The Gourmet Girl Mysteries, Volume 1

by Jessica Conant-Park

  “I suspected I might be,” she said, “but I didn’t use the test kit until after I got back from doing hair yesterday.” The positive result had thrown her into a total tizzy. She’d freaked out, she said, because as much as she loved Owen, she hadn’t planned on getting pregnant and settling down with a puppeteer’s assistant any time soon.

  “So what were you doing running around having clandestine meetings with Snacker in the bathroom last night?” I did my best not to yell at her since she’d been talking to me through sobs.

  “God, Chloe, I don’t know! I just was freaking out and trying to pretend I didn’t know I was pregnant and trying not to feel like my life was set in stone and that I would be with Owen who can’t figure out what the hell to do in life, and … I don’t know. I just wanted to feel free one last time. I don’t have a good reason. Owen was being all weird with his marionette bullshit that night at your parents’ house, and Snacker seemed so cute and funny, and I was feeling frustrated with Owen. I went to Simmer the other night to see Snacker,” she confessed. “Nothing happened then, but I was flirting and he was hot and … and then when Owen started to propose, I thought I would die.” She blew her nose loudly into the phone.

  I could not believe this. “How is Owen taking everything?”

  “It could be worse. He’s not mad I’m pregnant, but he is pretty furious about the whole Snacker thing. I mean, of course he is. I’m pissed at myself. But I think he understands that I was having some sort of panic attack last night and wasn’t really myself. Not that that excuses me making out with someone else while he’s gearing up to ask me to marry him!” She started wailing and choking on her tears. “And why was I attracted to Snacker in the first place? What is wrong with me?”

  My heart just broke for her. I hated to hear my best friend so miserable. “Honey, look. You and Owen will get through this. Maybe you weren’t planning on this happening, but you guys love each other very much. Owen is crazy about you, and he’ll understand that he’s going to have to stop jumping from job to job if you two are going to be parents.” I had to ask: “Ade, you are going to keep the baby, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, it’s not a question. Maybe under other circumstances, if it wasn’t with Owen. You know, if we hadn’t been together so long. Of course I love him. But, Chloe, I don’t even like kids! I never thought I’d have kids, and now I am! What if I don’t like my own baby? Then what? This just all feels so hard right now. I don’t know what to do. This wasn’t the plan, and I’m scared.” I thought the poor girl might hyperventilate from crying so much. Her distress made me worry about her and the baby. She pulled herself together enough to tell me that after she and Owen had a huge blow-up fight, they’d spent two hours talking and crying before Owen had gone home. Owen was supposed to go to her apartment this afternoon. I hoped that by then she’d have had some rest. She was going to need it.

  After I’d told Josh everything, I asked, “Are you going to talk to Snacker?”

  Josh ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. What an ass. He knew Adrianna had a boyfriend. For Christ’s sake, he had dinner with Owen. He’s not usually such a pig, I promise. It sounds to me like she was throwing herself at him, so it’s not entirely his fault. Who wouldn’t want Adrianna all over him?” I raised my eyebrows, and Josh quickly defended himself. “Well, not me, but you know what I mean.”

  “I know. This whole thing is crazy. As much as I love Adrianna, I can’t see her as a mother. She can barely stand to be in the same room with Walker and Lucy. I don’t know how she’s going to parent her own child.”

  Josh kissed the top of my head. “She’ll have Owen and you to help her. And me. I’ll make her homemade baby food. She and Owen will be all right. I really think so.”

  “Okay,” I said, although I was doubtful that homemade baby food would do much to ease Ade and Owen’s stress. “I guess there’s nothing I can do right this minute. So, tell me what you thought of the review.”

  “It’s okay,” Josh said with unusual modesty.

  “Give it to me.” I held out my hand and took the review from him. “I’m going to cut it out and frame it, and one day you’ll acknowledge that having Mishti Patil write anything positive about you is an amazing feat.”

  We spent the next couple of hours snuggled on the couch, reading the paper and watching football, until my stomach started rumbling.

  “Josh, I’m hungry,” I complained. “And there’s nothing to eat here. Do you want to order something in?”

  He rubbed my feet and smiled. “On my new budget? Not really. I’m sure we can find something.”

  “Seriously, there’s nothing. We finished off the kielbasa at three last night, so there’s like, potatoes and spices and weird frozen meat samples. I’m not in the mood for venison steaks right now.”

  Josh pulled me up from the couch. “Come on, we’ll find something good.”

  I followed him into the kitchen.

  After discovering four frozen pork chops and rooting through my cabinets, Josh announced that he’d come up with something. “Curry. It’s freezing cold and snowing outside, so we’re hunkering down for the day with a steaming pork curry on rice.”

  “I have curry powder?” I asked. So far as I could remember, I’d never made curry in this kitchen.

  “No, but that’s okay. I’m going to make my own version.”

  Despite my confidence in Josh’s culinary abilities, I was a little uncertain about the idea. Josh heated a deep skillet and began sautéeing chopped onions and garlic in a little olive oil. After a few minutes he started shaking cumin, coriander, nutmeg, ground ginger, cayenne, and red pepper flakes into the dish, and, within moments, my kitchen magically started smelling like curry. Soon, he added carrots, potatoes, coconut milk, butter, and chicken broth and brought the whole thing to a lovely simmer.

  “There you go, baby. Let’s let that develop some more flavor.” He put a lid on top and turned the heat down. “In a few minutes, I’ll start the rice and then sear off the pork chops.”

  “You are a genius!” I hugged him. Nothing made me happier than spending the day with both Josh and delicious food.

  “And you doubted me!” Josh teased.

  Forty-five minutes later, we were back on the couch with steaming bowls of pork curry over yellow rice balanced on our laps. One of the good things about living alone was that no one made you sit down and eat every meal at a table.

  The dish had just the right amount of saltiness, sweetness, and spicy heat but, as comforting as the curry was, I was worried about not hearing from Adrianna. I tried her phone, but she wasn’t picking up.

  “She’ll call when she’s ready, Chloe,” Josh tried to reassure me.

  “All right,” I agreed, scooping up a mound of rice.

  An unpleasant scratching noise made me look up from my food. “What was that?”

  Josh looked around the room. “Is it Gato?”

  “No, he’s asleep on the chair.” The sound continued, and I prayed that I didn’t have strange animals crawling behind the walls.

  Josh pointed to the cage across the room. “I think it’s Ken.”

  He was right. Ken, who had finally chosen to emerge on his own from his shell, had one crabby claw stuck out and was scratching the side of his glass house.

  Josh said, “Hey! He’s alive! And sort of cute!”

  I put down my bowl and went to peer at Ken. He wasn’t nearly as disgusting looking as I’d previously thought. He had a red body and claws, two big black eyes, and funny antennae that projected from his head in a manner that I tried to see as whimsical. I’d learned from my online research that he must be a strawberry hermit crab and thus much more interesting than the typical brown crabs. “I like him! He’s not so gross!” I felt sorry for the little guy, just left to crawl around on boring sand with nothing to do. I would go to Petco tomorrow and buy him special snacks, tunnels, climbing branches, and decorated shells.

  Ken had made it through New Year’s. Now I could
look back and say, “Last year, Ken slept most of the time, but this year, Ken has become comfortable enough in his environment to explore new activities.” So, Ken had come out of his shell, but I would stay nestled in mine with Josh.

  Josh interrupted my Ken daydreams. “I almost forgot. I have something for you.” He disappeared into the bedroom and emerged with a blue candy box in his hands. “I hid these under your bed, so once you wipe off the dust bunnies, I think you’ll be happy.”

  Josh held out a ten-piece box of Baci chocolates. “Open one.”

  I didn’t need another invitation before tearing into the treats. The rest of my curry could wait. I unwrapped a chocolate, but before I could pop it into my mouth, Josh stopped me. “Wait, Chloe. Look, each one is wrapped in a little note. Read it.”

  Why speak? The entirety of love can be said in a kiss.

  And so Josh kissed me.

  RECIPES

  Trying to get a chef to write out a recipe for fewer than sixty people is trickier than you might think. When we asked Jessica’s husband, Bill, for the recipe for the Sesame-Honey Vinaigrette, it began with two pints of salad oil and one pint of rice vinegar. The entire recipe would have made enough to last the average household a year. After much nagging and complaining, we finally convinced him to write out all the recipes in traditional serving sizes. The vinaigrette still makes more than you’ll need for four salads, but Bill swears that when you start breaking down a recipe too much, you risk losing the integrity of the dressing. The extra will keep nicely in the refrigerator.

  Each of these recipes makes enough for roughly four servings, and all were created by chef Bill Park, with the exception of the kielbasa dish, which is Jessica’s own recipe and her favorite winter dish.

  If you plan to make all four courses from the New Year’s Eve menu, be sure to give yourself enough time. The vinaigrette can be made ahead of time, and you can plate and cover the cucumber salads until dinner. Although making the entire meal is fairly labor intensive, a little help from your dinner guests will go a long way. Besides, everyone always hangs out in the kitchen at dinner parties, so you might as well put your friends to work! Each dish is also wonderful on its own and could be served on separate occasions with different side dishes.

  That Kielbasa Thing

  Olive oil

  1 package kielbasa, sliced into 1½-inch-thick pieces

  1 large onion, sliced thickly

  2—3 cloves garlic, minced

  ½ tsp. dried basil

  1 tsp. dried parsley

  ½ tsp. dried savory

  ½ tsp. dried marjoram

  ½ tsp. crushed bay leaves, or 1 whole bay leaf

  ¼ tsp. dried oregano

  ¼ tsp. black pepper

  ¼ tsp. salt

  1 can whole tomatoes

  1 can cannellini beans, drained

  ¼ cup chicken broth

  1 large bunch of kale, thoroughly washed, excess water shaken off, and roughly chopped

  1 tbsp. sugar (optional)

  Additional salt and pepper to taste

  Heat a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat in the bottom of a stockpot or large pan. Add the kielbasa pieces and sauté until lightly browned. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and all the herbs and spices, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add the salt and pepper. Add the entire can of tomatoes with the juice, leaving the tomatoes whole, and the beans and chicken stock. When this comes to a hearty simmer, begin adding the kale, one handful at a time, covering the pot after each addition so that the kale will wilt down and give you room to add more. When the kale has softened enough, you may gently stir the pot, incorporating the kale into the broth. Cover the pot and turn the heat down to a light simmer. Let the dish cook for at least an hour. The kale will lose its bright green color, but will soften beautifully. Taste the broth and add up to 1 tablespoon of sugar if needed. Depending on the brand of canned tomatoes you use, there may be a higher level of acidity than you’d like, and the sugar will sweeten any sourness. Reseason with salt and pepper.

  Although good on the first day, this dish is best made a day ahead. Reheat the entire dish over medium-high heat and then turn the stove down to low. You can leave the dish on low for a bit, but be careful not to overcook the kale, since it can break down entirely and ruin the dish. Chloe likes this served over rice or with a big piece of crusty French bread.

  Note: If you have fresh herbs available, you may certainly substitute those for the dried herbs, but make sure to triple the amounts.

  Josh’s Curry

  Olive oil

  1½ medium onions, sliced thickly

  3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the flat of a knife

  ½ tsp cumin

  1 tsp. coriander

  ½ tsp. cardamom

  1 tsp. nutmeg

  2 tsp. ground ginger

  1 pinch cayenne

  ½ tsp. crushed red pepper

  3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch-thick pieces

  1 large potato, cut into 1-inch cubes

  1 tbsp. butter

  1 red pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces

  1 can unsweetened coconut milk

  ¾ cup chicken broth

  4 pork chops, bone-in or boneless, about ¾ inch thick

  Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

  ½ tsp. sesame oil

  Heat a skillet deep enough to hold all of your ingredients over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with a little olive oil, and sauté the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add all of the herbs and spices, and continue sautéing for another few minutes to toast them and bring out their flavor. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the butter, red pepper, coconut milk, and chicken broth. Bring the dish to a simmer, and then turn the heat down to low. Cover and let this cook for 45 minutes.

  About 10 minutes before the vegetables and sauce are done, heat a separate skillet on medium-high heat. Dust the pork chops liberally with salt, pepper, and sugar, and lay flat in the skillet. Check after 4 minutes, and when they are nicely browned, flip them over and cook on the other side. Sprinkle each pork chop with 3—4 drops of sesame oil. Make sure they are thoroughly cooked through before serving.

  Serve the pork chops with a hearty amount of the vegetables and curry sauce over them. This is a great dish with any kind of rice and a simple side salad.

  JOSH’S NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER

  Baby Greens Wrapped

  in English Cucumber

  2 large English cucumbers

  4 handfuls mesclun mix

  6–8 oz. fresh enoki mushrooms

  Tools: at least one cylinder, about 4 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep

  Cut the cucumber into 4 paper-thin slices. You may use a mandoline to cut the slices. If not, you can certainly use a knife, but make sure that the slices are thin enough to bend easily. Place a cylinder in the center of an individual serving plate. Line the inside of each cylinder with one or two cucumber slices, depending on the length of the cucumber. Fill with a good handful of your mesclun mix, making sure the cylinder is full, but that the greens are not packed tightly. Cut off the bottom of each enoki mushroom, leaving the stem long. Using two fingers, gently make openings in the greens and insert the mushroom stems. Separate the mushroom tops to give each one the appearance of a crown. Slowly and delicately remove the cylinder from the salad, keeping the nice round shape. Drizzle a bit of the sesame-honey dressing over the salad, and pour more decoratively on the plate around the salad.

  Sesame-Honey Vinaigrette

  ¼ cup rice vinegar

  ¾ cup sesame oil

  ¾ cup salad oil

  2 tbsp. soy sauce

  2 tbsp. orange juice

  2 tbsp. honey

  ½ tbsp. minced ginger

  ¼ tbsp. minced garlic

  2 tsp. black sesame seeds

  2 tsp. white sesame seeds

  Com
bine all ingredients and let rest for at least half an hour before serving. This makes about two cups of vinaigrette, but if you are going to the trouble of making your own dressing, you might as well make a little extra to store in the fridge!

  Seared Shrimp with

  Corn Polenta and Sweet Corn Sauce

  It takes a few steps to make this dish, but it is really very simple to put together!

  Corn Polenta

  3 ears corn

  1 tbsp. olive oil

  2 tbsp. butter

  Salt

  4 cups chicken stock

  ½ cup heavy cream

  Pepper

  ½ tsp. nutmeg

  1 cup instant polenta

  ½ cup Parmesan cheese

  Remove husks from all the ears of corn. Hold one ear vertically on a cutting board and, using a sharp paring knife, slice off the kernels from top to bottom. Repeat with the other two ears of corn so that you have about two cups of corn kernels. Heat a sauté pan on high heat with the olive oil and 1 tbsp. of the butter. Toss the corn kernels in and season with ½ tsp. of salt. Cook for a minute and a half, stirring occasionally, and then set aside.

  In a medium pot, bring the chicken stock, 1 tablespoon of the butter, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg just to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and stir well until thoroughly incorporated. Keeping the heat on medium-high, add the sautéed kernels of corn and the Parmesan cheese. Check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Turn the heat down to low and set aside until serving.

  Sweet Corn Sauce

  6 ears corn

  ½ cup heavy cream

  ½ cup chicken stock

  Salt and pepper

  ¼ tsp. dried thyme, or 1 tbsp. fresh thyme

  3 tbsp. parmesan cheese

  Remove the husks and stems from the ears of corn. Grate each ear lengthwise against a grater to produce a chunky but milky corn puree. Set aside.

  In a medium saucepan or pot, combine all ingredients except for the cheese, and bring to a nice simmer. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and mix until well incorporated. Set aside while you cook the shrimp.