Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Dark Chocolate Pots of Creme #Recipe and #CoverReveal by @LibbyKlein #Valentine's Day

Libby Klein Valentine's Day means Chocolate! Believed by many to be an aphrodisiac, chocolate has long been considered the language of love. Anything made in miniature always seems fancy. These pots of crème are the perfect dessert to end a romantic Valentine's meal. Individual servings for two (or six) make the affair seem even more intimate. Pots of Crème are a cross between a baked pudding and a Crème Brûlée. You could probably carmelize some sugar on top of these and convince your guests they are chocolate Crème Brûlée if you really wanted to. Shown here with Earl Grey Madeleines, you could leave those off, sprinkle a little powdered sugar or a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top, and maybe add a raspberry right before serving.

And also... The very first appearance of my Christmas-themed mystery on the blog, Silent Nights Are Murder coming September 2024, is shown below! It's one of my favorite covers - look at little Figaro with a red bird Christmas ornament in his mouth. He is so naughty!

Dark Chocolate Pots de Crème

Earl Grey Madeleine Optional

Yield 6

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
4 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
⅛ teaspoon sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and milk to a boil. Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
2.   In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt. Temper the yolks with a little of the hot chocolate. Then, whisking constantly, slowly pour the rest of the hot chocolate into yolks. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or a pitcher or your blender so its easy to pour.
3.   Divide mixture among 2- to 4-ounce espresso cups or small ramekins. I used ramekins and it made 6.
4. Put a large roasting pan on the pulled-out rack in the center of the preheated oven. Set filled cups in the roasting pan while It’s in the oven. Add very hot tap water to pan, halfway up the sides of cups. Cover pan with foil; use a fork to prick holes in foil. Very gently put the rack into the oven so you don’t splash water into your chocolate pots.
5.    Bake until edges are lightly set (lifting foil to check) but center – about the size of a quarter or less - is still jiggly. It will set as it cools — 30 to 35 minutes. If the chocolate is still very runny in a wide area bigger than a quarter, you will need to bake it longer. Transfer cups to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving with whipped cream or a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister and her aunt Ginny are looking forward to a quiet, homey Christmas at their B&B in Cape May, but unfortunately, death isn’t taking a holiday this year . . .

Ever since Thanksgiving, Poppy and her pals have been left with an unsolved mystery of the romantic kind. But at least this mystery isn’t the kind that involves murder. That all changes when the body of a fish supplier is discovered in the kitchen of her ex’s restaurant—and he’s frozen, not fresh.

For once, it’s not Poppy who tripped over the corpse, yet she can’t escape being drawn in since the victim has a note taped to him reading Get Poppy. Figures—an engagement ring isn't labeled, but the dead guy is addressed to her. Now, while Aunt Ginny plans a tree-trimming party and pressures Poppy to decode a mysterious old diary, the amateur sleuth is asked to “unofficially” go undercover at the restaurant to help the police. Until then, the only crime Poppy had been dealing with was Figaro’s repeated thefts of bird ornaments from the tree; now it looks like it’s going to be a murder-y Christmas after all . . .

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/

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Easy Cherry Streusel Pastry Cake for #ValentinesDay from author Cleo Coyle

From Cleo Coyle: Truth? I have never been a big fan of Valentine's Day. When I was a singleton, I felt left out. As part of a couple (though I do dearly love my husband), I find the whole holiday somewhat forced. Not that it's a bad idea to enrich hardworking chocolatiers, restaurateurs, and greeting card companies. The economy can use as much activity as earnest sweethearts can give it!

On the other hand, I can't help thinking of the many people who are not in the hearts and flowers mood this week. If you are among them, I'm here to help (if only a little) by suggesting...

(#1) We include our beloved pets in the

"Valentine Sweetheart" category and...

(#2) We indulge in a little baking therapy. To wit...

This beautiful Cherry Streusel Pastry Cake that I'm re-sharing today is insanely easy to make yet impressive to serve. So bake up this blushing Valentine breakfast, brunch, or coffee-break treat, and consider celebrating Valentine's Day not as a couple's holiday, but as one that celebrates all who have love in their hearts, including love for children, grandchildren, siblings, best friends, and even those furry little souls (our pets) who bring so much joy and love into our lives.

☕ A Recipe Note from Cleo

Cleo Coyle has a partner in
crime-writing—her husband.
Learn about their books
by clicking here and here.

This recipe came to me years ago from an enthusiastic reader of our Coffeehouse Mysteries. I've adapted it slightly, writing my own directions, tips, and notes.

Thank you to Shirley Jackson for the original inspiration. I know she would join me in wishing you boundless joy in baking, eating, and living!

Note from Shirley: "I made this cake for the first time in Houston for a group of Red Hat friends. This cake tastes just like a yeast bread that has taken you a long time to make. Sure does make your kitchen smell cozy."

Note from Cleo: Shirley is absolutely right about the yeast and the coziness of this cherry streusel cake, which is why I call it a pastry cake. Over the years, I've seen many cake recipes with a cake mix as starter. I've seen many "pie-filling-over-cake-mix" recipes, too. But I've never seen yeast used as an ingredient. The use of yeast in this recipe gives the streusel cake a sweet bread-like flavor and texture, but without kneading or rising time. It's great with coffee so it works as a breakfast treat, afternoon snack, and an after-dinner dessert. May you bake it with love and eat with joy! ~ Cleo

To download this recipe in a

free PDF that you can print

save, or share, click here.

Click for free recipe PDF.

🍒 Cherry Streusel Pastry Cake

from Cleo Coyle via Coffeehouse Mystery
reader Shirley Jackson!

Ingredients:

For the dough base:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour, unsifted
1 packet (1/4 ounce) dry yeast
2/3 cup very warm tap water
2 large eggs, whisked with fork

For the topping:
5 Tablespoons butter (salted is fine)
1 can (1 pound 5 ounce) cherry pie filling
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Step 1 - Make dough base: First preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit and coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with cooking spray (or grease and flour it to prevent sticking). Then, into a large mixing bowl, measure out 1-1/2 cups of the dry cake mix. (You are setting aside the remaining mix, which you will use for the topping.)

Add the flour and dry yeast to the bowl. Now add the 2/3rds cup of very warm tap water. Allow the yeast to come alive and bubble for a minute. Finally, add the 2 eggs. Beat everything for 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl often. Dough will be thick. Using a rubber spatula or back of a spoon, spread it across the bottom of your coated baking pan.

Step 2 - Make streusel topping: Melt butter in a saucepan and pour it over the remaining dry cake mix, which you set aside in Step 1. Mix the butter in well with the dry mix. It should be lumpy and crumbly. (See photo below.)

Step 3 - Assemble pastry cake: Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly across the top of the dough in the baking pan. Sprinkle sugar on top of the filling. Finally, using your fingers, crumble the streusel topping over it all. NOTE: Because there was so much topping, I held back some of mine so the bright redness of the cherries would show through, making a prettier presentation.

Step 4 - Bake and glaze: Bake the cake for 30 minutes in your preheated oven (375° F). Cool the cake on a rack, allowing air to circulate under the hot pan bottom. When the top is cool, drizzle with glaze. See my Quick Glaze recipe below. After cake is served, refrigerate leftovers to keep fresh. This cake is also delicious chilled!

Cleo's Favorite Quick Glaze

Cleo's glaze note: Shirley's cake glaze used corn syrup, water, and powdered sugar. With her indulgence, I am giving you my favorite butter glaze instead, which is what I use when I make this cake. Here is the simple recipe...

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter (salted is fine)
2 Tablespoons whole milk (cream or half-and-half)
1 cup confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

Directions: Over medium heat, warm butter and milk in a saucepan. Do not let this mixture brown, burn, or boil or you will have a scalded taste in your glaze. As soon as butter has melted, whisk in the sifted confectioner's sugar, a little at a time, until it is completely melted. You must work with the glaze quickly, while it is still warm. Drizzle the warm glaze over the cake using a rubber spatula, the tines of a fork, or a spoon. If the glaze hardens up on you, place the saucepan over the heat again and whisk well until liquefied and smooth once more.

Happy Valentine's Day to all those with love in their hearts, including all of you pet moms and dads out there. So many of us dearly love our furry friends. (Two of our many New York strays are featured in my photos today.) Without a doubt, they're our Valentine's, too.