by Joanne Fluke
¼ cup brown sugar (pack it down when you measure it)
4 large eggs
sweetened whipped cream to garnish pie slices
chopped, blanched almonds to garnish or fresh raspberries
You will use a 9-inch pie plate for his recipe.
Mix the cracker crumbs, butter, and brown sugar thoroughly.
Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Then remove it from the oven, but DON’T TURN OFF THE OVEN.
Let the crust cool on a wire rack or a cold burner while you make the filling.
Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
Add the almond butter and allow it to sit for a minute. Then whisk it smooth.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until the mixture is fluffy and light yellow. This will form part of your custard mixture.
With the mixer running on LOW, add the hot milk mixture slowly to your bowl, mixing all the while.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you add the hot milk mixture too fast, it may cook the eggs!
Set the pie crust on a drip pan (that’s any larger pan with sides).
Pour only HALF of the custard mixture into the crust. You will add the second half of the custard mixture once your pie is on the oven shelf.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: The unbaked pie may be difficult to carry to the oven without spilling it. If you pour half of the custard into the pie shell first, pull out the oven rack just a bit, stick in the pie and drip pan and THEN fill the pie with the rest of the custard mixture and carefully push in the oven rack, the custard mixture won’t spill on the way to the oven.
Bake your pie at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
Test your pie while it’s still in the oven by inserting the blade of a table knife one inch from the center. (You may have to pull out the rack a bit to do this.)
Pull out the knife and if there is still milky liquid clinging to the blade, your pie needs at least 5 minutes more in the oven.
After the 5 minutes are up, test your pie with a clean table knife again. Repeat as often as necessary until the blade of the knife comes out clean.
When your pie has set, remove it from the oven and place it on a cold stove burner or a wire rack for 15 minutes. Don’t forget to shut off the oven.
When the time is up, refrigerate your pie until it is completely cold. (You can tell by feeling the bottom of the pie pan. If it’s still warm, your pie hasn’t been refrigerated long enough.)
When your Almond Custard Pie has thoroughly chilled, make the Raspberry Jam Glaze and pour it over the top of your pie. Then refrigerate it. When the pie and glaze are completely chilled, slice the pie. Garnish each slice with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped almonds or fresh raspberries if you desire.
(Raspberry Jam Glaze recipe can be found on the following page.)
Yield: This pie is very rich and delicious. I usually cut it into 8 pieces and serve it with plenty of strong, hot coffee.
RASPBERRY JAM GLAZE
1 cup seedless raspberry jam
½ teaspoon dry unflavored gelatin (I used Knox)
¼ cup cold water
Hannah’s 1st Note: The original glaze was made with jelly, not jam. Jelly does not have pieces of fruit in it. I’ve modified it so that you can use either jam or jelly, which gives you a wider choice of flavors.
Measure out one cup of seedless raspberry jam and place it in the bowl of a food processor.
Process the jam with the steel blade until it is smooth and completely pureed.
Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the dry, unflavored gelatin over the cold water. Let it stand for 1 minute.
Stir and let stand another 10 minutes. This will allow it to “bloom.”
Hannah’s Note: When gelatin “blooms,” it means that soaking the gelatin in liquid will cause it to become tender and dissolve more readily. Both sheet gelatin and dry gelatin granules will usually “bloom” in any liquid.
Mix the gelatin and water mixture with the pureed raspberry jam in a small saucepan.
Cook the mixture over MEDIUM heat until it bubbles, stirring the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon or a heat resistant rubber spatula.
Pour the Raspberry Jam Glaze over the cooled Almond Custard Pie and refrigerate it until the glaze has set.
Chapter Twenty-one
Sally paused at the open door to the convention floor so that all three of them could drink in the scene. Then she turned back to them. “Do you like it?”
“It’s stunning,” Hannah told her, gazing at the giant Christmas tree in the center of the food court. Round tables with red and green tablecloths were set up on the length of the center space, and there was a white picket fence, decorated with colored Christmas lights, defining the rectangle that was designated as the food court. Statues of reindeer and elves were placed along the inside of the fence, and there was a golden throne at one end with a sign announcing the hours that Santa Claus would be there.
“Very impressive,” Norman said, walking over to examine one of the statues. “Where did you get these, Sally? I’d like to get a couple to decorate my front lawn for Christmas.”
“They’re from a place called Christmas Joy. It’s located in Avon and they delivered the statues and set them up for me. Take a look at their website. I’ll give you the address before you leave. The statues are sturdy and they’re indoor-outdoor and they’re okay up to thirty below. I thought I’d put a few of them outside when the convention’s over.”
“I love the throne,” Michelle said. “Who’s playing Santa this year?”
“Gene Hickman from Jordan High. He’s been playing Santa out here for the past two years, and all the kids love him.” She motioned them forward. “Come with me and I’ll show you your booth.”
Hannah was amazed when she saw their booth. The Cookie Jar was spelled out in letters made of linked candy canes and the outside was decorated with garlands and lights. The inside was lined with counters and shelves, and two giant coffeepots sat close to the front service window, but not so close that someone could touch them and burn themselves. There were brightly colored cardboard cutouts of Christmas trees, holly, snowflakes, reindeer, and Christmas stars tacked on the walls, and a giant wreath with red and green bells hung in the center, above the service window.
“It’s beautiful, Sally!” Hannah smiled happily. “I might just move in here and forget about going back to The Cookie Jar.”
“Brooke and Loren decorated it. They helped to set everything up yesterday.”
A man waved from the doorway, and Sally motioned him in. “Come over and meet your new neighbors, Gary,” she called out to him.
The man hurried over to Sally with a friendly smile on his face. “These two ladies are the Swensen sisters, Hannah and Michelle. And this is Norman Rhodes. They’re manning The Cookie Jar booth.” She turned back to Gary. “And this is Gary Fowler. He’s taking care of his sister’s booth, and it’s the one on your right.”
“Hello, Gary,” Hannah greeted him. While Norman and Michelle did the same, she turned to look at Gary’s booth. It was filled with Christmas decorations of every type conceivable. “You have a lot of product,” she said.
“My sister has a lot of product,” he corrected her. “She’s in the hospital and couldn’t be here so I volunteered to take over for her.”
“That’s nice of you,” Michelle commented, walking over to look at a little toy rocking horse. “This is really cute.”
“I think she told me that it was a replica of a Swedish horse, or maybe it was Norwegian. It’s homemade.”
“She made this?” Michelle was surprised. “It’s really beautiful.”
“She didn’t make it,” Gary told them. “My sister’s selling the horses for the man who made them. That’s what she does. She sells things on consignment that other people make.”
/> “Are all the decorations homemade?” Norman asked him.
“Yes. She doesn’t handle anything commercial.”
“I’ll be here helping Hannah and Michelle. When I take a break, I’ll come to look at your decorations. I’m decorating for Christmas this year and I don’t have a thing.”
“Drop by anytime. I’ll give you a discount if you buy more than five things.” He turned to Sally. “I’d like to stay and talk, but I’d better continue unpacking. I didn’t get a chance to finish it today.” He smiled at them. “I’ll see you all on Friday.”
“Gary’s my early bird,” Sally said, leading them back to the door. “He’s a really hard worker. He must have made six trips back to the Cities to pick up more product. He told me he wants everything to be perfect for his sister. Remember when I told you that one of my vendors came in a week early, Hannah?”
“I remember.”
“Well, that was Gary. I’ll introduce you to your neighbor on the other side when you get here on Friday morning. They’re a bit flaky, but very, very nice. They own a small bookstore and card shop in Princeton, and they’re selling all kinds of Christmas books and cards.”
“I wonder if they have any how-to books on homemade Christmas gifts,” Michelle said.
“I don’t know, but that sounds like something they might carry,” Sally replied. “You’ll have to check out their booth while you’re here.”
“What time should we be here on Friday morning?” Norman asked.
“Eight o’clock. That’ll give you time to make the coffee and put out the cookie display before we open at nine.” Sally stopped and looked slightly worried. “That’s not too early, is it?”
Hannah and Michelle began to laugh and Norman joined in.
“What did I say?” Sally asked them.
“I usually get up at four-thirty,” Hannah told Sally, “and Michelle gets up even earlier than I do.”
“Of course you do.” Sally looked a bit embarrassed. “I knew that. You mentioned it once, but I just forgot. I guess I did you a huge favor.”
“How so?” Michelle asked her.
“Coming out here at eight will be a real vacation for you two!”
* * *
Hannah was in the lead as the three of them climbed the outside staircase to her condo. The recipes Sally had given them were tucked in her purse and she was careful not to dislodge them as she pulled out her keys to open the door. “Who wants to catch Moishe?” she asked.
“I will,” Norman volunteered. “Michelle is carrying the rest of the pie that Sally gave us for Lonnie.”
“For Lonnie and Mike,” Michelle corrected him. “You’re forgetting that when food is involved, Mike just seems to materialize out of thin air.”
Norman chuckled. “You’re right. I forgot all about Mike’s food-dar. They’ll arrive together.”
Hannah stepped up to the door with the keys in her hand and turned around to Norman. “Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” Norman said, bracing himself for the twenty-three pound onslaught that was about to land in his arms.
Hannah unlocked the door and pushed it open, but there was no furry missile, no sound of a frantic rush down the hallway from the bedroom, and no Moishe at all, even though they stood there for several long moments and waited for him to appear.
“Uh-oh!” Hannah said, beginning to worry. “I hope nothing’s wrong.”
“He’s probably sleeping,” Michelle told her. “It’s like Great-Grandma Elsa used to say, Don’t borrow trouble or it’ll find a home with you.”
“Right,” Hannah agreed, leading the way inside. Everything looked perfectly normal in the living room. The RoboVac was parked in its corner the way it always was, the dining room window was closed and locked, and the dim light in the laundry room was on the way she always left it.
“I’ll check the bedrooms,” Michelle offered, walking down the carpeted hallway.
“How do you like our wedding present?” Norman asked her, pointing toward the RoboVac.
“I love it. I haven’t had to vacuum since you and Mike gave it to me and there’s no cat hair on the carpet, even though Moishe is shedding.”
A moment later, Michelle came back, followed by Moishe. He jumped up on the couch and purred. His eyes were still half-lidded with sleep and Hannah thought he looked a bit embarrassed that they’d caught him taking a nap.
“I’ll get you a treat,” Hannah told him, rubbing the area below his ears in a way that he seemed to particularly like.
“Moishe was out like a light,” Michelle said when Hannah came back to the living room with the fish-shaped, salmon-flavored kitty treats that he loved.
“I suspected that,” Hannah said as she placed four treats on the back of the couch. “Moishe’s been sleeping a lot lately. I really should call Sue at the vet’s office tomorrow. She can ask Bob if that’s a warning sign of something and call me back.”
“Good idea,” Norman told her. “Even better, why don’t I pick up Moishe tomorrow morning and take him in for a checkup. Then I’ll bring him over to visit Cuddles at my place for a while and take him back home later. You’ll feel much better if Doctor Bob calls to say that everything is normal.”
Hannah took a moment to consider that. It was true that she’d feel relieved if she found out that there was nothing wrong with her pet. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate that,” she told him.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, three staccato raps in an authoritarian summons that demanded entry.
“It’s Mike,” Hannah said.
“Told you!” Michelle informed Norman. “Hannah taught me how to recognize his knock.”
“Me, too,” Norman said with a grin, and then he turned to Hannah. “Better go let him in before he teams up with Lonnie and they start practicing how to break down a door.”
Hannah laughed and opened the door. Mike stepped in, followed by Lonnie, and assumed a stern look as he faced Norman. “We heard that!” he said. “And we don’t need any practice. We know how to break down a door.”
“Sorry,” Norman apologized. “I was just kidding.”
“So am I.” Mike grinned to show that he hadn’t taken offense. “Actually, we’ve never had occasion to break down a door, and Hannah’s door is pretty solid. I checked it out the first time I came here.” He turned to Hannah. “Good for you, Hannah. You looked through the peephole.”
Michelle and Lonnie greeted each other, and then Michelle turned to Mike. “Do you two have time to eat a piece of Sally’s Almond Custard Pie with Raspberry Glaze?”
“That sounds interesting,” Mike responded. “Sure, we have time. We’re off work unless we get a call. We’re always on call when we’re working on a murder investigation.”
Michelle and Lonnie began talking and Hannah turned to Mike. “I don’t suppose you had a chance to call your friend about the money yet?”
“Yes, I did. He checked out the serial numbers and they’re still in circulation. That means they’re not reported as stolen. And he thinks it’s really doubtful that they’re counterfeit.”
“I’ll put on the coffee and get the pie,” Michelle said to Hannah. And then she turned to Lonnie. “Why don’t you help me in the kitchen, Lonnie?”
Very sneaky, Hannah thought. Her sister had found a perfect way to get Lonnie away from Mike so that she could ask him questions about their investigation.
Norman exchanged glances with Hannah, and Hannah knew he’d figured out exactly what Michelle was doing.
“She’s probably going to pump Lonnie about our investigation,” Mike commented, sitting down at Hannah’s dining room table. “I warned him about that.”
Well, so much for being sneaky! Hannah thought, chuckling inwardly. Michelle should have known that Mike would catch on.
Because Mike knew exactly what was going on, Hannah decided to take the bull by the horns. She motioned Norman to a chair and addressed Mike. “Speaking of investigations, h
ow are you coming along?”
“Things are proceeding normally,” Mike said, narrowing his eyes at her. “And how are you doing?”
“I’ve developed a suspect list in view of their motives.”
“Good for you. Who’s on it?”
“Scotty MacDonald, for one.”
Mike didn’t look at all surprised. “Okay. What’s his motive?”
“Jealousy. He wanted the job as head cameraman.”
“That’s all?”
“No. He got over that when he found out that P.K. wasn’t trying for the job. But Scotty always wanted the office that they gave to Ross. He understood when Ross got it, but he hated seeing P.K. take it over while Ross was gone.”
Mike smiled. “Good for you! I assume you went out to the Lake Eden Inn and talked to Dick at the bar?”
“Yes, we were there tonight. Norman took us out to dinner and we all stopped at the bar to ask Dick about Scotty.”
Mike turned to Norman. “Did you know that Hannah was going to ask Dick about Scotty?” When Norman nodded, Mike faced Hannah again. “So, Norman is your Lonnie on this case?”
Hannah laughed. “I guess you could say that. And Michelle’s helping me, too.”
“And you’re pretending to be me, the law enforcement authority and lead investigator?”