Chapter 16
16
It took the whole afternoon until Libby felt that the kitchen in the old school was as clean as she was able to get it. It was more time out of the extremely tight schedule to complete the order and get paid, but she felt better when she arrived the following morning with all the boxes of cookware she had kept hidden away from her dad.
Of course, there was still the awkwardness of crossing paths with Ethan most days. But he seemed concerned with his own deadline as he explained about the idea for the Halloween train to Libby.
‘Dad had the bright idea of it being some kind of ghost train, so it’ll need to be suitably spooky,’ he said, zipping up his jacket. He was wearing an old pair of jeans and sweatshirt, in deference to the cooler morning air. ‘As well as actually being able to run a couple of carriages too,’ he added, rolling his eyes.
‘And they’ll be paying passengers this time?’ asked Libby.
Ethan nodded. ‘Joe offered to help out with the marketing, so we’ve already got thirty people booked!’ He frowned. ‘How on earth we’re going to get all this ready in time, I honestly have no idea. I’ve got my hands full just making sure that the whole thing runs safely.’
‘Can you get any extra help?’
‘I’ve blackmailed Joe and Nico to give us a hand with the carriages,’ Ethan replied, glancing at his watch. ‘Talking of which, I’d better get going as I’m meeting them there.’ He hesitated before adding, ‘Well, make yourself at home and all that.’ He looked around at the now almost full kitchen, with every surface laden with bowls, measuring equipment and ingredients. ‘What is all this stuff?’ he asked, agog. ‘I thought you just needed a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.’
‘This is everything needed to make a cocoa bean transform into delicious chocolate,’ she told him, bending down to open up one of the sacks on the floor. She showed him the little nuggets of goodness.
‘And that’s a cocoa bean?’ he said, picking one up before bringing it up to his mouth.
‘Don’t taste it yet!’ she told him, laughing as she took it from his hand. ‘They need roasting first!’
‘Where did you get these from?’ he asked.
‘When I went to the plantation in Venezuela, I got their name and address. I would only ever order from a place with Fairtrade accreditation. It’s fairer on the farmers and makes sure they get paid proper wage for their work harvesting.’
‘I agree,’ he said, nodding. ‘So this lot has been shipped over from South America?’
‘Yup,’ she replied. ‘Each country and area has its own unique flavour of cocoa bean, but I like these ones the best.’
He looked thoughtful. ‘So, rather like a fine wine being made from a certain grape, you mean?’
She nodded. ‘But rather than being crushed with your feet in a tub, the magic happens here instead.’
‘And all this is magic?’ he asked, looking at the many boxes around him.
Libby nodded. ‘Absolutely. By the way, does that old oven actually work?’
‘I think so,’ he told her.
‘Let’s hope so,’ she replied. ‘I need it to roast the beans and then take their shells off. Then, the bit that’s inside, called the nib, is ground into a thick paste using that fancy machine over there called a melanger.’
She involuntarily gulped. Before this week, she had used a tiny melanger but had spent the very last of her savings on a much larger one which should speed up the process. She was banking on getting the money back when she was paid by the hotel for the chocolate, but until then, things would be pretty tight.
Ethan looked confused. ‘A melanger?’
‘It grinds the nibs until it’s liquid cocoa,’ she told him. ‘At that point, it just needs heating and cooling, or rather tempering and flavouring.’
‘All that for one little truffle?’ he asked, picking up one of the flat-pack boxes which she had ordered to place the truffles inside.
‘I like to think mine are worth it once you taste them,’ she said, in a proud tone. ‘Besides, with my chocolate, I know every single ingredient and process that has happened to them from the moment that the cocoa bean is harvested. You can’t say that about your mass-produced stuff.’
‘And to think, you almost burnt down the physics lab when we were at school,’ said Ethan with a sudden frown.
‘The only thing I’ll set on fire is your feet if you steal any truffles when they’re made,’ she warned him.
He grinned at her. ‘And on that cautionary threat, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got two carriages to get renovated. See you later.’
‘Only if I’m very unlucky,’ she told him, before turning her back on him.
She decided that their back-and-forth banter was the only way that she would be able to get through the uncomfortable situation of having to use his kitchen. But she was pleased with the place now that it was cleaned, especially the marble counter on the centre island. It gleamed from many hours of polishing.
At least it now complied with the food hygiene regulations that she had learnt about online, in order to pass her inspection by the local officer. Katy had also helped Libby complete all the administration to set up as a self-employed business.
She glanced over at the large number of packets and small boxes on the far counter which would make up all the different flavours. There were sharp cranberries to contrast with a drizzle of sweet white chocolate, freeze dried orange pieces for a tangy bite in the darker chocolate and even bottles of champagne for a decadent tasting truffle.
Libby just hoped the hard work it was going to take to complete the contract would be worth it. Because she still had serious doubts that she would get five thousand truffles finished in time.
Feeling the pressure, she began to get everything ready.