On Sunday afternoon my lovely wife baked. We were going out for dinner at friends and she had offered to make the dessert.

She has a stable of excellent desserts she could have called on but decided to try something new – to bake a Torta Gianduja or Chocolate and Roasted Hazelnut Cake.

The only issue with this decision is that Jean is not a natural baker – as she is the first to admit. Something about the discipline of following a recipe runs counter to her “free spirit” approach to cooking in general. After each baking adventure she wonders aloud why she ever attempted the recipe, why baking is so complicated and stressful, and why she doesn’t learn from past experience.

Testament to the complication and stress involved is the state of our usually spotless kitchen at the end of Sunday’s baking odyssey.