Book Club Chocolate Mousse Cake

Happily posted by Victoria Abbott, aka Victoria and Mary Jane Maffini

Who doesn’t love book club week?  We are really thrilled to be kicking it off.  We enjoy speaking at book clubs and meeting committed readers. We know that book clubs also care about food.  MJ’s own book club has a rule: there must be chocolate. You might be thinking that the rule might be: you must read the book, but no. There must be chocolate.  We think that’s for all the vitamins and the benefits that chocolate brings to keeping one’s brain sharp.  What?  Oh no, we're sure it does.

Well, at any rate, we are tickled to be here today at this book club, where we’d like to give you a sneak preview of The Wolfe Widow, due out September 2^nd.

We’re pretty excited about this book as Jordan, our young sleuth, the researcher for grumpy book collector Vera Van Alst (and the first person in her family to go straight)  is quite head over heels over Archie Goodwin from the Nero Wolfe books. We totally get that. We think the books are fun and Archie’s worth a crush or three. But it’s not all hearts and roses as a large, malevolent visitor from Vera’s past moves into Van Alst House – and Jordan is suddenly and dramatically fired. No job, no accommodations, no special meals, and, it seems, not a friend in the world.  She’s on her own and she’s certain that her boss’s life is in danger and those Nero Wolfe fine first editions are toast. Does that seem fair?   At least there are a couple of loyal pooches in her life and a pair of lockpicks.  So let's hope for the best.

As we did want to stay on your good side, along with that preview we’re bringing our absolutely favorite chocolate dessert and offering you the recipe.

It serves eight to ten and should be enough for everyone. Of course, you might have to make two. It is guaranteed to kick start the conversation. Not that book clubs are ever short of things to talk about.  We love everything about this dessert including that you can make most of it up to two days ahead. 

Book Club Chocolate Mousse Cake

All you need is:

2 tbsp butter, melted

8 oz. Italian chocolate wafer cookies, Hazelnut wafer cookies, or even plain old chocolate wafer crumbs (in a pinch)

9 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (extra to decorate the top)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 ¾ cups whipping cream (35 %)

Pinch of Kosher salt

3 tablespoons (or more) Kahlua.
Berries

Grease a springform pan ( 9 inch is best, but ten will work too)

Grind the cookies in food processor until they look like wet sand, and transfer to a bowl and mix in butter. If using cookie crumbs, go directly to bowl and mix in melted butter.  

Press mixture into the pan and chill in refrigerator.  No cooking here!

Combine the CHOPPED chocolate ( MJ forgot to chop it once and it has quite a different result), 1 tsp vanilla and Kosher salt in a bowl.  In a small saucepan, scald ¾ cup of cream ( until you see bubbles starting). Pour over chocolate and let sit for a couple of minutes until chopped chocolate melts.  

 Mix with a wire whip until very smooth. 

 Cover and chill for at least half an hour.

After the chocolate cream mixture has chilled, beat 1 ½ cups of the whipping cream to stiff peaks.  Remove the chocolate mixture from the fridge and fold into the whipped cream until blended, but not over beaten.

Transfer this mixture to the springform pan, being careful not to pull up the cookie crumb base.

Cover and refrigerate. This will keep for up to two days.

Just before serving whip the remaining whipping cream, adding 1 tsp vanilla and the Kahlua.  

 Spread over mousse.  Decorate with shaved chocolate and or your favorite berries.

You will think you are in heaven. 

Thanks for letting us into your book club. We hoped you enjoyed hearing about The Wolfe Widow and that you are rooting for Jordan.

Did you know you can:   Pre-order it here!

We also hope you’ll come by with a comment about the book collector mysteries Tell us if you like books from the Golden Age of Detection.  If you do, you might win THE VERY LAST PUG IN A MUG.  Yes, you might.  

Curried Chicken Pita Sandwiches #recipe @pegcochran

by Peg Cochran

These sandwiches can be served warm or at room temperature if you want to take them on a picnic!  

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped mint*

Salt to taste

Mix mint and salt into yogurt and put in fridge for an hour or two.

* I used dried mint because I absolutely refuse to buy fresh mint!  Why?  Because it costs almost three dollars a bunch and in our old house (before we moved to our condo) I planted mint in my herb garden.  Big mistake!  By the second year I had enough mint to make mint juleps for the entire state of Michigan.  It just kills me to have to buy mint now!

2 boneless chicken breast halves or 4 skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 to 3 tablespoons curry powder depending on your tolerance for heat (1 is very mild, 2 is nicely spicy and even my husband can eat it and 3 is hot!)

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon paprika

1 bay leaf

1/2 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup golden raisins

Pita rounds

Saute onion and garlic in oil.  Add chicken and cook several minutes until golden.  Add lemon juice, spices, tomatoes, walnuts and raisins.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is done.  

Serve in toasted pita halves and top with yogurt sauce.  

Saute onions, garlic and chicken.

Love the colors of the spices!

Simmer chicken, tomatoes, walnuts and raisins

Fill pita halves and top with yogurt sauce

 Buy now!

  

Buy now!

If you like culinary cozies, you'll like my Gourmet De-Lite series

For more information about my books visit my web site. Or my Facebook page. 

Apple Cinnamon Sponge

by Sheila Connolly

I’m just back from Ireland, where I had a version of this cake in The Coffee Shop in the tiny fishing village of Union Hall (I gave a recipe for another dessert, a wonderful pear and almond cake, from the same cafe in January of last year, and I was happy to see that the shop appears to be doing well.) This recipe is also a nice transition from my most recent Irish immersion to the apple season, which is pivotal in my next book (shameless plug! Picked to Die, coming October 7^th!)

A sponge is kind of an odd duck. It’s not exactly a sponge cake, although it is cake-ish. But it’s not really a tart either, although it’s usually cooked in a shallow tart pan, and is only one layer thick. I don’t care: it tastes good, especially when warmed and served with some whipped cream.

Oddly, when I went hunting for a recipe I couldn’t find anything labeled "sponge." So here I go again, improvising (with yet another nod to Margaret Johnson, my go-to Irish cook).

Apple Cinnamon Sponge

2 large cooking apples (I’m still fond of the Bramleys I 

Irish Bramley apples

   find in shops in Ireland, just because they’re so big

   and lumpy—but they have good flavor and they

   hold up well in cooking. You can use Granny

   Smith.)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup/1 stick salted butter (have I mentioned that West Cork is a dairy region?)

1/2 cup plus 1 Tblsp superfine sugar (or the same amount of granulated sugar, ground a bit in a blender or food processor)

2 eggs

2 Tblsp milk

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Streusel topping:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 Tblsp butter, chilled

1/3 cup superfine sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round springform cake pan.

Make the streusel topping: put the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixtures looks like bread crumbs (fairly fine). Stir in the sugar. Oh, heck, do it in a food processor if you want.

Okay, I cheated--the pink ones are from my
own orchard. They're not quite ready, but the
squirrels were looking at them a little
too eagerly.

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Beat together the butter and the superfine sugar in a separate bowl and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little of the flour mixture with the last of the eggs. Gently mix in half of the remaining flour mixture, then mix in the rest with the milk. Do not overmix! You just want to combine the ingredients.

The batter. Doesn't look like a lot, but
it expands.

Spoon the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top. Lay the apple slices over the batter. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until the sponge is browned and firm. Let cool in the pan before removing the sides. Dust with the confectioner’s sugar before serving. You may serve with whipped cream on the side.

Theirs...

...and mine.

Next time I'll try a slightly broader pan. 

So now you have a recipe for the new apple crop, which Meg Corey is harvesting in Picked to Die, coming October 7th.

Grilled Spicy Shrimp and Sausage with Cheese Grits Casserole @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Supposing you have a big crowd coming for dinner, as I did, and you're desperate to serve something different? This recipe could be the answer for your labor day cookout! The idea came from one of our favorite restaurants in Key West, called Santiago's Bodega. They serve tapas, including one of our favorites--shrimp and chorizo sausage on skewers.

I decided I would like to try to do a copycat recipe for our Supper club dinner. This recipe makes enough for 10 people. I served it with a cheese grits casserole on the side. We also had a cucumber salad and marinated green beans to round out the dinner.

Ingredients

36 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

One bunch cilantro washed with stems removed

Six cloves garlic, or to taste

1/2 cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Four andouille sausage links


To make the shrimp: in your food processor, whir the garlic and cilantro until finely chopped. Add the olive oil and salt and mix thoroughly.








 
Place the clean shrimp in a glass bowl and pour the marinade over top. Let this sit in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.

 




Cut the sausage into 1 inch chunks, and string the sausage on the skewers alternating shrimp and sausage. (Although, the next time I might cook the sausage separately, as it needs a little more time on the grill than the shrimp.) 





Grill on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the shrimp are pink and the edges of the sausage beginning to brown. You may either serve an individual diner one skewer or, as I did, scrape the shrimp and sausage into one big serving dish and let your guests fight over the pieces.

 
For the the grits casserole:

2 cups of dried corn grits

6 cups chicken broth

One 8 ounce bar of cheddar cheese, shredded

Half a stick of butter

Three eggs

To make the grits, bring the broth to a boil, slide the grits into the pan, and bring them to a second boil. Simmer the grits until thick, about 10 minutes. Stand back as you stir because they will pop and can burn the chef. 

When the grits are thick, whip the three eggs together and add some of the hot grits to the eggs, stirring well. Next, stir the egg mixture into the grits, also stir in two thirds of the grated cheese and the half stick butter. 

Dump all of this into an oiled pan and scatter the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until bubbly.

Cook's note: even though we did not have a southerner in attendance, the grits were very popular.



MURDER WITH GANACHE, the fourth Key West mystery, is in stores now. DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS will be out in December.

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And lest you forget, DEADLY ADVICE, the first advice column mystery (written as Roberta Isleib) is finally available as an ebook.

Blueberry Bundt Cake recipe from author @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl aka Avery:

I'm in crunch mode. That means facing writing deadlines for my mysteries as well as doing PR for the launch of STIRRING THE PLOT, which comes out in 4 weeks -- September 30th.

You know writers don't just write, right?

For the PR, I'm writing blogs for a blog tour (that has giveaways), offering a Facebook giveaway (see below), a Goodreads giveaway, setting up more giveaways (also see below - are you on my mailing list??), and more. I serve as coordinator, photographer, and instigator. (I like instigator! I could use work in the photography department. LOL)

During crunch mode time, I find myself craving...not crunchy salt things (I never have been much of a potato chip fan). Nope, I crave sweets. Yes, I've read all the information about not eating too many sweets, and so I watch it. I don't need to throw myself into a sugar "low" where I crash and burn and can't write a single word [although I do like the idea of a single-word book; fast to write; fast to absorb]. When I'm in this mode, I like a slice of something yummy about mid-morning. This blueberry bundt cake is not to be beat. It's so easy to make and so rewarding.

Enjoy!

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Ingredients for Cake:
¾ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)

* ½ teaspoon Xanthan gum (if using gluten-free flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

Ingredients for Filling:

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon flour (or gluten-free flour)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups fresh blueberries

Ingredients for Glaze:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar (some call this icing or powdered sugar)

2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, two at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine flour (or gluten-free flour, plus Xanthan gum), baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream. The mixture will be somewhat dry; this is not a runny batter. That’s okay.

In another small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour (or gluten-free flour) and cinnamon.

Spoon a third of the batter into a greased bundt pan. Top with half of the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle half of the bluberries on top. Repeat. Top with the remaining batter.

Bake for 55 mInutes until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool at least 10-15 minutes before removing from pan. Let cake cook completely before drizzling the glaze over the cake.

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GIVEAWAY

As I said above, I'm having a few giveaways in the next four weeks. The one on Facebook ends August 28. Tomorrow. Are you entered? I'm partnering with these fabulous four authors (Krista Davis, Hannah Dennison, Kate Carlisle, and Hank Phillippi Ryan) to give away two fabulous "big" prizes.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER.

* * * *

Make sure you're signed up for my newsletter. The giveaway will include all my books, a plush Tigger, a Cookbook Nook mug, and more! Launch prize will be awarded September 30!

Click HERE.  

And "like" me on Facebook and Goodreads, where more information about other giveaways will appear.

* * * *

By the way, in STIRRING THE PLOT, you'll find recipes for these sweets. Chocolate seems to be a theme, but there will also be recipes for Halloween-themed fun!

******************

Friend Daryl on Facebook

Friend Avery on Facebook

Follow Daryl on Twitter

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Follow both of us on Pinterest

Check out our website.

Days of Wine and Roquefort 
is out!
order here

Inherit the Word
  is out!
                                    order here

STIRRING THE PLOT is available for preorder: order here.

If you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list 

so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests! 

* * * *