The Whole Enchilada

by Diane Mott Davidson

  When the first batch of cookies is done, remove it from the oven and allow the cookies to set up for 5 minutes on the sheet. Use a metal spatula to carefully move the cookies to cooling racks; let cool completely. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator and repeat with the other cookie sheet. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up.

  These cookies can be messy to serve, because of the powdered sugar. Serve them on plates.

  Makes 3½ to 4 dozen

  Dad’s Bread

  ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, divided

  1 cup old-fashioned oats

  2 teaspoons kosher salt

  1¾ cups spring water, divided

  2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons instant yeast

  2 large eggs

  ¼ cup Bread Dough Enhancer (recipe follows)

  5 to 6 cups bread flour

  In a large mixing bowl, place ½ cup brown sugar, oats, salt, and butter. Heat 1½ cups spring water just until it is hot (125˚F) and pour over oat mixture. Stir to mix and allow to cool to about 110˚F. (A thermometer is handy for this. You do not want the mixture so hot that it destroys the yeast or cooks the eggs.)

  In a glass bowl or container, stir 1 tablespoon brown sugar into the remaining ¼ cup spring water. Stir yeast into this mixture and set in a warm spot (no hotter than 150˚F) for 10 minutes to proof.

  Stir the enhancer into the flour.

  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs well. Reserve two tablespoons and then stir the eggs and the yeast mixture into the oat mixture. Place this mixture into the large bowl of an electric mixer and stir to combine.

  Attach a dough hook to the mixer. Stir in the flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture comes together. Knead on low speed for at least 5 minutes, until the dough comes together and cleans the bowl.

  Butter a large, cylindrical hard plastic container and its lid. Place the dough in the container and, using a measuring tape and a marker, measure on the outside of the container the volume of the dough. Mark the container (still on the outside) where double the amount would be. Place the lid on the container.

  Allow the dough to rise at room temperature until it is doubled in size (about 45 minutes to an hour). Remove the lid and gently punch down and knead the dough to roughly its original size. Allow it to rise again to double its size, about 40 minutes. Punch down again.

  Butter three 8½-by-4½ glass loaf pans. Divide the dough evenly (you can use a scale to make sure the loaves all weigh the same) into thirds. Shape the dough pieces into loaves, and place them in the pans. Butter 3 large pieces of plastic wrap and place them loosely over each pan. Allow the dough to double in size, about 40 to 60 minutes. Remove the plastic.

  Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

  Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of egg and brush it over the tops of the risen loaves. Place the pans in the oven and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 180˚F and the loaves sound hollow when thumped.

  Place the pans on racks, allow them to cool for 5 minutes, then turn the loaves out on the racks to cool completely, covered with a clean cloth dish towel.

  Makes 3 loaves

  Bread Dough Enhancer

  1 cup wheat gluten (available in health food stores)

  2 tablespoons lecithin (available in health food stores)

  2 tablespoons powdered pectin (available in health food stores)

  1 teaspoon ground ginger

  2 tablespoons gelatin powder

  ½ cup nonfat dry milk

  In a large bowl, stir all the ingredients until they are well mixed. Place the mixture into a zipped plastic bag, and keep it in the refrigerator, where it will last for six months. Most yeast bread recipes with 4 cups flour will call for 2 tablespoons. Recipes calling for 6 to 7 cups flour may use up to ¼ cup.

  Makes about 2 cups

  Love-Me-Tenderloin Grilled Steaks*

  4 6-ounce filet mignon steaks, each 1½ to 2 inches thick (use prime grade from Costco, if at all possible)

  ¼ cup garlic oil (recommended brand: Boyajian, available at Sur La Table)

  Kosher salt

  Freshly ground black pepper

  *This recipe must be made using a digital probe meat thermometer.

  Allow the steaks to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Have your digital probe meat thermometer ready.

  Take the steaks out of the package and pat them on both sides with paper towels, until they are thoroughly dry.

  Heat a large ovenproof grill pan on the stovetop over high heat. (If the steaks will not fit in the pan without crowding, you might have to use 2 pans. Alternatively, you could use a large oven-proof skillet.) When the pan is hot, add the oil. Heat for about 5 seconds (you do not want to burn the oil), then lay the steaks in the pan. Lower the heat to medium-high, sprinkle the steaks lightly with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute only.

  Using tongs, flip the steaks and remove the pan from the heat. Insert a meat thermometer into one steak, place the grill pan in the oven, and cook until the thermometer indicates 125˚F (for medium-rare). Remove the pan from the oven and loosely cover it with foil for 5 minutes before serving the steaks.

  Makes 4 steaks

  Goldy’s Chef Salad

  Vinaigrette:

  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  1 teaspoon granulated sugar

  ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

  ½ cup best-quality olive oil

  Chicken (optional):

  2½ pounds chicken breast, trimmed of fat, pounded to an even ½-inch thickness, and cut into 8 even pieces

  Salad:

  2⁄3 cup dates, chopped

  2 avocados

  5 ounces organic field greens, washed and dried

  2 large tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced

  2 large eggs, hard-cooked and thinly sliced

  ½ cup sliced celery

  ½ cup pecans, chopped

  4 ounces chèvre with garlic and herbs, sliced into 8 pieces

  Croutons, preferably homemade

  For the vinaigrette:

  Using a whisk, mix together the mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Whisking constantly, slowly mix in the olive oil.

  For the chicken:

  If you are using the chicken, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Place the chicken in a large bowl. Measure out ¼ cup of the vinaigrette and pour it over the chicken. Allow it to marinate for 15 minutes. Heat an ovenproof grill pan over high heat. Drain the excess marinade from the chicken and discard. Place the chicken in the grill pan, lower the heat to medium-high, and cook for 1 minute only. Using tongs, flip the chicken and remove the pan from the heat. Insert a digital meat thermometer in one piece of chicken. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the thermometer reaches 160˚F, approximately 8 more minutes, and the chicken is cooked through. Do not overcook the chicken. Allow it to cool slightly.

  For the salad:

  Place the dates in a bowl. Measure out 1⁄3 cup of the vinaigrette and pour it over the dates. On a cutting board, slice the chicken.

  Peel, pit, and slice the avocados into eighths.

  In a large bowl, toss the greens, tomatoes, eggs, celery, and pecans with the dates and vinaigrette. Divide evenly among four plates. Place evenly divided slices of chèvre, chicken, and avocado on top of the salad on each plate. Sprinkle on croutons.

  Makes 4 servings

  Sugar-Free Vanilla Gelato

  4 large egg yolks

  ½ cup sugar substitute, such as Splenda

  1½ cups whole milk

  1½ cups heavy cream

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Following the manufacturer’s instructions, freeze the inner bowl of an ice-cream or gelato maker for 6 hours or more, until it is thoroughly frozen.

  Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar substitute in a large bowl, until thoroughly combine
d. Set aside.

  Combine the milk and cream in a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a simmer (bubbles appear around the outside of the mixture). Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into a large, heat-proof glass 4-cup measuring cup.

  Whisking the egg-yolk mixture constantly, pour the hot milk mixture very gradually into the egg-yolk mixture. (The key here is not to cook the eggs.) Whisk until completely combined.

  (Using a paper towel, wipe out the 4-cup glass measuring cup; you will be pouring the cooked custard back into it.)

  Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the pan and place over medium-low heat. Put a thermometer into the pan and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and covers the spoon. The thermometer should read just above 170˚F. Once the mixture thickens, immediately remove it from the heat. It is now a custard. (If bits of cooked egg begin to appear before the thermometer reaches 170˚F, immediately remove the pan from the heat.)

  Pour the thickened custard mixture through a sieve back into the 4-cup glass measuring cup. Stir in the vanilla. Place a large piece of plastic wrap directly onto the custard to cover completely. (This is to prevent a skin from forming as the custard cools.)

  Chill the custard in the refrigerator until it is thoroughly cold, usually 1 to 2 hours.

  Following the manufacturer’s instructions, turn on the gelato maker and scoop the chilled custard into the frozen rotating bowl. Set a timer for 25 minutes.

  The soft gelato will be ready after 25 minutes. If you desire a firmer gelato, scoop it into a hard plastic container with a lid, and freeze, covered, for 20 minutes or so.

  Freeze any leftover gelato, covered, in a hard plastic container with a lid. Allow it to soften at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving again.

  Makes about 2 cups gelato

  Spicy Brownies

  4 ounces best-quality extra-bittersweet (85% cacao) chocolate (recommended brand: Lindt; check that you are using the full 4 ounces, which may involve using a digital scale to weigh)

  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

  1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger

  3 tablespoons dark European-style (Dutch-processed) cocoa

  1¼ cups cake flour, measured by gently spooning into measuring cups (high altitude: add 2 tablespoons)

  1 teaspoon ground ginger

  ½ teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon kosher salt

  4 large eggs

  2 cups granulated sugar

  ½ teaspoon chocolate extract (available at Sur La Table)

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Preheat the oven to 325˚F for dark or nonstick pans, 350˚F for glass pans. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

  Melt the butter with the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring occasionally. When the mixture is melted, add the crystallized ginger, stir, and set it aside to cool slightly.

  Sift together the cocoa, flour, ground ginger, baking powder, and salt. Beat the eggs until thoroughly combined. Add the sugar, beating until thoroughly combined. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the extracts, and stir until thoroughly combined. Gently stir in the flour mixture, stirring only until thoroughly combined, about 30 to 40 strokes.

  Spread the mixture in the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge of the pan comes out clean.

  Cool completely on wire racks. To serve, place the pan in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, gently slice the brownies and lever them out of the pan with a spatula. Serve with the best-quality vanilla ice cream or gelato.

  Makes 16 large brownies

  Variations: To make the brownies more spicy, add 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root. To make chile-flavored brownies, omit all ginger ingredients and add 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder to the dry ingredients.

  About the Author

  DIANE MOTT DAVIDSON is the author of sixteen bestselling novels. She divides her time between Colorado and Florida.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

  Also by Diane Mott Davidson

  Catering to Nobody

  Dying for Chocolate

  The Cereal Murders

  The Last Suppers

  Killer Pancake

  The Main Corpse

  The Grilling Season

  Prime Cut

  Tough Cookie

  Sticks & Scones

  Chopping Spree

  Double Shot

  Dark Tort

  Sweet Revenge

  Fatally Flaky

  Crunch Time

  Credits

  Cover photograph © by Bob Ingelhart/Getty Images

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  THE WHOLE ENCHILADA. Copyright © 2013 by Diane Mott Davidson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  FIRST EDITION

  ISBN 978-0-06-134817-4

  EPub Edition SEPTEMBER 2013 ISBN: 9780062184740

  13 14 15 16 17 OV/RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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