Marla’s Grilled Brie and Avocado Sandwich
An enormous thank you to the amazing mystery writer cooks
who inhabit this bountiful kitchen. Have all of you seen the recipe list? I
gained weight reading it! I am so happy to be here and to have the chance to
talk food with these writers I greatly admire.
Summer is finally coming to New England, making me think of
all those summer things: the seashore, gardening, and attempts at a ‘healthy’
lunch. My go-to choice for today is a grilled Brie and avocado sandwich.
Fictionally, the sandwich was developed by Marla, a gossipy bakery and café
owner in A Pattern of Clues. She put
it on the menu to satisfy Kate Simpson, a sometimes vegetarian recently
returned to Crestwood, KS from Berkeley, CA (and the sandwich, for a minute
anyway, made Kate think she, along with Dorothy, wasn’t in Kansas anymore—even
though she very much was).
But the real life place that gave me the inspiration for this
sandwich is a place my daughter and I discovered in Beverly MA. On Fridays we
team up, looking for places with great food, coffee, and plenty of outlets for
our laptops—Aria to do development work for her nonprofit and me to eavesdrop and
come up with murderous ideas in beautiful sunlit places. That’s exactly what we
found in the Tartine Kitchen and Eatery. Bright and lovely—and they do
incredible things with avocados and grilled toast, an inspiration for these
grilled sandwiches. (Although Tartine’s, as their name implies, makes open-faced
sandwiches. An option with these, unless you love bread as much as I do~)
But before we get into the sandwich, an apology for the
photos. A food photographer, I am not. The fictional Kate in the Quilt Shop
mysteries is a substitute teacher, but also on her way to becoming a talented
photographer. And if I had good sense, I would have had her take them. But
thank you everyone for seeing the creamy grilled treat behind and beyond my
photographic attempts!
Marla’s Grilled Brie and Avocado Sandwich
Makes two sandwiches
Ingredients
4 T butter, softened
3 T Dijon-mayo (mix equal parts Dijon mustard and mayonnaise
together)
1 medium just-ripe avocado, sliced
4 generous slices Brie, rind removed
4 slices sourdough, 8-grain, ciabatta, or your favorite bread
1 T sliced black olives (optional)
2 slices fresh tomatoes
S&P
4 leaves fresh basil
leafy lettuce
Directions
Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread
Heat griddle or pan to medium-low and grill bread until
golden (approximately 4 minutes)
Assemble sandwiches
On toasted side of bread, layer a piece of lettuce, Brie,
avocado, and tomato slices. Add a sprinkling of olives. Then S&P to taste.
Top with the remaining slices of bread, toasted side on
inside of sandwich.
Spread the mayo-Dijon sauce on the outside of each side of sandwich.
Place back in the skillet and cook until cheese is melted and each side is
golden brown, about 4-6 minutes on each side.
Enjoy!
Sally Goldenbaum writes the Seaside Knitters Society
Mysteries and the Queen Bees Quilt Shop mystery series, the latter being
re-released this summer. She and her husband recently packed up years of
living in the Midwest and followed the seaside knitters to Cape Ann, MA, where
they are happily settling into a home by the sea.
You can
reach Sally at:
Website:
sallygoldenbaum.com
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/
Twitter: @sallygoldenbaum
About the Book
Small-town quilters look for a killer's pattern in this delightful new series by the national bestselling author of the Seaside Knitters mysteries . . .
On her morning jog, Portia Paltrow comes upon the dead body of antiques store owner and college professor Owen Hill, sprawled across the back doorstep of Selma Parker's fabric and quilt shop on Elderberry Road. The site of their Saturday morning quilting bee just became a crime scene. Violent crime is rare in the charming village of Crestwood, Kansas, and rumors are soon circulating of a burglary gone wrong. But who would rob a quilt shop? No, Owen Hill has been murdered.
Selma and her assistant manager Susan are understandably at loose ends over the crime. So while the tightly knit covey of quilters—who range from a new mother to a wise octogenarian—work together on a Crystal Pattern quilt for Selma's store's anniversary, they also get busy stitching together a patchwork of clues. But they'd better work fast—before a crafty killer bolts . . .
On her morning jog, Portia Paltrow comes upon the dead body of antiques store owner and college professor Owen Hill, sprawled across the back doorstep of Selma Parker's fabric and quilt shop on Elderberry Road. The site of their Saturday morning quilting bee just became a crime scene. Violent crime is rare in the charming village of Crestwood, Kansas, and rumors are soon circulating of a burglary gone wrong. But who would rob a quilt shop? No, Owen Hill has been murdered.
Selma and her assistant manager Susan are understandably at loose ends over the crime. So while the tightly knit covey of quilters—who range from a new mother to a wise octogenarian—work together on a Crystal Pattern quilt for Selma's store's anniversary, they also get busy stitching together a patchwork of clues. But they'd better work fast—before a crafty killer bolts . . .
🌷
Sally will be giving away both an ebook and POD of A Patchwork of Clues (June 2019) and one hardcover of How to Knit a Murder (the latest Seaside Knitters Society). To enter to win, leave a comment below and please include an email where you can be contacted.
