Radishes, Publishing, and Team USA at the World Bread Cup
Chers rêveurs de goût, (Dear dreamers of taste)
This fall, I’m celebrating the release of my new novel, The Mistress of Apples and Bécasse — a tapestry of myth, food, and legacy…
The big 5 or traditional publishing system often feels like waiting for permission — permission for your words to matter, permission for your story to see the light of day.
Indie publishing? It feels more like pickling a jar of radishes. You scrub and slice, you add what you have — garlic, basil, sesame, soy — you seal it up and let the magic happen. You don’t wait for someone’s “yes.” You choose, you create, you savor.
You make mistakes..maybe. Maybe not.
This week, while I wrestled with the glamorous joys of yet another resubmitted tax interview and resizing the images in The Bread of Dreams to allow its presence in libraries and brick and mortar stores, (Indie Author paperwork, anyone?), I also had my hands full with peppers, shishitos, eggplants, and the most beautiful pile of radishes.
Asian Eggplants
Don’t you LOVE these?
Maybe they’ll get stuffed with ground
pork and shrimp and then braised in a
black bean sauce…
Red Bells
Roast? Saute? Raw cubes of delight?
Pink Radishes
Slice thinly and fan on buttered sourdough. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and coarsely cracked green, black and red peppercorns.
Frustration on one hand, abundance on the other. And when I look at the jars glowing on the counter, I remember why I chose this path: not for permission. But for creation. For nourishment. For abundance.
✨ I’d love to hear from you: Do you prefer the certainty of someone else’s rules, or the messier abundance of choosing your own way?
👉 And while we’re on choices — I need your vote in The Pickle Poll!
Should the radishes become:
Asian pickles (sesame seeds, garlic, soy)
2. Italian pickles (garlic, basil, sundried tomatoes)
Hit reply and tell me what you think! I’ll share the winning pickle in the next issue!
In celebration of my release, I’m giving away Madame Bouquin’s Bread Box — and what you will win?
A little bundle of …. Keep reading, below i tell you more...
Past example of a Bread Box Giveaway. This box will be different.
Beautiful French Market Apples
And speaking of bread artistry…In some ways, competitions like the Mondial du Pain live right at that crossroads too — bakers must follow strict rules and earn the judges’ approval, yet their real brilliance shines when creativity and abundance push past the boundaries.
The Bread Bakers Guild of America is sending Team USA to the Mondial du Pain (World Bread Cup) — one of the most prestigious baking competitions in the world. It kicks off in 16 days in Nantes, France. The other night I listened to a Zoom prsentation by the Guild and the USA team which included:
Brian Evans, Candidate, owner of Cleveland’s On the Rise Artisan Bread and flour innovator.
Val Kertesz, Commis, a gifted production baker supporting the team in their quest for gold.
Louis Volle, Coach, a past Mondial du Pain medalist and seasoned baker.
The Zoom time had a special guest Nicky Giusto of Central Milling, a past Coupe du Monde competitor.
The challenges are wild:
Mixing dough by hand in an old-school wooden trough.
Inventing aromatic breads with unique shapes (freekeh which you’ll find in The Bread of Dreams was mentioned by Candidate Brian Evans as possibly appearing in one of their “Nutrition Bread” category products.)
Pulling a regional brioche challenge from a hat.
As Brian Evans put it: “Each day can be repetitive, and this was a way to shake that up.”
And from Commis Val Kertesz: “Competitions like this push us to take what exists and move it forward. They’re reference points for the whole profession.” (photo of US Team?)
I’ll be following Team USA closely — and in a future newsletter, I’ll share a “deleted scene” from Tales of the Mistress that was inspired by competitions like this.
If you want to learn more or see the competition countdown, check out: Mondial Du Pain's website.
And what’s inside Madame Bouquin’s Bread Box, you ask? A pentagram of tastes:
1. A packet of Mistress Levain (dried sourdough starter) label of Miel Nerra, the MC of my most recently released novel, The Mistress of Apples and Becasse.
2. Handwritten recipe card tied with twine.
3. A small bag of artisanal flour from one of our favorite mills.
4. Two apples fresh from the orchard — ready to chop into Madame Bouquin’s recipe.
5. A folded parchment page (a secret note from the Mistress herself…whaaat?)
One lucky newsletter reader will win this little bundle of bread and story. Oh, and part of the deal is that the winner gets to share their experience on social media.
So tell me — will your fall be more radish-crisp or brioche-soft? Hit reply and let me know — and don’t forget to cast your vote in the pickle poll!
Thank you, truly. The legacy continues — and it is richer for your presence in it.
With gratitude and jars of joy,
Dorette
The Mistress of Apples and Bécasse has arrived!
In modern-day France, Miel Nerra, a gifted chef, becomes entangled in the ancient traditions of the Mistresses. Guided by tapestries and haunted by memory, she must follow the elusive Bécasse into a world where story, legacy, and love collide.
