crackers and honey, for serving
PREPARATION
Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the goat cheese, honey, and cayenne pepper, and beat until combined. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
Place a sheet of waxed paper over a rimmed baking sheet. Combine the cranberries and pistachios in a small bowl. Roll the cheese mix [about a teaspoon] into a small ball. Roll it in the cranberry pistachio mixture and place on the waxed paper. Cover and chill until time to serve.
Skewer each one, or serve it on a savory cracker or a sweet ginger snap cookie.
Georgie’s Tips:
These are wonderful anytime of the year, but the colors make them beautiful set out on a table at your Christmas and New Year holiday celebrations. If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, you can substitute more cream cheese or use another favorite soft cheese instead.
Artichoke Chicken Pasta in Vinaigrette
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS
1 box of bow tie [farfalle] pasta
½ c diced pimento [or fresh red pepper]
½ c pitted Kalamata olives, halved [
1 can of Artichoke hearts, quartered
½ c Georgie Shaw’s balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1½ c cooked and shredded chicken breast [warm or room temp is best]
½ t. sea salt
¼ t. pepper
1 T. Shaved Parmesan cheese per serving
Georgie’s Vinaigrette Dressing
½ c Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
¼ c Balsamic Vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced [about 2 t.]
1 T. fresh oregano, minced
½ t. sea salt
½ t. fresh ground pepper
PREPARATION
1. Cook pasta al dente.
2. Chop pimento, drain artichoke hearts, and halve the olives.
3. Drain pasta, pour into large serving bowl.
4. Add chicken, red pepper, artichoke hearts, olives; mix until incorporated
5. Add Italian dressing, salt, and pepper; toss to coat.
6. Enjoy warm or chill in the fridge to serve cold. When serving, garnish with Parmesan.
Georgie’s Tips:
I love the way this looks and tastes using the bowtie [farfalle] pasta, but if you prefer another pasta try it! This can be an especially festive holiday dish if you use tri-color pasta.
Don’t overcook the pasta or undercook the chicken in this dish. The chicken can be cooked ahead of time or right before you add it to this dish. I use 2 medium boneless chicken breasts [about 9-10 oz. raw] and broil or sauté them with a bit of salt & pepper.
This recipe for vinaigrette is great in this pasta dish, but also works for all kinds of vegetables, too. You’ll have some dressing left after you fix this pasta dish, so try it on a fresh salad. I switch out the oregano for fresh basil or tarragon, but I think the oregano works great in this dish.
Whether you serve it hot or cold, a side salad and crusty French bread are perfect accompaniments.
Pan Seared Filet Mignon with red wine shallot reduction
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
4 center-cut filets mignons, 1 1/2 inches thick, 7 to 8 ounces each, dried thoroughly with paper towels
4 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
Red Wine Shallot Reduction
2 medium shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 cup dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, or Merlot
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh Italian parsley
Ground black pepper
PREPARATION
For the steaks:
1. Rub each side of filets with 1/2 teaspoon oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Let sit until they are room temperature [about 20 minutes].
2. In the meantime, position oven rack in lower-middle position, and place a rimmed baking sheet on oven rack. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
3. When the oven reaches 450 degrees, heat 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet (do NOT use nonstick) over high heat on stovetop until very hot, about 3 minutes. Place the filets in skillet and cook, without moving steaks, until well-browned and a nice crust has formed, about 3 minutes. Turn steaks with tongs and cook until well-browned and a nice crust has formed on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat, and use tongs to transfer steaks to hot baking sheet in oven.
3. Roast 2 to 4 minutes for very rare, 4 to 6 minutes for rare, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare, or about 8 to 10 minutes for medium. Transfer steaks to large plate; loosely tent with foil, and let rest about 5 minutes before serving.
For the Red Wine Sauce:
1. Using the same skillet without removing any of the leavings from the filets, add shallots and sugar to the skillet. Without placing the pan back on the burner, cook using the pan’s residual heat. Stir frequently until shallots are slightly softened and browned and the sugar is melted for about 45 seconds.
2. Return skillet to high heat, add wine, bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits on pan bottom with wooden spoon. Boil until liquid is reduced by half [to about 1/3 cup]. This takes about 4-5 minutes.
3. Stir in vinegar and mustard; cook at medium heat to blend flavors, about 1 minute longer. Remove from burner, whisk in butter until melted and sauce is thickened and glossy. Add thyme, chives and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve immediately.
Georgie’s Tips:
This cooking method sears the filets and gives them a crusty outside, leaving them tender and juicy inside. That means you need a hot skillet—most nonstick skillets can’t take that kind of exposure to heat required for this recipe. You don’t want to destroy your nonstick cookware so use a heavy bottom skillet made of stainless steel or cast iron. Here’s a nice short article about buying heavy bottom cookware: http://www.consumersearch.com/skillets/how-to-buy-a-skillet
I may be stating the obvious, but if you use smaller cuts of meat like we use for our small plate entrees, reduce the cooking time. If you’re not sure about how much time to let the filets cook, use a meat thermometer. Stick it into the center of the filet without piercing through—you don’t want the thermometer to touch the baking sheet. If you like your steak rare, it’s done when the internal temp reaches 125 degrees, 135 for medium rare, 140 for medium, 150 for medium well, and 160 for well done. Some health experts suggest the “safe” temperature for beef is 135 degrees and don’t recommend eating a filet that’s truly rare.
Once you start cooking, this goes fast. I suggest you have the side dishes ready to go or prepped so you can finish them in a couple of minutes while the steaks are resting. New potatoes or fingerling potatoes roasted with garlic and herbs make a wonderful side dish. Sautéed mushrooms, glazed carrots, and steamed asparagus or broccoli are also great. Drizzle the asparagus or broccoli with lemon juice and top with shaved parmesan. A small fresh salad works too! Remember, you must leave room for dessert.
Chocolate Mexican [Italian/Russian] Wedding Cookies
Makes 2 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 c cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 c milk chocolate, grated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup pecan pieces (or another nut of your choice)
½ c powdered sugar, to coat the cookies
¼ c cocoa powder to coat the cookies
PREPARATION
1. Grind pecan pieces until fine ground coffee. Mix with chocolate, flour
, pepper, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a separate bowl, or in a food processor or mixer, blend sugar and butter until smooth. Add vanilla extract.
3. Gradually add dry mixture to wet.
4. Scrape dough into a bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate 3 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Scoop dough with tablespoon and form 1-inch balls by rolling dough between palms (lightly flour hands, if necessary). Place balls 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake 15 minutes or until the cookies barely begin to brown. Cool for 2 minutes. Use small spatula to lift cookies from sheets. Mix ½ c. powdered sugar & ¼ c. cocoa powder. While they’re still warm, roll the cookies in the mixture.
Georgie’s Tips:
A version of this recipe has been baked and claimed by many different cultures. Russian Tea Cake recipes are similar, as are recipes for Italian Wedding Cookies. They really have shown up at weddings for centuries in various places around the world.
Most of the time, recipes for wedding cookies don’t include chocolate, but you know me. For a great version of the classic cookies check out the New York Times site @ http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1726-mexican-wedding-cookies.
Adding a bit of cayenne pepper, or another chili spice, somehow makes the chocolate flavor pop! There’s something Christmassy about these cookies, as well—maybe it’s the cinnamon.
Easy to make and delicious, they are wonderful gifts when slipped into a beautiful basket or cookie tin. If you have friends who also love coffee, a batch of these cookies with a bag of coffee should hit the “sweet” spot!
Murder at Sea of Passenger X Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #5
Anna Celeste Burke
Copyright © 2017 Anna Celeste Burke
www.desertcitiesmystery.com
Published by Create Space & Kindle
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher except brief quotations for review purposes.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover Design by Anna Celeste Burke
Photo © by James Steidl for Dreamstime.com
ISBN-13:978-1543005646
ISBN-10:1543005640
DEDICATION
To smooth sailing and great adventures with people we love!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to my many-years-husband who read the first draft of this book and gave me tips on what to fix before it went out to beta readers. That included checking up on some of the technical details about how long it takes to fly to Tahiti in a private jet, security measures taken by cruise lines to keep us safe, and the background required for a chef to get a Michelin star rating. He also recalled some great moments from our cruise through the Society Islands. That trip we took eons ago long before I ever dreamed of writing a story about the place. It was still a great source of inspiration.
Thanks, as well, to Ying Cooper for tackling the proofreading job with skill and grace, as usual.
I’m also grateful for the ongoing support and feedback from readers of Advance Review Copies: Denise Austin, Peggy Hyndman, Doward Wilson, Valerie Bargewell, Andrea Stoeckel, Andra Weis, Jeanine Carlson, Bonnie Dale Keck, Michele Hayes, Jeanie Whitmore Jackson, Karen Vaughan, Donna Wolz, Tara Brown, and Michele Bodenheimer.
1 The Purr-loined Note
The screams didn’t wake me. I was already up by then. I’m not sure what had stirred me from my sleep. Maybe I sensed the sparkling blue eyes gazing intently at me. Two sets since Miles and Ella sat side-by-side in Sphinx mode. Their chocolate ears pointed straight up—radar on!
“What has put you two on high alert?” I had asked my super-sensitive pair of Siamese cats. Talking to my cats was an old habit, usually rewarded by a bellow in return. Not this morning. It was quiet in our lovely suite on an upper deck of the MMW Fantasy of the Sea, one of the newest ships in my megalomaniacal boss’s cruise line. That grandiose streak in him isn’t all bad. Max Marley had paid for our honeymoon cruise to the South Sea Islands, and arranged for our cats to go along on the adventure, as a wedding present. I’m not ungrateful, just realistic about the gentleman genius who runs Marvelous Marley World, the entertainment conglomerate where I work.
The drapes in our suite were still drawn, but the sliders to the balcony were partly open. A sea breeze blew in, and the fabric billowed. Jack must have opened it, I thought, stretching, lazily, as I sank back into the comfy bed.
We both loved the salty air as we ventured from island to island during our ten days at sea. The siren song of adventure was carried along on those breezes for my handsome new husband who spent his life fighting crime as a police detective. For me, they are a reminder of home in Orange County where the Pacific Ocean is a walk away. That's where Jack would live, too, when we returned to California.
As I had discovered during our week of cruising, Jack is an early riser. I enjoy my mornings, too, but I prefer to start my day slowly if I can get away with it. Perhaps that's because I have a harder time than he does falling asleep at night. My anxious spirit wrestles with worries of the day. Jack nods off at the drop of a hat, a defensive strategy he picked up to survive decades as a cop.
“Grab your forty winks when you can,” he said. “Crime may not pay, but it doesn’t sleep either. You never know when you’ll get a call in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn.” That admonition was right up there with another of his favorite guidelines: “eat dessert first.”
After dating the man for almost a year before we married, I knew what he meant. We’d had dinner and other plans canceled or interrupted by murder and mischief more than once. My job was no picnic, either. Marvelous Marley World isn’t always marvelous, as Jack has pointed out more than one occasion. Several of those rescheduled dates had resulted from hijinks in the Arcadia theme park or elsewhere at Marvelous Marley World.
I yawned. It was tempting to doze off again, but a missive of my own changed my mind. A line by the ancient poet Rumi. The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. Grabbing the lovely silk robe a new friend had given me at my bridal shower, I slipped it on, along with a pair of slippers. When I pulled back the curtains, I hoped Jack would be lounging on the balcony that ran the length of our suite. Not there.
“Where’s your daddy?” I asked the feline duo still sitting on my bed. Their ears moved at odd angles, in every direction. I laughed at the silly motions. “If you guys are trying to send me signals, it’s not working!”
“Jack,” I called out as I moved from the bedroom to the adjoining living room and dining area. No luck. The drapes were already pulled back in this room, and the sun poured in. All the polished wood, brass trim, and stone surfaces sparkled. I paused for a moment, as the dazzling blue waters took my breath away. Off in the distance, I could see a craggy peak rising from the sea. Bora Bora was our last stop before heading back to Tahiti, for a flight to Maui. I took a deep breath relishing the idea that another ten days of island life awaited us before returning to the hustle and bustle of our careers.
Where could he be? I wondered, feeling just a tinge of concern. It wasn’t like Jack to step out without telling me first or leaving a note. He hadn’t been in our master bath. Maybe Jack was in the bathroom off the second bedroom in our sprawling penthouse suite that was way too large for the two of us. Even “Mad” Max Marley’s generosity was over the top at times, as was the inspiration he drew from the sea for this fantasy ship.
A video mural graced the walls in this room featuring interactive screens that displayed a realistic underwater world that sprang to life as I moved toward the second master suite. Max’s wild imaginings were everywhere on this cruise ship in what I can only describe as a Walt Disney meets Dr. Seuss experience. Max never
skimped, though, and the entire cruise line was top-rate.
It would be just like my kind husband to shower in the secondary bathroom so the noise wouldn’t wake me. I guessed correctly. Damp towels were hanging over the side of the hamper to dry. Jack had been there, but he was gone now!
I suddenly felt alone. A crazy thought popped into my head: Had I lost him like the first man to whom I had become engaged? Danny had simply disappeared one evening long ago, after a vicious attack on the beach. The haunting strains of Love Notes in the Key of Sea, the song my fiancé had written for me before he went missing, meandered through my mind. An eerie reminder that life isn’t always about happy endings.
“Oh, stop it, Georgina Shaw!” I chastised myself aloud. “We’re on a cruise ship, for goodness’ sake, out in the calm, open sea still a good distance from land. Where could he go? If he’s not back in an hour, I’ll call the Captain and tell him my husband has gone missing.” The cats had joined me. Miles, the older of the two, boomed in a voice that had earned him his name. My fine, feline’s caterwauling is as distinctive as the trumpet played by my favorite jazz master, Miles Davis.
“Don’t worry, Miles, I’m talking to myself, not you.” It did not elude me that the statement made it possible to remove “cat” from “crazy cat lady.” I had long ago accepted the term reserved for women who regularly hold conversations with their feline companions. Miles peered at me, as though trying so hard to understand what I was saying that I laughed. He yowled again, and Ella mimicked him in tones that were more melodious. She was a smaller, younger version of Miles—a gift from Jack that had made our little family complete.
Both my cats, like many of their species I suspect, have an uncanny ability to pick up the emotions around them. Most likely, Miles was reflecting my anxious feelings. Not that he can read my mind or anything quite like that. Cats notice the smallest changes in their territory and I assume that includes the people around them. I had been wary about bringing the cats along on our honeymoon—another part of Mad Max’s master plan. Fortunately, after a day spent inspecting every inch of the suite and patrolling the premises, Miles and Ella settled in and made themselves at home.
Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Box Set Page 38
