“Except it’s prettier than most,” Christian Parker commented. “Most wedding cakes are over-decorated. This one is elegantly simple.”
“But that’s the whole idea!” Alain Duquesne told him. “The real decoration for Miss Swensen’s wedding cake is her veil and what’s inside the cake.” He turned to Hannah. “Am I right?”
“You’re right, Chef,” Hannah told him.
“And you’re wearing your wedding veil because you’re going to cut the cake?” Jeremy Zales asked her.
“Yes, Chef.”
“Hold on a second, Miss Swensen,” Helene Stone said. “Is that coffee you have in that silver urn?”
“Yes, it is,” Hannah answered quickly. “I thought it would be the perfect complement to the sweetness of the cake. Would you care for a cup?”
“Yes!”
Three of the judges spoke in unison and Hannah motioned to Michelle, who poured cups of Hannah’s church basement coffee and passed the cream, sugar, and artificial sweetener.
“Oh. This coffee looks rather weak.” Chef Duquesne looked highly disappointed.
“It’s not weak, Chef Duquesne,” Hannah told him. “It’s church basement coffee and I used eggs and eggshells to clear the brew. Please taste it and see what you think of it.”
Chef Duquesne picked up his cup and tasted the coffee. He took a second sip. “It has a good, robust flavor. How did you make it, Miss Swensen?”
“I made it in an old-fashioned percolator, but you can also use a pot on the stove, or even one of those antique blue enamel coffeepots on a campfire. If you make it on the stove or a campfire, you wait until the water boils and then you dump in three eggs mixed in with the ground coffee.”
“Shells and all?” La Vonna Brach asked, looking surprised.
“Yes, shells and all. The shells and the eggs clear the dark brown coffee color. You put the pot back on the heat, wait until it just starts to boil, pull it off and, douse it with a cup of icy cold water. Then you just strain it into cups.”
“And how do you make your church basement coffee in a percolator?” Jeremy Zales asked her.
“That’s a lot easier because you have a basket to hold the coffee grounds and the cracked eggs. All you really have to do is let it perk until the coffee is the right color and serve it.”
“And do you serve coffee like this at your coffee shop?” Helene Stone asked her.
“Yes, every day. Many of my customers grew up on church basement coffee. They’d be disappointed if I served anything else.”
“I agree that the coffee is superb,” Chef Duquesne said. “But let’s get to your wedding cake, Miss Swensen. Am I correct in assuming that you’re going to cut your cake without your groom? Or is he here to help you?”
Hannah was so surprised at the question she was speechless for a moment, but then she answered quickly. “He’s here, Chef Duquesne, but he’s working behind one of the cameras. My fiancé, Ross Barton, is an independent producer for KCOW Television, our local station.”
“Is there anyone who can take over for him so that he can help you cut your cake?” Chef Duquesne asked, his eyes searching the various cameramen stationed at strategic places near the cooking stages.
“I’ll take over for him,” someone called out, and Hannah recognized P.K.’s voice. “He’ll be right there, Hannah.”
Hannah knew she was probably blushing beet red as Ross came out of the darkness and took his place at her side. One glance at his face and she could tell that he was enjoying the unexpected appearance. Ross was laughing, and he gave her a little hug before he turned to Judge Duquesne.
“I’ve never cut a wedding cake before, Chef. Will it be all right if I deliver the plates to the judging panel?”
“Yes!” La Vonna Brach was laughing, too. “You don’t have to feed cake to each other the way you’ll actually do at the wedding reception. I just want to taste Hannah’s creation. If it’s as good as her coffee, I’ll be very impressed.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Ross said, giving her his most charming smile as Hannah cut the first slice and he delivered it to her. “Everything Hannah bakes is wonderful.”
“And you are going to have a happy marriage if you keep on complimenting her that way,” Helene Stone said, accepting her dessert plate and fork from Ross. “This is a beautiful cake.” She looked up at Hannah. “Did you use food coloring?”
“No, I decided to use something that would give the cake the right colors, but also lend different flavors to those colors.”
“Jell-O powder!” Chef Duquesne pronounced, tasting a bit of the green area. “I recognize the taste. That was brilliant, Miss Swensen.”
“I saw you mixing the batter by hand,” Jeremy Zales told her. “I noticed that you used butter, cream, and powdered sugar, but there was another ingredient that you added to your frosting.”
“Yes, there was,” Hannah answered. “It was white chocolate liqueur.”