The notice was put up outside the château on Friday afternoon. Marie saw it as she cycled home . She needed the job. There was no other way around it, it was difficult making ends meet and anyway, she could cook!
Her only worry was the competition. So she cheated. For probably the first time in her life she didn't play fair. After a quick look around her, she deftly tore the notice from the iron gate, pushed it deep into her basket and hurried home.
Monday afternoon found Marie alone outside the château gate at ten to three. She waited politely until three then rung the bell. A young boy emerged from the side of the château, pulled open the heavy iron gate and muttered "it's this way", before running off without her.
Just when she thought she'd be going in alone, a car drew up and a young woman jumped out, shouted "merci!" to the driver of the car then slipped inside the gate. This new player looked dangerous. She was prettier than Marie, and she knew it. She walked tall, the little hat perched on the top of her head bobbing as she caught up with Marie. "bonjour, are you coming for the cook job too, I though I'd be too late, but that nice young man stopped to offer me a lift. Oh, and my name's Héloise" she laughed and Marie didn't know what to answer.
As the two young women approached the side entrance to the château, a matronly figure came out to meet them, she looked efficient but not friendly. "Ah bonjour, only two of you, hmm." she looked up towards the gate, "We were hoping for more. Well come in, come in, I have to show you around before you start in the kitchen."
She ushered them into the huge kitchen, bright copper pots gleaming on the walls, and a monster of an oven presiding over the centre of the room. "Bon, ici c'est la cuisine, I'll show the rest of the house to whoever gets the job."
The girls were looking around the kitchen when a door opened and a tall man walked in. The matron immediately dropped a curtsey, "ah bonjour monsieur le Comte. These are the girls for the cook's job"
The girls were looking around the kitchen when a door opened and a tall man walked in. The matron immediately dropped a curtsey, "ah bonjour monsieur le Comte. These are the girls for the cook's job"
The man lifted a pair of glasses to his eyes. Marie glanced at him then kept her eyes on the ground, Héloise had no such qualms. She looked boldly at the Comte and smiled. It worked, but then it always did. Héloise attracted men like bees to honey. "Eh bien, très jolie", muttered the Comte, " but can you cook?" His question was directed at Héloise. Already Marie had been taken out of the equation. As if the only requisites to being a good cook was having a pretty smile and the legs to match.
"Bien sûr Monsieur, j'adore la cuisine" Héloise giggled, Marie rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
The Comte talked for a while about life in the château, his love of food and why baking fine pastry was a good test of a cook's prowess. Héloise, smiled and agreed with everything he said. As he left them, Marie heard her say, "c'est bon, no matter what my pastry tastes like, he wants me for the job".
They could use whichever utensils and ingredients they felt necessary to make a pastry dish. Each had a work table, Héloise was given an apron, Marie had brought her own, perfectly pressed. Monsieur would be back at the end of the afternoon to judge!
Héloise was noisy, far too noisy, she hummed, she clattered, she cussed as she spilt flour on the floor, she bothered the matronly intendant every two minutes for apples, for sugar, for some of this or more of that. But she was happy, sure of her tarte aux pommes, sure of the job, sure of her unbeatable powers of seduction.
Marie was slower but more discreet. The list of ingredients she required was precise. 'Matron' raised her eyebrows as Marie asked for "flour, milk, eggs, butter, cheese, cream, sugar, chocolate and ... a piping bag", then she looked at Marie and smiled - she had guessed!
Just over an hour after the Comte had left the kitchen, Héloise removed a burnt, off centre apple tart from the oven. She put the tart, piping hot, on a board and sat back, indifferent to her messy work space.
Marie was still busy. The saucepan in which she heated the milk, water, sugar, salt and butter, was off the heat now. She had added her carefully measured flour in one go and stirred energetically until the dough came away from the side of the pan. She let it to cool then added the eggs, stirring well. Half the dough was transferred into the piping bag, the other half left in the saucepan, where grated cheese was added.
She worked meticulously, deftly, she knew exactly what she was doing and what she was aiming for. She beat cream; melted chocolate; washed saucepans; removed baking trays from the oven. Quiet, sure movements.
By the time the Comte returned to the kitchen the sun was going down. He entered smiling and headed straight for Héloise and her apple tart: a shadow of disappointment passed over his face as he saw the burnt crust, the uneven texture, the irregular layer of apple slices. He cut a small piece and tasted, the warmth left his smile to be replaced by a polite rictus. "Merci mademoiselle", was all he said.
Sighing, he turned towards Marie, "and you, what have you prepared?" Marie stepped aside to reveal two beautiful trays of perfectly regular, impeccably presented choux pastry. The first flavoured with tangy cheese "des gougères Monsieur, j'espère que vous aimez", then "and these are chocolate éclairs. I hoped that Monsieur may like the use of the same choux pastry base to prepare a sweet and a savoury dish"
The Count's jaw dropped, he tasted a cheese gougère "so light... délicieux", he whispered, then reached for a tiny chocolate éclair, his eyes seemed slightly damp
The pretty smile of Héloise was already forgotten, Marie had his full attention now. "I don't believe I have ever eaten choux pastry of this finesse! How do you do this?!"
Marie smiled, relieved and confident, "my mother always taught me that le bon dieu est dans le détail, Monsieur, I love to pay attention to detail".
~o~O~o~
I am honoured today to have been invited to join in with the blogging party going on at Splenderosa. The theme was the quote attributed to Flaubert, "le bon dieu est dans le détail".
I chose my favourite painting at home to inspire the characters of Héloise and Marie. Pop on over to see what the other girls have come up with: some really fun ideas from many of my favourite blogs.
Thank you Marsha!
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