Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs Page B

almond bars, and small squares of lemon cake lined the bottom tier.
    Suzanne was finalizing the arrangement of the strawberries and almond bars when Toni came flying into the kitchen. “ Everything ready? ” she chirped. “ Our dear ladies are sipping away and making polite inquiries regarding food. ” She glanced at the trays laden with food. “ Oh, wow, don ’ t those look special. ”
    Petra gave an elfish grin as she added a few edible flow ers to the arrangements. “ And pretty, too. ”
    “ You ’ re so right, ” exclaimed Toni. “ Our guests are gonna jump out of their skins when they get a load of all this gorgeous food! ”
    “ Shall we carry out the trays, ladies ? ” asked Suzanne. “ And make our presentation? ” With great care, each partner picked up two of the food-laden trays, then carefully eased through the doorway and into the cafe. And their guests did not jump out of their skins at all, but instead gave their hostesses an enthusiastic and well-deserved round of applause.
    Halfway through the tea, Suzanne introduced herself (though they all knew who she was) and did a lighthearted presentation on tea etiquette.
    First up was a quick lesson on scones.
    “ The proper way to eat a scone, ” Suzanne explained, “ is to split it in half horizontally with your knife. Then spread a little butter on the scone ’ s crumbly side, and top it with jam. ”
    “ What about adding Devonshire cream? ” asked a lady in a plum-colored suit.
    “ Put a judicious dollop right on top of your jam, ” said Suzanne. “ Enough for a bite, then use your small spoon to keep adding more dollops if you want. ”
    “ What about lemon in tea? ” asked a woman in tweeds.
    “ Personal preference, ” said Suzanne. “ But the accepted method is to put a thin, almost translucent slice of lemon in your teacup, then add your tea. ” There was a soft murmur, then Suzanne added, “ but never add lemon and milk to your tea. The citric acid in the lemon will surely make your milk curdle. ”
    A woman way in back raised a hand tentatively.
    “ Yes? ” said Suzanne.
    “ How long do you boil your water for tea? ”
    “ Ah, ” said Suzanne. “ You really don ’ t. The trick is to pull your kettle off the stove just as it begins to boil. ”
    “ Interesting, ” said another woman. “ Then how long should you allow your tea to steep? ”
    “ The rule of thumb, ” said Suzanne, “ is two to five minutes for green tea, four to seven minutes for black tea. But, of course, timing is always dependant on personal taste. And the variety of tea. ”
    The woman in the plum suit raised her hand again. “ How did you learn all this? ”
    Suzanne gave a slightly embarrassed shrug. “ Trial and error. And some really good books. ”
    While Petra poured refills and chatted with friends on the cafe floor, Suzanne and Toni gobbled up the leftover tea sandwiches that had been sliced crookedly or, for some reason, weren ’ t up to Petra ’ s exacting standards.
    “ They still taste good, ” mumbled Toni.
    “ And this cucumber and goat cheese is to die for, ” said Suzanne. “ Even if it ’ s not everyone ’ s taste. ”
    “ Cheese, ” said Toni. “ I wanted to tell you, we ’ re down to our last wheel of cheddar. I hope you were able to get Mike Mullen on the horn. ”
    “ I did and he says he ’ s busier than a one-armed paper- hanger, ” Suzanne told her. “ So I ’ m gonna have to rattle on out there myself. ”
    “ I got an idea, ” said Toni. “ Are you still going to Ozzie ’ s visitation tonight? ”
    Suzanne nodded. “ Sure. Though I can ’ t honestly say I ’ m looking forward to it. ”
    “ What if I picked you up, ” said Toni, “ and then, after ward, we drove out to Cloverdale Farm together? ”
    “ Sounds like a plan, ” said Suzanne. “ Is Petra coming, too? ”
    “ No, ” said Toni, licking her fingers. “ She ’ s going to visit Donny. But she ’ ll be at Ozzie ’ s funeral