Restaurant Weeks Are Murder

by Libby Klein

  I colored half my macaron batter gold, and the other half light rose. Then I piped my shells onto parchment and set them aside to dry. I turned to my fillings. I would make two flavors, white chocolate-rose lychee and rose-kissed caramel. The sugar was a nice golden amber, so I added butter. When it was finished splattering, I added some of the rose-infused cream and whisked it smooth. I poured the finished caramel into a large casserole dish and popped it in the blast chiller. Then I turned my attention to the white chocolate filling. I poured the rest of the rose-petal cream through a sieve over my chopped white chocolate to melt it and whisked it over an ice bath until it thickened and cooled.

  I looked at Gia trying to flip something in a frying pan. Uh . . . it’s on the floor. Now Momma is swatting him with a towel. Yeah, he’s starting over again. He looked at me and made a face. I am so blessed to work for La Dolce Vita. I get to bake and create and make people happy, but without poisoning myself with ingredients I’m allergic to. Plus, he pays in coffee and kisses, so that’s a huge bonus. I realized that baking gluten free for Gia is right where I’m supposed to be. And you know, after all the flack Gigi gave me this week, I am a professional pastry chef. I’m paid to make desserts. So, Gigi can bite me. Isn’t it funny, life has a way of turning out just the way it should, despite what you had planned?

  Ivy called the chefs to attention. “I’m going to send Tess around to give each one of you a chance to talk about yourselves and your restaurants for some added publicity. Try to keep it under two minutes so Roger doesn’t have to cut it down too much. His chief editor was arrested for helping Horatio conspire.”

  I had just put my macaron shells in the oven when Tess made her way to our kitchen. “Chef Tim, can you tell us what your inspiration was for becoming a chef?

  The camera followed Tim, who came to stand next to me. “This lady here is the reason I became a chef. She was my first love.” Tim looked at me and smiled. “Poppy and I were high school sweethearts. We were even engaged to be married.”

  The audience awed, and there was a flurry of activity by Aunt Ginny. I see some last-minute bets are being placed.

  “Cooking with Poppy this week has given me back a piece of myself that’s been missing for a long time. No matter what happens in the competition, this has been worth every minute just to be with her again.”

  I smiled up at Tim. I felt the same way. I knew I would always love him. I looked past Tim, and my eyes met Gia’s. He was watching me intently.

  Tess said, “That is so sweet, Chef Tim. Can you tell our audience about your restaurant?”

  “Maxine’s isn’t just a part of my life, she is my life . . .”

  I didn’t hear what else he said. I was lost in the swamp of my emotions. I stood numb for a moment until I heard Aunt Ginny yell. “Focus!”

  I took my macaron shells out of the oven to cool and filled my piping bags. I could feel the pull of Gia watching me, and Tim working on the other side, but I wouldn’t look at either one. I had one job right now, and I was giving it my full attention. I piped mounds of white chocolate-rose filling into my pink macaron shells. I placed a lychee in the middle, and then matched the shells up top to bottom. Next, I filled the gold-colored shells with my rose-kissed caramel. I dusted the caramel macarons with a touch of flaked gold leaf and got my plates together. I had a few minutes before Ivy counted down the last ten seconds. When she did, the arena erupted in applause and the audience stood to their feet. I felt like an idiot for crying. I tried to play it off like I had powdered sugar on my cheek, and I was wiping it away.

  The judging round was the best we’d had. It was amazing what lovely things the judges can say about you when they aren’t afraid of being poisoned.

  Philippe presented his entrée and for the first time, he owned it. “Judges, today I have made for you Julia Child’s Lobster Thermidor, with my own special twist.”

  Vidrine and I looked at each other across the kitchen. Vidrine mouthed “Wow.” I just gave her a big smile in return.

  My macarons were highly praised, even by Joanne who could only find one little fault.

  “They’re not bad, but they could use more food coloring to make them pop.”

  When the end of the day arrived, it was time for the winner to be announced. Ivy and Roger brought in a giant cardboard rectangle that I assumed was “the check” for the winning chef. We all craned our necks to get a glimpse of the name, but Ivy had cleverly wrapped it in tissue paper.

  My hands were shaking like a chocolate junkie in a Godiva outlet. What if we lose? Tim worked so hard for this. What if he blames me and doesn’t want to see me anymore?

  “Okay everyone. You’ve all done so well in the face of what can only be described as a pant-load of chaos. With all the disasters and interruptions this week, we were not able to factor every day into the final score.”

  Tim reached over and gave my hand a squeeze. I held on to him like it was the last time we would ever touch.

  “So, please keep in mind that your best days may not have counted in the final ranking. Also keep in mind that the cameras are rolling, and I’m just the messenger.”

  Gigi let out a shaky breath and grabbed the counter. “Just get on with it.”

  Ivy and Roger began tearing off the tissue paper. “Tying for second place we have Chef Philippe Julian and Chef Tim Maxwell.”

  Oh no. My heart was sick.

  “And in first place by a very, very slim margin, the winner of the first Annual Cape May County Restaurant Week Competition . . .” They spun the check around. “Chef Adrian Baxter.”

  Tim squeezed my hand so tight you would think he was having contractions. Adrian was so overcome that he dropped to his knees and wept that his mother would finally be proud of him. His show of humility was so different from the Adrian we had known all week. It didn’t last long before he cued up “We Are the Champions” on his iPad and ran around the room reminding everyone that he was the best chef in the room, and he’d said he would win in the end.

  Tim stood shaking his head with his arms crossed tight across his chest.

  “Tim, I’m so sorry that we didn’t win the ten thousand dollars.”

  Tim shrugged. “I didn’t even know about the money when we started. I was just competing for the publicity, and we got a ton of that.”

  I let out a breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding. “You’re really not upset?”

  Tim shook his head. “I’ll get over it. I’m just glad you were here with me.”

  We smiled at each other, and Gigi gave an irritated huff.

  Gia came over to praise my macarons. “I love this one. You need to make it for the shop. I think it’ll be a big hit for Valentine’s Day.”

  Louie and Vidrine joined him. “They’re beautiful, chér. You did such a nice job. You think I could hire you to make these for Slap Yo Mamma! sometime?”

  “I’d love to.” I looked at Gia for confirmation.

  He nodded. “Call La Dolce Vita and we’ll set it up.”

  Louie took a rose caramel from my tray of extras. “Dude, these are amazing. You got some talent, girl.”

  I could feel rainbows shooting out of my eyes I was so proud.

  “Vidrine.” Louie nudged her. “Tell them our news.”

  Vidrine grinned. “We’re merging.”

  “What?”

  “That’s right, dude. We’re opening a restaurant together. We’ll each still have our own places, but together we’re starting a donut shop.”

  “Oh, I did not need to know that.”

  Gia laughed at me.

  Tim joined us and opened his arms to hug me. “Thank you for being here this week, Mack. It means the world to me.”

  “I’m sorry we didn’t win. I know you really needed the money.”

  “Some things are more important than money.” Tim looked into my face. He started to say something when Gigi grabbed his arm and spun him in her direction.

  “Hey partner, we did it. We made a great
team, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, Geeg. You were fabulous. Wasn’t she, Poppy?”

  “Fabulous.” My fabulous didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm that Tim’s did.

  Gigi reached down and took one of my macarons and shoved it in her mouth. “Oh my God, these are so good.” She stopped chewing and her eyes got real big.

  “You’ve been stealing my extra desserts all week, haven’t you Gigi?”

  Gigi answered through a mouthful of caramel. “No, I haven’t.”

  Tim cut in. “Yes, you have. I’ve seen you sneaking them out under your chef coat.”

  Gigi blushed to the roots of her blond hair. “Well, I was just making sure Poppy wasn’t ruining our chances with the judges.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Tim laughed. “She’s the only reason we tied for second. Her desserts were the highlight of our team four out of seven days.”

  Gigi rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I was wondering if you wanted to come to dinner with me tonight.” She ran her hands over Tim’s chest and leaned in until her chest touched his stomach. “Just you and me. I’ll send the rest of the staff home, make a little chateaubriand, light some candles. We can finally celebrate. What do you say, Chef?”

  Gia put his hand on my back to support me.

  Tim had the faintest hint of pink rising up his neck. He took Gigi’s hands in his and removed them from his body. “Um, Geeg. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.” Tim cleared his throat. “I tried to tell you the other day when you brought her up. I’m only interested in Poppy.”

  I wasn’t breathing. Isn’t breathing supposed to be automatic? Why aren’t I doing it?

  “She was the love of my life, and that’s hard to get over. I asked her to help us with the competition to get closer to her, and to get her away from spending so much time with Gia. Even though that part backfired some.” Tim glared in Gia’s direction.

  Gia stiffened and tightened his posture to stand taller.

  I sucked in a loud lungful of air and almost choked.

  Gigi shriveled in front of me. Her eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled. “Well, you’ll be throwing your heart away. Poppy doesn’t understand you like I do. She doesn’t know the chef code. She won’t be by your side on those long nights and holidays when you’re in the weeds.”

  Tim looked into my eyes. “Maybe she will and maybe she won’t, but I have to try. We have too much history to give up now.”

  Gigi had storm clouds brewing in her eyes. “That’s a mistake. She’s going to break your heart and leave you for this guy. It’s written all over her face when she looks at him.”

  My mind had gone blank. I wasn’t capable of conscious thought. I was only aware of the tension rolling off of Gia, and Tim’s eyes locked with mine.

  Gigi’s anger sucked the light from the room like black descends before the hurricane. She slammed her fist on the stainless-steel counter that had been my workstation for the past week. “You’ll regret this one day. Both of you. I’ll make sure of it.” The tiny tornado spun from the room, leaving a stunned silence behind.

  Tim cupped my cheek with his hand. “What do you say, babe? You know I’ve always loved you. Want to give it a go with me?”

  RECIPES

  PALEO BLACK FOREST FRENCH TOAST

  Ingredients

  3 Tablespoons butter, softened (You can always use coconut oil if you are sensitive to dairy. Refined coconut oil will not have a coconut flavor.)

  1 Paleo Chocolate Chunk Loaf, cut into cubes (let them dry out a little)

  3 cups dark cherries, no sugar added (fresh, canned, or frozen). If you use frozen, let them thaw and drain first.

  ¾ cup chocolate chunks (or the rest of the bag that you didn’t eat when you made the loaf)

  6 eggs

  1 cup coconut cream (both the solid coconut at the top and the liquid at the bottom)

  ¼ cup Godiva or other chocolate liquor (optional)

  coconut whipped cream

  Directions

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease your ceramic or Pyrex baking dish with the 3 Tablespoons butter. I use an 8” x 10”, 2.3-quart casserole. If you use a bigger one, like a 9” x 13”, the casserole will be thinner and will require less baking time.

  Layer half the chocolate bread cubes, dark cherries, and chocolate chunks in baking dish. Repeat with a second layer.

  Beat the eggs, coconut cream, and chocolate liquor until combined. I use a blender.

  Pour the liquid mixture over the layered bread cubes, cherries, and chocolate, and let sit 15 minutes.

  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.

  Serve with coconut whipped cream

  PALEO CHOCOLATE CHUNK LOAF

  I made this to use in the Paleo Black Forest French Toast, but it was delicious just out of the oven as a chocolate chunk loaf cake. This is best eaten a little warm while the chocolate chunks are gooey.

  Ingredients

  1¾ cups Paleo flour blend

  ½ cup unsweetened cocoa

  ½ teaspoon baking powder

  ½ teaspoon baking soda

  ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 cup coconut sugar

  ½ cup butter, softened (You can always use coconut oil if you are sensitive to dairy. Refined coconut oil will not have a coconut flavor.)

  2 eggs

  1 cup canned coconut milk (use a fair amount of the cream at the top, top off with the liquid)

  1 cup chocolate chunks

  Directions

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Grease bottom only of a 9” x 5” loaf pan.

  Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt in a small bowl. Mix together.

  In a large bowl, beat together coconut sugar and butter (or coconut oil).

  Add eggs; blend well.

  Stir in coconut milk.

  Add the dry ingredients and stir until the batter comes together.

  Fold in chocolate chunks.

  Pour into the greased loaf pan.

  Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

  Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan.

  After the loaf has cooled, wrap tightly and store in refrigerator, or cut into 1-inch slices and lay out to dry out a bit for French toast.

  LEMON CRÈME BRÛLÉE

  Crème brûlée requires the aid of a blowtorch. Don’t waste your money on the sad little kitchen store blowtorches. Do yourself a favor and go to the hardware store and buy a real one. They work so much better and they’re cheaper.

  Ingredients

  6 large egg yolks

  ¾ cup sugar

  ½ cup fresh lemon juice

  peel from 1 lemon, grated

  2½ cups whipping cream

  sugar for the top crust

  Directions

  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

  Beat egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy. Add lemon peel.

  Pour whipping cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove from heat immediately. Temper the cream into the egg yolks and beat until combined.

  Pour cream mixture into the top pot of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove mixture from heat immediately and pour into ramekins.

  Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until the custard is set.

  Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

  Before serving, sprinkle the top of the custard with sugar. Using a blowtorch, caramelize the sugar until it bubbles and turns golden brown.

  If you have gotten to this point in the recipe and neglected to buy a blowtorch like I suggested, you can always put the crème brûlées under the broiler and let the oven caramelize the sugar. I’m not putting a time here for how long it will take because you’ll ha
ve to watch them constantly, so they don’t burn or catch on fire. Next time, get the blowtorch.

  GLUTEN-FREE LAVENDER SHORTBREAD

  Ingredients

  1 cup good, softened *butter or solid coconut oil

  *Butter is the big flavor here. Substituting with

  coconut oil or anything else will not make

  shortbread. The better the butter, the better the

  shortbread. However, with the flavor addition of

  lavender, someone who is dairy free could give the

  coconut shortbread a shot.

  1 cup sugar

  2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender (buds only) *or 1 teaspoon lavender extract

  ¾ cup cassava flour

  ¾ cup 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend

  ¾ cup almond flour (this really gives the shortbread a crumbly texture)

  ¼ teaspoon sea salt

  *If you’re using dried lavender buds and you know

  in advance that you’re making the shortbread, add

  the lavender to the sugar and let the flavor infuse

  for a few days before making the cookies. That

  lavender will be creamed in with the butter and

  sugar, but that’s okay. You’ll have a much stronger

  lavender flavor.

  Directions

  Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.

  Combine the butter and sugar in a mixer and mix until light and fluffy. Add lavender buds or extract. (If you infused the sugar, the lavender will already be in the butter at this point.) Mix well.