Three French Hens, Two Macarons, and Lovers in a Bakery: A Love Story Served With Indulgent French Desserts

by Noelle Love

  Oralie, who was glad to see that this cute little bakery was finally getting the attention it deserved, realized that her grandchildren were no longer standing by her side. In a panic, she began scanning the bakery for any sign of a little boy in a plaid sweater or a small girl with a silver bow in her hair. But the crowd of adults made it impossible to see anyone shorter than a meter tall. Oralie nicely asked the man behind her to save her spot in line as she began to scour the bakery on foot, checking all the nooks and crannies, notorious for being favorite hiding places for small children.

  “Here they come,” said Coty to his new friends who were excited to see what this meant. As the boots approached the table they were hiding under Coty thrust the cane between the feet of the owner of the boots, sending her flying through the air and into the lap of a very pleased Basile. Oralie let out a hearty laugh but didn’t move to reposition from how she landed. “Hi, I’m Oralie,” she said to Basile, placing her arms around his neck. But Basile didn’t hear anything – entranced by the golden woman who had fallen from heaven into his lap.

  Oralie would spend the rest of her life in that lap, which meant that Basile’s table in the corner would never again just be a table for one.

  Quatre-Quart Cake

  Serves 6

  Ingredients

  14 tablespoons salted butter

  2 ¼ cups self-rising flour

  1 ¾ cup finely ground sugar

  3 organic, free-range eggs, separated

  1 ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  Directions

  Set your oven’s temperature to 350 degrees F. Boil a teakettle of water. Set an aluminum-roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven and fill with the boiling water. Shut the door and allow the oven to preheat with the water inside, which will create steam for the cake when it bakes.

  Prepare a 10” round cake pan by greasing and then line with parchment paper; set aside.

  In a mixing bowl combine the butter, vanilla extract, and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until the butter is creamed and smooth. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and the egg whites in another small bowl. Use the electric mixer to beat the yolks and a wire whisk to beat the whites until they are stiff.

  Add the egg yolks to the butter mixture, adding a couple tablespoons of the flour, and mix until combined. In batches add the remaining flour, mixing until combined. Then fold in the egg whites with a spatula.

  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and place into the preheated oven with the tray of water still on the bottom rack. Bake the cake for about 40 minutes or until the top of the cake becomes golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do your best to resist opening the door of the oven until at least 30 minutes have passed so that the cake won’t sink in the middle.

  The cake should cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing and enjoying.

  27

  December 27th – With the bakery saved from eminent closure, the Three French Hens finally had a day to enjoy. Their bakery was busy, their boyfriends were close, and Coty was happily playing with Aveline and Jasper who had come in with their grandma and Basile just a few moments ago. Margot looked at the scene from behind the counter and realized that she was happy. Despite her wavering in deciding whether or not to keep The Two Macarons, or even save it for that matter, she had come to the decision that she would stay at the bakery for a while longer. She wasn’t a natural business woman, didn’t love baking like Zenna, and wasn’t even super talented at it like Tali, but she did love knowing that her little corner of Paris brought people together, just like it had brought her and Jules together only days before.

  Jules, who was writing at a nearby table, caught Margot’s eyes, his head gesturing for her to come over and keep him company. Margot slinked over to Jules’s table, leaving Zenna in the front to handle the customers, which she was completely capable of doing. Zenna had a way of commanding the room with just a look, something Margot was sure she picked up in her years living on the streets and fending for herself.

  With Margot and Zenna distracted, a visitor snuck past the line and into the kitchen, glad to see that Tali’s friends were oblivious to his presence, giving him the perfect opportunity to finally finish his romp in the hen house.

  Tali was busy wiping down the surface of one of the large counters in the kitchen, preparing a clean work surface for her next batch of dough. Although she was swamped with work, she didn’t mind, her mind free of the constraints of time; its only thought was when she would see Parc again. “There you are,” said a deep voice from behind her. The man was admiring her firm ass, her body as perfect as he had remembered. She had been on his “to-do” list for a long time, and considering that he now owned her building, he felt like she was even more like his property, which made his next action even more justifiable in his mind.

  Aubin approached Tali, surprising her with his presence as she was expecting to see Parc.

  “What are you doing back here?” Tali asked looking around hoping that Margot or Zenna would walk in any moment.

  “You,” Aubin replied, sliding his hand up her skirt, feeling around the edges of her lace panties.

  Tali tried to move his hand away but he was too strong. He set his free hand on the counter behind her and leaned in, pressing against her chest and breathing heavily on her neck. Tali wanted to yell for help but was paralyzed, afraid of what was going to happen next.

  “Get the fuck off of her you douche,” Zenna screamed. She had walked to the back to reload an empty tray with a fresh batch of napoleons, which were flying off the shelves this morning.

  “Zenna,” said Aubin laughing. He moved off of Tali and began to walk away, but as he did he turned back to her and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll have you when I want.”

  As Aubin made his way out of the kitchen, he grabbed one of the napoleons off a tray on the cart near the door. Apparently Aubin felt like he didn’t need to ask for permission for anything, including sex, anymore. Now in cahoots with Delroy Tasse, Aubin felt omnipotent.

  “What if he comes back?” Tali cried into Zenna’s shoulder.

  “He won’t,” she replied, not just to comfort her friend but because she knew that she had done something that would solve the Aubin problem for good.

  On Christmas Eve, while the girls were plotting to sabotage Delroy Doux, Zenna decided to come up with a back-up plan, desperate to make sure that she would never have to worry about losing custody to her son. She had asked Jacques, who she realized would do anything for her, to pick her up a few sticks of highly explosive dynamite, knowing that he of all people would know exactly where to find it and, more importantly, wouldn’t ask questions. Had the crème brulee plan failed, Zenna was prepared to do something much more damaging, blowing up the competition literally.

  Thankfully it hadn’t come to this, but Zenna still had the dynamite, unsure of how to safely dispose of it. She had stashed it at her home for a night, but was afraid that Coty would get his hands on it. This morning she had arranged to have Jacques pick it up from The Two Macarons and take it back to wherever he got it from. All morning she had been walking, slowly and methodically, through the bakery with an apron filled with dynamite.

  The sight of Aubin made Zenna physically sick. She couldn’t believe that he had the balls to assault Tali right there in the kitchen, with the woman he screwed and the woman whose heart he trampled right out front. She wanted to kill Aubin. Without thinking, Zenna quickly slipped a stick of dynamite into one of the napoleons before confronting Aubin. She had gotten to know Aubin well while he dated Margot and she knew that he wouldn’t be able to resist a fresh napoleon, taking one as he left to emphasize that he absolutely had no respect for the women or their bakery.

  Screams filled the air less than twenty seconds after Aubin walked out the front door of The Two Macarons. The media reported later that a man, who would later be identified as Mr. Aubin Guillory by his wallet found nearly fifty meters away by investiga
tors, the wealthy entrepreneur and heir to the Guillory fortune, had exploded in front of the Eiffel Tower. It wasn’t spontaneous combustion, as some witnesses swore, but murder and the police swore they wouldn’t rest until the criminal was found.

  Napoleons

  Serves 9

  Ingredients

  1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

  For the filling

  ¼ cup granulated sugar

  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  Pinch of sea salt

  1 cup half and half

  2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

  ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  ¼ cup whipping cream

  ***Dynamite not recommended***

  For the glaze

  2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

  ¼ teaspoon almond extract

  2 ½ tablespoons water, boiling

  For the chocolate drizzle

  1 ½ tablespoons melted semisweet chocolate

  Directions

  Set your oven’s temperature to 425 degrees F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper; set aside.

  Unroll the puff pastry and trim to a 9” square. Use a knife to cut the square into 9 three-inch squares. Place the squares onto the lined baking sheets and prick the tops with the tines of a fork. Set the pastry squares in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until they are golden in color. When finished baking, remove from the parchment paper and place on a wire rack to cool.

  Next prepare the cream filling by combining the sugar, flour, and salt together in a medium-size saucepan – stir to combine. Then add in the half and half, stirring over medium heat. The mixture should start to bubble and get thick. Continue stirring and cook for another minute.

  Place the beaten eggs in a bowl and add half of the hot half and half mixture, stirring to combine. Pour this mixture back into the remaining half and half mixture in the saucepan, stirring and cooking for another 2 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat and add the vanilla extract. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to cool until warm. When warm, in a small mixing bowl use an electric mixer to beat the whipping cream until it holds soft peaks. Use a spatula to gently fold the whipped cream into the warm filling.

  Finally prepare the glaze by combining the powdered sugar and almond extract in a medium-size mixing bowl. Slowly add the boiling water, stirring until it reaches a consistency that will be easy to spread.

  To put the napoleons together, use a fork to carefully separate each baked puff pastry square into 3 layers. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling on each bottom layer of pastry. Set the second layer of pastry on top and place another 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling on top of that. Set the final pastry layer on top, spreading the glaze in an even layer. Use a dull knife to drizzle the melted chocolate on top.

  Enjoy the napoleons immediately or place in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. (The sooner you eat them the better!)

  28

  December 28th – After seeing the area around The Two Macarons swarmed with police activity – detectives, horses, bloodhounds – Zenna knew she would be caught. It was just a matter of time. She hadn’t thought her plan through. In fact it wasn’t a plan at all. Tali and Margot weren’t sure that Zenna had committed the crime, but they thought that she was definitely a prime suspect. Plus, Zenna had been acting nervous all day, spending more time than usual in the back of the bakery, asking Coty to come with her wherever she went, and on the phone with Jacques every other minute.

  At around noon that day three police officers walked into the bakery, asking Basile and Oralie if they knew whom the owner was. The couple described Margot, saying that they believed she was in the back at this very moment. Thankfully, the police officers didn’t need to go to the back themselves as Margot walked out the kitchen door at that very moment. The officers sat her down at a table that had been moved away into a back corner, asking her all sorts of questions about Aubin. Although Margot knew she had nothing to do with Aubin’s death, she was nervous that they could make a case against her, saying that she had a motive – the mad ex-girlfriend seeking revenge against her cheating boyfriend that had recently bought the building her business was in.

  “May we interview your employees?” the officers asked Margot after finishing her initial interview.

  “Sure,” said Margot, doing her best to remain calm.

  While in view of the officers she walked slowly to the back, but as soon as she hit the corner she began to run.

  “The police want to interview you both,” she said shaking. “I think they suspect one of us murdered Aubin.”

  Zenna placed her hands over Coty’s ears, “I did,” she whispered.

  Stunned that their friend could actually kill someone, Margot and Tali were left without a word to say. But knowing they needed to act quickly, Margot sprang into action. “Tali, you go out now and buy some time for Zenna. Give her the keys to your apartment so she has a place to hide.”

  Tali reached into her pocket and handed Zenna, who was now bawling, her keys. “Go Tali,” Margot insisted. Tali looked back at Zenna and Coty with as much of a smile as she could muster, knowing very well that this might be the last time she ever saw them both.

  While Tali obligingly answered the questions, being as talkative as a shy person like herself could manage, Margot helped Zenna and Coty sneak into the small room that was Tali’s home.

  “What am I going to do?” cried Zenna, no longer able to keep it together for the sake of her son.

  “Call Jacques.”

  Zenna reached out her phone but was shaking so hard that she was unable to dial his number.

  “Can you?” she asked her friend.

  “Jacques?” said Margot, covering the speaker of the phone with her cupped hand to muffle her voice.

  “It’s Margot. Zenna and Coty need your help. It’s serious. We’re in Tali’s apartment next to the bakery. Hurry, please.”

  Margot hung up, nervously peeking out the window, waiting to see what Jacques would have up his sleeve.

  Like magic, Jacques appeared within seconds. He was flying in an old hot air balloon, decorated with blue and green flags. He stood in the wood basket wearing a fur trapper hat and goggles. He pulled the balloon up to the window, spotting Margot.

  “Are my passengers ready for their flight?” he shouted to her.

  Margot motioned for Zenna and Coty to come to the window, pulling a chair up next to it to help them climb into the floating basket. Jacques held his hand out for Coty, who got in first, and then helped Zenna in.

  “Your chariot awaits my darling,” he said, knowing that this would be the first day of the rest of their lives.

  Waving to her best friend as they pulled away from the window, Margot spotted a bag of Madeleines on the table. She tossed it out the window.

  “For the road!”

  Zenna caught the butter cakes and blew Margot a kiss with tears of every emotion streaming down her face.

  It wasn’t the last time Margot saw Zenna, Jacques, and Coty, but it would be another fifty years before she did. Jacques flew his criminal and her son to a small island off the coast of Denmark, somewhere between Copenhagen and Gothenburg. There he married Zenna in a small church with only the minister and Coty as witnesses. Jacques made money fishing and entertaining the fisherman who docked on their small island. He and Zenna had three more children, giving Coty plenty of playmates to romp with on their twenty-acre farm. It took decades for Zenna to have the courage to contact Margot, finding her name mentioned in a small article in a Swedish newspaper, the wife of the author of the currently hottest book on the market. When the two reunited, they laughed at how old they had gotten. And then, settling in on Zenna’s front porch, they picked up right where they left off, talking about love, sex, and clothes like they were in their twenties again.

  Madeleines

  Serves 12

  Ingredients

  2 fresh eggs

&n
bsp; ¾ teaspoon almond extract

  1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

  1/3 cup granulated sugar

  ½ cup all-purpose flour

  1 ½ tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest

  ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

  Granulated sugar, for topping

  Special tools

  Madeleine molds

  Directions

  Set your oven’s temperature to 375 degrees F. Prepare your Madeleine molds by buttering and flouring 12; set aside.

  Place the eggs and vanilla in a small mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the eggs become light. Continue beating as you add the sugar in batches. Keep beating on high speed for another 6 to 8 minutes, working until the mixture thickens and ribbons form when the beaters are lifted out of the batter.

  In 3 batches add the flour into the batter, using a spatula to fold in after each addition. Then add the lemon zest and melted butter, folding in gently but quickly. Use a large spoon to transfer the batter into the prepared molds, mounding it just over the tops.

  Place the filled molds in the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops of the cakes become springy to the touch. When finished baking, use a knife to loosen the Madeleines from the sides of the pan. Place the Madeleines on a wire cooling rack and sprinkle with sugar while still warm.