Chapter 2
“To avoid sugar hardening into a stale brick, store it in the company of fresh citrus rinds.”
—From the salvaged notes of A., apprentice in the kitchens of Fontainebleau c. 1530s
Henri had been so stunned by André de Quitte-Beauf’s proclamation, that he hadn’t realized how fast he could unknot his apron and what a marvelous cracking and popping sound it made as it was digested in the oven’s flames.
The morning cooled his hot cheeks as he trudged past gardeners reshaping a downed topiary. The sun was making its way above the forest.
It was still early. Henri’s entire world had been flipped like an apple turnover, but for most, the day had just begun.
He didn’t trudge. He walked with purpose. He waved off a few waggoneers towing empty carts back to the village of Fontaineblea
