Kitty stepped out of the bakery into the square. She purchased a dozen eggs and a bottle of marsala. When she returned to the bakery, she placed her purchases on the counter, threw more logs onto the oven fire, and washed her hands.
She opened her recipe book.
“Crack six eggs into a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix slowly and add a cup of marsala wine. Cook slowly over a low fire, stirring continuously to break up all the lumps.”
She removed the mixture from the fire when she was happy with the consistency. She pulled out a tray of tart shells she had prepared earlier in the morning, and with a wooden spoon filled the shells with the custard mixture.
She then cut up some apples and pears into slices, and placed them on top of the custard. She was pleased with how good they looked. “That ought to bring in customers,” she thought as she smiled.
Her thoughts turned to the countess. She wondered if the order stood with the old baker, Desire, who had fled to the south, or if the countess would need a new source of baked goods for her wedding.