Raspberry Danish Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “Is it difficult to make?”

  “Not at all! I thought that if you like it, we could serve it here.”

  “That’s a really good idea. We’ve never served any kind of Danish before, and I’m sure our morning customers would appreciate it. Personally, I just love Danish!”

  Michelle smiled. “So does almost everyone I know. I think it would go over great, Hannah.”

  Lisa hurried to the bakers rack, removed a pan from one of the shelves, and carried it over to show Hannah. “Doesn’t it look pretty?”

  “It certainly does,” Hannah told her. “And it smells wonderful, too. I love the scent of raspberries. If they could bottle it, I’d be tempted to use it as perfume.”

  Both Lisa and Michelle laughed. Then Michelle warned, “That would be dangerous, Hannah.”

  “Why?”

  “Strangers everywhere would follow you around just so they could sniff you.”

  “I know Herb would,” Lisa told her. “He ate three pieces at Aunt Nancy’s brunch.”

  “Is it made with puff pastry dough?” Hannah asked.

  “Yes, and I like it a lot better than the raspberry Danish you can buy in the bakery aisle at the store. Those taste like sweet rolls with raspberry jam on the top.”

  Hannah frowned. “The puff pastry could be a problem. I read through a recipe for that once, and it took hours to make. You had to mix it up and roll it out, put chunks of butter on the top, fold it up, and refrigerate it for a while, before you rolled it out again. I don’t remember how many times you had to do that, but it was a lot. The recipe said that all the buttering and rolling was what made the dough tender and flaky.”

  “We don’t have to make the dough from scratch,” Lisa told her. “I used the frozen kind this morning. Aunt Nancy said she made puff pastry from scratch once, and the frozen dough is just as good.”

  “How about the raspberries?” Michelle asked her. “It’s really hard to find a source for fresh raspberries in November.”

  “You can use either frozen or fresh. I used frozen and so did Aunt Nancy. She told me she uses fresh berries when she can get them, but frozen work just fine.”

  “Don’t tease us by talking about it, Lisa,” Michelle told her. “Cut the Danish and give us a piece. I’ve been dying to taste it ever since you took it out of the oven. The way I feel right now, I could eat the whole thing, all by myself.”

  Both Hannah and Michelle watched eagerly as Lisa placed the large Raspberry Danish on the stainless steel surface of the work table and picked up a knife to cut it. “Who wants the end piece?” she asked.

  “I do!” Hannah said a split second before Michelle spoke.

  “But so do I!” Michelle looked disappointed.

  “Relax,” Lisa told them. “Both of you can have an end piece. And I bet I know why you both wanted end pieces. You think there’s more raspberry filling on the ends.”

  “Isn’t there?” Hannah asked.

  “No, but it looks like it. The raspberry filling is the same in every piece.”

  Once Lisa had cut the large pastry into pieces, she gave one end piece to Hannah and the other to Michelle. She took a middle piece, and there was silence for several moments as the three women sipped coffee and enjoyed their breakfast treat.

  “What do you think?” Lisa asked when only a bite or two of her piece was left.

  “I think I want another piece!” Hannah told her, and Michelle nodded agreement.

  “So do I,” Lisa admitted, getting more for all of them.

  “I think our customers will want a second piece once they taste the first,” Michelle said quickly. “Hannah and I have to test that theory.”

  Hannah looked thoughtful. “I wonder if there’s a way we could make them individually.”

  “Good idea!” Lisa said. “Aunt Nancy and I will experiment. And we’ll have a taste test to see if the individual Danish are as good as the large ones. Dad just loves Raspberry Danish and so does Marge. And Aunt Nancy’s friend Heiti is crazy about her Danish.”

  “Check on the time it takes to make the individual Danish as compared to the large ones,” Hannah told her. “The individual ones might not be cost effective.”

  “Good point,” Lisa responded. “I didn’t even think of that. I’ll know after next weekend. Herb and I are having everyone over for Sunday brunch, and I’ll tell you on Monday morning.”

  “One more piece, Lisa?” Michelle begged. “It was so good!”

  Hannah stared at her youngest sister in awe. Michelle loved sweets and she ate cookies and other sweet treats whenever she wanted. If the world were fair, Michelle would weigh three hundred pounds by now. But her youngest sister somehow kept her perfect figure. Perhaps if she’d gone to the gym every day and worked out for an hour or so, or jogged miles in the morning, Hannah could understand it. But Michelle only went to the gym when she wanted to go, and Hannah had never seen her jog. Hannah had asked Doc Knight about it once, and he’d told her that the only explanation for Michelle and Andrea’s failure to gain weight had to do with body chemistry, an active metabolism, and luck of the draw. He’d also said that no doctors he knew could really explain it and perhaps it was simply hereditary. Hannah figured that whatever it was, she didn’t have it. It seemed as if she could simply walk by the bakers rack, glance at the cookies, or pies, or cakes cooling on the shelves, and she would gain weight. There were times when life just wasn’t fair and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

  RASPBERRY DANISH

  DO NOT preheat your oven yet. You must do some preparation first.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: Frozen puff pastry dough is good for all sorts of things. When you buy it for this recipe, buy 2 packages. You’ll only use one package in this recipe, but keep that second package in your freezer for later. Thaw it when you want to dress up leftovers by putting them inside little puff pastry packets and baking them, or make some turnovers from fresh fruit. Puff pastry can also be used for appetizers.

  The Pastry:

  One 17.5-ounce package frozen puff pastry dough (I used Pepperidge Farm, which contains 2 sheets of puff pastry)

  1 large egg

  1 Tablespoon water (right out of the tap is fine)

  White (granulated) sugar to sprinkle on top

  The Raspberry Sauce:

  ¾ cup fresh raspberries (you can also use frozen, but you’ll have to thaw them and dry them with paper towels so they won’t have an excess of juice)

  2 Tablespoons water (right out of the tap is fine)

  ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (if you don’t have it, use cinnamon)

  1 and ½ Tablespoons cornstarch

  ½ cup white (granulated) sugar

  The Cream Cheese Filling:

  8-ounce package brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature (I used Philadelphia)

  ⅓ cup white (granulated) sugar

  ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

  The Drizzle Frosting:

  1 and ¼ cups powdered (confectioners) sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  ¼ cup whipping cream (that’s heavy cream, not Half & Half )

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  teaspoon salt

  Thaw both sheets of puff pastry dough according to package directions. Do this on a floured surface (I used a bread board). To prepare the surface, sprinkle on a little flour and spread it around with your impeccably clean palms.

  While your puff pastry sheets are thawing, make the raspberry sauce.

  In a medium-size saucepan, combine the raspberries with the water.

  In a small bowl, combine the cardamom, cornstarch, and sugar. Stir with a fork until they are thoroughly mixed.

  Sprinkle the contents of the bowl on top of the raspberries and water in the saucepan. Stir everything together until all the ingredients are well mixed.

  Cook the contents on the stovetop at MEDIUM HIGH heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture reaches a full boil. Continue to stir for 2 minutes.
Then pull the saucepan over to a cold burner, turn off the burner you used, and let the raspberry sauce cool to room temperature.

  While your raspberry sauce is cooling, make the cream cheese filling.

  In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the softened cream cheese with the sugar and the vanilla extract. Beat the mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it on the counter.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: If your forgot to soften your cream cheese, you can do it by unwrapping the cream cheese, placing it in a microwave-safe bowl and nuking it for 10 seconds or so in the microwave.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: You will not be making the Drizzle Frosting yet. You will do this after your Raspberry Danish are baked and cooling on racks.

  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  While your oven is preheating, prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

  Check your sheet of puff pastry to see if it is thawed. If it is, it’s time to prepare it to receive its yummy contents.

  Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on your floured board. Sprinkle a little flour on a rolling pin and roll your puff pastry out to a twelve-inch square.

  Hannah’s 4th Note: I use a ruler to make sure I have a 12-inch square when I’m through.

  Use a sharp knife to make one horizontal cut through the middle of the square and one vertical cut through the middle of the square. This will divide it into 4 equal (or nearly equal) pieces.

  Break the egg into a cup. Add 1 Tablespoon of water and whisk it up. This will be your egg wash.

  Transfer one of your cut squares of puff pastry to your prepared cookie sheet.

  Use a pastry brush to brush the inside edges of the square with the egg wash. This will make the edges stick together when you fold the dough over the cream cheese and raspberry sauce.

  Measure out ¼ cup of the cream cheese filling and place it in the center of the square.

  Spread the cream cheese over the square evenly to within ½ inch of the edges.

  Spread 2 Tablespoons of the raspberry sauce over the cream cheese.

  Pick up one corner of the square and pull it over the filling to cover just a little over half of the filling. Then pick up the opposite corner and pull that over to overlap the first corner.

  Since the egg wash you used on the square of puff pastry dough acts as a glue, that second corner should stick to the first corner. If it doesn’t, simply use a little more of the egg wash to stick the two overlapping corners together.

  Hannah’s 5th Note: This sounds difficult, but it’s not. You’ll catch on fast once you complete the first one. It takes much longer to explain than it does to actually do it.

  When you’ve completed the first of the 4 squares, cut your second sheet of puff pastry and repeat the process to complete those.

  Once you have all 8 Raspberry Danish on the cookie sheets, brush the top of the pastry with more egg wash and sprinkle on a little granulated sugar.

  Bake your Raspberry Danish at 375 degrees F., for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they’re golden brown on top.

  Remove the cookie sheet from the oven to a wire rack and let the pastries cool for 10 minutes. While your Raspberry Danish are cooling, make the Frosting Drizzle.

  Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and mix it with the cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue to mix until it’s smooth and thoroughly combined.

  Use your favorite method to drizzle frosting over the tops of your Raspberry Danish. A pastry bag (or a plastic bag with one of the corners snipped off) works well for this.

  Hannah’s 6th Note: If you don’t want to use a pastry bag to do this, simply mix in a little more cream so that the frosting will drizzle off the tip of a spoon held over the pastries.

  When all the Raspberry Danish have been decorated with the frosting drizzle, pull the parchment paper and the Raspberry Danish off the cookie sheet and back onto the same wire rack.

  These pastries are delicious eaten while slightly warm. They’re also good cold.

  If any of your Raspberry Danish are left over (I don’t think this will happen!), wrap them loosely in wax paper and keep them in a cool place.

  Aunt Nancy’s Note: I’ve made these pastries with many other fruits including strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, pears, and apricots. If you use large pieces of fruit, puree them and use ½ cup of the puree to make the sauce.

  Lisa’s Note: I was in a hurry one day and I used seedless raspberry jam instead of making the sauce. I took off the lid and heated it a little in the microwave, just enough so that I could spread it on top of the cream cheese filling. Since pineapple is Herb’s favorite fruit, I’m going to try it with pineapple jam next, if Florence can order it at the Red Owl. I’m pretty sure that Smucker’s makes it.

  Chapter Two

  It was ten minutes past eleven when Hannah took the last pan of Cherry Chocolate Bar Cookies out of the oven. She’d just slipped the cookie sheet onto the bakers rack when there was a knock at the back kitchen door. The first knock was followed by two more slightly louder knocks in quick succession.

  “Mother?” Michelle asked.

  “Mother,” Hannah agreed. “You’re getting better at recognizing knocks, Michelle. I’ll pour the coffee and cut a pan of bar cookies. You can answer the door and let Mother in.”

  “Any news?” Delores called out to Hannah as she hung her coat on a hook by the door and headed for her favorite stool at the work station.

  “Not a word,” Hannah replied, knowing exactly what Delores meant. She wanted to know if Hannah had heard from Ross. She asked the same question every time she came in the door at The Cookie Jar or called Hannah on the phone.

  “Thank you, dear,” Delores said as Michelle served her coffee. Then she noticed what Hannah was doing and asked, “What are you cutting, Hannah? Whatever it is, it smells like chocolate and . . . cherries?”

  Michelle began to laugh. “You have a great nose, Mother. We just finished baking six batches of Cherry Chocolate Bar Cookies.”

  “Thank you, dear. No one’s ever called my nose great before.” She turned to Hannah again. “If those chocolate cherry creations of yours are cool enough to cut, does that make them cool enough to sample?”

  “Of course.” Hannah finished transferring the bars she’d cut to a serving plate and carried them to the stainless steel work island. “Here you go, Mother. Tell us if you like them.”

  Delores picked up one of the bar cookies, took a bite, and began to smile. “Heavenly! Ten stars out of ten, dear.”

  “Thanks, Mother,” Hannah said, taking the stool across from her mother. She noticed that Delores was wearing full makeup and one of the designer suits she’d purchased from Claire Rodgers Knudson at Beau Monde Fashions. Her dark hair was stylishly arranged, and the ruby ring on her finger mirrored the color of her suit. Although Delores always looked fashionable, today she was dressed to the teeth. This caused Hannah to assume that her mother was going somewhere important.

  “Are you headed for somewhere special, Mother?” Michelle asked, just as if she were reading Hannah’s mind.

  “Yes. I have a meeting with the Rainbow Ladies at the hospital.” Delores named the group of volunteers she’d founded over a year ago.

  “Is it a special occasion?” Hannah asked. Usually, when Delores met with the Rainbow Ladies, she wore black slacks and one of the brightly colored jackets the ladies wore to set them apart from the rest of the hospital staff.

  “Yes, but it has nothing to do with the Rainbow Ladies. I’m spending the afternoon with Doc at the hospital and then we’re going out to dinner. It’s our anniversary.”

  Hannah and Michelle exchanged puzzled glances, and Hannah was the first to speak. “But, Mother . . . this is November and you got married in September. Are you celebrating an anniversary every month?”

  “What a lovely thought!” Delores smiled at her eldest daughter. “But no, dear. This is a real anniversary. Doc first asked me
to marry him in November.”

  “And you married him nine months later?” Michelle asked.

  “No, dear. We got married almost two years later. I wasn’t sure I wanted to get married again, but Doc convinced me.”

  “And you’re glad he did,” Hannah stated the obvious.

  “I certainly am!” Delores reached out for another bar cookie. “Sally’s making a special anniversary dinner for us tonight at the Lake Eden Inn. We’re having duck with cranberry sauce and a chocolate soufflé for dessert. That’s what we had the night that Doc first proposed to me.”

  Michelle looked confused. “But . . . I thought you didn’t like duck.”

  “I don’t, but Doc does and it’s a tradition. We have it every year on the anniversary of the night he proposed to me.”

  “And you eat it?” Michelle followed up on her former question.