Fudging the Books

by Daryl Wood Gerber

  Spoon ¼ teaspoon of melted white chocolate onto each cookie. Sprinkle with the reserved toasted coconut. Refrigerate for approximately 1 hour, until chocolate is set. Store in airtight container.

  From Katie:

  These croutons are so simple. They dress up any salad. My favorite is a green salad with a simple olive oil–vinegar dressing. You can doll up the salad even more if you add some orange slices dipped in melted chocolate.

  Cocoa Brioche Croutons

  (serves 4)

  4 slices brioche, crusts removed and cut into cubes

  4 tablespoons butter

  2 tablespoons high-quality cocoa powder

  1 tablespoon powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)

  ½ teaspoon salt

  Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place the cubed brioche in a bowl.

  Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the brioche cubes and toss until well coated.

  Place the brioche cubes on a shallow 15-by-9-inch jelly roll pan. Toast the cubes in the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

  Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar into a large bowl.

  When the croutons come out of the oven, toss them immediately with the powdered mixture and season with salt. The croutons should be served warm on top of a crisp salad.

  From Jenna:

  This is so easy to make. It’s Katie’s recipe, but I’m the one plugging it, because according to my father, it was one of my mother’s favorite desserts. Rich, decadent. This was one of the desserts she made regularly when having guests for dinner.

  Bailey’s Irish Cream Pie

  (serves 6)

  28 Oreo cookies

  ½ stick of butter (4 tablespoons) melted

  1 cup milk chocolate chips

  8 ounces cream cheese

  2 cups heavy cream

  1 cup Bailey’s Irish Cream

  1 good quality chocolate bar, frozen [I use Ghirardelli]

  In a food processor, crush the Oreo cookies until they are fine crumbs. Dump the crumbs into a large mixing bowl and mix in the melted butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Cover the dish and chill for at least 1 hour.

  Meanwhile, in the microwave, set on medium to medium-low, melt the chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir and, if necessary, heat for another 30 seconds. You do NOT want the chocolate to overcook. Set the melted chocolate aside.

  In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes using an electric mixer. Scoop out the cream cheese and reserve in a smaller bowl. Then in the same mixing bowl whip the heavy cream and ½ cup of the Bailey’s Irish Cream until the cream forms stiff peaks. Now fold in the melted chocolate, the reserved whipped cream cheese, and the remaining ½ cup of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie dish.

  Cover and chill the pie for at least 4 hours or overnight. You are almost done! Remember that frozen chocolate bar?

  Before serving, using a vegetable peeler, take the frozen bar of chocolate and peel off curls of chocolate onto a sheet of plastic or parchment paper. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings on top of the pie. Yum!

  From Coco:

  I love fudge. There’s something about the texture of fudge that is like no other candy. It melts in your mouth but has substance. And when you add all sorts of goodies into it, it’s a texture explosion. For the pirate’s booty, I have added some of my favorite treats, extra chips and nuts. But if you’re not in the mood for that, add your own goodies, like extra marshmallows or even chopped fruit. Booty means treasure. What does your heart desire? Little side note, just in case you need to know, if you can’t eat gluten, make sure you find a gluten-free marshmallow cream or marshmallows, okay? Arrr, matey! Wouldn’t want you ailin’, now, would we?

  Pirate’s Booty Fudge

  4½ cups sugar

  1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

  3 12-ounce packages chocolate chips

  7 ounces marshmallow cream

  1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

  1 tablespoon vanilla

  ½ cup white chocolate chips

  ½ cup butterscotch chips

  2 cups chopped pecans or almonds, if desired

  Line a 13-by-9-inch pan with parchment paper. Make sure the paper goes up and over the sides. Butter the parchment paper.

  In a large saucepan, mix the sugar with the evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 7 minutes, stirring often. Do not let it boil over the rim.

  In a large mixing bowl, stir the chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, and melted butter together. Pour the hot sugar-milk mixture over the chocolate mixture. Stir well.

  After the chocolate has melted, stir in the vanilla. Now, quickly add the white chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, and add the chopped pecans or almonds, if desired. The chips will melt a bit, but not entirely.

  Pour the mixture into the prepared 13-by-9-inch dish. Spread evenly. Chill in the refrigerator.

  Just before the mixture is “firm,” cut the fudge into squares. Chill again. Remove squares with a spatula. Store in an airtight container.

  *Marshmallow cream substitute: You can buy a bag of mini marshmallows, about 4 cups, and melt them in the microwave on medium for 1 minute. Stir well.

  From Katie:

  There’s nothing quite like a fun nightcap. This one is dessert in a glass. When I used to work for Old Man Powers, he liked a toddy at bedtime. It didn’t have to be hot. It could be cold. But no matter what, he wanted something different every night of the month, so I started to get creative. This is what I call my graduating-from-college pudding drink. Chocolate, through and through, with a splash of soda.

  Kahlúa Cream Nightcap

  (makes 1 drink)

  1 ounce Irish Cream (Bailey’s is the best bet)

  1 ounce Kahlúa

  3 ounces Dr. Pepper or preferred cola

  2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

  1 swirl whipped cream

  In a highball glass, stir the Irish Cream, Kahlúa, Dr. Pepper, and heavy cream. Add ice. Stir. Top with a big swirl of whipped cream. Bottoms up!

  Dear Reader,

  For those of you who don’t know, I write two culinary mystery series under two names—my real name, Daryl Wood Gerber, and my pseudonym, Avery Aames. Avery writes the Cheese Shop Mysteries. The seventh book in the series, For Cheddar or Worse, debuts February 2016. I thought it would be fun for fans of the Cookbook Nook Mysteries to have a taste of cheese at the end of Fudging the Books. It will keep you from overloading on chocolate!

  If you’re not familiar with the Cheese Shop Mysteries, let me introduce you to Charlotte Bessette. Charlotte is the proprietor of Fromagerie Bessette—or, as it’s more commonly known by the residents of small-town Providence, Ohio, The Cheese Shop. Ever since Charlotte moved in with her grandparents, under her grandfather’s tutelage, she learned to relish all things cheese. Charlotte adores cheese. She also adores family and friends. Because Charlotte is a fixer, she often finds herself solving crimes because someone she loves is involved.

  In For Cheddar or Worse, Charlotte and her grandmother are helping the town sponsor its first annual Cheese Festival. There will be cooking classes, farm and creamery tours, and, as a finale, a cheese competition. In addition, a few cheese makers and distributors will hone their cheddar cheese–making skills at a local farm owned by one of Charlotte’s good friends. The attendees, who are staying at the inn on the farm, get more than they bargained for when an attendee is found murdered in her room. The windows are sealed shut; the door is locked from the inside. Like the police, Charlotte is puzzled, but she won’t rest until she helps her friend put the horrible nightmare behind her.

  I hope you will join Charlotte and the cast of lovable characters as Charlotte once again seeks to right a wrong. Perhaps you’ll even find a new cheese or a great recipe to share with friends.

  For those of you who love the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, take heart. There will be more of those to come, too! The fifth installment wil
l be released next summer.

  Keep reading for a preview of the next Cheese Shop Mystery: For Cheddar or Worse.

  Savor the Mystery!

  Daryl Wood Gerber

  I STOPPED DEAD in my tracks and listened, on full alert: a leaf fluttering in the early morning breeze, a creature skittering across the pavement; footsteps. I whirled to my right, but I couldn’t see a thing. Dang. It was inky black out. The crescent moon had disappeared over an hour ago. It’s always darkest before the dawn, my grandfather would say.

  “Anybody there?” I whispered.

  As if, I thought. As if someone wishing me harm would cry out, Yes!

  Breathe, Charlotte. I did my shallow best and glanced at Rags, my adorable Ragdoll cat. I could make out the white of his dappled fur. He wasn’t acting antsy, which meant I shouldn’t, either, but sometimes the dark scared the bejeebers out of me. Why was I so jumpy? I couldn’t put my finger on it. The month of May was a lovely time of year. The temperatures were growing warmer. Birds were building nests and feeding newborns. Tourists were flocking to our fair town, which meant sales at Fromagerie Bessette were good. No, not just good . . . booming.

  “Let’s go,” I said to Rags and tugged on his leash. He was one of the few cats I knew that had taken to one. I think a leash made him feel safer.

  If only some big, strong person had hold of my leash.

  A breeze kicked up behind me. A chill shimmied down my spine. I spun again but didn’t see any sign of danger.

  “Think lovely thoughts,” I muttered. “Raindrops on roses.” We were on our way to the shop, walking instead of driving, as we often did. What could go wrong? Maybe I should have put on something warmer than a lacy sweater and trousers. Ah, who was I kidding? A jacket, mittens, and an ear-flapped snowcap wouldn’t have been enough to warm me right now. Something was getting to me. What?

  Then it dawned on me. It was the date my parents died. My shoulders tensed, my skin flushed red-hot. Every year it happened. The memory of their deaths slammed into me like a thunderbolt. Over thirty years had passed, and yet that fleeting moment when the car went out of control and we crashed changed my entire world.

  A sudden death or two will do that, I thought wryly and mentally kicked myself. Buck up!

  I forced the sound of screeching brakes and my parents’ shouts from my mind and hurried ahead. I unlocked the front door of Fromagerie Bessette—what the locals of Providence called The Cheese Shop—and allowed Rags to cross the threshold first. “Let’s switch on all these lights,” I said to him. “We’ll drum up good vibes. No wallowing.”

  I roamed the shop, drinking in the luscious aroma of cheese, drawing strength from what I, thanks to my grandparents, was able to call my own. Though the two darling people who raised me were both alive and in fine health, when my grandfather decided to retire, he turned over Fromagerie Bessette—Bessette being the family name—to my cousin and me. Ever since I moved in with my grandparents, under my grandfather’s tutelage, I learned to relish all things cheese. Prior to joining me in this venture, my cousin was a well-respected sommelier. He managed the wine annex portion of our shop.

  “Not much to do, is there?” I said to Rags. Before leaving last night, I had straightened the boxes of crackers and jars of jam on the shelves, and I’d rearranged the displays on each of the slatted wine barrels. Decorative cheese knives and colorful plates nestled among the crystal wineglasses. Cheese graters stood beside chalkboard-style cheese markers, all set atop a huge wheel of Grafton Cave-Aged Cheddar, one of my favorite cheeses when paired with a dark chocolate like Olive and Sinclair’s Southern Artisan chocolate.

  Rags meowed. I was pretty sure he thought his plea was packed with meaning that I could interpret. I couldn’t, of course. I wasn’t even good at sign language.

  “Hungry?” I asked. I took him to the office—his home away from home—and freshened his water and treats.

  Rags circled on his pillow once and settled into a ball. Not hungry.

  “What should I make for today’s special quiche?” I said as I wakened the computer on my desk. Rags offered no inspiration. “Maybe I’ll add some secret item or spice that no one can figure out. Ooh, I know! I’ll make it with peanut butter and apples and a dash of nutmeg. I’ll use a simple Havarti.” A good melting cheese. “That combo will throw Pépère for a loop.” My grandfather loved trying to guess ingredients. “Don’t you think?”

  Rags couldn’t be bothered. He was already snoring.

  Every day at the shop, in addition to the vast array of cheeses we had to offer, we sold slices of quiche and specialty sandwiches. When the items sold out, we didn’t make more. We weren’t trying to compete with the Country Kitchen diner across the street. We just wanted our customers to feel they had plenty of time to browse the shop. If they cared to, they could slip into the wine annex and eat their items at one of the mosaic inlaid café tables.

  I clicked on the e-mail icon and reviewed all the entries. A couple of orders topped the list. There was also an e-mail from Jordan, my husband of three months. Subject: I adore you. He must have sent the note the moment I left home. Our home. At least, we were in the process of making it ours. We were revamping some of the bedrooms by repainting and switching out the window coverings, and we were upgrading the kitchen. New appliances were on order. Jordan loved to cook. So did I.

  I typed a quick response. Love you, too, and I headed to the kitchen at the back of the shop.

  An hour later, as I was removing the quiches from the oven, Rebecca, my twenty-something assistant, entered the shop.

  “Charlotte,” she called. “Mmm. Smells fantastic. You’ll never guess what I did!” Rebecca, relentlessly perky, bopped into the kitchen while tying the strings of her gold apron.

  “You cut your hair.”

  Usually Rebecca wore her long blonde hair in a ponytail. Not anymore. A swath of bangs swooped across her forehead. She swiveled to reveal the back of her head, fringed in an A-line at the nape of the neck, not all that different from the style I wore.

  “It’s darling,” I said. “Who made you so bold?” I remember her saying that she would never cut her hair. Ever. “The deputy?” Rebecca had been dating the very handsome Deputy O’Shea for a few months. I don’t think they had gone past first base, which was so sweet and refreshing. I adored the way they gazed at each other.

  “No. I won’t let a man dictate how I wear my hair.”

  “My, my. Aren’t you sassy today?”

  Rebecca grinned. “I cut it because I saw this blog online—”

  “I thought you weren’t going online anymore.”

  “To shop. And I haven’t shopped. But I like to read. The blogger wrote that a woman should make a change to her look every few years, to keep life fresh and fun.”

  When I hired Rebecca, she was an innocent right off an Amish farm, ready to spread her wings and taste all life had to offer. Within a month, she fell in love with the vastness of the Internet. She discovered clothing sites, home decorating sites, and more. Then she found TV reruns and became a mystery junkie. After that, she discovered books—everything from mysteries to classics—and movies. She was like an empty vessel ready to be filled. She had seen every film starring Barbara Stanwyck, Meryl Streep, and Reese Witherspoon. Now she was lapping up movies featuring foreign-born actresses. I think Kate Winslet was her latest favorite, which might explain the inspiration for her haircut. Kate had cut off her curly tresses a month ago.

  While I wrapped slices of quiche, Rebecca selected a wedge of Bleu Mont Dairy Bandaged Cheddar, an absolutely divine aged Cheddar with caramel sweetness and a hint of mossy-grass flavor near the rind. She set it on the cutting board and carved off small morsels, which she placed on a pretty china platter. She set the platter on the Madura gold granite counter. Daily we offered a tasting to our customers. It was one of the best ways to sell cheese. Most people couldn’t resist buying a cheese if they bit into it and liked it.

  “Are you excited about the big e
vent?” Rebecca asked.

  “The brain trust? Absolutely.”

  “All packed?”

  “Yep.”

  “Rags, too?”

  I nodded. He was going to stay with my cousin Matthew and family. Rags’s canine buddy Rocket, a French Briard that Matthew’s ex-wife had given her twin daughters when they lived at my house, would welcome Rags with open paws.

  “Is Erin ready?” Rebecca asked.

  “I’m sure she is.”

  Erin Emerald owned a spread at the north end of town called Emerald Pastures Farm, a local farmstead that had won awards for its goat cheese and now its Cheddar cheese. Erin and I had attended school together. I remembered the two of us, in fourth grade, spending a lot of time creating a history diorama on Ohio; it involved a lot of glue and sugar cubes and giggles. Starting tomorrow, Friday, with the help of an event coordinator, Erin was putting on what was called a brain trust for cheese makers. About twenty people, including a few cheese makers, distributors, journalists, and Jordan and I, had been invited to participate. Jordan, because he knows the art of affinage, which is the careful practice of ripening cheese, and I, because I understood the marketing side of cheese. The inn on the property could house half of us. We were checking in, in a few hours. The other attendees would stay at Lavender and Lace, the bed-and-breakfast next door to my . . . our . . . Victorian. During the two-day affair, Erin wanted us to immerse ourselves in the world of cheese. We would talk shop and compare techniques while we stirred, cut, drained, and milled curd.

  “The better question is,” I said, “are you ready?” I was turning the shop over to Rebecca to manage through Sunday. “It will get pretty busy in here.”

  Rebecca fluffed her hair. “Of course.”

  The brain trust idea had come to fruition because my grandmother, the town’s mayor, had declared that the first days in May, starting this year, would feature our annual Cheese Festival Week. The festival would start tonight and run to next Wednesday. Never one to shy away from setting up too many activities, Grandmère had enticed a number of local restaurants to offer cooking classes or specialty dinners. She had encouraged the farmers to hold creamery tours or wine tastings. She had also dreamed up what she was calling the Street Scene.