Freedom Fries and Cafe Creme by Jocelyne Rapinac Read Free Book Online Page B

the first time I’ll have a real date. I’m pretty excited. I met Regan a year ago. She was the new waitress here at the Zenith Bar that I couldn’t keep my eyes off on the night of the St Valentine’s Day tragicomedy.
    Funny how my prediction that Anne-Sophie would never see Mary-Whitney again was proved right.
    A few weeks after that fateful evening, Spaulding went into work and announced that Mary-Whitney had had a big promotion, and the family was moving to Portland, Oregon, the following month. Such an opportunity couldn’t be passed up.
    It seemed that Spaulding didn’t have any choice but to go along, since Mary-Whitney had always been the main breadwinner, and he was too weak to leave the comfortable life he led with his wife – even if he was constantly tempted by extramarital affairs.
    The saddest thing for him was that he never had the opportunity to say goodbye to Anne-Sophie properly. She didn’t go to the farewell party that the office organised for him. She simply couldn’t make it. It was a Tuesday night, after all, and we were together having our weekly happy hour, and with champagne, s’il vous plaît !
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Jessica’s Favourite Anne-Sophie Recipes
Gougères (Savoury Choux Buns)
    A gougère is a choux pastry puff often served as an amuse-bouche . It’s a speciality of Burgundy, where Anne-Sophie is from. The recipe makes 10–12 small gougères or one large one to serve 6 people.
    Basic dough:
    80g butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing pinch of salt
    1 cup (120g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
    4 eggs
    Â½ cup (60g) grated Emmental cheese (or other hard cheese)
    ground black pepper
    1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Heat ¾ cup (200ml) water in a saucepan with the butter and salt. Once it has come to the boil, remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Beat well with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporated. Return the saucepan to a moderate heat and cook, stirring, until the dough is smooth, thick and glossy. Remove from the heat and add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in the grated cheese (or your chosen flavouring from the list of variations, below) and two pinches of pepper.
    2. Grease a baking sheet and lightly dust with flour. Using a tablespoon, place individual spoonfuls of the dough on the baking sheet, or spread into a large single round. Bake for 30 mins for the small pastries or 40 mins for a large one, until well risen, crisp and golden. Serve hot as an amuse-bouche or as a main dish with a green salad.
    Jessica’s Variations of Gougères
Ham: Add 1 cup (120g) cooked or smoked ham, cut into tiny cubes and, if desired, 2 sautéed finely chopped spring onions, at the same time as the cheese.
Blue cheese (any kind): Omit the grated cheese and instead add ½ cup (100g) crumbled blue cheese mixed with 2 tbsp cream.
Goat’s cheese and aubergine: Omit the grated cheese. Instead sauté one small finely chopped aubergine and 1 small finely chopped onion in olive oil until softened. Add to the dough with ½ cup (120g) crumbled fresh goat’s cheese.
Clams: Omit the grated cheese. Instead add 1 tin (184g) of clams, drained and chopped and mixed with 2 tbsp cream and a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley.
Tapenade and sundried tomatoes: Omit the grated cheese. Instead add ½ cup (100g) tapenade, ½ cup (100g) chopped sundried tomatoes and 1 tsp dried herbes de Provence or dried oregano.
Anne-Sophie’s Version of Pain d’Épices (Gingerbread)
    Pain d’épices is another speciality of Burgundy – of Dijon, to be exact. This recipe makes two loaves of approximately 800g each. Jessica likes to freeze one and eat the other straight away.
    6 cups (700g) plain flour
    1½ cups (340ml) honey
    Â¾ cup (150g) sugar (caster, soft brown or half and half), plus 2 tbsp brown sugar for topping
    Â½ cup (125g) ginger