“Welcome back. We’re ready to show who lost one life in this two-round elimination to the one-hundred-thousand-dollar Four Square Valentine’s Day Bake-Off. Chefs, prepare to lift the covered plate in front of you. Like in the last round, you’re looking for a Valentine card. If your plate is empty, then you lost this round.”

Andrew readied his hand over the handle of the silver cover plate.

“Now.”

He lifted the cover, almost afraid to look down, but there on the tray was a brightly colored Valentine card with a bright green frog leaping into the air right in the center of a field of green grass and flowers made of red hearts. It read, You Make Me Hoppy!

He practically fell to his knees with relief.

A buzzer rang, and the hair and makeup people came in to change things up a little to make it look like the next day. Martin started the announcement of who got eliminated, but of course the mic cut out and Andrew was left in silence.

He’d eked through. Thank goodness.

Lori walked in, carrying a bottle of water. “Congrats!”

“How did that happen? I saw the other entries. Mine was ridiculously off the mark. Almost embarrassingly so.”

“I told you anything could happen. Dishes are undercooked, burned, and I can’t tell you how often someone flat-out forgets to integrate a mandatory ingredient. Or time runs out and they don’t get everything on the plate.”

“I’m thanking my lucky stars right now.”

“Good, because we’ll be moving to round three now, and these count,” she reminded. “You’re halfway there.”

They went through the same drill as in rounds one and two, and it did seem to get easier. Andrew was much more relaxed, letting Lori and the team shuffle him around.

Martin announced the theme of round three. “Black-Tie Affair. In your cabinets, chefs, you’ll find the mandatory ingredient.”

Andrew listened and opened the cabinet when he was instructed to do so.

All that was inside was a pomegranate and Pom juice.

Lori’s advice ran through his mind. “Relax and concentrate on the challenge. Let the baking skills show themselves naturally. Don’t flaunt them.”

Black-Tie Affair.

He pictured a swanky black-tie affair at his restaurant. He’d hosted many there with the rich and elite.

Pomegranate brought a beautiful color to the table, but the taste could be tart.

At this kind of party, things were small. Elegant. A smile played on his lips.

He’d make vanilla-coconut almond panna cotta with a pomegranate jelly layer in a tall shot glass. He’d layer the panna cotta at an angle until it set long enough to then spoon the red transparent layer of jelly on top.

The recipe itself wasn’t complex, but the collision of flavors should delight the judges while perfectly meeting all of the expectations of a Black-Tie Affair.