RELEASE NEWS: Murder at the Mansion (New Paperback Edition) by Sheila Connolly

Congratulations to our own... 

SHEILA CONNOLLY

On the recent release of the
*New Paperback Edition*
of her Victorian Village Mystery

MURDER AT THE MANSION

Welcome to Asheboro, Maryland, 
where the homes are to die for. . .

Katherine Hamilton never wanted to return to her dead-end hometown. But when she is called in to help save Asheboro from going bankrupt, Kate can’t refuse. The town has issued its last available funds to buy a local Victorian mansion. It’s a plan that Kate would be happy to help get off the ground. . .if only she didn’t have such bad memories associated with that mansion. Is Kate ready to do business—or is this job too personal for her own good?

Then, one day while touring the property, Kate stumbles over a dead body. Impossibly, the victim is none other than Kate’s high-school nemesis Cordelia Walker. Soon Kate is immersed in a murder investigation and with the history of the old Victorian. What secrets are hidden within its walls—and can the truth be discovered before the killer comes for Kate herself?

“Cozy fans will enjoy Connolly’s characteristically
warm treatment of small-town life.”—Publishers Weekly

“A new series that skillfully combines
history, romance, and mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews

MURDER AT THE MANSION

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Toad in the Hole

I can’t believe I’ve never presented this recipe for Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. According to my computer search, I’ve referred to it in passing many times, but never as a complete recipe. But it’s quick and easy (and crunchy and a little salty greasy and all those good things), and I’ve made it countless times over the past decades.

The ingredient list comes from a cookbook I’ve had since before I was married, one that contains several of my all-time favorite recipes, including lamb stew (which I can now make in my sleep), Bubble and Squeak, and Toad in the Hole. (You can tell it’s been well-used from the state of the cover).


But somewhere along the line I made one important change in the recipe. The original called for a square baking dish (no material mentioned), but long ago I discovered it came out more crispy if I simply baked it in the cast-iron skillet I used to fry the sausages. Straight from stove-top to oven.

There are only a couple of important factors to remember: (1) a hot oven, (2) a hot skillet, and (3) enough grease. (I learned the last point the hard way, when my husband tried to drain off the grease before adding the batter and putting it in the oven—it came out like a thick pancake after baking. You really do need the grease, whether it comes from fatty sausages or as in this case with the bangers—yes, again—you have to add a tablespoon or two if you want it to puff up and be crunchy.)


Toad in the Hole

Ingredients:

1 pound small pork sausages (see note above: if all pork, cook them long enough so that the fat renders; if less fatty, add some cooking oil to the pan)
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 Tblsp butter, melted

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a cast iron skillet, saute the sausages until they’re lightly browned. (Another note: the actual number of sausages is not critical, and will depend on their size and the number of people you want to serve—just don’t crowd them in the pan because the batter needs room to expand).

In a food processor or blender, place all the other ingredients and blend about 1 minute until the mixture is very smooth.

Pour the batter over the sausages in the hot pan, then cook uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes. The batter will puff up and become crisp and golden brown.

Look! It's rising!

The toads have come out of their holes!

Eat immediately—this dish doesn’t keep well.

Murder at the Mansion is still clinging to the top 15 books on Pub Alley Fiction Mystery Bestsellers!

For more information and buy links, see my website at www.sheilaconnolly.com

My oh my it's Mahi Mahi

Our supermarket fishseller had mahi mahi for sale this past week. I’ve heard the name and seen it on menus, but I can’t recall ever eating it, much less cooking it. This particular batch came (frozen, then thawed) from Indonesia, which means it traveled ten thousand miles to land on my dinner plate. (Wait—don’t we have an ocean pretty close to here? Why are we sending fish halfway around the world?)

But I am not one to avoid a challenge. I will take on the mighty mahi mahi! Just as soon as I find a recipe for it. 

I’ve been collecting cookbooks for a long time—some inherited, some bought at flea markets, some snatched from the hands of the author at an event. Some have antique recipes, others have foreign recipes. I use many of them, because I love to experiment.

But I could not find a single recipe for mahi mahi in any of my cookbooks, even the one from Australia, which is closest to the source of the fish. Hmmm.

So somewhat reluctantly I turned to the Internet, where I found several recipes. The thing is, they all seemed to be minor variations on the same recipe. All involved butter, lemon juice and garlic, with maybe an herb or two added, like basil. The only outlier included spreading mayonnaise over the fish and baking it.

Clearly this is a fish that is meant to stand alone. Of course, anything is better with butter and garlic, right? So I decided make it this once and cross one more thing off my food bucket list. I’ll add that you may be seeing a lot more of it in your own stores, because it reproduces quickly and is found in temperate, tropical and subtropical waters and is apparently easy to catch. But it still has to make the long (and expensive?) trip to our local markets.


Mahi Mahi with Garlic Butter (the simplest recipe)

Ingredients

4 4-oz mahi mahi filets (for two people, I used one 8-ounce filet)

3 Tblsp butter, divided
1 Tblsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
zest and juice of one lemon
1 Tblsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:

Melt 1 Tblsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the olive oil. Add the mahi mahi filets and season with salt and pepper. Cook until golden, turning once (about three minutes per side). Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 Tblsp butter to the skillet. Then add the garlic and cook for about one minute. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and the parsley.

Return the mahi mahi filets to the skillet and spoon the sauce over them. Serve!

My report? Mahi mahi is a chewy fish with not much distinctive flavor. No bones, which is good. It holds together well in cooking. I think a stronger sauce would make it more interesting. Maybe next time, if it ever reappears at our market. 

I’d love to put in a request at the market for some of the odder varieties of fish that show up in my Australian cookbook, like barramundi or yabbies (a kind of freshwater crayfish) or snook, whatever that is. I’d make you recipes from that cookbook, but no way will I find most of the ingredients locally (but it’s a lot of fun to read the recipes!). 

Murder at the Mansion, the first Victorian Village mystery, is rolling happily along--it's been sitting solidly among the top ten mystery bestsellers on Pub Alley.

Thank you to those who have bought it. And if you haven't, you're missing a great beach read!

Read some of the very nice reviews here.

Bangers and Mash

I’ve got deadlines circling around my head like planes coming in for a landing at a crowded airport, and my thoughts of cooking lean toward “what do I have in the fridge?” and “what is quick and easy?” Plus we’re limping through another heat wave, which further discourages complicated cooking.

One of the ingredients I know I have is Irish bangers. Huh? Bangers are sausage that seem to contain more bread product (which can vary) than meat, but I am ridiculously fond of them. They’re hard to find—only one local market seems to carry them, and then only frozen—so when I find any I usually buy a couple of packages.

Ingredients list

But for the Irish and English and even a few Australians, they are simply comfort food: sausages and mashed potatoes, usually accompanied by onion gravy.

Note: there are lots of recipes online, which range from simple to ridiculous. Gordon Ramsey has one, as does Ina Garten. Some people add herbs, or even cabbage. Me, I opted for simple and traditional. 

BTW, one source I read claimed that the term “bangers” originated because the sausages used to burst (or go “bang!”) when they were cooking, because of the dried bread mixed with the meat. Who really knows?


Bangers and Mash

Ingredients:

1 pound potatoes (the floury ones, not the waxy ones—you want a soft mash), peeled and cubed (another note: all the good healthy stuff is in the peel—you won’t mind if I leave it on the potatoes, will you?)

4 links of pork sausage (bangers—each serving takes two)

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tsp dry mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste

Gravy:

2 medium onions, sliced
3 Tblsp butter
3 Tblsp flour
2 cups beef broth

Instructions:

Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Drain the potatoes and put them back in the saucepan. Add 3 Tblsp butter and 1/3 cup milk and mash (if they’re too stiff, add more milk). Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Heat 3 Tblsp butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often, until the onions are browned (about 15 minutes). 

Flour added

Sprinkle the cooked onions with the flour and mix until the flour is evenly distributed. Stirring constantly, pour the beef stock over the onion mixture. Bring to a simmer (still stirring!) over high heat, then lower to medium and cook until thickened (about 6 minutes). Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.

Finished gravy

Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Turn down the heat to medium-low, Place the bangers in the skillet and brown on one side (about 5 minutes), then turn them over and cover the pan. Cook another 5-6 minutes.

Place a pile of mash on each plate. Place two bangers on each pile of mash, then top with the onion gravy. 

Serve with brown ale and strong mustard.

This is a very forgiving recipe. Use whatever sausage links you have on hand. Slice or dice your onions. Swap chicken stock for beef stock. Add some red wine to the gravy if you’re in the mood.

It ain't exactly gourmet, but it sure tasted good! Enjoy!

Murder at the Mansion, the first in the Victorian Village Mysteries, is in the top 15 among Pub Alley Mystery Fiction Bestsellers!

Find out more details at www.sheilaconnolly.com

Almond Bars

Recently a friend and I were having lunch at a restaurant somewhere and we each had a brownie for dessert. My friend told me she had a dynamite recipe for a brownie that included almond flour and some almond flavoring, and she later emailed it to me.

But afterwards I started thinking, why just part almond? Why not eliminate the chocolate altogether?

Yes, I know that's blasphemy. But I have to make a confession: I don’t really like chocolate.

The thing is, I’ve been allergic to chocolate since early childhood. Oh, of course I’ve eaten it. It doesn’t making blow up like a balloon or turn funny colors. It only makes me sneeze, and my eyes get red, and so on.

Funny footnote: when I was pregnant with my daughter, if I ate anything chocolate, she would get hiccups (which felt really weird). I have no idea why, and she didn’t do it with any other food.

I decided to go hunting for an all-almond bar cookie that was kind of a faux brownie. And they do exist! I found several recipes and muddled them together. And I really wanted to use almond flour, so I swapped that for half of the regular flour the recipes usually called for.

Almond Bar Cookies 
(should I call them Beigies? Tannies? I think Blondies is already taken)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (about 5 oz.) packed almond paste (not marzipan!), crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, separated
1 tsp almond extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, or a mix of regular flour and almond flour

Instructions:

In a food processor, pulse the almond paste until it is broken up into small bits. Add the salt and 1/4 cup of the sugar and continue to pulse until the mixture is finely ground (about 1 minute).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan, then line it with foil (let it overlap on two opposing sides, to make your bars easy to remove from the pan). Then butter the foil.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and the rest of the sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy (3-6 minutes, depending on your mixer). Add the almond mixture, the egg yolk and the almond extract and beat until well mixed (about 2 minutes). 

Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour and beat until combined.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan with a spatula. Beat the egg white in a small bowl then brush it over the batter.

Bake until the top is golden, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for about an hour. Lift the bars out of the pan (see where the foil comes in handy?) and place it on a cutting board and cut into squares. 

In the interests of full disclosure, I will admit I checked MLK’s large archive of recipes for other versions of almond cookies, and I did find some (including two that I contributed). But this is the only one I’ve seen that uses almond paste and comes in bar form rather than as a cookie.

And for a bit of good news: Murder at the Mansion, the first book of my new Victorian Village Mysteries, was released on June 26th by Minotaur Books. On July 3rd my editor emailed me to say "we are reprinting 1000 copies of MURDER AT THE MANSION! But then one of our accounts came back with a bigger reorder than we expected, so it's looking like we'll be going into a third printing soon, not even two weeks after pub!"

I am so grateful to all my readers who gave it a try! (Don't mind the red letters--I'm still celebrating.)

And! Murder at the Mansion is ranked #15 on the Pub Alley Fiction Mystery Bestseller list!

www.sheilaconnolly.com

Leeks and Goat Cheese Tart a la Alice Waters

My daughter gave me a copy of renowned chef Alice Waters’ autobiography for Christmas, and I just got around to reading it. 

We lived in the Bay Area for several years (and my daughter was born there, in Alta Bates Hospital), and I worked on the Berkeley campus or in the town for a part of that time. Parking was always hard to find, so often I ended up parking off campus and walking to work—a path that took me right by Chez Panisse (Water’s iconic restaurant) on Shattuck Avenue. You may be incredulous when I tell you that I read the posted menus each time I passed—and back then a three-course prix fixe dinner cost $15!

Even that was a bit steep on a starving student budget, but my husband and I managed it a couple of times, and even took our daughter there on her first birthday (we shared the pasta primavera with her).

The book held some interesting surprises. The first was that Alice and I grew up in spitting distance of each other in New Jersey, in adjacent towns. And we used to shop in the same food stores in Berkeley. I still have a poster from the restaurant hanging in my house now.

And of course I have a copy of the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook from 1982 (which was about the time I was reading all those menus). The recipes make wonderful reading, although I’ve seldom had the nerve to try them. But I was looking for something different for this week’s post and I came upon a savory tart recipe that called out to me.

One note: Alice Waters was one of the first chefs to champion locally raised and impeccably fresh foods, and the results were eye-opening back then. The recipe here asked me to make my own puff pastry, but time and hot weather and fear of disaster pushed me to use the frozen kind (I apologize, Alice!). The filling, on the other hand, more or less follows the original recipe, although I cut back on the amount of leeks.

Leek and Goat Cheese Tart a la Alice Waters

1 pound leeks, with roots and green parts removed

8 Tblsp unsalted butter

salt and pepper
1/4 pound pancetta
1 egg
1/4 cup crème fraiche or 1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard (mine had gone AWOL, so I used whole-grain mustard)
Pinch of curry powder
1/4 pound goat cheese
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. 

Julienne the leeks (slice in thin strips lengthwise) and rinse them, in case there’s any grit. Drain them well.

Cook them in 6 Tblsp butter over low heat. After 10-15 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then cover and continue to cook (“sweat!”) for another 10 minutes. 

Slice (or dice) the pancetta into small pieces. Place it in a pan over low heat and render the fat (about 10-15 minutes). Pour off any fat and water in the pan.

Beat the egg lightly in a large bowl. Stir in the crème fraiche or heavy cream, the mustard, and the curry powder. Crumble in half of the cheese. When the leeks and the pancetta are cool, stir them into the mix.

Thaw the puff pastry and press it into a 9” pan (it doesn’t matter if the edges are raggedy). Place on a baking sheet. 

Fill the shell with the cool leek mixture. Crumble the remaining cheese over the top. Sprinkle with the fresh breadcrumbs. Melt the last 2 tablespoons of butter and pour it over the crumbs.

Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees (open the oven door and let the temperature cool before putting the tart back in)  and continue to bake for another 30-40 minutes.

Serve immediately! (It was delicious!)

And on another note (if I may blow my own horn), Murder at the Mansion, the first of the Victorian Village Mysteries, released on June 26th, has already gone into its third printing! That's a first for me, and I'm so glad people are enjoying it.

for details see 
www.sheilaconnolly.com