This is what happens

[jenboo.livejournal.com]

when I contemplate a writing challenge while I'm surfing www.epicurious.com after having a conversation with my mom about cake decorating. 1,036 words.


Just Dessert
by JennyB.

“I’ve tried Ray, but they’re an absolute disgrace.”

Ray Vecchio looked at the tray with a mere six cannoli on it and sighed. They were a mess, filling poking messily out of the back end, the front end mashed in flat with the filling sticking out around the sides . “Benny, what did you use to fill the shells, a back hoe?”

“I used a spoon. It seemed a perfectly acceptable method to fill the shells.”

Ray shrugged out of his jacket and reached for a tea towel, tucking one corner into his shirt collar and the opposite corner into the waistband of his slacks.

“What are you doing, Ray?”

“You promised Maria you’d bring dessert. You’re bringing dessert. Now, do you have one of those zipper-top plastic bags?”

Dubious, Fraser nodded and fetched one from a cupboard on the kitchen. When he turned back toward the table, Ray was poking the cheese out of the already filled cannoli shells with two fingers. After the last shell was emptied, Ray licked the mixture off his fingers, causing Fraser’s throat to tighten in lust even as he admonished his friend for his unsanitary behavior.

“Ray, that’s not very hygienic,” Fraser cautioned in a strained voice.

Ray grinned at him, recognizing the husky note in his partner’s tone. “You have a lot to learn about working in an Italian kitchen, my friend. Now give me that bag, huh? We got work to do and a very short time to do it in. The party starts at four thirty.”

Fraser glanced at his watch. It was three o’clock. Figuring in travel time, they had a little less than an hour to finish the cannoli.

He handed Ray the plastic bag, which Ray stuffed into a tall glass, one corner at the bottom of the glass and the sides folded over the top of the glass. Deftly, Ray scooped the filling into the bag to the top of the glass, pulled the excess plastic up and twisted it closed, forming a makeshift piping bag.

“Scissors, Benny,” Ray requested, holding his hand out like a surgeon waiting for a scalpel.

Fraser pulled a pair out of a kitchen drawer and handed them to Ray. Ray cut the corner off the bag and then snipped a couple of times to cut a pattern in the end of the bag. Ray then proceeded to pick up a cannoli shell and pipe the sweetened cheese easily into the shell with no mess around the sides and just a little filling peeking out the end.

“It’s not great, but it’ll do. Now, observe, Benny, because I’m only doing a couple and then you’re going to finish them because I know you won’t be able to take the credit if you don’t do all the work.” Ray set the filled shell back on the tray and picked up another empty one, explaining the technique to Fraser. “You pick up the shell and kind of cup it in your palm like this, then you stick the tip of the bag into the hole and squeeze the bag gently yet firmly, pulling the bag back out of the hole as you go. You want to make sure you stop squeezing when you get to the opening of the hole so to don’t get the filling all over the place.” Ray flicked his wrist and stopped squeezing the bag, lifting slightly so the cheese filling stopped feeding neatly into the tube of pastry. Then he set the expertly filled treat on the tray next to the other one. Setting the bag on the countertop, Ray turned to his partner with a sly smile. “Now I know you understand the fundamentals of this real well, Benny. Give it a try.”

Ray stepped back from the counter, letting Fraser slide into his place. Apprehensively, Benton picked up the plastic bag of filling, cradled a shell in the palm of his hand, inserted the tip of the bag into the shell and squeezed gently, but very little filling came out. Then Ray palmed Benny’s butt, making Fraser jump. His reflexes made him squeeze the piping bag too hard, filling coming out the other end.

“Ray, I am having a difficult time of this already without your interference.”

“You gotta get a rhythm, Benny. Filling a cannoli is a lot like sex. You get a rhythm down and it can be a very satisfying experience.”

With Ray plastered to his back ‘supervising’, Fraser finished filling his first shell. In spite of the distraction, it still turned out better than his first attempts using a spoon. Not pretty by any means, but better.

Painstakingly slowly, Ben inserted the tip of the bag in another shell and then another, until his right hand started to cramp from holding and squeezing. Frustrated, he set the bag back in the glass and sighed.

“What’s wrong, Benny?” Ray inquired, moving back a pace to give his partner some breathing room. “You’re doing great.”

Fraser rubbed his right hand, working the fingers open and closed. “At this rate, they won’t be finished before next Friday.”

“Benton Fraser, did you just exaggerate?” Ray teased. Fraser just looked sadly down at the dozen and a half empty cannoli shells and sighed again. Ray took pity on his partner, smoothing his hands over the Canadian’s extremely tense shoulders. “Hey, Benny. You’re doing great. It’s not easy to use one of those. I guess I just figure you’re good at everything. Tell you what. I’ll hold the shells and you use both hands on the bag and that’ll make it easier.”

Fraser took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked into Ray’s eyes, gratitude plain on his face and nodded, smiling bravely.

Teamwork prevailed and in twenty minutes the shells were filled and arranged artfully on the platter. Ray sprinkled chocolate shavings over the ends so the filling was dusted with the dark, bittersweet slivers.

“They look great, Benny. I think Ma’ll let you in the family now.” Ray kissed Benny lightly on the mouth and smiled, hazel eyes sparkling with love.

“Thank you, Ray.” Fraser kissed his partner back, thinking that they made a great team just about anywhere.