Dark Tort

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Dark Tort Page 32

by Diane Mott Davidson


  Drain the asparagus (it should still be bright green, with a tender, slightly crunchy texture). Put it into the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus, and place the quiche into the oven.

  Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the quiche has puffed and browned, and is set in the center. Allow to cool 5 minutes before slicing.

  Note: Since this is a crustless quiche, it should be served with rolls or other bread.

  MAKES 8 SERVINGS

  Chicken Piccata Supreme

  4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded thin between pieces of plastic wrap

  ½ cup all-purpose flour (you will not use all of this—it is for dusting the chicken)

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  2 teaspoons freshly pressed garlic

  ½ cup scallions, finely chopped

  1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

  ¼ cup dry white wine

  6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

  Dredge the pounded chicken breasts in a mixture of the flour, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

  Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, put in two of the chicken breasts and sauté for about 1½ minutes per side, until the outside is nicely browned but the interior of the chicken is still very slightly pink. Remove the pieces to a plate and repeat with the other two chicken breasts. Set aside.

  Turn the heat under the sauté pan to low and add the last tablespoon of oil and the garlic. Cook the garlic very gently for several minutes, until it is very soft and cooked through. Do not burn the garlic.

  Add the scallions, juice, white wine, and butter to the pan. Bring the heat up to medium, stirring constantly. Once the butter is melted, continue to cook and stir for a minute or a bit longer, until the sauce has reduced slightly. Keeping the heat up, return the chicken to the pan, and cook and stir until the chicken has just cooked through (check by cutting into one piece), about 2 or 3 more minutes.

  Place the chicken on a heated serving platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

  MAKES 4 SERVINGS

  All-American Deep-Dish Apple Pie

  CRUST:

  1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

  ½ teaspoon salt

  12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and chilled

  3 tablespoons chilled lard or vegetable shortening, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and chilled

  ¼ cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water

  1 egg, lightly beaten

  In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade), whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt for 10 seconds.

  Drop the first 4 tablespoons of chilled butter on top of the flour mixture, and cut in with two sharp knives (or pulse in the food processor) just until the mixture looks like tiny crumbs. (In the food processor, this will take less than a minute.) Repeat with the rest of the butter and the lard (or vegetable shortening), keeping the unused portion of each fat well chilled until it is time to cut it into the flour. The mixture will look like large crumbs when you finish adding all the butter and lard.

  Sprinkle the water over the top of the mixture, and either mix with a spoon or pulse until the mixture just begins to hold together in clumps. If the mixture is too dry to hold together in clumps, add the additional water until it does. Place the mixture into a 2-gallon zipped plastic bag. Pressing very lightly through the plastic, quickly gather the mixture into a rough circle in the center of the bag. Refrigerate the bag of dough until it is thoroughly chilled.

  When you are ready to make the pie, preheat the oven to 400°F. Have a rimmed cookie sheet ready to place underneath the pie.

  Remove the bag of dough from the refrigerator. Unzip the bag, then quickly roll out the dough (still inside the bag) to a circle approximately 10 inches in diameter. Using scissors, cut the plastic all the way around the bag and gently lift one side of the plastic. Place the bag, dough side down, into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Gently remove the remaining piece of plastic so that the dough falls into the plate. Trim and flute the edge of the crust. Gently line the crust with parchment paper and weigh down the crust with rice, beans, or pie weights.

  Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, take out the parchment and weights, and brush the bottom and sides of the crust with the beaten egg (you will not use all of the egg). Return the crust to the oven to bake for 10 minutes more. If the fluted edge begins to brown too quickly, it can be covered with pieces of foil until the crust is baked. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool slightly while you prepare the filling and topping.

  FILLING:

  1¼ teaspoons cinnamon

  ¾ cup sugar

  8 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith apples

  In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Place the apple slices in a large bowl. Sprinkle the apples with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and set aside while you prepare the topping.

  TOPPING:

  1¼ cups all-purpose flour

  ½ cup sugar

  9 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces

  In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade), whisk together the flour and sugar for 10 seconds. Drop the pieces of butter on top of the flour mixture and cut in with two sharp knives (or pulse in the food processor) just until the mixture resembles large crumbs. Do not overblend.

  Place the apple mixture in the cooked crust. Evenly spread the topping over the apples, and be sure to put the pie onto the rimmed cookie sheet before it bakes.

  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the topping is browned and the apples are cooked. Place the pie on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours so the pie can “set up.” Serve with best-quality vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

  MAKES 8 LARGE SERVINGS

  Strong-Arm Cookies

  12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

  ¼ cup solid vegetable shortening

  2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed

  2 large eggs

  ½ cup buttermilk

  3¼ cups all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled

  2 cups dried cherries

  2 cups extra-large chocolate chips (“chocolate chunks”)

  In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until the sugar is thoroughly creamed into the butter mixture, about 5 minutes. Thoroughly beat in the eggs, then stir in the buttermilk. Set aside.

  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir into the butter mixture until you can see no more flour. Stir in the nuts, cherries, and chips. Chill the batter, tightly covered with plastic wrap, for at least an hour and up to overnight.

  Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone nonstick sheet (Silpat).

  Using a ½-tablespoon scoop, measure out a dozen evenly spaced cookies. Using the heel of your hand, gently push on each cookie to flatten slightly. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, or until you can touch them lightly and leave almost no imprint.

  Allow the cookies to cool one minute on the cookie sheets before using a metal spatula to remove them to racks to cool completely.

  Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.

  MAKES 8 DOZEN COOKIES

  Chocolate Lovers’ Dipped Fruits

  8 ounces chopped best-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened; recommended brand: Godiva Dark)

  1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  11–12 ounces of dried fruit (apricots, peaches, pears, etc.)

  In the top of a double boiler, melt the ch
ocolate and butter, stirring frequently. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. When the chocolate and butter are thoroughly melted and blended, turn down the heat under the double boiler. Holding a piece of fruit between your thumb and forefinger, gently dip one end into the hot chocolate. Immediately raise the fruit, shake it gently to loosen any stray drops, then place it on the waxed paper to cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the fruit.

  Note: In summer, dip large, long-stemmed fresh strawberries. At holiday time, dip glacé apricots for a very special gift.

  Blue Cheesecake

  1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  1 shallot, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)

  24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

  6 large eggs, at room temperature

  6 ounces blue cheese (preferably Danish), crumbled and chopped

  ¾ cup whipping cream

  1 small scallion, finely chopped (about 1½ tablespoons)

  Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. Place an 11-by 16-inch disposable aluminum roasting pan onto a rimmed cookie sheet.

  Melt the butter over low heat and cook the shallot, stirring occasionally, until it is limp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

  In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until it is very smooth. Add the eggs and beat until they are well blended into the cream cheese, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the blue cheese and cream, and beat over low speed until the mixture is well blended (it will be lumpy).

  Using a large wooden spoon, force the mixture through a wire strainer to remove the lumps. (This takes a strong arm and some time, usually about 7 to 10 minutes.) Blend the shallot and scallion into the smooth mixture.

  Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Place the springform pan inside the roasting pan, and carefully fill the roasting pan with very hot water until the water comes halfway up the outside of the springform pan. Gripping the sides of the cookie sheet, carefully place the roasting pan with the springform pan inside it into the oven. Immediately close the oven door.

  Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the cheesecake has puffed, the top is golden brown, and the center is set. Remove from the oven and set the springform pan on a cooling rack. Run a knife around the inside rim of the springform pan’s collar to loosen any of the cheesecake that may have stuck. Carefully remove the collar.

  Cool for about 10 minutes, if you are serving the cheesecake hot. (It will sink slightly as it cools.) The cheesecake may also be served at room temperature or chilled. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

  MAKES 8 LARGE SERVINGS

  Note: This is a savory dish appropriate for brunch or lunch. It is wonderful served with a tossed salad of either greens or fruit, along with French bread. Also, in case children protest about the idea of a “blue cheesecake,” you can assure them that the finished cake is not even remotely blue in color.

  Journey Cake

  with Hard Sauce

  12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

  1½ cups sugar

  4 cups all-purpose flour (high altitude: add ¼ cup flour)

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon cinnamon

  1 teaspoon cloves

  1¾ cups apple cider

  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by 13-inch pan.

  In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until well combined. Set aside.

  Sift together the flour, soda, and spices. Using a large wooden spoon, add the dry ingredients alternately with the cider, stirring well after each addition, and beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

  Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

  Serve with Hard Sauce (recipe follows).

  MAKES 12 SERVINGS

  Hard Sauce

  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

  1 pound sifted confectioners’ sugar

  1 to 2 tablespoons rum

  In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is very fluffy, at least 7 minutes. Gradually add half the confectioners’ sugar, beating well after each addition. Beat in the rum, then beat in the rest of the confectioners’ sugar.

  Refrigerate any unused sauce.

  Acknowledgments

  The author would like to acknowledge the help of the following people: Jim Davidson; Jeff, Rosa, Ryan, and Nicholas Davidson; J.Z. Davidson; Joey Davidson; Sandra Dijkstra, my phenomenal agent; Carolyn Marino, my brilliant editor; Jennifer Civiletto and the entire stupendous team at Morrow/HarperCollins; Kathy Saideman, for her insightful reading of the manuscript; Susan Stewart, fine artist, Littleton, Colorado; Ann Bunn, collage artist, Evergreen, Colorado; Dee Minault, partner, Cumberland Art Conservation, Nashville, Tennessee; Lisa Shannon Davidson, paralegal, Chicago; Roz Lynn Dorf, freelance paralegal, Boulder; the following helpful folks from Holme, Roberts & Owen in Denver: Wendy Tellier Casaday, paralegal, Frank Erisman, Esquire, and Judson Detrick, Esquire; Stephanie Kane, Esquire, Denver; Brian Streelman, Esquire, Golden, Colorado; Diane Barrett, Esquire, chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado; Ken Iwamasa, M.A., associate professor of art, University of Colorado; Shirley Carnahan, Ph.D., senior instructor in the humanities, University of Colorado; Patrick N. Allitt, Ph.D., professor of history, Emory University; the following writer friends, who supplied ongoing support: Jasmine Cresswell, Julie Kaewert, and Leslie O’Kane; the Reverend Jean Treece; John William Schenk and Kirsten Schenk, caterers extraordinaire; and as always, my unparalleled source on police procedure, Sergeant Richard Millsapps, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, Golden, Colorado.

  About the Author

  Diane Mott Davidson is the author of twelve bestselling novels. she lives in Colorado with her family.

  www.dianemottdavidson.com

  Visit www.authortracker.com for exclusive information on Diane Mott Davidson.

  Available from HarperAudio and HarperLargePrint

  OTHER BOOKS BY DIANE MOTT DAVIDSON

  Catering to Nobody

  Dying for Chocolate

  The Cereal Murders

  The Last Suppers

  Killer Pancake

  The Main Corpse

  The Grilling Season

  Prime Cut

  Tough Cookie

  Sticks & Scones

  Chopping Spree

  Double Shot

  Credits

  Jacket design by Amy King

  Jacket photograph by Douglas Whyte

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

 

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