Crêpe Murder_A Seagrass Sweets Cozy Mystery
Page 17
“Abby. If you hired a lawyer then he can talk to me.”
“It’s a woman. Women can be lawyers, too, you know. We aren’t just here for your amusement.” Abby snapped making Georgie’s eyes widen as she pulled her chin into her throat.
“Fine, Abby. If you need to talk to me give me ten minutes. I’ll meet you on the deck by the Tilly’s juice bar display, okay? But just five minutes. I mean it.”
“Fine. But it may take more than five minutes.”
Without another word Deck left Abby, walked up to one of the wait staff and had a brief, quiet conversation that ended in smiles all around and Deck giving the man a pleasant pat on the back. He then left in a direction that was completely opposite of the woman named Abby.
“That was worth the price of admission.” Aleta chuckled. “Where is the dessert table? I can’t eat all this healthy stuff on an empty stomach.”
“Good idea. Let’s get a good base and then we can choke down some veggies.”
Taking their empty plates with them they headed over to the other side of the ballroom to what was the dessert table.
“Okay, this looks promising.” Aleta stooped over to read one of the names on a somewhat tempting looking dessert. “Lean Green energy bar. Okay, vegan. Gluten-free.”
“What exactly is a gluten?” Georgie asked.
“I don’t know. Oh, my goodness. This has kale in it.” Aleta stood straight and stared at Georgie who started to laugh. “Is there anything in this place that doesn’t have kale in it?”
“Hey, you ladies look like you’re having fun!” Both of them whirled around to find a tall, very bulky man in extremely revealing dark blue spandex shorts and a sleeveless shirt grinning insanely at them. “My name’s Jake. Hey, I can tell this food has really got you scratching your head. I’ve been there.”
Both Georgie and Aleta looked at Jake like Bodhi the pug when he hears a high-pitched whistle.
“Hey, I’ve got a meal plan that not only promises to provide you all the key nutrients you need to keep your body going all day but offers one more thing.”
Still Georgie and Aleta stared.
“Hey, have you ever said to yourself what am I going to have for dinner? I don’t know what to make for breakfast. I’m in such a hurry I don’t know what I should have for lunch? With my meal plans you don’t even have to eat!”
“Is that what they are serving here?” Aleta jerked her head toward the dessert table.
The man stopped not quite understanding then his eyes shifted to movement behind them.
“Sorry this took me so long, ladies.” It was Deck with a dainty little bowl of butter. “This is contraband. Don’t let anyone else see.” He winked charmingly and walked away as Georgie and Aleta thanked him and waved.
“That was nice.” Georgie gushed.
“So, nice. I’ll eat those veggies now.”
“ME, TOO. THEY SOUND better than quinoa and flax seed brownies. I never thought I’d hear myself say anything tastes better than a brownie.” Georgie laughed to herself and watched as Jake took off at lightning speed calling after Deck.
After slipping back in line for veggies and finding their place again at their table, Georgie and Aleta were happy to see the Captain of The Catherine O’Leary already sitting at their table. It took him a matter of seconds to get the names of the sisters and give them a quick history lesson on the ship’s name.
“Catherine O’Leary was blamed much of her life for the actions of her cow that were said to have caused the Great Chicago Fire.” He said sipping tea from an elegant cup and saucer. “She died friendless and heartbroken.”
“My, that is sad. Thank goodness forensic work has come so far.” Georgie said as she flopped another slab of butter on her roasted carrots and zucchini.
“You’re very right about that.” He smiled. His Old Man of the Sea image was almost perfect except, instead of a pipe sticking out from his white bearded face, he chewed a toothpick and instead of a full blue naval suit buttoned stiffly down the front with brass buttons he wore a short sleeved light blue shirt with epaulets on the shoulders.
“So, Captain, how long has The Catherine O’Leary been your ship?” Aleta asked. As the Captain scooted his chair a little closer to the table and leaned on his elbows, Georgie could feel a long story coming on. Before he got started, she excused herself and headed off in search of the powder room.
At the furthest end of the ballroom was the word LADIES in elegant script letters with an arrow pointing to the left. Before Georgie made her way back there she saw Deck in a quiet cubby in between the ladies’ room and what appeared to have been a payphone bank at one time but that had morphed into a charging station for cell phones and computers. With him was a pretty woman of about 40 with light brown hair who looked nervous, as if she were about to miss a train. Her muscles were tight and defined but unlike some of the more extreme women of fitness this woman still looked soft around the edges. Deck was saying something quietly to the woman. He was smiling. She was not.
“He is a popular one with the ladies.” Georgie thought before she saw Jake quickly approaching.
“Hey, Deck!” he called and waved. Deck and his lady friend were cornered and couldn’t escape Jake’s intrusion.
“Hey, Deck, got a minute? Hi, Maddy.”
“Jake, I’m not so sure but...”
“This will take a second.” Jake insisted. “You remember when I stopped by your gym last month. I showed you the nutrition plans with the corn smut and cod liver oil. Well, there is a new replacement product that paired with calf livers produces the same...”
Before Jake could utter another word Maddy put her hand over her mouth and dashed into the ladies’ room, pushing ahead of Georgie and stopping inside the door to throw up in the trashcan. Georgie couldn’t say she blamed her. What in the world was corn smut?
Georgie had been hard on the girl’s heels going into the ladies’ room but thought it would be best to let a few minutes go by before approaching her.
“Are you all right, honey?” She asked as the young woman stood in front of the sink sipping water from the cup of her hand.
“I’m fine. I need to get back on the top deck. The boat is moving too much for me. I’m a landlubber I guess.” She sniffed, pushing her long hair back over her shoulders and left the washroom.
Both Georgie and Aleta took a Dramamine to be on the safe side. It had been years since she was on a boat but Georgie was not taking any chances. Plus, she had been promised real desserts and didn’t want queasiness to interfere. But that had been a lie. A vicious lie. An almost unforgivable lie.
“Where is that Richard Batt?” She wiped her hands on a paper towel and fixed her collar and hem as she looked in the mirror. “He needs to be educated on what the words real desserts mean.”
Keep reading Murder on the Great Lake—find it at your favorite retailer here.
http://sandiscottbooks.com/great-lake/
Basic Crêpe Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Mix all together with whisk in a medium bowl. Use 1/4 cup of mixture per crepe.
Heat a small saute pan over medium heat. Lightly brush the pan with melted butter. Spread crepe mixture evenly over the pan in a thin layer. Cook until light brown, about 1 minute. Gently flip over & continue cooking another minute.
Transfer to plate.
Fill with jam, chocolate sauce, nutella, fresh bananas, canned peaches, etc
Crepes are quick and easy to make. It is important to keep a close eye on them while cooking as they are thin and will cook quickly. Be sure to only use a quarter cup of the mixture per crepe.
Recipe from Foodista.com
Ham ‘n Cheese Panini Crêpe
Ingredients
2 Crépes
1/2 cup Dijon Bechamel Sauce
; 2 slices of ham
1/2 cup + of coarsely grated double smoked cheddar cheese (gruyère works great too)
1 cup spinach and arugula leaves (washed and dried)
6 inches mini tomatoes, washed and sliced half
Preparation
Preheat your panini pan/maker (we have a cast iron grill, simply use another cast iron pan with a clean bottom to press down, flip and repeat) and rub down with olive oil.
Lay each crèpe out flat. To 1/4 of the circle, add one slice of ham, about 1/4 cup of cheese, 1/2 cup of the greens and 6 mini tomato halves.
Fold each crèpe into 1/4 of a circle.
Place on panini pan and put another clean cast iron pan on top of it. Cook until the crèpe is heated through and cheese is melted (you want grill marks).
Plate 1 crèpe on each warm plate, drizzle with hot Dijon sauce, and garnish with a little additional cheese.
From Foodista
Strawberry Lemon Creme Crêpe Cake
Ingredients
For The Crepes:
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups almond milk
4 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
4 eggs
For The Strawberry Lemon Creme:
10 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 cups mascarpone cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups sliced strawberries washed, dryed, then pureed (1 cup pureed strawberries)
12 additional strawberries for the top
Preparation
For The Crepes:
Mix all the crepe ingredients together except the eggs and beat until very smooth (no lumps). Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then whisk into the crepe batter until completely incorporated.
Over a medium high heat burner, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to a hot 10-inch non-stick pan. Use a paper towel to quickly spread it around, and remove any visible pooling oil.
Fill a ½ cup measuring cup almost full of crepe batter. Hold the hot pan by the handle, and tilt it slightly then pour the batter into one side of the pan. Quickly but gently swirl the mixture in one direction around the pan so that it evenly coats the bottom of the pan, until it won’t swirl anymore. If the pan is the proper heat, this will take just 2-3 seconds.
Put the pan on the heated burner and allow to cook until the crepe looks dry – about 20 seconds. The edges of the crepe should pull away from the pan.
Use a spatula to gently flip the crepe, then cook for about 20 more seconds. Check the underneath side to make sure it’s cooked and slightly golden. Remove crepe from the pan and place on wax paper. Continue until all the batter is gone, layering wax paper between each crepe. Allow crepes to completely cool.
For The Strawberry Lemon Creme:
Mix lemon juice, powdered sugar and mascarpone together in a medium size bowl and set aside.
Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the mascarpone mixture to the whipping cream, and gently fold together until completely mixed. Add the pureed strawberries and mix on low until thoroughly mixed together.
To Assemble:
Once crepes are cool you can assemble the cake. Start with one crepe face-down on a cake plate or serving dish. Spread two heaping tablespoons of strawberry lemon creme evenly over each crepe.
Add the next crepe and continue until cake is assembled.
Spread the remaining strawberry lemon creme on the top of the cake. The top layer should be much thicker than the other cream layers.
Top with whole or sliced strawberries, chill for 30 minutes, and enjoy.
FROM FOODISTA: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/SN55X58N/strawberry-lemon-creme-crepe-cake
Crêpe Lasagna Cake
This low carb crepe recipe uses crepes in place of pasta for a spinach lasagna dish. It’s very filling without being too heavy.
Ingredients
1 Coconut flour crepe recipe see recipe index
1/2 cup Marinara sauce see recipe index
1 cup (112g) Mozzarella cheese grated
1 cup Spinach cooked
1/2 cup Feta cheese crumbled
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Preparation
Cook the crepes in a small frying pan.
In a bowl mix the spinach and crumbled Feta cheese together. Season with the garlic powder and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Place a crepe on the parchment paper.
Spoon about a tablespoon of Marinara sauce on the crepe.
Spoon about a tablespoon of the spinach mixture on top of the Marinara sauce.
Cover with a crepe.
Spoon about a tablespoon of Marinara sauce on the crepe.
Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese.
Cover with a crepe.
Repeat until all crepes are used but end with enough Marinara sauce to put on top of the final crepe. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Cut into quarters and serve
From Foodista: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/2R46Y5JC/crepe-lasagna-cake
All books by Sandi Scott
Seagrass Sweets Cozy Mystery Series
Crêpe Murder —The Prequel
Cream Puff Murder
Tarte Tatin Murder
Madeleine Murder
Praline Murder
Crouquembouche Murder (Coming Soon)
Pet Portraits Cozy Mystery Series
Murder at the Art Gallery
Murder on the Great Lake
Murder on the Movie Set
Murder at the Cabaret
Murder at the Car Show
Visit www.SandiScottBooks.com for the latest from Sandi.