Scottish Shortbread Fingers #Recipe by @LibbyKlein

Libby Klein My grandmother was Scottish and Irish. She had red hair and a feisty temperament bound to deliver snappy zingers. If you've read my Poppy McAllister series you know her as Aunt Ginny. One year I took a trip to the motherland - Scotland and Ireland - to see where I come from. The people were so kind and generous, it's one of my favourite trips ever. <-- See the British "U" in favourite there. I was also amazed at the family resemblance all around me. Looking at the ahem little round Scottish ladies was like looking into a mirror. This answered so many questions I'd had my whole life. You may have noticed the discreet nod to Doctor Who. Are you a fan? Let me know in the comments what your favourite Doctor number is. Mine is 10.

If you love those Scottish shortbread rounds in the plaid printed boxes, you'll be thrilled with my gluten-free version. The secret is really good butter. On the food opera stage, butter is the grand diva. She takes center stage for her aria, so you want her to be rich and full-bodied. I like a good European butter for this act. If you find your shortbread to be a little soft after cooling, you can always toast them in the oven for 5 minutes until they are a little darker brown and crispy after they cool.

Disclaimer - Read all your labels to make sure your ingredients are gluten-free. Gluten can be sneaky.

Gluten-Free Scottish Shortbread

Makes about 3 dozen fingers

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean

3 cups gluten free flour

½ teaspoon salt

 

 

 Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Split your vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the gooey inside. 

  

Add it to the butter. Add the gluten-free flour and salt. Mix well. The dough will begin to come together somewhat crumbly, but it should very easily clump together if you gather it with your hand.

Roll the dough on either parchment paper or a lightly floured work surface until it is about ¼-inch thick. Decide what shape you’d like the shortbread in. If you’d like it to be a round, shape it into a circle by hand. If you’d like it to bake in a pan, press it into a greased or parchment-lined pan. 

Or, cut the rolled dough into shapes using a lightly floured cutter. I rolled and pressed mine in an 8x10 sheet pan. Score the dough if it will be sliced after baking, and lightly prick all over with the tines of a fork.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the sides and bottoms are lightly browned but the top is just set. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely and separate into your shapes if necessary. I like to serve it with melted dipping chocolate.

 Poppy McAllister discovers that gluten-free Halloweens can scare up another case of murder in the latest installment of this delightful culinary B&B mystery series!

Poppy is none too pleased when her B&B is coerced into participating in the Cape May Haunted Dinners Tour during Halloween season. Though her knack for finding dead bodies has given the place a spooky reputation, the Murder House is a completely undeserved nickname. At least it used to be . . .
 
While Poppy wrangles with some guests who can’t stop squabbling with each other—including a paranormal researcher, a very quirky pet psychic who freaks out her portly Persian, and an undercover tabloid reporter eager to catch her staff in a lie—one of them winds up facedown in a plate of tiramisu. And now she has bigger worries than getting her house TP’d . . .
 
Includes Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!
 
“A cast of wacky characters, plenty of humor, and the antiques and B&B frame provide the appeal.” —Booklist on Antique Auctions are Murder

Libby Klein grew up in Cape May, NJ where she attended high school in the '80s. Her

classes revolved mostly around the Culinary sciences and Drama, with one brilliant semester in Poly-Sci that may have been an accident. She loves to drink coffee, bake gluten-free goodies, collect fluffy cats, and translate sarcasm for people who are too serious. She writes from her Northern Virginia office where she serves a very naughty black smoke Persian named Sir Figaro Newton. You can keep up with her shenanigans by signing up for her Mischief and Mayhem Newsletter on her website. www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/

Kale to The Queen’s Spring Frittata

Mystery Lovers' Kitchen is excited today to welcome Nancy Parra, who gives us a peek at her new series, the Kensington Palace Chef Series.

It’s early summer, but with the farmer’s market in full mode you can still get wonderful fresh ingredients to make this frittata. Hi, I’m Nancy Parra AKA Nell Hampton with a new series out --The Kensington Palace Chef Series. As you might know I love cooking and cozy mysteries. This series is a blast because I get to visit London and learn everything I can about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. My protagonist, Carrie Ann Cole, is an American Chef in London as she takes on the role of personal chef to the young family. This is Carrie Ann’s Kale frittata and one of the fun recipes in the first book of the series, Kale To The Queen.

Ingredients:

8 green onions

1½ cups of cooked peas, fresh or frozen

½ cup fresh spinach or kale
24 small new potatoes
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs of chopped chives, basil and parsley (fresh)
½ cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
10 eggs (large)
¾ cup of heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup feta cheese crumbled
3½ oz of thinly sliced pancetta or bacon

Directions:

Cut into quarters and cook new potatoes until tender. Wash green onions and chop. Wash spinach/kale, drain well, wilt it in a pan with a little olive oil.

Melt butter and olive oil in a large (8 inch) oven proof frying pan. Cook the onions until soft. (If you don't have an oven-proof pan, cook the onions on the stove, then mix the ingredients in a baking pan, like this Pyrex one.) Remove the pan from heat and add the peas, wilted spinach/kale and potatoes. Sprinkle with herbs and parmesan cheese.

Whisk together the eggs and cream, and add salt and pepper. (I use ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.) Pour into pan over vegetables. Crumbled the feta over the top. Add pancetta in small twists.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until set and golden brown.

Serve immediately. Also makes great leftovers served cold.

About Nancy:

Nancy J Parra AKA Nell Hampton is the author of over 25 published novels which include five mystery series: The Candy Coated Mysteries (Kensington), The Kensington Palace Mystery Series (Crooked Lane), The Wine Country Tours Mystery Series (Crooked Lane), The Gluten-free Baker’s Treat Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime), and The Perfect Proposal Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime).  Her writing has been called witty and her protagonists plucky by reviewers around the world.  Nancy is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. 

Nancy is offering a large-print copy of Kale to the Queen to one lucky winner. Just answer her question "What is your favorite British food?" in a comment below, and be sure to include your email (replace the periods with (dot) to keep things safe).

Bacon-Ricotta Frittata

A very warm welcome back to Jenn McKinlay, whom many of you know from her days as a Mystery Lovers' Kitchen regular. Jenn's exciting new Hat Shop Mystery series debuted this week! Set in London, the first in the series is Cloche and Dagger!

And now, Jenn!

So, after fourteen years, three months and a handful of days, the marriage was over.  It was not an easy decision to come to, there was emotional investment and sentimental attachment on both sides, but we both knew it was time.  My beloved skillet, given to me on my wedding day, the same pan that had cooked my hooligans first forays into chewable food and introduced them to the delights of bacon, had fried its last batch of hash browns.   A moment of silence, please.

My mourning period took a bit longer than the Hub and the hooligans would have liked.  I simply could not speed date my way into a new skillet.  “I am going through the five stages of grief, now quit rushing me,” I would say when their requests for something cookable only in a large frying pan went denied – again and again. 

And then, one day, on a random trip to IKEA, a twelve inch blue sided, oven/stove capable skillet caught my eye.  It was a flirty little thing that I refused to acknowledge at first because it was just so forward with its long handle and thick bottom.  I circled around it a few times, pretending I was really interested in the pizza cutters hanging nearby.  But its name Trovardig would not be denied.  In Swedish, it means reliable, trustworthy, and faithful.   I decided to give it a chance.

The first thing we cooked together was a parmesan-ricotta frittata recommended to me by a writer friend, which she found at epicurious.com, but which I changed up a bit to accommodate my not loving the greens so much herd.  This was going to be my new pan’s equivalent of the meeting of the parents moment.  I was nervous for it, but I thought that if we worked together we could get through it.  Well, let me just say, Trovardig exceeded my expectations and cooked up an amazing frittata that won over the Hub and hooligans and firmly established its presence in our home and cemented our new relationship.  I had not thought that I could love again, but I was wrong.  For a heart that is open, room can always be made for new cookware.

Bacon-Ricotta Frittata

Ingredients:

1 package cooked and crumbled bacon

1 bunch diced green onions

8 cups diced kale and mustard greens

12 large eggs

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup fresh, fine grated parmesan cheese (divided into ¾ and ¼ cups)

15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook bacon in (new) skillet until crisp.  Transfer bacon to a separate plate.  Set aside the bacon drippings by pouring them into a bowl.  Return 2 tablespoons of the drippings to the pan and fry the green onions for about four minutes over medium heat.  Add half of the diced up greens and toss for a minute until they begin to wilt.  Add the remaining greens and sauté for about ten minutes until they are wilted.  Transfer to a plate.  Rinse and dry (new) skillet.  Beat eggs in a large bowl.  Whisk in ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, then greens and half of the bacon.  Stir in the ricotta but not too much, leave some clumps.  Heat one tablespoon of the bacon drippings in the skillet over medium heat.  Pour in egg mixture, making sure the greens and bacon are spread evenly.  Sprinkle remaining bacon and ¼ cup Parmesan over the eggs.  Cook for ten minutes until the edges are set and then transfer to the oven to bake for twenty minutes.  Once the frittata is set, remove it from the oven and loosen it around the edges and carefully transfer it to a platter.  Let cool for 30 minutes.  Apparently, frittatas are supposed to be just a bit warmer than room temperature.  Slices into wedges and enjoy with a nice loaf of bread and a fruit salad.

 

The original recipe can be found at:  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Frittata-with-Bacon-Fresh-Ricotta-and-Greens-233142

Thank you, Krista, for inviting me to visit my favorite kitchen!  It was delightful as always.

This month brings the debut of a new series for me.  Cloche and Dagger, the lead title in the London Hat Shop mysteries, was released on August 6^th.  I am very excited to be writing about a milliner in London and not just because I get to go there to do research, no actually, that’s exactly why I love this series.  London is one of my favorite cities and to get to go there – well, it’s a dream come true.  If you have any interest in seeing what other shenanigans I’m up to, you can find me at my website www.jennmckinlay.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JennMcKinlaysBooks or on Twitter https://twitter.com/JennMcKinlay

Salmon Fish Cakes: Guest Post from Author Deborah Crombie

LUCY BURDETTE: If you haven't read one of Deborah Crombie's books, set in London, you are in for a treat! THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS will be published this week, and we're delighted to welcome Debs to talk about her characters and the way they cook...
DEBORAH CROMBIE: I love books where people eat and drink interesting things. I love to eat and drink interesting things.  I am, in fact, a self-confessed foodie. Which maybe explains why, other than the fact that it give my characters something to do while they talk about the murder in question, people are always eating and drinking in my books.

I should add, “eating and drinking and cooking.”  

In THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS, it’s my Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent, Duncan Kincaid, who’s doing most of the cooking. While Duncan’s wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, works a high profile murder case in London’s Crystal Palace area, Duncan has taken family leave to care for their three-year-old foster daughter, Charlotte. A bit frustrated with his role as stay-at-home dad, Duncan puts his energy into cooking. And while Gemma appreciates having a gourmet meal on the table when she comes home from work, she’s also a little jealous of his accomplishments. But that doesn’t keep her from enjoying Duncan’s Salmon Fish Cakes. 

I make this recipe every few weeks myself.  It’s adapted from a recipe in Robin Ellis’s Delicious Dishes for Diabetics, and even my hubby, who doesn’t like salmon, loves it. (Robin—that’s Ross Poldark, by the way—adapted the recipe from Nigel Slater.) I’ve used regular flour rather than the chickpea flour that Robin recommends for a diabetic diet, a whole egg rather than the white, and I just break up the raw salmon in a bowl with a fork. The recipe works well with dried dill if you don’t have fresh.

1 lb salmon fillet – skinless and checked for bones
1 egg
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp grain mustard
juice of ½ lemon
bunch of dill – chopped fine
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

•    Mix all the yogurt sauce ingredients and refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
•    Cut up the salmon fillets in roughly equal-size pieces.
•    Put these in a mixer and pulse three or four times.
•    Avoid working them too much and producing slush at the end.
•    Put the salmon in a bowl.
•    Turn in the egg and the flour, then the mustard, lemon juice and dill.
•    Season with salt and pepper.
•    It’s a good idea to taste the mix for seasoning at this point–the dill and the salt should come through.
•    Refrigerate if not using immediately.

•    Heat the oil in a frying pan and using a dessert spoon scoop out a dollop and make a ball.
•    Put this in the pan and flatten it gently.
•    Cook on a medium-high flame, crisping and browning the outside while making sure the interior cooks through.
   
    Yogurt sauce
•    2 x 125 ml pots low-fat yogurt
•    1 tsp grain mustard
•    good pinch of chopped dill
•    salt
Serve with lemon wedges.
 
The trick to these, I’ve discovered, is not to overcook the salmon, and to handle the patties very gently.
Duncan serves the fishcakes with steamed new potatoes, the yogurt sauce, and a green salad.  Oh, and a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc.
(Credit for the photos to Robin Ellis and Meredith Wheeler. My fishcakes don’t look quite as pretty.)

Kit, Duncan’s fourteen-year-old son, takes after his dad on the cooking front.  He surprises the family with his own recipe for Gourmet Mac Cheese, but as he doesn’t share the ingredients, I can’t pass the recipe on.

There’s lots of eating of yummy sandwiches in the book, too, and meals from a lovely pub in Putney called The Jolly Gardener.  

But the best meal I had while doing the research for this book I didn’t manage to fit into the story. It was at a venerable restaurant called Joanna’s in South London’s Crystal Palace area. Joanna’s is famous for their mussels, so my friend and I started by sharing the mussels in white wine, butter, and garlic, served with very fresh crusty artisan bread from the bakery next door. We had a debate over whether or not to lick the bowl. Then on to Roast Belly of Suffolk Pork, Savoy cabbage, creamy mash (mashed potatoes, sometimes with other root vegetables,) and Kentish apple & ginger sauce . To finish, we shared my absolute all-time favorite dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding.  Everything was to die for. And it was a good thing I had a long walk down the hill to the train, because I needed it.

Okay, now I’m starving. And planning what to eat on my trip to London in just a few weeks. Oh, and what Duncan, Gemma, and Kit can cook in the NEXT book.



You can read more about Deborah and THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS at her website.