What does Christmas taste like?
That is the question my coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi asks her quirky staff of baristas at the start of Holiday Grind.
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| Published back in 2009, Holiday Grind (Coffeehouse Mystery #8) reappeared on a recent B&N.com bestseller list Read more in my facebook post here. |
Their answers define their characters—and help Clare create a menu of wildly popular Fa-la-la-la-lattes for the season.
fa-la-la-la-lattes! > > >
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| Cleo Coyle has a partner in crime-writing, her husband, Marc Cerasini. Learn more about them and their books here. |
Now Marc and I are using
the phrase from our own book!
the phrase from our own book!
What does Thanksgiving taste like?
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WIN BOOK AND MUG
Drawing 12 Noon
Thanksgiving Day!
Drawing is Over
Congrats to our comment winner:
Jim Elliott "Library Jim"
Thanksgiving Day!
Drawing is Over
Congrats to our comment winner:
Jim Elliott "Library Jim"
You will also win this fun custom-designed mug with a favorite saying of the octogenarian owner of our coffeehouse (Clare's beloved boss and former mother-in-law) Madame...
"Survive everything. And do it with style."
~ Madame in
The Coffeehouse Mysteries
As for me, my voting on the poll
was tough. I couldn't decide between
pumpkin and pecan pie...
was tough. I couldn't decide between
pumpkin and pecan pie...
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You can get my favorite recipe for Pecan Pie Bars in my November Coffeehouse Mystery Newsletter, going out soon. (Sign up here.) |
For my husband, Marc,
Thanksgiving would not be
Thanksgiving without turkey GRAVY!
Thanksgiving would not be
Thanksgiving without turkey GRAVY!
And that's the subject of
our recipe post today...
our recipe post today...
The Mystery of Perfect Gravy
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| When used correctly (and Marc and I will show you how), this secret ingredient will let you serve smooth, velvety gravy to your guests instead of a lumpy turkey glue. And this method (used by restaurants) will give you enough gravy to serve a crowd! |
Anyone who's thickened gravy using the traditional method (aka, flour) knows that if you use too little, your gravy will be weak and thin, and if you use too much, your gravy will transform into a lump of gelatinous glue as soon as it begins to cool.
To solve this dilemma, celebrity chef Alton Brown recently reminded us what restaurants do to make the perfect Turkey Day gravy. Because this gravy is made with stock, you can make plenty of it--and it will be a smooth, velvety gravy.
So what is the secret ingredient? It’s potato starch! And, no, it's not used for thickening; it’s there to prevent clumping!
The potato starch will stop the flour from congealing, so you’ll be able to serve your guests a rich, smooth, lump-free gravy and not a ball of turkey-flavored glue!
Better still, you can divide the preparation by making the turkey stock the day before, and finishing the gravy right before the Thanksgiving Day meal.
Marc and I guarantee that your guests will (pun intended) gobble this gravy up!
How to Make Perfect Turkey Gravy
(and enough to feed a crowd!)
Makes 3 cups of gravy! Woo-hoo!
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| Click here for the downloadable recipe PDF: How to Make Perfect Turkey Gravy. |
Ingredients and directions adapted by
culinary mystery author Cleo Coyle
from a recipe by celebrity chef Alton Brown
INGREDIENTS:
For the Turkey Stock (this will yield 3 cups):
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 turkey neck saved from the bird
1 bag of turkey giblets, saved from the bird
1 large yellow onion, quartered
1 large carrot, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
For the Final Turkey Gravy:
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Measure out ½ cup of your reserved stock and whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour until it completely dissolves and no lumps remain. You have just created a slurry. Gradually whisk this flour slurry into the 2 cups of stock warming in your saucepan. As you continue to whisk, bring the liquid to a boil and cook for 4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Now remove the pot from the burner and allow it to cool off a bit.
*WARNING NOTE FOR NEXT STEP: If the temperature is too high in the next step, the properties that make potato starch so useful are lost, so it is important to simmer—not boil—the gravy once the potato starch slurry is added.
*Step 3 - Add the Secret Ingredient: Make a second slurry using that final 1/2 cup of your reserved, cooled stock and the 1 tablespoon of potato starch. (Make sure the potato starch dissolves into the slurry and no lumps remain.) On a low heat, whisk the potato starch slurry into the saucepan of gravy, along with the salt and pepper. While gently stirring, simmer but do not boil the gravy for about 5 minutes, it will begin to thicken. Continue to simmering until it reaches the thickness that you prefer.
Serve immediately or reserve in a gravy bowl or thermos until needed.
To store longer, place in fridge, in a covered container for up to 3 days.
To store longer, place in fridge, in a covered container for up to 3 days.
For more Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas,
including great tips on cooking your turkey,
be sure to visit our Mystery Lovers' Kitchen blog
"Savor the Season" Page by clicking here!
be sure to visit our Mystery Lovers' Kitchen blog
"Savor the Season" Page by clicking here!
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Click here for the downloadable recipe PDF: How to Make Perfect Turkey Gravy, and... |
Eat with (Thanksgiving-
Countdown) joy!
~ Cleo Coyle
New York Times bestselling author of
Countdown) joy!
~ Cleo Coyle
New York Times bestselling author of
On Sale
December 2nd!
Join coffeehouse manager
Clare Cosi as she solves the crime
against "Sleeping Beauty," opens
secret doors (uptown and down),
and investigates a cold case that's
been unsolved since the Cold War.
A Wicked Good
Murder Mystery
A Wicked Good
Murder Mystery
Learn more by
clicking here.
* * *
are a bestselling series of
amateur sleuth murder mysteries set in a
landmark Greenwich Village coffeehouse,
and each of the 14 titles includes
the added bonus of recipes. Get a Free Title Checklist
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Haunted Bookshop Mysteries
Get a free title checklist,
with mini plot summaries, by clicking here.
Or learn more Learn more here.
with mini plot summaries, by clicking here.
Or learn more Learn more here.
I voted for my adopted son Uri's Key Lime Pie. He's a Graduate Baker from the C.I.A. in upstate NY. He knows it's my favorite and always makes sure I get one along with the other goodies he supplies for the family's desserts.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of using potato starch, Cleo, but I do remember that every Thanksgiving my grandmother would tell my mother to "save the potato water," meaning the water the potatoes were boiled in. She would add some of it to the gravy. She also always said, "God sends the food, and the devil sends the cook," which never failed to irritate my mother, the cook.
ReplyDeleteI voted for Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, and Pumpkin Pie - all homemade from scratch for the big Thanksgiving feast (21 people in attendance at my Thanksgiving this year - family and friends!).