Tainted Teacup

by Michelle Busby

  Preparation – Chips: Peel and rinse potatoes. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half. Continue halving the sections until you have 16 long rectangular wedges. Cover in water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 3-4 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels, then let them sit for 5-10 minutes in a colander. Lower a few at a time into the hot oil (yes, you can use the same oil) and fry until they are a golden brown. Drain on a wire rack and sprinkle liberally with salt. Serve with a good malt vinegar (like Heinz).

  Rissole

  Ingredients:

  (usually made from leftovers!)

  Potatoes, boiled or fried

  Fish, minced (or other minced meat)

  Onion, diced

  Salt and pepper, to taste

  Breadcrumbs or flour

  Peanut or other high temperature oil for frying

  Preparation: Heat oil in a Dutch oven to 375° or until a bit of flour sizzles when dropped in. Combine all ingredients except breadcrumbs/flour in a bowl and mash together. Scoop up with hands and fashion into golf ball sized portions. Either leave round or flatten slightly. Roll in breadcrumbs/flour. Drop into hot oil and fry until golden brown.

  Colcannon

  Ingredients:

  Red or Yukon gold potatoes, 1-¼ lbs

  Cabbage, I small head, chopped

  Green onions, ½ cup, chopped

  Irish butter, 6 TBS

  Salt and pepper, to taste

  Preparation: Rinse and quarter potatoes (with or without skins). Cover potatoes, cabbage, and onions with water by at least an inch in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and simmer covered until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl. Mash potatoes and vegetables with butter until the mixture is chunky. Season with salt and pepper to serve. (Note: leftover Colcannon can be used to make Rissole!)

  Late-for-a-Date Tea Biscuits

  Ingredients:

  Butter, 1 cup softened

  Sugar, 2 cups

  Eggs, 3 large

  Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp

  All-purpose flour, 3 ½ cups

  Baking soda, 1 tsp

  Salt, ½ tsp

  Dates, ¼ cup chopped

  Preparation: Heat oven to 350°. Cream butter on medium speed with electric mixer. Add sugar gradually. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Be sure all are blended well. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture until well blended. Divide dough and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour. Roll each half to ¼-inch thickness on floured surface. Cut cookies with a 2 ½-inch round cutter. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges begin to brown. Rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes. While still warm, use a toothpick to press 12 notches around the sides like a clockface. Place date pieces onto the 12, 3, 6, and 9 notches. Cool on wire racks.

  Mad Hatter Muffins

  Ingredients:

  All-purpose flour, 1 ¼ cups

  Rolled oats, ¼ cup

  Light brown sugar, 1 cup

  Baking soda, ½ tsp

  Orange, I medium, juiced and zested

  Oil, 1 TBS sunflower or other light vegetable oil

  Yogurt, 1 cup plain

  Egg, 1 large

  Marmalade, ¼ cup chunky

  (or other chunky fruit preserve)

  Preparation: Heat oven to 400°. Prepare large, regular, or small sized muffin tin by lightly greasing, coating with nonstick spray, or with paper baking cups. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk orange juice and zest, oil, yogurt, and egg. Fold into dry mixture until combined. Spoon 1 TBS (depending on size of muffin tin compartments) into each muffin compartment. Top with 1 tsp. orange marmalade, then cover with remaining muffin mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.

  March Hare Madeleines

  Ingredients:

  Butter, ½ cup softened plus extra melted

  Coconut, 2 ½ cups shredded

  Sugar, ¾ cup

  All-purpose flour, 1 ¼ cup

  Egg, 1 large

  Yogurt, 1 cup vanilla

  Dried fruit, ¾ cup chopped

  Preparation: Heat oven to 325°. Grease madeleine molds with butter. Use a food processor or hand chop coconut until fine. Whisk together with butter, flour, egg, and yogurt until smooth. Fold in fruit. Fill molds ¾ full and bake on a baking sheet for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool for 10 minutes. Brush with melted butter and dust with a bit of the sugar/coconut mixture. Madeleines can also be brushed with a thin coating of jam before serving.

  Dormouse Delights

  Ingredients – Crust:

  All-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups

  Butter, ¾ cup, cold diced

  Powdered sugar, ¼ cup

  Lemon, 1 zested

  Ingredients – Filling:

  Eggs, 4 large

  Powdered sugar, 1 cup

  Lemons, ½ cup juice

  All-purpose flour, 2 TBS

  Lemon, sliced into small flat quarter rounds

  Preparation: Heat oven to 350°. Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Combine crust ingredients and cut in butter until the mixture resembled fine crumbles. Sprinkle evenly into pan and press to form an even crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Whisk filling ingredients together until combined. As soon as crust is done, remove from oven and pour lemon filling on top of hot crust. Bake for 18-20 minutes more, or until the filling has set. Cool on a rack until room temperature, then chill for 2 hours. To serve, cut into small triangles and top with a quarter round lemon slice.

  Beef and Guinness Stew

  Ingredients:

  Bacon, 4 slices chopped

  Boneless beef chuck, 2 ½ lbs cut into 2-inch cubes

  Salt and pepper, to taste

  Onions, 2 coarsely chopped

  Carrots, 3 cut into 2-inch pieces

  Celery, 2 stalks cut into 2-inch pieces

  Potatoes, 4 Russet, cut into 2-inch cubes

  Garlic, 4 cloves minced

  Tomato paste, ¼ cup

  Guinness Beer, 14.9 ounces

  Thyme, 4 sprigs fresh

  Sugar, 1 tsp

  Chicken or beef stock, 2 ½ cups or enough to cover by 1 inch

  Preparation: In a Dutch oven, cook bacon until browned. Remove and set aside in a bowl, leaving fat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Turn heat to high and brown in bacon fat about 5 minutes. Remove to bowl. Turn down heat and sauté onions and garlic in the remainder of the fat about 1 minute. Add beef and bacon, along with remainder of ingredients, except potatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to incorporate browned bits from the bottom of the pot, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and add potatoes. Raise heat to medium and bring to a low boil for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 15 minutes. Serve in a bowl with brown bread and butter.

  About the Author

  Michelle Busby is a Florida transplant who lived for a time in California where she was an actress, singer, and writer and a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). A life-long thespian and former teacher, she has performed on stage since her teens and has written plays, musicals, and novels for all ages under the pen names of Mickey MorningGlory, Mickey Middleton, and M.M. Busby. An avid puzzle solver, mystery buff, and self-proclaimed foodie, she combines her talents into one large pot where she stews up her Holmes and Watson Culinary Whodunits. She is a member of Sisters in Crime (SinC), Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE), American Copy Editors Society (ACES), and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Michelle lives in Florida with her family.

  Readers can visit Michelle at patentprintbooks.com.

 
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