are the three types of snacks I made!
[June]
Banana Bread
If you think of Acchan, you think of banana bread.
It's the first sweet I ever started baking, and it holds a special place in my heart. It became a product we offer at the shop after I provided it as a mid-ride snack for Ridin’Birds, a ride event held in Izu last year.
We also hosted a tasting event called "Banana Bread Stand" to share it with even more people, where I showcased about five different kinds of banana bread.
Because it started out as a cycling snack, my banana bread is characterized by being packed with honey and walnuts, with a moist texture!
So, to help you get to know that "Acchan equals banana bread," I featured it for the first workshop.
We have this banana bread at Aliba, so please come by and try it sometime.
[July]
Zucchini Cake
The theme for the July workshop was "packing a bike for transport." To help everyone stay energetic and avoid summer fatigue during the hot season, I baked an unusual cake using seasonal ingredients.
Zucchini is a summer vegetable, and it was in season at the time!
You might think, "Wait, zucchini in a cake?" but in America, it's so common that it's actually one of the top three vegetables used in baking.
It’s a combination of zucchini and apricot in a fluffy dough infused with cinnamon and nutmeg!
I finished it off with a lemon icing and a sprinkling of rosemary to give it a refreshing, fragrant touch.
Being an unconventional choice, I went through many trials and errors with the spices, fruits, and shapes. I really hope it left a lasting impression on everyone.
[August]
Paris-Brest
And then came the final session in August.
Does everyone know what a Paris-Brest is?
It’s a French pastry made from choux pastry baked in a ring shape, cut horizontally, and filled with almond praline cream. It’s sometimes called a ring puff. I usually bake simple cakes, but for the final workshop snack, I decided to challenge myself with this "French pastry" for the very first time!
The reason I chose this challenge is that this pastry was actually born out of a love for the very bicycles you all enjoy so much.
It’s a little-known fact that the ring shape is meant to mimic a bicycle wheel. The name "Paris-Brest" comes from the "Paris-Brest-Paris" race, which started in 1891 and ran between the two towns.
This is the oldest bicycle race in the world that is still held today, and the distance is an incredible 1,200 kilometers! The participants aim to reach the goal within a time limit, but naturally, they can’t run it in one day, so they have to keep moving toward the finish line while catching short naps and eating along the way. It’s a grueling race for the participants, but imagining the crowds cheering them on with a Paris-Brest in one hand makes me feel happy and warm inside.
Also, just as the "Tour de France"—the world’s biggest bicycle race that you all probably know—is held in France every July, I found it fascinating to learn a little bit about the history and culture of cycling through the Paris-Brest, and it really sparked my interest in watching these races!
Since it’s a pastry born in a country famous for its bicycle racing culture, I decided to take on the Paris-Brest as my challenge for the August workshop.
From then on, I spent every day practicing the crucial choux pastry. Unlike simple baked goods, French pastry requires careful and delicate work. With simple baked goods, it's charming if the size or the browning is a little uneven, and they still turn out delicious even if you're slightly off with your measurements.
Of course, there are people who stick strictly to the gram measurements and procedures even for simple cakes, but for me—someone with a somewhat casual personality—that level of flexibility is part of the appeal, and I felt it suited my temperament. That’s why I had a bit of an aversion to French pastry, where such shortcuts don't work.
After my mentor Kazu-san taught me once, I practiced over and over to get the perfect, beautiful choux pastry. I even had the other staff members taste test countless plain choux rings.
And that’s how this Paris-Brest was born.
My aversion to it has faded, and I think I've grown a little closer to it now. I cut the round pastry in half, and in between, I sandwiched a rich almond praline cream based on buttercream! I made this cream from scratch, too. The light scent of nuts that drifts up is wonderful! This time, I also added a little bit of homemade berry jam from PFM.
My first-ever Paris-Brest was complete!
When I brought them to everyone after the workshop that day, the first thing I heard was a happy "Wow!" After I told them the story behind the Paris-Brest, they ate it with such delight. Hearing their smiles, their "thank yous," and their "I want to eat this again!" made me so happy, and I truly realized how wonderful it is to make sweets for others.
While everyone was challenging themselves to work on their bikes through the workshops for the trip to Hokkaido, I was challenging myself to make fresh French pastries.
I truly hope that the snacks and tea time we shared served as a moment of joy and happiness, and gave everyone a boost of motivation!
With RIDEALIVE in Hokkaido just under a week away, it’s right around the corner. Let's ride a lot, try a lot of new things, and laugh a lot! Please wish us luck, everyone!!
"FIXLIKECOOK"
"Working on your bike or fixing it isn't something special; it’s just part of daily life, like cooking a delicious meal or brewing a cup of tea and chatting. It might seem difficult, but if you do it step by step, just like following a recipe, you can do it."
Aya-chan's workshops will continue to be held regularly in the future. In addition to the workshops, we're planning activities like girls' rides! If you can work on your own bike and learn to do lots of fun things, you might be able to go see worlds you never knew existed!
Please feel free to join us.
I'll be waiting for you with more snacks that I hope you'll enjoy!