The Winner Is . . . Read online

  “Time seems to be something of a problem in this challenge. Thank you, Tate. Let’s continue. Rae, will you please bring your plate to the table.”

  Rae walked shakily to the front. Her lettuce wasn’t going to fool the judges. She wasn’t going to win, Caroline wasn’t going to win, and now Tate wasn’t going to win. That meant . . . She swallowed hard and set her plate on the table. “I made crispy spring rolls with a spicy sweet cranberry sauce.”

  “Lettuce?” Chef Aimee studied the plate, and then carefully lifted one of the rolls up with her fork. “I thought so. They stuck to the pan, didn’t they?”

  Rae nodded.

  “That happens when your oil isn’t hot enough. Were you rushed?”

  Rae nodded again.

  Chef Gary cut one of the spring rolls in half and dipped it into the sauce. “The chicken seems a little chewy. Poaching or baking would have been a better idea. Your flavors are nice, though. Sophisticated.”

  “Salty and sweet with umami undertones.”

  Chef Aimee tried the sauce again. “It’s spicy, but the sweetness takes it down to just the right amount of heat. Was Tate’s sauce spicy too?”

  “Just a little, but I added teriyaki, soy, and sriracha to deepen the flavor.”

  “Nicely done, Rae. We all like it.”

  Chef Gary smiled at Oliver. “Last but not least: Oliver, please bring your dish to the table. What have you made us?”

  “I made cranberry glazed pork meatballs.”

  The judges were instantly filled with praise.

  “Look at the color!”

  “Sophisticated presentation.”

  “Delightful plating.”

  Rae wanted to cover her ears, especially once they started tasting it.

  “YUM!”

  “Meaty and satisfying.”

  “Sweet, spice, and comfort. It has everything.”

  Chef Gary pointed his empty fork at Oliver. “How did you change Rae’s sauce?”

  “I added fresh ginger, brown sugar, mustard, and some peppers to spice it up a bit. I needed something more flavorful than Rae’s plain cranberry sauce to accent my pork meatballs.”

  “Well done, Oliver!”

  Rae shot Oliver a nasty look. Plain cranberry sauce? How dare he! Her sauce had been sweet, spicy, and sophisticated!

  The judges moved off to the side to decide on the winner, but no one was holding their breath. They all knew who was going to win.

  My favorite part of winning was listening to everyone else getting lectured on what I already knew. Time! It’s an important ingredient. Rushing through a recipe never ends well. They all tried to do too much in too little time. But not me. So here I am, back where I belong. And from now on, I won’t make any mistakes.

  ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅

  That night, after saying goodbye to a teary-eyed Tate, Caroline and Rae were back in their room, in pajamas, in their beds.

  “I can’t believe he’s back!”

  “And here to stay!”

  “I thought we were done with him!”

  “Me too.”

  “It’s the worst!” Caroline pulled the covers over her head. “I’ll probably have nightmares.”

  Rae stared at the lump in Caroline’s bed. Was it really the worst? Wasn’t one against one worse? Together against Oliver had to be better. Together! The opposite of alone.

  Sunday

  Chapter 13

  hef Nancy was waiting at the breakfast table. She waved the schedules for the week. “Grab some breakfast and I’ll hand these out.”

  Caroline walked straight to the sugared cereal. “After yesterday, I can’t afford to take chances.”

  Rae picked an apple fritter.

  Oliver sat down across from her with a glass of orange juice, two muffins, and a chocolate croissant. “Breakfast of champions!”

  She ignored him.

  Caroline scanned the schedule. “With Friday and Saturday down, only five challenges left, not including the final challenge on Thursday.”

  Rae shook her head. “There could be even more surprises.” She looked up at Chef Nancy for clues, but her face was blank.

  Oliver raised his hand. “Is there a Golden Envelope again like last week?” In week two, the Golden Envelope had given Oliver an advantage. Another shot at an advantage would be invaluable and get him even closer to winning it all.

  Chef Nancy’s phone buzzed. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to take this. We’ll do interviews in thirty minutes and then head out to the challenge. All will be explained. Enjoy your breakfast.”

  Caroline tapped the paper. “There’s another field trip on—”

  “I’m not doing any kind of pact!” interrupted Oliver. “This is our last week and I’m here to win. Just so you know.” He bit into his croissant and smiled.

  I’m the odd guy out and I like that It gives me power. My being here is putting Caroline and Rae on edge. It’s me against them. At this point, I don’t think either of them is much of a threat. They have each other, so it won’t be so bad when they lose. They can be together.

  Oliver is such a boaster. I don’t know how he can come in here and just take over. He’s not even supposed to be here. Caroline and I have to shut him down, and fast. We can do it. He underestimates us, and that’s an advantage.

  Oliver doesn’t make things easier. He should try to be less prickly. I don’t know what else to say. I’m not going to say bad things about him to the world. I’m just not that kind of person. I will win or Rae will win. I’d be really happy with either of those outcomes.

  When Chef Nancy came back, Oliver, Rae, and Caroline were ready and waiting at the door.

  ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅

  It was a short golf cart ride to the back meadow behind Porter Lodge. Chef Nancy stopped on the hill overlooking the field below.

  “It’s a party!” said Oliver.

  “With kids!” Rae pointed right. “There’s a round bouncy thing. It kind of looks like a donut.”

  “And a white tent for us.” Caroline pointed left.

  “Seems about right!” Chef Nancy powered the cart forward. “Let’s go see.”

  Steve was waiting with the camerapeople and the judges. He jumped into action.

  “ROLLING!”

  Chef Nancy handed everyone their aprons and a minute later they were lined up in front of all the judges.

  Chef Gary waved a shiny gold envelope. “Welcome! Does this look familiar?”

  “YES, CHEF!”

  “You bet it does. This is the Golden Envelope. And inside is an advantage for the winner-take-all round on Thursday. Now, the important question you’re asking yourself is How can I win it? What do you think, Chef Aimee? Should we tell them? How can they win it?”

  “With this!” Chef Aimee held up a small enamel pin shaped like a mixing whisk. “As you’ve probably noticed, we are no longer using the Gadget Wall or stars on the black board. Instead, we are giving out pins every time you win a challenge. On Thursday morning, the apron with the most whisk pins will win the Golden Envelope. Excited?”

  “YES, CHEF!”

  “Glad to hear it. Oliver and Rae, will you please come forward? You have each won a challenge this week.” She pinned a whisk pin on their aprons. Everyone applauded.

  Chef Gary pointed to the bouncy thing in the distance. “Kids are bouncing. What does it remind you of?”

  Oliver’s hand shot into the air. “Donut!”

  Rae glared at him. That was her guess! He’d stolen it.

  “Very good, Oliver! This is a donut challenge! You’ll have ninety minutes to make two dozen donuts. One dozen to be judged by the bouncing kids, so make them kid-friendly, and the other dozen to be judged by . . .”

  Chef Porter stepped forward. “A more sophisticated palate. I have to confess, I do like a good donut!”

  Chef Aimee nodded. “Me too! The three of us will be judging your fancy donut. The scores for both the kid donut and the fancy donut will be added together to determine one
winner for this challenge.” She pointed to the big white tent. “You’ll have five minutes to plan, five minutes in the pantry, and then ninety minutes to cook. Due to time constraints, you will be provided with the same premade donut dough, but it will be up to you to select the correct rising time and cooking temperature. Remember, we want to see some innovative thinking. Are you ready?”

  “YES, CHEF!”

  Chef Gary waved his arm. “Great! Let’s go inside the tent!”

  Chapter 14

  I’m really excited about this challenge. I’ve never made donuts before, but I have made beignets. That’s a French dessert that’s kind of like a mini donut, so I’m not nervous. My lucky charm is cereal, so my kid donut will have a cereal-infused glaze and maybe even a filling. I’m still deciding on that.

  ae hastily scribbled down notes. She was making a banana cream filling for the fancy donut, but the kid donut was the challenge. What could she do that was different?

  Oliver added two final ingredients to his list, then put down his pen. He was ready.

  The pantry run was fast and easy, and everyone came back with at least four jars of sprinkles.

  Chef Nancy delivered the dough. Everyone got two large cloth-covered bowls and the same instructions. “Roll out your dough. Cut out your donuts. Let them rise, then fry.”

  “ROLLING.”

  “LET’S GET COOKING!”

  Rae rolled out her dough until it was half an inch thick. She picked out two cookie cutters, one for the outside and one for the donut holes. Half would have holes, the others filling. She covered the shapes with a cloth and put them on the side to rise.

  My kid donut has to look special and different. Everyone is going to use sprinkles, so I have to do something above and beyond to stand out. I think I have a really good idea: a unicorn donut! I’m going to use donut holes stacked on a stick to make the horn. The donut will be the face it rests on once I decorate it. It’ll be a lot of work, but that’s what you have to do to win.

  Oliver had a plan: prepare everything, and then assemble. First up, salted caramel. He set a saucepan on the heat, added one-quarter cup of water and one cup of sugar, then turned on the oven. Candied pecans would be next.

  Chef Aimee visited the junior chefs to check on their progress. Caroline was making cereal milk, Rae was mashing bananas, and Oliver was melting marshmallows in a mixture of sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt.

  She lifted the edge of the cloth to look at his donuts. “Are they ready to fry?”

  Oliver touched the dough with his finger. “The dough is springing back too fast. When it springs back more slowly, then it’ll be ready.” He leaned forward and whispered. “Probably just ten more minutes.”

  Chef Aimee put a finger to her lips. “Secret’s safe with me.”

  “THIRTY MINUTES.”

  Oliver checked his donuts and then turned on the burner. There was an art to frying—you have to work in small batches and not overcrowd the pot. Too many donuts and the temperature would drop. He looked at the thermometer and waited. Three hundred and sixty-five degrees was his magic number.

  Caroline dropped three donuts into the hot oil and waited. They sank to the bottom of the pan and then slowly rose to the surface. Two minutes per side and then they were done. She pulled them out of the oil and set them on a stack of paper towels to drain. Paper towels pulled the grease out.

  Rae looked at the clock. Time was running out. In between batches, she’d have to wait for the oil temperature to rise before she could start again. She looked around and felt better. They were all stuck doing the same thing. The first thirty minutes had been crucial, and she’d used her time wisely. She’d made pink lemonade icing, vanilla icing, caramelized banana pudding, a mango glaze, and a dark chocolate ganache. She dropped a handful of donut holes into the hot oil. Once they were done, she’d turn them into unicorn horns.

  Twenty minutes isn’t a lot of time decorate two dozen donuts, but my mise en place makes me incredibly efficient. Having everything prepared and in its place is a real time-saver.

  Oliver gave Chef Gary a demonstration. “It’s a four-step process. Dunk in salted caramel sauce, dip in toasted coconut, drizzle on dark chocolate hazelnut sauce, and then sprinkle on candied pecans.” Oliver set the finished donut on a tray.

  Chef Gary licked his lips. “Are those extras?” He pointed to a tray of fried donut holes.

  “No, sir, I might still use them.”

  Chef Gary nodded and forced himself to step back.

  Caroline had a system too. “I do one big dip and two mini dips. The big dip coats the whole top in icing, and then I do a mini dip for cereal and a mini dip for sprinkles.” She held up a finished donut. It was half-covered in colorful cereal pieces and half-covered in rainbow sprinkles.

  “What happened to you?” Chef Gary almost gasped when he saw Rae. She was covered in pastry cream.

  “Pudding explosion!” She held up the piping bag. “These things aren’t easy to use. But it’s okay. I only have one more.” She picked up a donut, poked the end with a chopstick to make a hole, and then inserted the tip of the piping bag. One squeeze and she was done.

  Chef Gary sniffed the air. “Is that banana?”

  “Caramelized banana! With mango glaze and—”

  “Stop!” Chef Gary raised his hands and turned away. “This is torture!”

  Chapter 15

  ae glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes left! She took a deep breath. One step at a time—that was the only way to get things done. She filled the pastry bags: one with chocolate and the other with pink, then got to work. Each unicorn donut had two dark ganache slits for eyes, four eyelashes each, and a circle of pink icing around the horn. That was a lot of piping detail! But if she was fast, she could make it.

  “TEN MINUTES!”

  Oliver studied his tray of donuts. They had marshmallow icing, chocolate drizzles, and sprinkles, but was that enough? What did kids really like? Kids liked more! He picked up a donut hole, dipped it in icing, rolled it in chocolate sprinkles, and stuck it in the middle of the donut. There. More!

  Caroline spread the sweet cream cheese icing over the edge of the donut so it dripped down the sides in swirly waves. She filled a piping bag with the spicy strawberry glaze and outlined three petals on each side of the donut hole. Was it a winning combination? Hopefully.

  “FIVE MINUTES!”

  Rae hit the mix button. Banana chips, dried mango, and sugar swirled together. She emptied the banana mango sugar into a bowl, but it was too late—the smooth mango glaze on the top of her donuts was set. There was no way the sugared topping would stick. She wet a paper towel with hot water, dabbed the top of a donut, and then quickly sprinkled the sugar over the imperfection. Would it stay? Would it cover it up? There wasn’t time for crossed fingers. She had eleven more to go.

  “TIME!”

  Six hands went up.

  “CUT!”

  CRASH!

  A bowl hit the floor.

  “Sorry.” Rae bent down to pick it up. There was sugar everywhere—on her, and all over the floor.

  Chef Nancy rushed over. “Oh dear, you’re a mess. It’s okay.” She handed Rae a new apron. “And don’t forget to switch your pin!”

  Rae nodded. She wasn’t going to forget that.

  “Junior chefs!” Steve waved from the front of the room. “Please bring your fancy donuts to the table and stand behind your trays.”

  Rae watched the judges file in and take their places. They’d all done this a dozen times, but it was still exciting.

  “ROLLING!”

  Chef Gary licked his lips. “Finally! We get to taste these, and if they taste as good as they look, it’s going to be a hard decision.” He turned to Chef Aimee. “We might have to eat more than one to decide.”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you.”

  He put his hand over his heart. “I’d do it for the show and—”

  “Chef Gary!” Chef Porter winked at the contestants. �
��Do you want to talk or taste?”

  “Good point!” He turned back to the table. “Let’s get started. Caroline, can you tell us what you’ve made?”

  “My donut has a sweet cream cheese icing and is complemented by a peppered strawberry glaze.”

  “Charming design!”

  “Nicely executed.”

  “Sophisticated.”

  “Pretty.” Chef Gary picked one up and took a bite. “MMM! Tasty, too.” He took another bite. “Sweet and spicy.” He popped the last bit into his mouth. “And perfectly fluffy.”

  The other chefs were equally impressed, and Chef Porter liked it so much, she had two bites.

  Caroline looked down the table—going first had its advantages. Would they still be hungry when they got to Oliver’s donut? Maybe not.

  Chef Aimee pointed to Rae’s tray. “Rae, can you tell us what you’ve made?”

  “My donut has a caramelized banana cream filling and is frosted with mango glaze and accented with banana mango sugar.”

  Chef Porter moved up for a closer look. “A filled donut? In our short time span? That’s impressive. And what exactly is banana mango sugar?”

  “Banana chips mixed with sugar and dried mango pieces . . . in the food processor.”

  Chef Porter picked up a donut and a napkin. She nibbled, swallowed, and then took a bigger bite. A drop of banana pudding dripped onto her chin.

  Napkin, thought Rae. But instead, Chef Porter licked it with her tongue.

  Chef Aimee loved the mix of mango and banana, and Chef Gary ate his in two bites.

  “Oliver!” Chef Gary hungrily eyed the tray of donuts. “Can you tell us what you’ve made?”