He had to focus on that. And he got started. He placed the standing mixer in the center of his table, and put on the whisk attachment. His first task was to cream the butter being sure to get all it all smooth from the sides and the bottom of the bowl. He added his next two liquid ingredients, the plain vanilla yogurt and four eggs. He beat them all together to combine.
Next he added a half a package of the yellow cake mix. It was such a score to have found this and he knew the amount of time saved would help him when the cake needed to cool. It would make the taste and texture of the final product that much better. Though he felt bad about the short cut, it just had to be done. He combined that with his wet ingredients thoroughly beating it into his mixture. He added the milk next, slowly, ensuring the batter did not get too runny. It had to pour easily into the spring pans, but not too easily. Once he felt the consistency was right, he stopped. It looked right, he thought, from memory. That part was always tricky.
He poured half the batter into the spring form pan, put it into the oven, and set his timer for twenty minutes. He then worked on greasing a muffin tin. He popped in some liners as well after checking that he had some. That was good. He didn’t have to worry about cutting off dark edges. He needed every presentation point he could get. Once that was done, he filled each liner with an equal portion of the remaining batter and then glanced at the time. He had seven minutes left on the bottom portion of the cake. The muffin pan would only need fifteen minutes in the oven so he was doing well there. Just then Dusti popped over for her first of the three interviews. It was perfect.
“Hi, big man!” Her voice purred like a sex kitten. The woman was incorrigible.
“Hi Dusti,” he answered, wiping the bits of batter off his hands with the small hand towel he used to clean the counter.
He was glad the rest of her questions pertained to what he was making and why. She asked about his aunts who had influenced not only his love of cooking, but now three out of the four recipes he made for the competition.
“They are so much more than just my aunts. As you know they raised me. But even more important than doing the job my parents could not do, they supported me, my choices. They encouraged me, and took an interest in me, the person. And whatever I chose to do, they supported that. I am so happy I could honor them by using their recipes during this competition. They have honored me by being the most important people in my life. Honored me by being my inspiration, honored me by sharing their lives with me, and honored me by protecting and shielding me from life’s harshness and cruelties when they could. I guess they are part of the reason I joined the service too. I wanted to protect them as well. So, it’s not just their recipes I share, it is who they are, and it is the little pieces of them.”
“Wow, that is fantastic. This world would be such a better place if all children felt that way about their parents. It’s really something to think about.” He saw Dusti take a step back. She was contemplating something. Thinking hard. “Thank you, Kason, for sharing that with us.” Then she walked away, and went to the side of the stage where she spoke with one of the producers.
Benny had no time to think about what was going on, production wise, because his timer sounded and he knew the first layer of his cake was complete. It was time to swap out the bottom layer for the cupcake tin which would make the top layer of the decadent dessert that was popular with many New Englanders. He knew Paul Wahlberg would also appreciate him bringing local flavor into the final round of the competition, too.
Benny shut the oven door and dropped the temperature by 25 degrees. Not only would the muffins need less time, he wanted to ensure they didn’t get too dark. He set his timer for fifteen minutes and went on to the next step. With still an hour and a half to go, things were looking good.
While the muffins baked, he was going to take care of the filling. He switched out the bowls on the standing mixer and immediately set to work. He needed to thoroughly beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. He also added a few teaspoons of the vanilla extract. That took about five minutes. Once he was satisfied there were no lumps, he began to add the remaining eggs one at a time. Each time he made sure his batter was smooth. He added the sour cream next and continued to beat on medium. It looked perfect and smooth. His buzzer sounded once more and he quickly open the oven door. They looked good, so he grabbed a toothpick off the counter and inserted one end into the center of the largest of the muffins and when it came out clean he knew they were ready to be taken out of the oven. He set them on the counter to cool. Once more he looked at the time. He was still doing well. He saw Dusti with Cathy and Dusti looked concerned. Cathy was extremely pale. He saw Dusti place her palm on Cathy’s forehead and was touched that the young host had this gentle side to her. He was glad to see she wasn’t just a Hollywood man chaser.
But Cathy brushed the young woman’s hand away. He heard her say, she was just a little dehydrated. Someone from production came out and brought her a glass of ice water, which she accepted. Benny was glad to see he wasn’t the only one who noticed Cathy was not herself. The Producers from The Cook Off were looking in on her as well.
Benny finished cleaning the table top counter and was ready to start putting together his layers. He grabbed the bowl of filling and began to pour the mixture over the cake in the spring form pan, and he used the back of the wooden spoon to smooth over the filling once he poured it over the bottom layer of the cake. To set up the cheesecake filling it needed to be baked again. When it came out, he would have precious little time to allow the cake to set up and put the cupcakes on top and then the chocolate. It was imperative everything at this point went off without a hitch.
With the cake in the oven, he cleaned his prep area, and glanced over at Cathy. She was once again mopping her brow. But she looked a little better. She glanced his way and gave him a smile.
“You okay?” he mouthed showing her he was concerned.
She nodded. “I’m feeling a bit better.”
He was glad whatever had been bothering her seemed to be passing. She was in the process of chopping nuts and had a pile going. It must be for the top of the turtle cheesecake she was making. He watched when her head snapped up and she sniffed the air. Her face fell and she turned and quickly stopped at the oven. She pulled out her cheesecake and he could see that the edges were darker than was normal. She forgot to set her timer. He felt bad. Cheesecake took on flavor very easily and it was crucial that it wasn’t overbaked. She was screwed if she didn’t get those burnt edges off quickly. He watched her work. That hot cake wasn’t ready for cutting, but she had no choice. She would have to hide her faux-pas under the ornamentation as a chink fell off the side.
He felt bad as he watched her salvage the cake as best as she could.
Dusti was there to do her final interview with the poor woman, so he bent to his own task and focused on what he had left to do.
He poured his chocolate chips into a microwaveable bowl and eavesdropped on Cathy’s last interview.
“Oh no, Cathy. What happened?” Dusti sounded sympathetic. He heard the sincerity in her voice.
“My stomach has been upset since lunch and I don’t know why. Because of that, I forgot to set the timer for the cheesecake and I’m afraid I left it in a tad too long. I just hope I caught it in time.”
“I see that. It looks a mess on this side. Can you mask that?”
“I think so. I made some pralines and will adorn the sides with them. Then the nuts and cinnamon and sugar glaze for the top will hide it.”
“It’s a praline cheesecake. I’ve never tried it. I am anxious to give it a go.”
“Thanks, Dusti. I just hope I’m able to cut off the burnt edges before the flavor permeates the rest of the cheesecake.”
“Well, I will let you get to it. Good luck, Cathy!”
“Thanks, Dusti.”
Dusti made her way to the off stage area to converse with the producers.
Benny was impressed. A praline cheesecake. That
would have been excellent. It still could be if she had gotten to the cake in time. Only thirty minutes remained.
Benny worked fast and efficiently. He loosened the edges of the cake and ran his knife along the sides until it was no longer touching those surfaces. It would also help the cake to cool faster. Because he could not cool it the way he normally would, by allowing it to sit at room temperature for four hours, he used one of his aunt’s old tricks. He stuck it in the freezer while he prepared the sauce for the top. It would hide any cracks caused by his quick cool down method.
The sauce was a simple recipe. He warmed the heavy cream in saucepan until it nearly came to a boil, and then poured it into the bowl with the chocolate chips he had already warmed up in the microwave. He stirred constantly until the rich brown sauce was smooth adding the remaining chilled butter to help the sauce to thicken properly. When he was satisfied, the sauce went in the refrigerator to cool. He took the moment to tidy up once more and he gazed out into the audience. He squinted and smiled as Jessyka waved at him. He could just make her out in the gloom. Beside her were Fiona and Cookie, he knew both of them were rooting him on, and keeping Jessyka from panicking too much. It should have been his aunts there with her, but he hadn’t wanted to risk them coming in when there was still the possibility of danger.
He winked at his wife. She had been so nervous this morning and now it was almost over. He waved at her, knowing she would be better able to see him than he her with the production lights on him.
When there was just ten minutes left, he pulled out the cake from the freezer, topped it with the muffins he had pulled out of the liners and then poured on the now chilled and thicker chocolate sauce. Then back in the freezer it went until the buzzer for the two minute warning went off.
The cake was done, and looked good. He sliced four pieces, garnished with a spring of mint and a dollop of whipped cream and then the buzzer sounded. It was now in the judges hands.
CHAPTER 16
Heidi watched from the audience. She’d been able to scrounge a ticket from a scalper in the street using some of her recent winnings. She hadn’t planned on going to the show, but couldn’t resist when the scalper had offered her a great deal just five minutes before the show was to start. She’d missed the introductions, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to see Benny win, and Cathy fail. It all came down to this. Who would have thought she would have been rooting for Benny? Not her, in a million years. Heck, she would have bet on Benny if she had the time to do so before they closed the betting downstairs in the casino. She knew he was going to win now.
The naproxen in her purse, or Aleve capsules she carried around for pain, had come in handy. Mrs. Brister had been sitting alone at the lunch counter having a cup of coffee before the show, so she had to act fast. She took three of the capsules, opened them up, and crushed it into a fine powder. Normally the Aleve helped ease pain and cramps, but prepared this way, she knew from her own experience, it would cause a rush and horrible stomach pains if one wasn’t used to it. She sat beside the older woman and chatted her up, saying she had been watching her on The Cook Off and wished her luck. Then when the woman wasn’t looking, the folded paper that contained the crushed naproxen was dumped into her fresh coffee. The woman added a ton of sugar and cream, and so would probably not notice the bitterness.
She would remark her own coffee was bitter as well if she did notice, leading the woman to suspect the pot had sat on the burner too long. Other than a twist of her face at the first sip, the woman had not said anything, but just finished the stronger than normal brew.
Lisa hadn’t waited for long after that. She paid her check and left before anyone recognized her. It was enough. The woman would not feel herself and Lisa had to hope that would throw her off her game enough to give Benny the win, and her the chance to murder the bastard, the way his wife had murdered her brother, Brian, all those years ago. Tit for tat.
Sitting in the darkened audience, Lisa thought about Tabitha, her child. Boy would she love the chance to get to Jessyka’s children. Maybe someday. She’d let the woman live long enough to suffer the loss of her husband and then one day maybe, once this died down, she’d come back and find a way to worm herself into Jessyka’s children’s lives.
She twisted her face into a cruel sick smile. Now, that was a thought. And definitely something to live for. Tit for tat, an eye for an eye, a child for a child. But first Benny for Brian. Yes. Life could be good after all, she thought; in a sick perverse way it all came around again.
* * *
The theater was dark and Cookie kept his eyes on the auditorium. Luckily, he was used to this kind of darkness. The desert was dark, pitch black and he had senses like none of the others on his team. And his senses were on high alert. While both Jessyka and Fiona watched the stage and Benny work, he kept his eyes on the crowd looking for signs of trouble from that end. When the final buzzer sounded and there were no incidents, he was able to breathe a little easier.
Perhaps as Fee suggested, whoever had messed with the onions was long gone, one of the family members of someone who already lost. He had Tex do some digging on this Cathy woman, and she was squeaky clean. They were confident it wasn’t her. She was a former occupational therapist who now stayed home to care for her family and son.
He stayed alert until the judges called both contestants forward at the same time. They were doing things a tad differently for this final round by calling them both forward together. He watched as Benny put his arm around Cathy Brister. The woman looked incredibly fatigued, but better than she had before. He had been concerned for her, but whatever had been bothering her must have passed.
She gave Benny a brave smile and complimented his cake, which looked fantastic, as did her praline turtle cheesecake. She had been able to hide the mess from the chunk that had fallen off well. He also noticed she cut nice slices from the side that had not been as badly burned.
It was anyone’s guess who would win at this point, though he was betting on Benny. The man could cook like no one’s business. He had even put one hundred dollars down on him last night in the casino. What the heck? It would be a nice little windfall if he won.
The judges were speaking. Each talked about the texture, the taste, and the appearance. He couldn’t tell by the words who each was favoring. Two of the judges said Benny’s cake could have cooled longer. But all three enjoyed it immensely. Benny agreed with them and took the praise well.
Then the judges addressed Cathy’s cake. They loved the appearance, they commiserated with her about not feeling well, but two out of three also said they could tell the cake had been somewhat burned. Her face fell, and she acknowledged that she burnt the edges as she forgot to set the timer. Then she stepped back.
Jessyka was a nervous wreck beside him, and Cookie could see she had grasped Fiona’s hands for moral support as the judges conferred quietly before they pronounced who the winner would be. Both women looked as anxious as he felt. And it was not about Benny winning. He had the same feeling he had earlier when he was in the casino with Benny and the girls that morning. Someone was watching them. Watching them all. Whatever was going on clearly wasn’t over like Fiona and Jessyka suggested.
He and Benny knew that sometimes even more important than cold hard facts was gut instinct, and his gut told him something was still not quite right. He was glad he had come. He was glad to be there to have Benny’s back like the guys always had his.
A hush fell over the crowd as Dusti pushed a rolling cart covered with a black silk cloth that had the show’s logo emblazoned upon it. Below that cloth would be a folded piece of cardstock with the name of the winner inscribed across the front of the card and the entire audience leaned forward to see whose name that would be.
The room was tense with the anticipation. Who would be the winner of The Cook Off? Who would be the winner of the 150,000 dollar grand prize?
CHAPTER 17
When they arrived at The Oyster Club, Jessyka and Benny
and Fiona and Cookie were ready to celebrate. The week had been a whirlwind for them all and now it was over. They could finally relax, Jessyka thought to herself as they waited for the Maître D’ to seat them.
Benny spoke when the man indicated they were up next. “We are supposed to be meeting some friends. They reserved a table. Joseph and Jewel Sassacus.”
“This way, sir. They arrived just a few minutes ago. If you will follow me—it is right upstairs.”
Upstairs? The restaurant had two levels. That was interesting, Benny thought. One didn’t often see that. In fact, they didn’t often see a massive oak smack dab in the middle of a restaurant either. But that was one of the things this restaurant was well-known for aside from the fantastic seafood Jewel boasted of earlier. In fact, the upper level, he was surprised to take notice, looked like they were eating inside of a large tree house.
He was also pleased they did not have to wait. He was starving. The day had been long and stressful; he was ready to relax with good friends and enjoy the last day of his vacation in the little town nestled along the mighty Mystic River. He was glad he had finally been able to see a little more of the surrounding seaside community as well. He wasn’t even a tad upset that this little get together meant they were missing the finale airing very soon.
He liked the quaint and rustic atmosphere of The Oyster Club; it kind of reminded him of Aces Bar & Grill. It had a down home feel that made everyone feel relaxed. It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, but from the large crowd and the line outside, it was quite popular. Joseph suggested it and made the eight o’clock reservations. The plan was to have a celebratory dinner and go to Foxwoods, a neighboring casino for a few drinks. They all needed to unwind, though he and Cookie had agreed to not drink too much and to stay alert to danger. It was not the time to let down their guard. He wouldn’t feel at ease until he was back home with his aunts, or even better back home in Southern California, and whomever had tampered with those onions was discovered.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Betting on Benny (Kindle Worlds) (Mystic Nights Book 6) Page 11