Death and a Pot of Chowder

by Cornelia Kidd

  Izzie was already dialing 911. “We need an ambulance, immediately,” she said to the County Emergency Office. “Someone’s been stabbed. And we need police, too. The Winslow home on Island Road, Quarry Island. Across from the church.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  “To keep meat fresh in hot weather, place it in a clean porcelain bowl and pour very hot water over it so as to cover it; then pour oil on the water. The air is thus excluded and the meat preserved.”

  —The Hearthstone; or, Life At Home. A Household Manual. By Laura C. Holloway. Philadelphia: L.P. Miller & Co., 1888

  Two weeks later, Izzie and I had lunch with Mom and Mamie, this time at my house. My shoulder was still sore, and I couldn’t lift anything, but the doctors assured me it would heal. Time healed almost everything.

  “These are delicious, Izzie,” said Mamie, eating her third Korean shrimp and scallion pancake.

  Izzie beamed. “Do you think Mainers would like them? I’m thinking of putting them on our menu.”

  “This Mainer does,” said Mom, approvingly. “They’re delicious. One could be an appetizer, or more could be a whole dinner, maybe with a salad.”

  I loved that Mom was now having ideas about Kindred Spirits.

  “I still can’t believe Lucy killed Carl, but it all seems to be working out now that Burt’s home again. What a horrible time we’ve had this spring,” Mamie said. “And thank goodness you’re healing, Anna.”

  My shoulder was bandaged and my arm was in a sling, but every day it felt better.

  Izzie grimaced. “When I told you my knives were sharp, I never imagined someone would use one as a weapon.”

  “And Burt’s dealing with it all?” asked Mom

  “He is,” said Burt, coming in the kitchen door. “Finished up with the traps a little early today and figured I might know where some good food could be found.” He came over and kissed the top of my head and smiled at Izzie. “How’re my two personal private eyes doing today?”

  “We’re just glad you’re home. Get yourself a plate and pull up a chair. Izzie’s made a delicious lunch.”

  “I’m not surprised,” he agreed. “This new sister-in-law of mine is a darn good cook. Although, it sounds like soon I’ll have to go down the street to get some of her cooking.”

  “We’re hoping to close on the restaurant building in another ten days or so,” Izzie explained. “The life insurance company came through with cash, and the owner was so happy to sell that we got a good price and a speedy closing.”

  Mom shook her head. “It’s incredible. You two are really going to have a restaurant. Everything’s happened so fast!”

  “We’re going to an auction this weekend to see if we can pick up some old wooden tables and chairs,” I said.

  “We’re going to paint them bright enamel colors,” Izzie said. “We’ll look for old dishes and silverware, too. We’ve decided to feature furniture and fixtures that don’t match.”

  “We think that would look happy: bright for the summer, and warm for the winter,” I put in. “Jake’s going to help us scrape walls and paint after school and weekends, and he’s excited about busing tables this summer and helping out.”

  “If we can get the restaurant up and running and blessed by the health department and the town council by then,” Izzie put in.

  “Yesterday we ordered two signs, one for outside and one for inside. KINDRED SPIRITS. I can hardly wait to hang them,” I said. “We’re going to design and print our own menus on my computer.”

  “That way we can change menus every day, depending on what fresh local food is available,” Izzie explained.

  “And, Mom? We’re hoping you can make simple quilted placemats for us. And stitch up some napkins? Plain bright colors would be perfect for those. We’ll credit you on the menu, of course. It might even bring you some new orders. Maybe you could loan us a quilt to hang on the wall, too? We’re going to ask Willis if he’d like to hang a couple of his paintings in the café, too.”

  “You’ve got it,” said Mom. “I was hoping I could help with something.”

  “We’ll probably think of more things we could use help with as we get closer to opening,” Izzie said. “Mamie, I need to sit with you and figure out Quebecois recipes we can use. Each day, I’m hoping to have a Korean dish on the menu, since China isn’t the only Asian country with a cuisine, and a French recipe, in honor of Maine’s ties to Quebec.”

  “Plus, of course, we’ll serve lobster every day, at least in the summer,” I put in. “Vacationers expect that. And at least one traditional Maine recipe, like Indian pudding, or haddock chowder. Izzie’s found some great historical recipe sources, and we’ll include a little cooking history on the menus, too.”

  Izzie and I grinned at each other.

  “We’re optimistic. I don’t expect anyone else will be killed on Quarry Island in the next couple of months, so we should be up and running by the Fourth of July.”

  “At the latest,” said Izzie.

  “If you two can solve a murder, you can get through Maine’s regulations for restaurants,” said Mamie. “Remember, I’m planning on being your very first customer.”

  “It’s like a miracle,” said Izzie. “Anna and I didn’t even know each other a month ago. And now we’re going into business together.” She glanced toward the ceiling. “I hope Dad knows. It was his will and the money we’ve inherited that’s making it all possible.”

  “I saw his picture on your refrigerator,” said Mom. “He was a handsome man.”

  “He wasn’t a perfect father,” said Izzie. “Even to me, and certainly not to Anna. But he brought us together, and gave us the means to dream together. That has to count for something.”

  Mom nodded. “More than something. I’m getting used to him being back in our lives, in a good way.”

  “You did a wonderful job raising me. If it weren’t for all I learned from you and Seth I couldn’t help Izzie live her dream. And now it’s my dream, too. I love being Burt’s wife and Jake’s mom and your daughter. But if we can make Kindred Spirits work—that will be something I did on my own.” I smiled at Izzie. “With my sister, of course.”

  “I’m so glad you’re part of our family now, Izzie. And, Anna, I’ve never seen you as excited and happy. Kindred Spirits, indeed.” Mamie pulled two small boxes out of the large pocketbook she carried everywhere. “These are for the two of you, for luck. There’s an old superstition that a gift of coral brings strength and perseverance.”

  Izzie and I looked at each other and opened the boxes.

  My gift was a pair of coral earrings. Izzie’s was a coral bracelet.

  “Thank you, Mamie,” Izzie said, giving her a hug. “They’re beautiful!”

  I squeezed Mamie’s hand. “Absolutely. Where did you get them?”

  “My great-grandfather worked on a clipper ship out of Quebec City in the late nineteenth century. He brought several pieces of coral jewelry back from the Far East for my great-grandmother. I inherited these from her. I’ve been saving them to pass down to the right person. And my two granddaughters already have a lot of strength and perseverance, but times, like the seas, can get rough. Maybe these will help you both through them.”

  Izzie and I both had tears in our eyes as we put on the jewelry.

  No matter what happened in the future, I didn’t need earrings to remind me of the strength of the women I was descended from. And I loved Mamie even more because she’d included Izzie in the family.

  Two sisters. Very different. But very much the same.

  Kindred Spirits, for sure.

  Mamie’s Quebecois Apple/Cranberry Pudding

  Note: In the early seventeenth century, North American puddings or duffs—as they were sometimes called—were basic parts of almost every meal. Ingredients were put in a cloth bag and hung inside or above a pot being used to cook other food, and cooked for four to five hours. After stoves came into common usage in the middle of the nineteenth century, puddings were bak
ed and usually served as desserts with lemon, wine, or brandy sauces. New Englanders used molasses or maple syrup as sweetener instead of sugar. Similar classic apple puddings are called pandowdies, slumps, cobblers, or grunts in different parts of the United States and Canada. Mamie has added cranberries to her basic recipe.

  Ingredients

  5 medium-sized Granny Smith (or other tart) apples, sliced as you would for apple pie. You may peel or not peel; Mamie prefers them unpeeled

  1 cup brown sugar

  1 cup dried sweetened cranberries

  4 tablespoons butter, softened

  1 cup white sugar

  2 eggs

  1 cup flour

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter rectangular pan (approximately 7 × 12 inches.) Mix apple slices and cranberries, spread evenly in pan, and sprinkle with brown sugar. In medium-sized mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar, then add eggs. Mix well. Add flour and baking powder; mix thoroughly. Drop large spoonfuls of batter on top of apples. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle of pudding comes away clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Mamie prefers it warm, topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

  Yield: 6 servings

  Izzie's Glazed Lemon Nut Bread or Muffins

  Ingredients

  4 tablespoons butter

  ¾ cup sugar

  5 teaspoons grated lemon peel

  2 cups flour

  1½ teaspoons baking powder

  1 teaspoon salt

  ¾ cup milk

  1 cup sliced almonds (or chopped walnuts or pecans—whichever you prefer)

  For glaze: 6 teaspoons lemon juice & 6 teaspoons sugar

  Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon peel. Beat well. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture, alternating with milk. Beat smooth. Mix in nuts. Pour into either greased loaf pan (8½ × 4½ × 2½ inches) or 12-serving cupcake/muffin pan. Bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean; 50–55 minutes for bread loaf; 18–20 minutes for muffins. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove. Combine sugar and lemon juice for glaze and spoon over top. Freezes well.

  Yield: 12 muffins or one loaf

  Mamie's Maine Seafood Chowder

  This is a flexible recipe, since fishermen don’t always know what they’ll be bringing home. Feel free to eliminate the shrimp or lobster and substitute more white fish, or to add more potatoes or onions. Calorie counters might substitute milk for the light cream.

  The best broth for this chowder is made from boiling the shells of lobsters. Second best is clam broth, which can be bought in bottles, or chicken or fish bouillon. Lacking any of the above, water will do fine.

  Chowder is best when made hours, or even a day, in advance and then reheated. Great when you’re expecting company, but don’t want to be tied to the kitchen when guests arrive!

  Ingredients

  3–5 strips of bacon, cut in small pieces

  ½ yellow onion per person, sliced and diced

  3 garlic cloves, or more if you love garlic

  2 cups of broth (see above) per person

  2 medium white potatoes per person, pared and cut in 1-inch pieces

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon black pepper

  2–3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce, to taste

  ½ pound of fish (preferably haddock) per person, cut in ¾-inch pieces

  ½ pound of shrimp or lobster meat per person, also cut in ¾-inch pieces

  ½ cup light cream per person

  2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley per person

  Oyster crackers or French bread

  Heat bacon in a 5-quart saucepan (or larger, depending on how many you’re feeding). Add the diced onion and garlic, and stir over medium heat until you can see through the pieces of onion. Pour in the broth and add the potatoes (if the broth doesn’t cover the potatoes, add more broth or water until it does so). Add salt, black pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until you can stick a fork easily through a piece of the potato. Add the fish and shellfish. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until all is cooked. Then add light cream and heat until hot. Add parsley, stir, and serve with plain chowder, or oyster crackers, or with French bread.

  Yield: at least six servings, depending on amount of ingredients.

  Izzie's Spicy Korean Shrimp and Scallion Pancakes

  Ingredients

  ¾ cup white flour

  3 large garlic cloves

  ¾ teaspoon salt

  ¾ cup cold water (put in refrigerator while you’re preparing other ingredients)

  2 large eggs, beaten

  1 tablespoon sesame oil

  ½ teaspoon cayenne

  8 scallions, cut finely lengthwise and crosswise (scissors help!)

  ½ red bell pepper, cut in small pieces like scallions

  1 pound raw, peeled shrimp, halved lengthwise and cut in 1-inch pieces

  ¼ cup olive oil

  Mince and mash garlic with salt. Mix together garlic mixture, cayenne, water, eggs, and sesame oil. Add flour, and stir until smooth. Stir in scallions, bell pepper, and shrimp. Fry in skillet or frying pan at medium hot temperature (about 350°F if you have an electric frying pan) in about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook as you would other pancakes, pressing down with spatula to flatten. Cook until golden, 3–5 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels, put on baking sheet, and keep warm in low (200°F) oven until all pancakes are cooked. If pancakes are large, cut into triangles. If small, serve whole. A great appetizer or buffet or brunch dish. Serve with Soy & Scallion Dipping Sauce (below.)

  Yields: 18 three-inch diameter pancakes.

  Soy & Scallion Dipping Sauce

  Ingredients

  ½ cup soy sauce, preferably low-sodium

  3 tablespoons dark sesame oil

  ¼ cup scallions chopped into small pieces.

  Mix together all ingredients. Left over sauce can be stored for 3 days in refrigerator.

  Yield: enough sauce for pancakes above

  Mamie's Salmon Mousse

  Note: If you’re serving this as part of a buffet, or as an appetizer on its own, Mamie suggests you double it. It’s that good!

  Ingredients

  1 large can red salmon (15 ounce or 2 cups cooked salmon)

  ½ tablespoon salt

  ½ tablespoon sugar

  ½ tablespoon flour

  1 teaspoon dry mustard

  ½ teaspoon cayenne

  2 egg yolks

  1½ Tablespoons melted butter

  ¾ cup milk

  ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar

  1 envelope granulated gelatin dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water. Clean & flake salmon and put it in a thin bowl or mold. Mix dry ingredients in the top of a double boiler (or small pan you can cook over another pan). Add egg yolks, butter, milk, vinegar. Cook over boiling water, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to stick to your spoon. Add the gelatin and stir until the gelatin dissolves. Pour mixture over salmon; mix gently. Chill in refrigerator (not freezer) overnight. To remove from mold, put bottom of mold in hot water to loosen; be gentle as you turn mold upside down. Then replace in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to ensure mousse will maintain its shape. Serve with crackers, thin slices of French bread, cucumbers, olives … whatever you choose. Especially good on a hot day.

  Yield: as an appetizer, enough for 6–8

  Mamie's Anadama Bread

  ½ cup cornmeal

  ½ cup molasses

  2 tablespoons butter

  2 teaspoon salt

  1 envelope or cake of dry yeast

  2¼ cup water

  5 cups of flour (approximately)

  Boil 2 cups water. Add cornmeal and stir, slowly, a minute or two. Add molasses, salt, and butter. Cook and stir together until well mixed. Put mixture in large bowl and cool. Mix yeast in ½ cup warm water. When mixtur
e in bowl is lukewarm, add dry yeast. Stir. Now add the flour, 1 cup at a time. When dough is stiff, put on floured surface and knead. Add a little more flour if you need to. Continue kneading until you have a ball of dough that is smooth and shiny and bounces back when you push it down. This takes about 5–8 minutes. Put ball of dough in large buttered mixing bowl in a warm place. Cover with light dishcloth and allow the dough to rise until it doubles in size. This could take 30–90 minutes. After it has doubled, push dough down in the bowl once or twice. Then remove it from the bowl and let it sit 5 minutes. Divide it in half, shape it into loaves, and place the loaves in greased loaf pans. Cover pans with towel and again let dough rise until it doubles in size (it should rise until it is just slightly higher than the side of the pans). Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, then reduce heat and bake at 350°F for another 20–25 minutes, or until the loaf tops are slightly brown. Turn the loaves out of pans & cool on racks. One loaf may be frozen for later use.

  Yield: 2 loaves

  Also available by Cornelia Kidd (writing as Lea Wait)

  Mainely Needlepoint Mysteries

  Thread the Halls

  Tightening the Threads

  Dangling by a Thread

  Thread and Gone

  Threads of Evidence

  Twisted Threads

  Antique Print Mysteries

  Shadows on a Morning in Maine

  Shadows on a Maine Christmas

  Shadows on a Cape Cod Wedding

  Shadows of a Down East Summer

  Shadows at the Spring Show

  Shadows on the Ivy

  Shadows on the Coast of Maine

  Shadows at the Fair

  Also available by Lea Wait

  Pizza to Die For

  Uncertain Glory

  Finest Kind

  Wintering Well

  Seaward Born

  Stopping to Home

  Author Biography

  Maine author Cornelia Kidd, who also writes under the name Lea Wait, spent a wonderful summer on a Maine island when she was ten. Now she lives in a historic home on the banks of the Sheepscot River with her husband, artist Bob Thomas, where she cooks seafood, reads, writes, speaks to groups of all ages about writing, and, whenever possible, drinks champagne. This is her first Maine Murder mystery.