My Uncle Bill had been a baker. He made all of the breads, rolls and pies that we are accustomed in the Midwest. Pretty ordinary stuff. On the weekends, he would make donuts, cinnamon rolls and apple fritters. For the holidays his wife, virginia, would make pies with whatever was in season. I enjoyed his berry , cherry and apple pies, but my favorite was his homemade Key Lime pies.
Every time I walked into the bakery the aroma of baked goods filled the senses with delights, making it hard to choose which treat I would purchase. I always asked whether he had made any Key Lime pies yet, but the season for fresh limes was in the fall and winter.
One day I walked into the bakery and asked, “Are the limes in season yet?” Until one day I posed the question, and he answered, “No, but you have to try one of my profiteroles.” He produced a light pastry ball filled with cream and covered with chocolate. It was delicious!
The fact was, I had never seen them at his bakery before. I asked when he started baking them and he told me this story,
Uncle Bill’s day would begin at 2:00 am when he started making the bread dough and turned on the ovens to bake the loaves. One morning as he came to work, he found a man huddled in his back doorway. The man wasn’t threatening. He just looked cold. Uncle Bill asked him why he came there and the man answered, “Because this is the warmest spot in town to sleep.” The man was homeless, so Uncle Bill pitied him and would offer him a cup of hot coffee as soon as he brewed a pot. This continued for some time until the nights became frigid. Uncle Bill let him inside and told him he could sleep in the corner while he made his loaves of bread. Then he would let the man out before the employees came to open the shop.
This went on for some time. Then the man offered to help Bill with his work. No pay was discussed and the man would always leave every morning before the eemployees would show up for work.
One day the man asked if he could show Uncle Bill something new. Bill said, “Yes.” The man created a pastry dough that was light and airy when baked in the oven. When they cooled, he filled them with sweet cream and drizzled them with a chocolate icing.
Bil was amazed! “What do you call these things?”
“Profiteroles.” He replied.
The man did not show up the next day…or the next. He simply disappeared.
Meanwhile, Uncle Bill started offering profiteroles along with his regular lineup of baked goods. Occasional customers became regulars. Strangers started showing up, asking for “those pastries.” The bakery’s reputation grew.
Over time, Uncle Bill retired and his son (my cousin) Greg took over. The demand for the profiteroles grew. Greg entered them in a state baking contest and won first prize. The bakery reputation also grew.
One day Greg was surprised to receive a call from a nationally televised morning talk show in New York. The person on the phone asked if he would come to share his (father’s) story about his famous pastries.
The night before his flight, Greg made a large pastry box full of profiteroles. He actually carried them on the plane as he flew early in the morning to New York. He was met at the airport by a limousine that transported him to the television studio. An employee greeted him at the door and escorted him to the floor where the television studio was housed. While in the waiting room, he placed the box of profiteroles on a table.
During the interview, the hostess asked Greg about the bakery and the story about how his father was taught to make profiteroles and how the man who taught him disappeared without a trace.
“That is very interesting. Did you bring any samples?”
“Yes, they are on the table in the waiting room.”
An employee was sent to retieve the box and came back with the box, but there was nothing in it! Apparently other employees had seen the pastry box and smelled the delicious aroma…and consumed every one of them!
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