“That sounds good.” Hannah smiled at her. “But only if you’re sure you don’t mind getting up that early.”
“I don’t mind at all. Besides, you should sleep in tomorrow. I’ll get you up in time to take a shower and get dressed before Ross comes over. And then we’ll drive out to Sally’s for our seven o’clock practice time.”
“Seven o’clock?” Hannah was surprised. “But the kitchen will be crowded with staff if Sally’s serving her breakfast buffet.”
“I asked her about that, and she said she switched everything around so that all the contestants got time to practice. They’re setting up an omelet station, a pancake station, and a waffle station in the dining room. And they’re doing the cooking right there. She’s having a table with pastry and muffins, a station for tea and coffee, and a carving station for ham and turkey. Dick’s doing all kinds of sausages on their portable grill. Sally’s locking the kitchen and drawing the curtains so that none of the contestants will be disturbed during their practice times.”
“Are we the first contestants to practice?”
“Yes. Practice times run from seven in the morning to two in the afternoon. That’s an hour to practice and a half hour to clean up.”
“How about lunch? Won’t Sally and her staff need to get into the kitchen to prepare that?”
Michelle shook her head. “She’s serving sandwiches and soups for lunch. And there’ll be a table for desserts. That’s the way she planned it for practice days. On competition days, the kitchen will be open for business for breakfast and lunch, but dinner will be early, from four-thirty to six. And after the competition is over for the night, she’ll serve a late supper to anyone who stays for it.”
“That sounds like a lot of work for Sally and Dick.”
“It is, but Sally says it’ll be worth it as far as their business is concerned. While the film crew is here, they’re going to film a series of commercials for the Lake Eden Inn, and the Food Channel is going to run them for a solid two months for free.”
“National publicity.” Hannah turned to smile at the waitress, who’d arrived with their burgers and fries.
“Anything else, Hannah?” the waitress asked.
“Not for me, thank you.”
The waitress turned to Michelle. “How about you, Michelle?”
“Not right now, thanks. Maybe . . . dessert later?”
The waitress laughed. “Didn’t you even get to taste that great-looking cake that Hannah baked?”
“Uh . . . actually, yes. But that was in rehearsal. It was really good.”
“It looked good on TV. We had it on here, and I watched you two on my break. Congratulations!”
“Thank you,” Hannah responded, and the waitress hurried off. “Mystery solved,” she told Michelle.
“What mystery?”
“I was wondering how she knew our names when I couldn’t remember ever meeting her before.”
“You’d better get used to it,” Michelle said, picking up her burger with both hands. “Maybe you’re not classically trained like the other dessert chefs, but you’re about to become a national celebrity around here.”
BREAKFAST PUFFS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 large egg
1 cup cream cheese, softened
? stick salted butter (3 ounces)
? cup white (granulated) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
? teaspoon baking soda
? teaspoon salt
? teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
? cup cold milk
1 and ? cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
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? stick salted butter, melted (3 ounces)
? cup white (granulated) sugar
? teaspoon cinnamon
Spray the inside of a pan of 12 regular-size muffin cups with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
Beat the egg until it is light and fluffy.
Unwrap the cream cheese and the butter, and place both in a microwave-safe bowl.
Soften by heating the cream cheese and butter in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the bowl sit in the microwave for another minute and then try to stir the mixture smooth. If you cannot stir it smooth, microwave in 30-second increments with 30-second standing times until you can stir it smooth.
Add the cream cheese and butter mixture to the beaten egg. Mix until everything is well combined.
Add the white sugar and mix it in.
With the mixer running on LOW speed, mix in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
With the mixer still running on LOW speed, mix in half of the cold milk and half of the flour. Mix until well combined.
Add the rest of the milk and the rest of the flour. Mix thoroughly.
Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them full.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and they have puffed up to fill the muffin cups.