Tartelettes au citron

With raised eyebrows, Alexandre put on the apron which had been given to him and followed the master confectioners with the rest of the group to the baking room in the cellar of the old timber-framed house.

It was a very spacious vaulted cellar, furnished like a high-tech bakery. On the stainless steel work surface were three separate stacks of ingredients. Alexandre had never needed to cook a thing in his life, let alone bake. Pondering, he let his eyes wander to his wife. Lily and he had grown up similarly, but she had been forced to fend for herself for a while. He looked at his sister skeptically. She probably would fuck it up. She was not able to survive without help. Why did she suddenly decide to take a couples' baking class? Was this some new trend among the ladies of the crème de la crème? He shook his head wordlessly, glancing questioningly at Phillipe. Did the poor guy know what he was getting into or did Louise push him into the freezing water just like him. Alexandre was sure of one thing, there was only one good baker in that room and that was the course instructor. The rest would soon be lost!

It turned out he was so wrong. "Hey! Weigh the sugar carefully!" Lily admonished him testily.

"Eh, I measured it!"

"There are 30 grams too much in the bowl!" Lily's look was eerie when she was cranky. She didn't let him out of her sight for a second, watching Alexandre with Argus eyes, just like the teacher. But the teacher was rather reserved with criticism.

But Lily, on the other hand... every time he didn't use the spoons, measuring cups and kitchen scales meticulously, she scolded him, which was a bit annoying. He felt like a kid who was being watched all the time. What was so bad about it if a little more ended up in the bowl. There was really no reason to make such a fuss about these things. Alexandre couldn't understand the drama. However, he did hear the mischievous giggles of his dearest sister, which caused him some more grief. Especially after he noticed that Louise was skillfully following the chef's instructions. Alexandre had no idea what he was doing here. But his idiot sister did. Wasn't that her first time?!

But what annoyed Alexandre the most was Phillipe, who approached the matter almost as professionally as the pastry chef and Lily. With his sleeves rolled up, Phillipe focused on lifting the thermometer into his Lemon Curd pot.

Alexandre felt somehow betrayed by his friend. Betrayed by him and his sister, who surpassed Alexandres expectations by far. Had the two of them attended such courses before?

He didn't even have to start talking about his wife. She seemed to understand the chef's strange instructions without batting an eyeli. She handled the machines and baking tools like a professional. Everything seemed so easy when she had it in her hand. But when Alexandre imitated her, things went horribly wrong. He felt like he was under a curse.

He spilled a little starch. Anyway. He was about to reach for the butter to weigh it when his eyes met her reproachful gaze.

"But it was just a little bit."

"Just weigh it out one more time. Exactly!" Lily sighed as she skillfully whipped the beaten egg white stiff next to him.

Anyway, after a few more scrambles, the Tartelettes au citron were finally ready. They tasted delicious. Although Alexandre was not so fond of desserts, he enjoyed his own work. They were not too sweet, but very fruity.

But apparently Lily was unhappy after tasting the master confectioner's and comparing them with her own.

"I've measured everything." Alexandre protested without any guilt under Lily's reproachful gaze.

"But when it came to a teaspoon, for example, you didn't flatten the surface. You just ladled out a mountain!" Lily sulked unhappily.

Alexandre didn't understand why his wife was comparing herself to a professional. He thought they had actually done quite well.

He gently stroked her hand. "If you like his pastries so much. I'll hire him to work in our kitchen." He tried to calm his wife down.

Suddenly her eyes lit up. "That's nice, but our own confectioner Pierre is really good too." Lily smiled as she tasted one of the other desserts at the table. "You know Alexandre, the correct measure is very important in preparing desserts. Everything must be measured correctly. Otherwise, things can go wrong very quickly."

Alexandre pulled her beside him, grinning, and buried his nose next to her ear. "We can always practice on it together." His breath hotly brushed against her skin. Then he pressed his lips against the sensitive area next to her ear.