In the Company of Secrets

by Judith Miller

  Judith Miller

  Sunday Morning Scones

  2 cups flour

  2 Tbsp. sugar

  2 Tbsp. baking powder

  1/2 tsp. baking soda

  1/2 tsp. salt

  1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

  1/2 cup cold butter, cut up

  1 cup raisins

  3/4 cup buttermilk

  1 egg white, lightly beaten

  Sugar and cinnamon mixture (if desired)

  Preheat oven to 425°. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles large crumbs. Stir in raisins and buttermilk. Roll dough into a ball and knead for a couple minutes on floured surface. Roll out to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut out 3-inch triangles and place on greased baking sheet. Brush tops with egg white and sprinkle with mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 scones.

  Olivia’s Chicken Salad Puffs

  Chicken Salad

  2 cups cubed cooked chicken

  1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

  1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

  1/2 cup chopped celery

  3 Tbsp. sliced green onions

  1/2 cup sour cream

  1/4 cup mayonnaise

  1/4 cup chopped cashews or toasted sliced almonds

  Salt to taste

  Parsley for garnish

  Combine chicken, grapes, cheese, celery, onions, sour cream, salt, and mayonnaise. Chill until ready to serve. Add cashews and mix before filling puffs.

  Cream Puffs

  1/4 cup margarine

  1 cup boiling water

  1 cup flour

  1/4 tsp. salt

  4 eggs

  Preheat oven to 400°. Add margarine to boiling water and stir until melted; add flour and salt all at once. Stir until well blended and ball forms. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs to flour mixture, one at a time. Stir briskly after each addition until thoroughly blended. For miniature puffs, drop batter from teaspoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and cut top from each shell. Remove any dough and fill with chicken salad. Replace top and decorate with a sprig of parsley tucked between top and shell.

  Chef René’s Aubergines Bohémienne—Bohemian Eggplant

  Translated from La Cuisinière Provençale by J. B. Reboul, 1897

  1 large eggplant (or 3 normal-size European aubergines)

  5 medium zucchinis

  2 green peppers

  2 red peppers

  2 tomatoes

  2–3 Tbsp. olive oil

  Garlic (as many cloves as you like, minced)

  Thyme (to taste)

  Salt & pepper (to taste)

  Grated Gruyère (Swiss) cheese

  Cut the eggplant into large dice (do not peel). Cut zucchini into dice. Remove seeds from the peppers and the tomatoes; chop. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. When it begins to smoke, throw in the eggplant and peppers. Stir several times. Add the zucchini and tomatoes. Cook until the vegetables become soft. Season with garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Serve hot with grated cheese.

  Mrs. Mott’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

  1/4 cup flour

  11/4 cups sugar

  2 cups diced rhubarb

  3 cups (heaping) sliced strawberries

  Piecrust for 9-inch double-crust pie

  Butter

  Preheat oven to 425°. Combine flour and sugar. Mix 3/4 cup of flour-sugar mixture with fruit and set fruit aside. Line bottom of 9-inch pie pan with piecrust. Sprinkle remaining flour-sugar mixture over bottom piecrust and then pour in fruit. Dot with butter. Top with remaining piecrust. Slit openings in top crust and bake for 50–60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbly.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Special thanks to:

  Linda Beierle Bullen and Mike Wagenbach of the Pullman State Historic Site, who answered my many questions, furnished copies of printed resources, and provided me with their excellent insights, as well as tours of the hotel, car works, and the town of Pullman.

  Also, special thanks to:

  Kristofer Thomsen for his gracious hospitality and the private tour of his home, the former residence of Pullman surgeon John McLean.

  A MESSAGE TO MY READERS

  I hope this series whets your appetite for further exploration into the life and times of the residents and community of Pullman, Illinois. As you continue to read the second and third books, or perhaps in between each release, you may want to visit the town or check some Web sites to learn more. If you have the opportunity to visit, I would encourage you to do so. The residents of the town are proud of their community, and restoration is an ongoing process.

  I would particularly suggest you consider visiting during the month of October, when the Historic Pullman Foundation and the Pullman Civic Organization cosponsor the annual Historic Pullman House Tour the second weekend of October. The Pullman State Historic Site, which includes the Hotel Florence, the Pullman Factory, and the Greenstone Church, is open that weekend for tours. You may learn more about the opportunity for tours and events throughout each year by going to www.pullman-museum.org and clicking on ‘‘Current Events’’ or www.pullmanil.org and clicking on ‘‘Programs’’ and then ‘‘Calendar.’’ Walking tours of the town are conducted on the first Sunday of the month from May through October.

  More information on the Pullman era is available at the following Web sites: www.pullman-museum.org and www.chipublib.org/008subject/012special/hpc.html.

  There are also numerous books of interest regarding both Mr. Pullman and his community.

  While researching for this series, I visited Pullman and fell in love with the history of the town and its people. I hope you will experience that same pleasure.