We are very pleased that Wendy from A Day in the Life on a Farm is our very special guest host for Cook the Books. It was wonderful that Wendy was able to step in and host for the June/July edition. She chose A Bakery in Paris by Aimee Runyan for this round. It was a interesting read and I think I learned some history along the way.

About the book:

From the author of The School for German Brides, this captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century and post–World War II Paris follows two fierce women of the same family, generations apart, who find that their futures lie in the four walls of a simple bakery in a tiny corner of Montmartre.

1870: The Prussians are at the city gates, intent to starve Paris into submission. Lisette Vigneau—headstrong, willful, and often ignored by her wealthy parents—awaits the outcome of the war from her parents’ grand home in the Place Royale in the very heart of the city. When an excursion throws her into the path of a revolutionary National Guardsman, Théodore Fournier, her destiny is forever changed. She gives up her life of luxury to join in the fight for a Paris of the People. She opens a small bakery with the hopes of being a vital boon to the impoverished neighborhood in its hour of need. When the city falls into famine, and then rebellion, her resolve to give up the comforts of her past life is sorely tested.

1946: Nineteen-year-old Micheline Chartier is coping with the loss of her father and the disappearance of her mother during the war. In their absence, she is charged with the raising of her two younger sisters. At the hand of a well-meaning neighbor, Micheline finds herself enrolled in a prestigious baking academy with her entire life mapped out for her. Feeling trapped and desperately unequal to the task of raising two young girls, she becomes obsessed with finding her mother. Her classmate at the academy, Laurent Tanet, may be the only one capable of helping Micheline move on from the past and begin creating a future for herself. 

Both women must grapple with loss, learn to accept love, and face impossible choices armed with little more than their courage and a belief that a bit of flour, yeast, sugar, and love can bring about a revolution of their own. (taken from Harper-Collins)

About the author:

In her own words:

From even my earliest years, I loved jotting down stories and really, really bad poetry. I dabbled in the world of the short story for a long time, until I finally sat down one fateful February day and decided that my beloved short story, “Days of Plenty” deserved to become a novel. I felt (and feel) it was a story the world needed to hear. More importantly, I knew that after thirty-three years of life, seven years of marriage, and two children, I finally had the life experience to tell it. Thus, Promised to the Crown was born.

Since Promised, and its little sister Duty to the Crown, I’ve moved forward in time. Daughters of the Night Sky was a complete departure from my earlier works, but the stories of the long-forgotten female pilots on the Russian front in World War Two deserved to be told. Girls on the Line, the story of the intrepid women who served as phone operators in World War One was another story I was thrilled to bring to the page. Ruby remains one of my favorite heroines. My subsequent novels, Across the Winding River and The School for German Brides largely delve into the personal nature of war and the people who are forever changed by it.

I am also thrilled to be moving into contemporary fiction. The Memory of Lavender and Sage, set in the lush hillsides of Provence, explores the life of Tempeste Luddington, unmoored after the death of her father. She seeks out her purpose in the small village of Sainte Colombe where her mother was raised. Along the way, she learns some shocking truths about her mother’s past…and herself. Delving into the emotionally-charged world of Women’s Fiction is a challenge I am so excited to undertake. I hope to create vibrant characters, lush settings, and heartwarming dramas that will transport the reader to a different place. Consider it “Virtual Vacation Fiction”.

Before transitioning to full time writing, I taught French to high schoolers, with occasional stints into English, Public Speaking, and Competitive Forensics. When I’m not writing or wrangling my wayward kiddos, I enjoy hiking, baking, sewing (especially costumes), music (especially live), theater, movies, and all things sacred unto Nerd Culture.

I’m proud to be a member of the Tall Poppy Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Pikes Peak Writers, and the Women’s Fictions Writers Association. (From Aimee K. Runyan’s website)

If you’re interested, a lot of Runyan’s works are available for free if you have Kindle Unlimited.

What I thought…

I liked learning the history of 1870s Paris, the Prussian invasion of France and the Commune uprising. Most of my French history knowledge comes from A Tale of Two Cities and Les Miserables (the musical, not the Hugo book). As mentioned in the blurb, the narration alternates between Lisette (of 1870s Paris) and Micheline, her great granddaughter, who is trying to navigate post-WWII Paris. There are some similarities to both of their plights but Lisette did not grow up knowing a hard-scrambled life. Lisette was born into previlidge and chose true love and an impoverished life. Both women show fortitude and resilience as they try to find food and provide for their communities and families.

Lisette saw the kitchen as a refuge from her uncaring family. Nanette, the family cook, would teach her the mysteries of baking and Lisette made up her own magical world:

As a child, I used to pretend the massive stockpot was a witch’s cauldron and the rows of spice canisters were secret ingredients the benevolent witch—sweet Nanette—had spent a lifetime collecting and preserving. Coriander wasn’t simple coriander, but rather the trimmings of fur from a very rare species of bat collected on a full moon. Oregano was moss of a yew tree blessed by benevolent fairies, and so on. (4)

Micheline, in contrast, had to bake to feed and provide for her sisters: “I couldn’t take on the world, but I could take on this humble ball of flour, butter, salt, and water and I could make something from it. And it was the closest thing to a comfort I had. (25).

(I know I am being too hard on Lisette. She does also have to bake to survive when she leaves her old life behind.)

I had a hard time with Lisette’s mother. No spoiler but her conversion to a “loving” parent was insincere.

Sometimes I did feel like there was a bit of rambling in the narration and plot. I could have done without the interlude when Lisette leaves Theo and contemplates a balloon ride to the country.

Runyan includes recipes that carry the plot along. Lisette’s comments and notes at the end with variations or ideas to try next were charming.

The Food:

There is a lot of great French pastry in this novel and both the main characters share recipes. (Most of the recipes listed are Lisette’s and are in the old style of recipe writing.) French pastries always perplex and intimidate me.

I had recently taken my annual trek to our local u-pick berry farm (conveniently located less than three miles away).

I cut back on my bounty this year but I had enough for two batches of blueberry jam, one batch of blackberry jam, one cobbler, and this clafouti. Laurent, Micheline’s fellow culinary student, makes a blackberry clafouti for Noémie, the younger sister. Of course, his has Chantilly cream, too.

Blackberry Clafouti

By Debra (based on a Cherry Clafouti from Vitamix)

Ingredients

• Butter and flour to prepare baking pan
• 1¼ c. whole milk (or almond milk)
• 5 T. granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 T. pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ c.  all-purpose flour
• 1 dash of cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 c.  blackberries
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan with butter, and dust lightly with flour.
3. Place milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, cinnamon and salt, optional into a high powdered blender (Vitamix) container in the order listed and secure lid.
4. Select puree program or blend on high until thoroughly blended with no lumps of flour.
5. Place blackberries into prepared baking pan.
6. Pour batter over the top of berries and bake for 35-40 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Yield: 8-12 servings

I don’t know why I don’t make these more often, especially now that all the summer fresh fruit is starting to show up. I know that cinnamon is not traditional but I love to add it to almost every baked good that comes out of the kitchen.

I huge shoutout to Wendy who stepped in to guest host this round. Be assured that Claudia, Simona, and I are working hard on picking the next selections and maybe even another guest host! Stay tuned.

I’m linking up with Foodies Read.