Free A Table by the Window: A Novel of Family Secrets and Heirloom Recipes (Two Blue Doors) by Hillary Manton Lodge Page A

began to peel them.
    Maybe Martin wasn’t the kind of guy who was very good at expressing himself with words. My cousin Letizia wasn’t much for phone conversations ore-mails, but in person she was a lot of fun to be with. Martin could be similar.
    I placed the peeled and chopped apples in a bowl and prepped the dry ingredients. It was important to remember, too, that Martin had grown up in the family’s orange grove. The culture had to be very different. Less communicative.
    And, I thought as I whipped the eggs, it was important not to make a snap decision based on a single conversation.
    I finished with the cake steps, adding the melted butter and flour to the batter and pouring the whole thing into the springform pan.
    Reality settled in the moment the pan hit the oven.
    Martin was a moron.
    There was no getting around it.
    As the cake baked, I settled at my computer and looked over the men in my life.
    I wasn’t interested in any of them, not seriously. Maybe I was at the wrong matchmaking site. The man I wanted was clearly not here. In a moment of decisiveness, I clicked through my account options to remove my profile for good.
    My finger clicked the final button, and my heart swelled with hope that I’d never have to speak to Martin again.
    A split second later, silence fell and everything turned black in my apartment.
    F RENCH A PPLE C AKE WITH A LMONDS
    I like a mix of apples, some firm and tangy, others soft and sweeter for a bit of variety. Whatever you do, do not spice the cake! Cinnamon and nutmeg do not belong in a French cake.
    Serve with crème fraîche to be French, but freshly whipped cream or homemade ice cream won’t taste bad either.
    ¾ cup flour
    ¾ teaspoon baking powder
    Pinch of salt
    4 large apples
    2 eggs, at room temperature
    ¾ cup sugar
    1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
    ½ teaspoon almond extract
    8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
    ⅓ cup sliced almonds
    Preheat oven to 350°F and place a rack at the center of the oven.
    Generously butter an 8- or 9-inch springform pan, and place it on a baking sheet.
    In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (minus the sugar).
    Peel, core, slice, and chop the apples into 1-inch pieces.
    In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the eggs until frothy and pale. Add the sugar, vanilla, and almond extract.
    Add the flour mixture and melted butter in stages—half of the flour, half of the butter, remaining flour, remaining butter.
    Fold in the apple cubes, mixing until they’re incorporated. Pour completed cake batter into the buttered springform pan, catching all the batter with a rubber spatula.
    Bake for 45 minutes, remove, and sprinkle almonds across the top. Bake an additional 5 to 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean and the almonds are just toasted.Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. To remove from the springform, run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the cake. Lift the base from the baking dish and slide the cake onto the serving plate, minding no apples are lost in the process.
    Note: The cake will last up to 3 days when covered, but if it’s still there 3 days later, invite a friend to help make it through the leftovers.

Comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
    —S ONG OF S OLOMON
    By the time the power came back on, I’d lit candles and spent ten whole minutes reading a paperback book. After my apartment flickered back to life, I checked on the apple cake, reset the oven, and tidied up the kitchen. Once the cake was ready, I sliced into it and continued my book, letting my laptop remain in repose for the rest of the night.
    Marti called me into her office the next morning.
    “Write the profile about your grandmother,” she said. “I won’t promise to run it, but I do want to read it.”
    “That’s fine,” I said, my heart beating faster as I thought about the piece, how I would write it, and which recipes I would include. “Thank you.”
    At