It was my mother's birthday last week. The woman who gave me wide hips and an imperfect nose, but also, and much more importantly, a curiosity about life and an eagerness to learn. The woman who endured my teenage years and expressed her frustrations mostly in French curses. The woman who taught me how to make pancakes and meringues, who showed me how to separate eggs and carefully fold in egg whites, who introduced me to beurre noisette and other wonderful flavors. The woman who's baked me at least 30 birthday cakes and even more for my brothers [...]