Today, we're thrilled to invite our old blogmate, Daryl Wood Gerber, back to blog with us! She comes bearing chocolate...welcome Daryl!
DARYL WOOD GERBER: I recall asking my editor when I wrote my first cozy mystery, The Long Quiche Goodbye, the initial installment in the Cheese Shop Mysteries (which I penned as Avery Aames), what kinds of recipes she wanted. It was a no-brainer that they would contain cheese. She said she’d like me to make a couple of easy ones, a few medium-difficulty ones, and some hard ones. That way all my readers who enjoy recipes would be happy. To this day, I still think about that advice when I’m coming up with recipes to include in a book. I’d like my readers to try them if they choose, but the difficult ones or the ones requiring a lot of steps can be daunting.
For Murder on the Page, the 1st Literary Dining Mystery, which debuted October 22, I researched recipes made during the Regency Era. Why that era? Because my protagonist Allie is using Pride and Prejudice as the book theme for the memorial she’ll put on for a dear friend who absolutely adored Jane Austen books. She wants to serve dishes from that era and is encouraging attendees to wear period costumes if they like. I came up with Maids of Honor (many steps and is on my website), Delightful Trifle (many many steps), and White Soup, (way too many steps but delicious!). White soup is mentioned in Pride and Prejudice. However, I also decided to include a recipe that Helga, the cook at Allie’s friend’s B&B, makes because it is too good to pass up, and it’s easy! Really easy. Messy, for sure. But kids and chocoholics will love it.
Do you like to experiment with recipes? Do long recipes overwhelm you?
I’ll give a copy of the book (e-book or hardcover) and swag to one commenter. Or if the winner has already purchased it, the winner may choose another of my published books.
HELGA’S SUPER EASY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE TRIFLE + CARAMEL TOPPING
(Yield: 8 portions)
1 brownie mix, prepared and cooled, cubed (*may be gluten-free)
1 4-ounce chocolate instant pudding, prepared
½ cup caramel topping, store-bought or homemade *see recipe below
2 Snickers candy bars, chopped
2 Heath or Skor bars, chopped
1 16-ounce frozen whipped topping, thawed
In a large glass trifle dish or a glass bowl, layer 1/3—1/2 of the cubed brownie, then half of the pudding, then half of the caramel topping, then 1 of the chopped Snickers bars, and 1 of the chopped Heath bars. Top with half of the whipped topping.
Repeat the layers in the same order, reserving a few bits of the Snickers and Heath or Skor bars for decoration on top of the final layer of whipped topping.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours.
HOMEMADE CARAMEL TOPPING
(Yield: 2–3cups)
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 235 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, margarine, and vanilla.
Return the pan to the stove and cook, over medium, stirring frequently until the mixtures comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.
Store unused caramel topping in a jar in the refrigerator. Heat before reusing. May be heated in the microwave on medium low level. Do not boil.
ABOUT DARYL: Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling mysteries, including the Literary Dining Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mysteries and Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense including the well received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams suspense novels. Recently Daryl, who loves a challenge, published a Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. You can learn more on her website: darylwoodgerber.com
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ABOUT THE BOOK: It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients’ favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie’s cat, Darcy, approves), and it’s so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette’s Feast and more.
Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there’s a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie’s clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim’s sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend’s innocence, but how to prove it?
Once again, Allie’s love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues. With a little luck—and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud—she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder . . .
