by Клео Коул
Makes 6 servings
1 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
A few glugs of olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed
¼ cup vegetable stock
½ cup dry red wine
⅛ teaspoon allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup brewed coffee
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 pound fettuccine noodles, cooked according to package instructions
Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (to garnish)
Step 1—Prepare and cook mushrooms: Gently wash the mushrooms (any variety or combo you like), pat them dry, and chop them. Cover the bottom of a nonstick pan with olive oil and lightly sauté for 3–5 minutes. Transfer cooked mushrooms and any juices to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2—Make sauce and cover: Add more olive oil to the pan and sauté the garlic until soft and translucent. Then return all the mushrooms to the pan, along with any juices. Add the vegetable stock, wine, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the brewed coffee, cover, and simmer for 10–12 minutes.
Step 3—Uncover and reduce: Uncover the pan and continue cooking for another 6–8 minutes until some of the liquid evaporates and the sauce thickens a bit.
Step 4—Add butter and chocolate: Stir in the butter. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the sauce and stir. The heat of the sauce will melt the chocolate’s darkness into goodness, allowing it to blend with the many different flavors for the very best result. Toss well with 1 pound of cooked fettuccine. Plate and garnish with freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Madame’s European-Style Hot Chocolate
Makes 2 servings
1½ ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, grated or finely chopped
1 cup milk
Granulated sugar, optional
Whipped cream or crème fraîche (see tip at end of recipe)
Method: Grate all of the chocolate, reserve 2 teaspoons, and divide the rest in half, putting each half in a separate mug. Place a saucepan over medium heat and warm the milk, stirring continuously. Do not let the milk boil or you may get a scorched taste in your hot chocolate. When the milk begins to simmer, remove it from the stove and divide it between the two mugs. Stir the milk and chocolate until the chocolate completely melts. Top with whipped cream and a teaspoon (per mug) of the grated chocolate you reserved at the beginning of the process.
How to Make Crème Fraîche: Crème fraîche is a thick, tangy French sour cream. It’s delicious on top of sweetened berries. Try mixing it with herbs and using it as a potato chip dip or adding a dollop on potato pancakes. (See Esther’s Roasted Garlic and Herb Latkes recipe in the Coffeehouse Mystery Holiday Grind.) Crème fraîche can even add the complexity of tangy brightness to buttercream frosting.
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream with 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Warm carefully over medium heat—just to the touch, no more. Pour the liquid into a glass jar or bowl, and cover lightly with a clean towel (do not seal). Let stand at room temperature (about 70°F) for 10–24 hours. You’re watching for it to thicken. Stir it well, then seal and refrigerate. (Use within 10 days.)
Madame’s Sablés
Like a French shortbread, this tender, buttery little cookie is very simple to make yet an elegant addition to any coffee or tea tray. Sablé actually translates to “sand,” the name coming from the crumbly texture of the cookie (again, like a shortbread).
The French have many variations (lemon, orange, almond). They dip them in chocolate and sandwich them together with jams. But Clare’s favorite flavor is praline—for very good reason. Praline sablés were the cookies Madame baked for Clare during her pregnancy. No surprise: they’re Joy’s favorite, too.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Basic Vanilla Sablés:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg white (for wash)
⅓ cup coarse finishing sugar, such as sparkle, demerara, or turbinado (Sugar in the Raw)
Step 1—Make the dough: Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour and salt, and stir with a spoon or spatula, until the dry ingredients come together into a sticky dough ball—but do not overwork the dough or your cookies will be tough instead of tender.
Step 2—Form logs: To make the dough easier to work with, chill it for 15 minutes. Divide in half and form two 8- to 9-inch logs on separate sheets of wax paper, using the paper to shape and smooth the logs. Wrap tightly and chill in refrigerator until very firm (at least 3 hours or overnight). Logs can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or wrapped a second time in foil and frozen up to 1 month.
Step 3—Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. On a separate sheet of wax paper, lightly brush each log with egg white wash and roll in (or heavily sprinkle with) coarse finishing sugar. Using a knife, cut the chilled dough into ¼- to ½inch slices (your choice). Bake for 15–20 minutes, rotating pan once for even baking. Cookies are finished when edges are light brown but centers are still pale.
PRALINE SABLÉS:
Follow the recipe above, but in Step 1 fold ½ cup Crushed Praline (recipe follows) into the dough before shaping and chilling. When Madame makes the praline version, she also replaces the ⅓ cup coarse finishing sugar (in Step 3) with ½ cup or more crushed praline, pressing lightly to make sure particles stick to the egg-washed dough logs.
Crushed Praline (and Foolproof Almond Brittle!)
Praline is a brittle confection made of almonds (or hazelnuts) and caramelized sugar. A popular ingredient of French pastry chefs, it can be served as candy; ground and used as a flavoring; or even sprinkled over ice cream or on top of tarts, custards, and cakes.
Makes 2 cups
⅓ cup water
¼ teaspoon lemon juice (to prevent caramel from crystallizing)
1¼ cups white granulated sugar
1⅓ cups slivered almonds, toasted (see How to Toast Nuts on page 334)
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. To make caramel, combine water, lemon juice, and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan. Place over high heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. After 10 or so minutes of continual boiling and stirring, the mixture will turn light golden. Just as the color deepens to a darker golden, remove pan from heat (if it darkens too much it will burn). Add almonds and stir well. Carefully pour this very hot mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Flatten into an even layer. As it cools, it will harden. (You have just made a delicious almond brittle!) Break into pieces. Place pieces into a resealable plastic bag and crush into a coarse powder with a rolling pin, meat mallet, or bottom of a heavy mug. (Who needs anger management?) For easy cleanup, fill pan with water, add utensils, and boil to melt crusted caramel.
Clare Cosi’s Moist Mocha Cake with Shiny Chocolate Guinness Glaze
“Like a party in my mouth,” said Sergeant Manny Franco upon tasting Clare’s super-moist, chocolate-glazed mocha cake. The cake is wonderfully spongy so it soaks up the rich, chocolate glaze beautifully. As Clare mentioned to Franco, the flavor notes of coffee and malt (from the dark beer) intensify the chocolate. You hardly taste the coffee in the cake or the beer in the glaze; you simply enjoy a deeper, more satisfying chocolate experience.
Makes one 8-inch round, single-layer cake
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup cake flour (if using all-purpose flour, see note at end of recipe for proper amount)
> 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk, low fat is fine (to make your own, see end of recipe)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup black, brewed (and cooled) coffee
Chocolate Guinness Glaze (recipe follows)
Step 1—Prep the pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut out a round of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of an 8-inch round layer-cake or springform pan. Lightly coat the paper and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2—One-bowl mixing method: Place both sugars, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Add in the buttermilk, egg, oil, vanilla, and coffee. Whisk again until the ingredients are well blended (but do not overmix or you’ll create gluten in the flour and your cake will be tough instead of tender). Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
Step 3—Bake: Place the cake in the center of the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (with no batter clinging to it). Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Run a knife around the outside of the pan, place your serving plate over the top and carefully flip to remove. Peel off the parchment paper. You now have a flat and even top to your cake! To finish, pour the warm Shiny Chocolate Guinness Glaze (recipe follows) all over the cake top, allowing it to drip down the sides and soak into the spongy cake. Let the glaze sit for about 30 minutes to set. Then serve and eat with joy!
Note on Cake Flour: I highly recommend using cake flour for this recipe for the best result. Cake flour is milled finer and lighter than regular all-purpose flour and will give you a more tender cake. If you’ve never bought cake flour before, look for it in boxes (not sacks) in the grocery store aisle where all-purpose flour is sold. If I still haven’t convinced you to use cake flour, and you want to use all-purpose flour for this recipe, then make sure to reduce the amount of flour by ¼ cup.
How to Make a Buttermilk Substitute: Buttermilk adds a wonderfully bright tang to recipes, deepening the complexity of flavor beyond plain milk. To make your own sour milk replacement for buttermilk, simply place 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or white vinegar) into a measuring cup and fill it with milk (whole or low fat) until the liquid reaches the 1-cup line. Allow this mixture sit for 10 minutes at room temperature, and then use it as you would buttermilk in any recipe. (Note: Clare’s Moist Mocha Cake recipe calls for only ½ cup buttermilk.)
Shiny Chocolate Guinness Glaze
Clare Cosi is always on the lookout for things that might make her favorite Irish cop happy. Guinness stout in the glaze of a chocolate cake? Perfect. “When using beer for a recipe,” she warns, “allow it to sit and warm to room temperature. Of course, beer foams when you first pour it. You’ll need to let the foam settle before measuring the beer or simply spoon off the foam and measure the liquid. To keep the extra beer from going to waste, you might want to invite someone who likes beer to join you in your kitchen.” (And, in Clare’s case, it’s no mystery who that someone is going to be.)
Makes about ¾ cup of glaze, enough to cover one 8- or 9-inch round or square cake
¼ cup Guinness stout (measure beer only, not the foam)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (3–4 ounces)
Step 1—Cook glaze: Combine the corn syrup and stout in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in confectioners’ sugar until well dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the grated chocolate until it melts and the glaze appears shiny and smooth.
Step 2—Finish cake: For good pouring consistency, be sure to use the glaze while it’s still warm. To make pouring easier (and give you more control over where the glaze lands), transfer the warm glaze to a container with a spout, such as a glass measuring cup. Pour slowly over the top of your cake, covering the surface completely and allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Tilt the cake plate a bit (if necessary) to help even out the distribution of the glaze. The glaze will set in 15–30 minutes.
Note: You can always double the recipe and serve the extra on the side, pool it on serving plates, or try it as an ice cream topping. (It tastes like hot fudge!) To reheat extra glaze for serving, simply pop it in the microwave or warm it on the stove, and whisk until smooth.
Chocolate Espresso Saucers (Flourless Mocha Almond Cookies)
Why are these flourless cookies called Espresso Saucers? Because these strange and amazing mocha-almond cookies bake up as round and flat as the saucer of a demitasse in which an espresso is traditionally served. Sweet, crispy, chewy, and chocolaty, these treats are an exotic edible—perfect for a murder mystery. They are also made without one bit of flour so their texture is unique. They’ll practically melt in your mouth.
Makes 18–20 large, flat cookies
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon espresso powder
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted (see toasting tip on page 334)
Step 1—Prep the oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 325°F. These cookies will stick to your pan so make sure to line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat the paper with nonstick spray.
Step 2—Make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder. Stir in the egg whites and vanilla to create a batter. Fold in the almonds (be sure to toast first for better flavor).
Step 3—Bake: The cookie batter will expand and flatten quite a bit so keep plenty of room between each mound of batter. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. You’re looking for the cookie to expand and the surface to firm up and crack. Important: These cookies will break apart easily while still warm. To cool, carefully slide the parchment paper off the hot baking sheet and onto a cooling rack (or use a spatula to carefully transfer one cookie at a time). Once cool, these cookies will harden up nicely.
(No-Bake) Ganache-Dipped Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Made without eggs, this “raw” chocolate-chip cookie dough is not only safe to eat but heaven on your tongue. Dipped in chocolate ganache and rolled in finely chopped nuts, each little ball of dough becomes a tiny ice cream sundae on a toothpick. A fun, retro dessert for a party and an adorable treat for any coffee or tea tray.
Makes about 30 cookies
For Cookie Dough Bites:
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (about 6 ounces) mini semisweet chocolate chips
30 toothpicks
For Double Dipping (optional):
1½ cups walnuts, toasted and very finely chopped (see toasting tip on page 334)
¾ cup Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
Step 1—Make dough: In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Beat in the vanilla, salt, coffee, and condensed milk. Add in the flour and chocolate chips, mixing until the dough comes together and is well blended (do not overmix).
Step 2—Chill, roll, and freeze: At this stage, the dough is too sticky to roll. Cover your mixing bowl with foil and chill in the refrigerator 15–30 minutes (or wrap dough in plastic or foil and chill overnight). Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into bite-size balls (about 1 inch in diameter). Set balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper (be sure to line the
baking sheet or the dough will stick to the pan). Sink a toothpick into each of the dough balls. (Warning: If serving to young children, do not use toothpicks.) Freeze until firm, 1–2 hours.
Step 3—Double dipping (optional): Place toasted walnuts in a sealed plastic bag and hammer with a rolling pin or large spoon until the nuts are very finely chopped. Or grind the nuts in a blade grinder or food processor. Place them in a shallow bowl and set aside. Make the Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows). Remove cookie dough balls from the freezer. Pick up each dough ball by its toothpick, dip top half of each ball into the chocolate ganache, followed by a dip in the bowl of finely chopped walnuts. Place the double-dipped balls back on your lined baking sheet. When the sheet is full, return it to the freezer for another 20 minutes or until the ganache hardens into a delicious chocolate shell. Store your finished Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough Bites in the refrigerator or freezer in a plastic container or sealable plastic bag.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Makes about ¾ cup
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Method: Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe container. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stop and stir. Repeat again until the chips are completely melted. Add the cream and stir continually until smooth and shiny. If vigorous stirring does not produce smooth results or if the ganache begins to harden, return the bowl to the microwave for another 30 seconds and stir again.
