Speechless was not a phenomenon with which Ambrose found himself familiar. But now, before this breathtaking dish, he stood in awe.

It was the most majestic of desserts—an immense, magnificent banqueting indulgence if ever there was one—and it took him a few moments to catch his breath.

“Why, that’s incredible.” He turned to the audience, regaining his composure. “Croquembouche, for those unfamiliar with this wonderful old French recipe, takes its name from the French term ‘croquet,’ which means crunch, with the word ‘bouche,’ which means mouth. It’s popular for banquets and weddings in France, but I can’t understand how you can make it under the wartime rationing restrictions. Could you clarify?”

“The profiterole balls are made with a choux pastry, which uses a lot of eggs to make it soft and chewy. After a bit of experimentation, I worked out that you can use dried egg powder instead of fresh eggs, and it doesn’t change the taste or texture of the profiteroles. They’re just as crisp and light. Usually you would pipe fresh whipped cream into the center of each ball, but as cream is almost impossible to get, I made a mock cream using marshmallow as the base to give it a firmer structure for piping.”

    “Delicious,” Ambrose said with enthusiasm, almost salivating as he watched the tower of profiteroles. “How did you sweeten the marshmallow?”

“I used a little cherry jam. Cherries are one of the sweetest fruits, and there are a few cherry trees around Fenley. You have to pick them when they’re at their very ripest, boil them down, and then use the condensed jam. I had to add a very small amount of sugar, but well within our weekly limits. The cherries add a wonderful flavor, as well as a lovely pink color to the cream.

“For the caramel streamers around the tower, I used local honey, using a whisk to give it that spun-sugar appearance. Because it’s wound around rather than poured, you don’t actually need very much of it, which again means less honey and sugar.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to try some.” Ambrose took a step toward the tower, and Zelda spooned the top three profiterole balls onto a plate. The crisp shell of caramel strings broke gently at the touch of the spoon, oozing the scent of caramelized honey.

Ambrose’s spoon slid through the soft profiterole casing, exposing a delicate pink interior. He brought a mouthful to his lips, stopped to smell—the scent of fresh cherries meandered succulently around the stage. Then he put it into his mouth, his jaws slowly chewing, and his eyes closed with abject veneration to this, the most delectable dessert that ever came to be.

Forgetting his poise, Ambrose gazed at the croquembouche. “That is the most heavenly thing I have tasted since the beginning of the war—longer in fact!”

Taking another bite, he relished the flavors, delighting in the experience. “The spun caramel is utterly superb, and the cherry cream is…is”—he stumbled, lost for words—“it’s sweet but tart, just the right level of fruitiness, and it blends with the caramel so incredibly well. The pastry is absolutely the perfect texture: crisp but soft and chewy on the inside. Together, this is quite honestly the very best in fine dining.”

Everyone stood to see, and the cameras flashed while Zelda carefully stood behind the great dessert, checking that her long, draped jacket and scarf were well positioned to conceal the pregnancy.

    Ambrose returned to center stage, where he made a majestic bow and said in an auspicious manner, “And now I will give you the results of the final round of The Kitchen Front Cooking Contest, after which the overall contest winner will be announced.

“To remind you of the point tallies thus far, Nell has eighteen points, Audrey has seventeen points, Zelda has fifteen points, and Gwendoline has twelve points.” He glanced again at the croquembouche. “And without further delay, I would like to award the points for this round.”

He made a slight cough and raised his voice in an official manner. “Nell’s summer pudding was utterly superb, and I have to award that a nine. Gwendoline’s mock apricot tart used the sweetness of the carrots in a most delectable way, although the texture was a little off. She gets a seven. Audrey’s delicious apple and honey cake takes an eight. And finally, we get to Zelda’s dazzling croquembouche, which is tonight’s winner with ten points.”

The crowd roared with cheers and applause. Zelda beamed as the other women onstage leaped over to congratulate her.

Ambrose went on. “And so, the final scores are: Gwendoline with nineteen points, both Audrey and Zelda with twenty-five points, and the winner of The Kitchen Front Cooking Contest, with twenty-seven points, is Miss Nell Brown.”

The girl looked as if she’d pass out right there on the stage. Her eyes looked frantically around, as if there must be some mistake—was it a dream? And then tears began brimming over her eyelashes. “I won?”

Gwendoline put a firm arm around her. “Mrs. Quince would be so proud of you.”

Audrey came around the other side. “I’m sure she’s looking down right now, thrilled to bits with you—with all of us!” She put her other arm around Zelda’s shoulder.

Gwendoline was looking at the croquembouche. “You kept that idea up your sleeve, Zelda!” She laughed. “You’re a complete genius! I bet your croquembouche will be the talk of the country now it’s on the BBC. Can we kidnap you to make that dish for the grand opening of our new restaurant?”

    They all turned to look at Gwendoline.

“Is it happening, then?” Audrey asked. “Did you sign the lease?”

“Yes,” Gwendoline whispered. “But we should keep it hush-hush for now. We’ll ask Ambrose and the press to help spread the word when we open in November. It’ll be the finest restaurant in Fenley,” she said magnanimously.

Audrey coughed. “It will be the only restaurant in Fenley!”

And at that precise moment, the photographer of The Kent Times snapped a picture that would be on all the front pages the following day: the four women, huddled behind the grand croquembouche tower, their arms around one another, laughing with utter joy.

Zelda’s Croquembouche

Serves 10 to 12

For the choux pastry profiteroles

? cup butter or cooking fat 1 cup milk and water mixed 2 teaspoons sugar

2 cups flour

8 large eggs, or the equivalent in dried egg powder, reconstituted and beaten Milk or a beaten egg, to glaze

For the marshmallow cream filling

2 eggs, or the equivalent in reconstituted dried egg powder 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin 1 pint water

? cup sugar, or a tablespoon of a sweet jam, such as cherry ? cup powdered milk 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the honey caramel sauce

? cup honey

2 tablespoons butter 1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk

First, make the choux profiteroles. On low heat, melt the butter or fat in the milk-water mix with the sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon. Once it begins to simmer, add the flour in one go. Stir briskly over the heat until it makes a smooth, stiff paste. Remove from the heat and put it into a mixing bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes.

     Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Add the eggs in three or four batches, whisking between each, until it makes a shiny, smooth, yellow paste. Line a baking sheet with parchment, then brush the top surface of the paper with water, leaving any droplets. This helps the profiteroles rise. Use a teaspoon to dollop the paste at regular intervals; each one should be 1 to 2 inches in diameter before cooking. You can use a piping bag if you prefer. Gently brush each one with milk or a beaten egg glaze.

Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F/180°C and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Don’t open the oven door as the steam will escape and the profiteroles will not rise properly. Take them out of the oven when golden brown. Leave to cool completely before filling.

Next, make the marshmallow cream filling. Whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon sugar over hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, or until smooth.

Dissolve the gelatin in a little water. Heat 1 pint water in a saucepan, then add the gelatin mixture and stir. Add the remaining ? cup sugar or jam and then slowly add the milk powder. Whisk until fluffy. Fold in the egg and sugar mixture with the vanilla essence. Leave it to cool before spooning the filling into each profiterole, or you can use a piping bag.

Next make the honey caramel. Heat the honey and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then slowly add the condensed milk, stirring all the time. When blended and thick, remove from the heat. Let it cool slightly before beginning to construct the croquembouche.

One by one, take a profiterole and dip it into the honey caramel so it is thinly coated. Arrange them on a platter so that together they form a tall, conical pyramid. At the end, use the remaining honey caramel to swirl thin strings of sauce around the outside of the structure. This will help to keep it in place. You can decorate the croquembouche with flowers or confectionary.

Nell