Happy Hour
Page 30
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Fit dough into tart pan, without stretching, letting excess dough hang over edge. Fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Prick bottom all over with a fork. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Line shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is set and pale golden along rim, 20 to 25 minutes.
Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until deep golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Put tart pan in a shallow baking pan. Leave oven on.
Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt using side of a large knife.
Discard seeds, ribs, and stems from chiles, then pat dry if necessary and cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips.
Whisk together eggs, milk, crema, onion, garlic paste, and pepper in a large bowl until just combined, then pour into baked tart shell.
Sprinkle cheese and chiles over custard and bake until custard is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. (Center will jiggle slightly; filling will continue to set as it cools.)
Transfer quiche in pan to a rack to cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
To remove side of tart pan, center a large can under pan and let side of pan drop. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Kat’s Fettucine, Goat cheese and Pancetta
1 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs. minced shallots
5 oz. goat cheese, at room temperature, cut up or crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch crushed red chile flakes
1/2 lb. dried fettuccine
½ cup chopped pancetta or bacon (you can also use chicken or shrimp)
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 oz. fresh baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
In a medium saucepan combine the white wine, shallots. Over high heat, reduce the liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the goat cheese until the mixture is smooth, season with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and the red chile flakes, and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just cooked, 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and set aside.
Heat 1 Tbs. of the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat brown up pancetta or bacon (if bacon there is no need to use the olive oil until you add the spinach). Add the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil and the spinach and sauté until it’s wilted, about 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta with the goat cheese sauce; add the spinach and pancetta. Season with salt and pepper and serve in warm bowls, topped with the basil.
This recipe would pair nicely with a pinot noir or lighter syrah. If you prefer a white wine, chardonnay would work well.
Alyssa’s Shrimp Salad
3 fresh pears
Salad greens
1 pound cooked shrimp—medium size
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon chipotle or some type of red pepper powder—or to taste
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ cup feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Core pears; cut into narrow wedges. Arrange on lettuce-lined salad plates.
Combine shrimp, celery, green pepper, cheese and green onions.
Blend mayonnaise, garlic, pepper powder, lemon juice, lemon peel and salt. Toss with shrimp. Top the pears with the mixture. Serve with a crisp sauvignon blanc.
Jamie’s Salmon in Miso:
1 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
4 tablespoons light yellow miso (fermented soybean paste*)
6 tablespoons sugar
4 salmon filets (about 5 or 6 ounces each)
1 1/2 cups snow peas
Add the mirin, miso and sugar to a small, nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil for three minutes, whisking as it boils to create a smooth miso marinade.
Reserve 1/3 cup of the miso marinade and set aside. Pour the remaining miso marinade over the salmon filets in a gallon zip-lock bag or a shallow dish. Let salmon marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour (or up to 12 hours).
Grill the salmon filets skin side down about 5 inches from the coals or heat for about 14 minutes or until salmon is cooked throughout. You can lightly brown the top of the salmon filets by broiling briefly in your kitchen oven or by gently flipping the salmon filets over and grilling them, flesh side down, for a couple of minutes.
Meanwhile to make a miso sauce for the table, add the 1/3 cup of the reserved miso marinade to a small nonstick saucepan and stir in 3 tablespoons fat-free half-and-half and a teaspoon of flour. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce has reached your desired thickness. Also, add snow peas to a small microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup water, cover and cook on HIGH until snow peas are just tender (about three minutes).
Serve each serving of broiled salmon over a scoop of steamed white or brown rice (if desired) and top with a drizzle of the miso sauce and fan some snow peas on top for garnish.
Serve with Viognier.
An Interview with Michele Scott
Questions from Book Reviewer Lori Gondelman
Q: What made you switch from writing cozies to women’s fiction?
A: I love writing the cozies, so I haven’t really switched, but I’m expanding and experimenting with my writing. “Happy Hour” was a book that just sort of poured out of me. I really wanted to write about these women and their lives. I’m in my forties now and I think at this stage of life many women can relate to Jamie, Alyssa, Danielle and Kat. I know personally that I have dealt with divorce, death, financial issues, dating, remarrying, the blended family, etceteras. I wanted to write about these issues of life and also show how great women in their forties and up are—how great all women are.
Q: Did you draw on real life experiences when writing “Happy Hour”?
A: As mentioned previously, yes. I have dealt with many of these issues on a personal basis. Some I haven’t. The ones I have, I actually made them bigger, harder and more difficult for these characters. For instance, when my oldest son was born he was in the intensive care unit for a few weeks. He’s now eighteen. Eighteen years ago I probably would not have been able to write about a child in a coma, or the possibility of losing a child, or even about Shane having Down Syndrome. Now, I can draw from the emotions I felt back then and get them down on to the page. I have gone through the teenage years with my sons, and I think those are the hardest years as they separate from you. For me, when I write I do pull from my life, but I also definitely twist it.
Q: How do you fit writing in with your “everyday” life? What’s your writing schedule like?
A: I write when my youngest is in school from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Occasionally I will write after she gets home but for the most part I’m done because we own horses and the afternoons are spent with my little girl and our animals.
Q: What is the hardest part of writing?
A: The discipline. There are days when I just don’t feel like it, but I have a deadline that is looming. The other thing is that I have so many ideas in my head that many times I can’t sleep or think about anything else but the writing. This is partly why I am so involved with the horses. When I’m out with them, my mind shuts off and my only focus is on them and my daughter. It’s a nice reprieve and it’s so physical that it feels really good at the end of the day at the computer to get up and go ride.
Q: Did you always want to be a writer?
A: Absolutely. I knew when I was nine years old that I wanted to write. I wrote stories all of my life and I wrote my first book almost twenty years
ago. I’ve been published since 2005, and currently have eighteen books out.
Q: What’s up next for you?
A: I’m working on a few things. I have a middle-grade series about a thirteen-year-old girl who is able to communicate with horses. I also have a thriller about a young female jockey and her family in the works.
Q: What are you reading now?
A: “The Hearts of Horses.” It’s about a young woman during World War I who does the “man’s” job of breaking broncs. It’s a beautiful book.
Q: How long does it take you to write a book?
A: It depends on what type of book. For a mystery it takes me about four months. “Happy Hour” took me eight months.
Q: What do you do when you’re not writing?
A: Riding my horse, cooking for my family, traveling to horse shows with my daughter.
Q: Who has most influenced your writing?
A: My freelance editor Mike Sirota. Mike has a keen eye and has definitely taught me how to be a better writer.
Q: Do you have a favorite of the books you’ve written?
A: That’s like asking if I have a favorite kid—sort of. I love this book because it’s personal. Much of what I’ve been through in life happens to these characters and I feel like I really know all of the women in this book. If I had to choose though, my favorite is a book that I wrote under my pen name A.K. Alexander. The title is THE CARTEL. I love that book
Q: Do you hear from your readers a lot? Do you respond to all of them?
A: I hear from quite a few readers and I love when they write me. I personally respond to every e-mail; however, when I’m on a deadline it can take me some time.
Q: What’s the one thing about you that you’d like your readers to know?
A: I’m really just a very silly person.
Book Club Discussion Questions
Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to what they’re experiencing?
What do you think was the main theme/idea the author was trying to convey? Were there several themes?
Which character do you relate to most?
Why do you think the author had Shannon have a near death experience?
What was your favorite part of the book? What part did you not like?
Should Jamie have been more firm with her brother in law earlier in the book when it came to taking care of HIS mother?
Had Ian not needed the transfusion, do you think Alyssa would have ever told anyone about her past? Would she really have revealed what the paintings were about?
Why does Kat feel such a great need to be in control?
Would you read a sequel to Happy Hour? If so, what would you like to see happen in the characters’ lives?
Michele Scott is the author of the bestselling Wine Lover’s Mystery Series. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and three kids, their dogs, cats, and horses. To learn more about the author and her work, and how your book club can win copies of “Happy Hour” along with a Gourmet Food and Wine basket, please visit her site at http://www.michelescott.com.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
EPILOGUE