The Bake-Off Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Grammy Syl’s Christmas Eve Cake

  Acknowledgements

  PRAISE FOR BETH KENDRICK’S NOVELS

  The Bake-Off

  “A warm, winning story about the complications of sisterhood—and the unexpected rewards.”

  —Sarah Pekkanen, author of Skipping a Beat

  “Two estranged sisters about as likely to bond as water and oil. A fun book with more twists and turns than a three-layer marble cake.”

  —Susan Miller, 2000 Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist and winner of

  Nabisco’s 1999 “Build a Better S’Mores” contest

  “Wonderful! Kendrick manages to cook up a tender, touching, and very funny story about the complicated relationship of two sisters torn apart by their own stubbornness and brought back together by love and pastry. With a fresh plot and richly layered characters, The Bake-Off is a winner.”

  —Ellen Meister, author of The Other Life

  Second Time Around

  “Kendrick deftly blends exceptionally clever writing, subtly nuanced characters, and a generous dash of romance into a flawlessly written story about the importance of female friendships and second chances.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Smart and fun, this is my favorite book this year.”

  —Jane Porter, author of She’s Gone Country

  “A touching and humorous look at love, loss, and literature.”

  —Booklist

  “Extremely engaging . . . [Kendrick’s] characters were easy to fall in love with.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  “Kendrick is an undeniably practiced hand at depicting female bonds.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A funny, charming story about the power of female friendship, and a must-read for all English majors, past and present.”

  —Kim Gruenenfelder, author of Misery Loves Cabernet

  The Pre-nup

  “In the exceptionally entertaining and wonderfully original The Pre-nup, Kendrick writes with a wicked sense of humor and great wisdom about the power of friendship, the importance of true love, and the very real satisfaction of romantic revenge done right.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “The three female leads all captivate.”

  —Romantic Times

  “[A] highly entertaining story.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “[Kendrick’s] heroines are easy to like.”

  —Booklist

  “Clever, wise, and wonderful, The Pre-nup is Beth Kendrick at her best.”

  —Jane Porter

  “Witty, juicy, and lots of fun! Say ‘I do’ to The Pre-nup.”

  —Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling

  author of The Best of Friends

  “A smart, funny spin on happily-ever-after!”

  —Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling

  author of Secrets of a Shoe Addict

  Nearlyweds

  “A fun and funny look at marriage, commitment, and figuring out what your next best step is . . . whether it be down the aisle or not.”

  —Alison Pace, author of City Dog

  “Very funny.”

  —Carole Matthews, author of The Chocolate Lovers’ Club

  Fashionably Late

  “Wickedly clever.”

  —Booklist

  “Kendrick gives chick lit clichés an adroit turn.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Kendrick’s keen sense of humor and pitch-perfect gift for dialogue are excellent accessories to this fun and frothy tale.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  ALSO BY BETH KENDRICK

  Second Time Around

  The Pre-nup

  Nearlyweds

  Fashionably Late

  Exes and Ohs

  My Favorite Mistake

  NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY

  Published by New American Library, a division of

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

  New York, New York 10014, USA

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  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

  80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  First published by New American Library,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  First Printing, May 2011

  Copyright © Beth Macias, 2011

  All rights reserved

  REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

  Kendrick, Beth.

  The bake-off/Beth Kendrick.

  p. cm.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-51472-6

  1. Sisters—Fiction. 2. Baking—Fiction. 3. Family secrets—Fiction. 4. Domestic fiction. I. Title.

  PS3611.E535B35 2011

  813'.6—dc22 2010053454

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

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  For Bridget and Joe, my brillian
t and beautiful siblings

  Secret Sisterhood Szarlotka

  ANNOTATED BY AMY BIALEK NICHOLS

  SUGGESTED SOUND TRACK: Beastie Boys’ Licensed to III, B-52s’ Cosmic Thing

  Ingredients:

  For the crust

  2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

  ½ cup ultrafine sugar (also known as “baker’s sugar”)

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  14 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

  3 egg yolks

  3 tablespoons sour cream

  For the apple filling

  6–7 (3 pounds) large apples—mostly Granny Smith, with one or

  two Fuji thrown in for variety

  1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  ½ cup granulated sugar

  3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  1 teaspoon cinnamon

  ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

  ⅛ teaspoon allspice

  Instructions:

  Watch a few hours of the Food Network and/or Top Chef. Say to yourself, “How hard can this really be? It’s just pie.”

  Have a glass of wine and give yourself a pep talk. Then get to work on the crust.

  First, cut the butter into small cubes and store in the refrigerator. The key to light, flaky piecrust is to keep the butter as cold as possible throughout the prep and rolling process. Whenever the dough starts to get warm and difficult to handle, pop it back in the fridge—or even the freezer—for a few minutes.

  Using a fork, beat the sour cream into the egg yolks. Blend just enough to combine—it’s fine if the mixture is still streaky. Put the egg mixture aside in the fridge for now.

  Food processor method

  Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine the dry ingredients. Add the cold butter and pulse in quick spurts until the mixture reaches the “small pea stage”—that is, there are visible pea-size pieces of coated butter surrounded by tiny, mealy crumbs.

  Add the egg-yolk mixture and pulse a few more times to combine the dry and wet ingredients. **Do not overprocess.** The dough should still look mealy and clumpy, but should stick together when you squeeze it in your hand. If the dough does not stick together and instead feels crumbly and dry, try adding another tiny dollop of sour cream.

  Stand mixer method

  What’s that? You say Martha Stewart doesn’t live at your house and you don’t own a food processor? No problem! Julia Child used to make piecrust with a stand mixer, and if it’s good enough for Julia, it’s good enough for me.

  If you’re using a stand mixer, you’re going to combine the ingredients in the same order as described above, but you’re going to use the flat paddle attachment for your mixer, and you’re going to use the very slowest setting on the mixer—“stir.” Again, be careful not to overmix—you should aim for about 1–2 minutes to reach the “small pea stage,” and maybe another 1–2 minutes after you add the wet ingredients.

  Both methods

  Once the dough has been mixed, pour it onto a cutting board or sheet of waxed paper and form a large ball. Knead it by pushing down in the center, then pushing in from the sides, about five times. Separate about one-third of the dough from the rest, form the two sections into thick disks, wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

  Resist the temptation to go watch E! for half an hour and instead get started on the apple filling.

  Apple filling

  Peel, core, and cut up the apples into cubes. Cubes should be about 1 inch square, but there’s no need to get all crazy and precise—it’s supposed to be rustic.

  Place the apple chunks into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle on the lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Go ahead and use your hands—Martha Stewart doesn’t live here, remember? Sprinkle on the sugar and mix again.

  Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a large, deep sauté pan. Add the apple chunks and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. The apples should get soft and tender, but not smooshy (that’s a technical term). After 15 minutes, take the pan off the burner, sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice on top of the apple chunks, and stir. Set aside to cool. Now would be a great time to check your e-mail and your favorite celebrity gossip blog.

  Putting it all together

  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

  No more stalling—it’s time to roll out the crust. Gather your materials: a sturdy rolling pin or dowel, a small bowl of all-purpose flour, a long offset metal spatula, a glass pie plate (about 9 inches in diameter), a cheese grater, and a large cutting board or clean countertop. Resist the urge to break out the premade crust you bought at the grocery store under cover of night, and remember: There’s no crying in pie baking.

  Retrieve the larger dough disk from the fridge and dust your work surface with flour. Starting from the center of the disk, roll the dough into a circle large enough to cover the entire pie plate and drape over the sides. The rolled dough should be thin enough for you to see a patterned cutting board underneath. Ideally, you want your crust to have visible butter striations. If you can’t see them at first, have another glass of wine and check again.

  Place the crust into the pie plate. You could try rolling it onto your rolling pin like wrapping paper and then “unwrapping” it into your pie plate. Or you could scrape it up with the offset spatula, fold it in half lengthwise and then into quarters, and unfold it in the pie plate. Trim off any excess dough hanging over the rim of the plate.

  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apple chunks from the sauté pan into the crust. Discard any leftover liquid in the pan—do not pour it into the pie. Use the spoon to press down on the apple chunks and pack them in tightly.

  Place the pie on a metal cookie sheet (bonus points if you put a silicone baking mat between the tray and the pie plate). Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. **Note: Baking time varies wildly depending on the eccentricities of your particular oven.**

  While the pie is baking, retrieve the remaining ball of dough from the fridge and grate it. Yes, really. Pretend you’re preparing a block of mozzarella for pizza topping.

  After 20 minutes, remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle a thin layer of grated dough across the top of the apples. See? It really is just like making pizza. Try to cover all the exposed apples, and don’t forget the edges. Pop the pie back into the oven and bake for an additional 20–25 minutes.

  Try to restrain yourself long enough to avoid scorching your tongue, then grab a fork and dig in. Feign modesty when everyone in your house raves about your culinary genius after they recover from their paroxysms of pastry-induced bliss. Imagine Martha Stewart writhing with envy. Realize that you have now used up everything in your refrigerator and go out for dinner. Your work here is done.

  Chapter 1

  “Honey, I hope my luck is half as hot as you are,” slurred the Hawaiian-shirted frat boy as he studied the pair of cards in front of him on the casino table. “Hit me.”

  Linnie Bialek kept her expression neutral and her eyes lowered as she flipped over the top card in the deck.

  The frat boy woo-hooed and high-fived the guy hunched on the stool next to him. “Hit me again!”

  Imbecile.

  “Double down,” intoned the sidekick. “Double dooooown!”

  Frat boy pounded the table. “Yeah, okay. I’ll double down.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but you no longer have the option to double down; you have more than two cards.” Linnie squirmed as the top of her leopard-print bustier dug into the tender skin under her arms. This corset, along with black satin hot pants, fishnet stockings, black patent-leather Mary Jane pumps, and furry cat ears comprised her outfit as a dealer in the “Kitty Korner,” the casino’s newest marketing ploy: a secluded, cordoned-off area for high rollers who liked a bit of T & A served up along with their complimentary cocktails.

  “If I get twenty-one, can I buy you a drink?”

  Linnie shook her head. “I’m not allowed to accep
t drinks from customers.”

  He stopped hooting and hollering and started to pout. “Are you allowed to smile, at least?”

  Linnie tried to force her features into a happy expression. She slapped down the top card with a little extra vigor. “Bust. House wins.”

  She stepped back from the table and made way for Sasha, the olive-skinned brunette who’d materialized next to her. “That’s it; my shift’s over. Best of luck to you both.”

  Linnie brushed off her hands and splayed her fingers so that the tiny bubble “eye in the sky” could ascertain that she hadn’t palmed anything during play. Then she slipped past the velvet ropes and into the crowds playing slots.