Asparagus Vinaigrette #Recipe by Maya Corrigan

On this day 110 years ago, Titanic survivors arrived in New York aboard the Carpathia, the first ship to reach the wreck. Reportedly, 40,000 people crowded the piers, waiting for a glimpse of the 700 or so survivors. To mark the day, I'm sharing a recipe for a dish from the final dinner the first-class passengers ate on the Titanic.

Cold asparagus vinaigrette appears far down on the menu. 

In the Titanic's first-class dining room, dinner service followed French dinner customs popular at that time, with courses brought to the table one by one and cold dishes served after hot ones. 

The asparagus vinaigrette on the Titanic probably would have been boiled before being cooled and served cold. The roasted asparagus in the recipe I'm sharing is delicious warm or cool. 

Ingredients

1 pound fresh asparagus with tough end snapped off

3 tablespoons olive oil (two for roasting and one for the vinaigrette)

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice or champagne vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

After snapping off the tough ends of the asparagus, put the tender stalks in a large pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with three pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper. 

Spread the stalks in a single layer on a aluminum covered baking sheet. Roast until tender, approximately 10 minutes for ½-inch diameter stalks, and less time for thinner stalks. 

Make the vinaigrette by whisking the mustard with the lemon juice or vinegar. Slowly add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil while whisking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the asparagus with the vinaigrette and serve hot, at room temperature, or cold. 

I've previously shared recipes for other items on the Titanic menu: Saute of Chicken Lyonnaise and Punch Romaine. In another post I described my experience trying to re-create a Titanic dinner. I did that as research for my 5th Five-Ingredient Mystery, S'more Murders, in which my sleuth Val caters a Titanic dinner aboard a yacht. 

A Titanic-obsessed yacht owner hires Val to re-create the final meal served on that doomed ship. The yachtsman's wife has happy memories of campfires with s'mores and insists that the treat be added to the dinner. On the anniversary of the ship's sinking, the yachtsman welcomes his guests aboard and assigns them roles in a murder mystery game, "Death on the Titanic." Val soon reaches the chilling conclusion that the host is fishing for the culprit in a real crime. When someone goes overboard, Val has to reel in a killer before s’more murders go down.

Maya Corrigan writes the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manager Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Each book has five suspects, five clues, and Granddad's Five-Ingredient recipes. The most recent book in her series is Gingerdead Man, described by Kirkus Review as "a spirited holiday cozy." 

Visit her website to sign up for her newslettter. One subscriber wins a book each time a newsletter goes out. Check out the easy recipes, mystery history and trivia, and a free culinary mystery story on the website.

If you were invited to a Titanic memorial dinner aboard a yacht, would you go?  

🚢

S'mores History and Recipes Potluck by Maya Corrigan

Happy Fourth of July Holiday! Cookouts are a traditional way to celebrate this holiday. For Potluck Monday, I'm delving into the origin of s'mores, a dessert that isn't the product of a chef's kitchen, but of cookouts where children made their own desserts over campfires. 

A s'more is a sandwich of a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate bar between two graham crackers. The first printed recipe for s’mores is in the 1927 Girl Scout handbook, "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts." The recipe continued to be in Girl Scout publications under the name "Some More" for the next five decades. The ingredients of s’mores are all products of the mid to late 19th century. 

Graham Crackers

A Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer of the early 19th century, Sylvester Graham, promoted temperance and vegetarianism. He believed in using whole grains as a remedy for the poor health. His followers, known as Grahamites, developed and marketed graham flour, bread, and crackers. Opposed to adding spices or stimulants to food, the minister would be appalled at the use of graham crackers for s’mores.   

Solid Chocolate

For nearly all of its long history, chocolate was prepared as a drink. Mayan tombs have residue of chocolate on them. After chocolate was imported into Europe from the New World in the 16th century, it was used to make hot cocoa, served along with tea and coffee. In 1847 a solid form of chocolate candy was introduced by an English manufacturer, Fry and Sons. A Swiss company created solid milk chocolate in 1876. Not long after that, arsenic-laced bonbons turned up as a murder weapon in real life and in mysteries. ☺

Marshmallows

The third component of s’mores has a long history. In ancient Egypt the sap of the marsh mallow (a relative of the hollyhock) was used for medicinal purposes. Early in the 19th century French confectioners created spongy treats by whipping dried marshmallow roots with sugar, water, and egg whites, and sold them in the form of lozenges. By the end of the century, a new process and the addition of gelatin resulted in a more stable form of marshmallow that would get gooey when heated but not fall apart.  

S’mores aren't just for campfires anymore. Upscale restaurants serve desserts named for s'mores with the same three ingredients as the campfire treat. The photo shows a beautiful s'mores cake a friend made.

On this blog we’ve shared several recipes based on the campfire s’mores, but made in the kitchen:

Krista Davis's S'mores Pie

Holiday S'mores Bars by guest Shawn Reilly Simmons

My Easy Oven S'mores

Any giveaways associated with those posts are long over, but you can still enter a giveaway for S’more Murders, my 5th Five-Ingredient Mystery, and books by Maddie Day and Lucy Burdette. To enter, add a comment by noon on July 6  to yesterday’s post about picnic food.

🎆🎆🎆

Maya Corrigan writes the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manger Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Maya lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Before writing crime fiction, she taught American literature, writing, and detective fiction at Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords.

Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter. One subscriber wins a book each time a newsletter goes out. Check out the easy recipes, mystery history and trivia, and a free culinary mystery story on the website.

S'more Murders

When Val caters a Titanic memorial dinner on a yacht in the Chesapeake Bay, long submerged grievances lead to murder.

A Titanic-obsessed yacht owner hires Val to re-create the final meal served on that doomed ship. The yachtsman's wife has happy memories of campfires with s'mores and insists that the treat be added to the dinner. On the anniversary of the ship's sinking, the yachtsman welcomes his guests aboard and assigns them roles in a murder mystery game, "Death on the Titanic." Val soon reaches the chilling conclusion that the host is fishing for the culprit in a real crime. When someone goes overboard, Val has to reel in a killer before s’more murders go down.

 

🎆🎆🎆

Have a happy holiday with s'more of everything you love!

A Titanic Cocktail +Giveaway by Maya Corrigan

 

The Titanic had its first full day at sea 109 years ago today, April 12, 1912. Two days later, it encountered an iceberg. Today I'm toasting the Titanic's heroes and victims and sharing a drink recipe inspired by the final dinner served on that ship. In my 5th Five-Ingredient Mystery, S’more Murders, my sleuth Val caters a re-creation of that dinner aboard a yacht...with fatal consequences. 

For the 110th anniversary of the disaster next year, a replica of the Titanic, currently being built, is slated for a memorial cruise, taking the same route as the original ship, but presumably not sinking. 

Would you go on a cruise commemorating that fateful crossing? Scroll down and comment for a chance to win a copy of S'more Murders. 

To write a book revolving around the final meal served on the Titanic, I researched what the passengers ate and drank on that ship. An original menu exists for the last meal the first class passengers ate. You can find that menu and a recipe that I shared for a dish on it in a previous blog post: Chicken Lyonnaise. 

One of the courses in that dinner was a palette cleanser, Punch Romaine, similar to a frozen champagne cocktail or an alcoholic granita. When S’more Murders came out, I was on Deborah Lacy’s Drinks with Reads blog, in which writers share a photo of a new book with a drink related to the book. Deborah recommends having a bartender prepare the drink for a better photo. I found a Punch Romaine recipe shortly before I was scheduled for a cruise to Bermuda. What better place to photograph and taste a Titanic specialty than on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean?

 
When I asked Mike, the mixologist on the Holland America Veendam, to make a cocktail served on the Titanic, he looked startled. Apparently, no one else had ever made such a request. Then he began humming the theme song of the blockbuster Titanic movie and continued to hum as he concocted the cocktail. The recipe that I gave him and am sharing here is adapted from one that appeared in Saveur a hundred years after the Titanic hit an iceberg.

PUNCH ROMAINE COCKTAIL

This recipe makes one large cocktail. It’s easy to multiply the ingredients to serve a crowd.

Ingredients

1 oz. white wine
1/2 oz. simple syrup (sugar water)
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. orange juice
1 oz. white rum (optional)
2 oz. Champagne or sparkling wine
Twist of orange peel, for garnish

Notice the wine labels 

To make simple syrup: In a large saucepan, heat equal parts sugar and water (2 tablespoons of each will more than suffice for this recipe). Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for a minute or until the syrup is clear. Remove it from the heat and cool it.

To mix the drink: Combine the white wine, simple syrup, juices, and rum in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake the mixture and pour it over a mound of crushed ice in a coupe cocktail glass. Add the champagne and a twist of orange peel. 

I don't have photos of my making this cocktail at home. For the last year or so, I haven't gathered enough people at my house to justify opening a bottle of champagne. Also there hasn't been much to celebrate. The photo below shows Mike putting the final touches on the Titanic cocktail while we had smooth seas on the way to Bermuda. 

The book, the drink, and me

Maya Corrigan writes the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manger Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Maya lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Before writing crime fiction, she taught American literature, writing, and detective fiction at Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords.

Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter. One subscriber wins a book each time a newsletter goes out. Check out the easy recipes, mystery history and trivia, and a free culinary mystery story on the website.

S'more Murders

When Val caters a Titanic memorial dinner on a yacht in the Chesapeake Bay, long submerged grievances lead to murder.

A Titanic-obsessed yacht owner hires Val to re-create the final meal served on that doomed ship. On the anniversary of its sinking, the yachtsman welcomes his guests aboard and assigns them roles in a murder mystery game, "Death on the Titanic." Val soon reaches the chilling conclusion that the host is fishing for the culprit in a real crime. When someone goes overboard, Val has to reel in a killer before s’more murders go down. 

Would you go on a cruise that celebrates the Titanic's fateful crossing?

Comment for a chance to win a copy of S'more Murders (U.S. address) or cozy mystery swag including Titanic wine labels (outside the US).

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!

Oven S'mores by Maya Corrigan + Giveaway

Happy National S’mores Day! Though s’mores originated at children’s campfires, people of all ages enjoy this treat of gooey toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers. I’m sharing two recipes for oven s’mores—same great flavor as the campfire treat and a little less messy.

The first recipe I'm sharing appeared in S’more Murders, my 5th Five-Ingredient Mystery. On the “Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder” blog, my friend Kim McMahon Davis shows how to make these tartlets. Check out her photos and video.

S’MORES TARTLETS

These tartlets have a delicious buttery homemade crust.

Ingredients (for 24 tartlets)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 milk or dark chocolate candy bars, approximately 1.45 ounces each, divided into rectangles (or use a layer of chocolate chips as Kim shows in her video).
12 standard size marshmallows, each cut in half to make two circular pieces

〰

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter and mix until blended. Lightly grease 24 cups (1 ¾–inch diameter) in a mini muffin pan. Divide the crumbs among the cups. Press the crumbs down and around the sides with a tart tamper, a spoon, or your fingers. Bake 4–5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven. Put one chocolate rectangle or chocolate chips to cover the crust in each cup. Put a marshmallow, cut side down, on top of it. Return to the pan to the oven for 3 minutes or until the marshmallows are softened. To brown the marshmallows, put the pan under the broiler for a minute.
Cool the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Carefully lift each tartlet from its cup. If the marshmallows cool too much, making it difficult to remove tartlets from pan, put the pan back into a warm oven for a minute or two to soften the edges. Serve warm immediately or serve at room temperature after the tartlets have cooled down.

S’MORES BITES

This easier and lower-fat version of oven s'mores is made with graham cracker flavor phyllo shells. (I bought them by mistake when I meant to buy the regular phyllo shells!) I adapted the s'mores recipe from the one on the box.

Ingredients (for each box of 15 shells)

8 standard-size marshmallows, about 1” high, cut in half into circles
3 ounces milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package Athens® Graham Cracker Flavor Phyllo Shells

Put 5 chocolate chips in each phyllo shell. Top each with one marshmallow circle and then 3-5 chocolate chips. Put the shells on a baking sheet and broil them until the marshmallows start to turn brown (approximately 30 to 60 seconds depending on the distance from the heat).

THE VERDICT ON THE VERSIONS

Though s’mores bites with phyllo are quick and relatively low cal, I missed the buttery flavor of the s’mores tartlets.

Maya (Mary Ann) Corrigan combines her passion for food and detection in her Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manager Val and her live-wire grandfather, who solve murders in a historic town near the Chesapeake Bay. Each book has five suspects, five clues, and Granddad’s five-ingredient recipes. Visit her website for book news, five-ingredient recipes, mystery trivia, and a free culinary mystery story. Sign up for her newsletter to enter a drawing for a free book. One subscriber receives a free book each time a newsletter comes out.

Visit Maya at her website

Like her Facebook page

Sign up for her newsletter

ABOUT S’MORE MURDERS

Val is hired to cater a re-creation of the Titantic’s final dinner on a yacht in the Chesapeake Bay. The yacht owner, who collects memorabilia related to the disaster, wants her to serve the meal while his guests play a murder-mystery game. But Val soon realizes his game has a serious purpose. He’s fishing for the culprit in a real crime. When one person goes overboard, Val must reel in a killer before s’more murders go down.

S’mores weren’t invented until years after the Titanic sank. To find out how they figure in the plot of S’more Murders, read the first chapter on the Kensington Books website.

GIVEAWAY

Do you enjoy s’mores or murder mystery games? Comment with your e-mail address by August 13 for a chance to win a copy of S’more Murders. This applies to US addresses only. A winner outside the US will receive cozy goodies via e-mail.

Chicken Lyonnaise, a Titanic Dish by Maya Corrigan

 Today we welcome special guest Maya Corrigan--don't forget to read all the way through for instructions on her giveaway!

MAYA: Thank you to Lucy and Krista for hosting me on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, my favorite site for great recipes and news about the latest mysteries. I’m excited to tell your readers about the fifth book in my series, coming out this week, S’more Murders. My sleuth, Val, can’t pass up a cool catering gig aboard a yacht. Its owner, a collector of Titanic memorabilia, asks her to re-create the final meal served to the first-class passengers on that doomed ship. As if ten courses aren’t enough, the hostess insists on adding a dish that didn’t exist in 1912—s’mores. Thanks to a squall and a killer, no one gets to finish Val's Titanic-inspired dinner, and it's the final meal for one person on the yacht.

We know exactly what the passengers ate on the day the Titanic hit an iceberg because a few survivors had souvenir menus tucked in their pockets or purses. No recipes survive from the Titanic's kitchen, but recipes from that era tend to use butter and cream liberally. Val slims down the menu to one dish per course and modifies several courses for vegetarians and calorie-watchers.  

The recipe I’m sharing is a five-ingredient version of the Titanic’s Sauté of Chicken Lyonnaise. The vinegar and onion sauce in this recipe is popular in Lyons, the gastronomical capital of France, which is renowned for its poultry.

Chicken Lyonnaise

3 tablespoons olive oil (or half oil and half butter)

1 ½ pounds chicken tenders

3 large shallots, chopped small, or a medium onion, finely diced

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)

Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces if desired.

Heat the oil (or oil and butter) at medium high in a skillet large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. 

Sauté the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes until lightly brown. Turn the pieces over and sauté them on the other side for 3-4 minutes, until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remove the chicken and loosely cover it with foil.

Add the shallots or onions to the pan and sauté them until lightly browned.  Stir the vinegar into the skillet little by little and boil the liquid down until it’s no longer watery.

Stir in the crème fraîche or cream. Cook until the mixture is blended and has turned light brown, about 5 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and heat the pieces in the sauce, rotating them to make sure all sides are in the sauce.

Serves 4.

Would you go to a dinner that re-creates the last meal on the Titanic without any qualms? Or would you be leery of tempting fate or reluctant to celebrate a tragic event? Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of S’more Murders. A U.S. winner will receive a signed paperback. An international winner will get an e-book for a Kindle or Nook. Good luck!

Maya (Mary Ann) Corrigan lives in Virginia, an easy drive from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the setting for her Five-Ingredient Mysteries: By Cook or by Crook, Scam Chowder, Final Fondue, The Tell-Tale Tarte, and S’more Murders. The series features café manager Val Deniston, who solves murders with her live-wire grandfather in a historic Chesapeake Bay town. Each book has five suspects, five clues, and Granddad's five-ingredient recipes. Visit Maya’s website, mayacorrigan.com, for easy recipes and trivia about classic mysteries. She loves hearing from readers.

Visit Maya at her website or on Facebook.
Sign up for her newsletter here.