Sweet Revenge
Page 36
Remove one of the bags of dough from the refrigerator. Unzip the bag, then quickly roll out the dough (still in the bag) to a circle approximately 10 inches in diameter. Using scissors, cut the plastic all the way around the bag and gently lift back one side of the plastic. Place the bag dough side down in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Gently remove the remaining piece of plastic so that the dough falls into the plate. Trim the edge of the crust. Gently line the crust with parchment paper and weigh down the crust with rice, dried beans, or pie weights.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment with the weights. Brush the bottom and sides of the crust with one of the beaten egg whites.
Return the crust to the oven to bake for 10 minutes more. If the 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 the top crust.
To make the filling: Combine the sugar with the cornstarch and stir until well mixed. Stir in the reserved cherry juice. Place in a medium saucepan and cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles; cook a minute or two longer, until the mixture begins to clear. Remove from the heat and add the cherries, melted butter, and lemon juice.
Place the cherry mixture in the cooked crust. Remove the second chilled bag of pie dough from the refrigerator. Prepare the dough repeating the process for the first crust to make a top crust for the pie. After cutting the plastic, gently lift the plastic from one side of the dough. Center the bag, dough side down, over the cherries and gently remove the remaining piece of plastic. Press the dough around the edge of the baked crust to seal the 2 crusts. Cut slits in the dough to create vents. Brush the top crust with the second egg white. Sprinkle the additional sugar or crushed sugar cubes lightly over the top. Place the pie onto a rimmed cookie sheet before it bakes.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is browned and juices are bubbling out of the pie. Place the pie on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours, so the pie can set. Serve alone or with best-quality vanilla ice cream.
MAKES 12 SERVINGS
Got-a-Hot-Date Bars
1 cup whole pecans
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder (high altitude: add ½ teaspoon)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup almond brickle chips (Bits O’ Brickle or Heath Toffee Chips)
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan.
In a wide frying pan, toast the pecans over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until they begin to turn a darker brown and emit a nutty scent, about 10 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and turn the pecans out on paper towels. When they are just cool enough to touch, roughly chop them. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, place the dates, raisins, and buttermilk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then immediately remove the pan from the heat and turn the date mixture into a shallow bowl to cool. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is very creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat well, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture, date mixture, nuts, chocolate chips, and almond brickle chips, stirring only until combined. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack. When completely cool, cut into 24 bars.
MAKES 2 DOZEN
Piña Colada Muffins
1 cup dried pineapple
additional 12 pieces of dried pineapple, for garnish before baking (about 6½ ounces pineapple, total)
1 cup dark Jamaican rum, optional
2 cups all-purpose flour (high altitude: add 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 ounces (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon finely minced orange zest
¾ cup sweetened flaked coconut
Place the pineapple in a small saucepan and pour the rum over it. If you are not using the rum, pour in 1 cup water (preferably springwater). Bring to boiling, then allow the pineapple to cool in the liquid for about 30 minutes. Drain the pineapple. (If you are using rum, after draining, either discard it or reserve it for another use.) Pat the pineapple dry with paper towels, reserve 12 pieces, and roughly chop the remainder and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly butter the top of a 12-muffin pan. (This is to ensure easy release of muffins after baking.) Place paper liners in the 12 muffin cups.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is very creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat well, until the mixture turns light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is well combined. On low speed, mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and zest until completely combined. (Mixture will look curdled.) Gently stir the flour mixture, pineapple, and coconut into the butter mixture, stirring only until completely combined. (Batter will be thick.)
Using a ½ cup measure, measure a scant ½ cup batter into each paper liner. Top each muffin with a reserved piece of pineapple. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins are puffed, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Gently remove muffins from pan. Serve hot or at room temperature.
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
Door-Prize Gingerbread
Baking spray that includes flour (to be used to prepare pans)
42/3 cups all-purpose flour (high altitude: add ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter
2 cups unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1½ cups boiling springwater
11/3 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon freshly grated gingerroot
3 tablespoons orange juice (high altitude: add 3 tablespoons)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Take out three 8- or 9-cup nonstick castle molds and baking spray, but do not spray pans until just before batter is to go into the oven.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, spices, salt, and pepper. Melt the butter with the molasses, and set it aside to cool.
Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until they are very thick and almost white. Add the butter mixture and beat on low speed, just until combined. Add the flour-spice mixture, and beat on low speed, just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle attachment, and stir well, making sure all the ingredients are well combined. Add the boiling water, sour cream, gingerroot, and orange juice, and beat 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle attachment, making sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Spray the 3 castle molds with the baking sp
ray until every surface inside the molds is completely covered. Immediately pour the batter into the molds, dividing it evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, and check with a toothpick to see if the gingerbread is done. If necessary, allow another 5 to 10 minutes for the gingerbreads to bake, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each gingerbread comes out clean. (You may also bake the gingerbreads on convect, checking after 25 minutes.)
Cool the gingerbreads on racks for 20 minutes. Carefully invert them to unmold on greased racks. Cool completely, then carefully slide onto serving plates. Decorate as desired, and serve with best-quality vanilla ice cream.
MAKES 3 GINGERBREADS; EACH GINGERBREAD MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
About the Author
DIANE MOTT DAVIDSON is the author of thirteen bestselling novels featuring the irresistible Goldy Schulz. She lives in Colorado with her family.
www.dianemottdavidson.com
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Also 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
Dark Tort
Credits
Jacket design by Amy King
Jacket photograph of cupcake and cherry by
Nichola Evans and Lew Robertson/Getty Images
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.
SWEET REVENGE. Copyright © 2007 by Diane Mott Davidson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © JULY 2007 ISBN: 9780061802683
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
Library Staff and Volunteers
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Acknowledgments
Recipes in Sweet Revenge
About the Author
Also by Diane Mott Davidson
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher