Mystery authors share treats perfect for June.
Since 2009, the authors behind Mystery Lovers' Kitchen (MLK) have been cooking up crime and culinary delights with wit and wisdom for their voracious readership.
Exhibiting impressive élan for the delectable in the face of swimsuit weather, MLK authors Jessica Beck, Annie Knox/Wendy Lyn Watson, and Janet Bolin were kind enough to share a wonderful donut recipe, a fabulous chocolate peanut-butter ice cream recipe, and a hot fudge recipe. Enjoy! I know I will...
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A GOOD BEGINNING DONUT RECIPE (from Glazed Murder)
This recipe is courtesy of Jessica Beck, New York Times best-selling author of Deadly Donuts.
INGREDIENTS
4-5 cups bread flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 dashes of salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS
Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and sift it into another bowl. Add the beaten egg to the dry mix, then add the sour cream and the buttermilk to the mixture and stir it all in lightly. You may need more buttermilk or flour to get the dough to a workable mix. This varies based on temperature and humidity, and the dough should resemble bread dough when you’re finished. That is, it shouldn’t stick to your hands when you touch it, but it should be moist enough to remain flexible. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.
Knead this mix lightly, then roll it out to about 1/4 of an inch. Then, take your donut hole cutter-a simple circle with a removable center-and press out your donut shapes, reserving the holes for a later frying. The cutters are inexpensive, and worth having on hand, but a floured drinking glass could be used, too.
Set your fryer for 375 degrees, and when the oil is ready, put four to six donuts in the basket, depending on the size of your equipment. This can also be done in a deep pot, but I find the precision of the fryer worth the money, especially if you’re going to make donuts very often at all.
Let the donuts cook for around two minutes on one side, then check one. If it’s golden brown, the shade I prefer, flip it over with a large chopstick or wooden skewer, and let that side cook another two minutes.
Once the donuts are finished, remove them to a cooling rack or a plate lined with paper towels, being sure to drain them thoroughly before serving. You can coat the top with butter and then sprinkle them with powdered sugar, cinnamon, or eat them plain.
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PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE VEGAN ICE CREAM (Adapted from The Veganomicon)
by Annie Knox, aka Wendy Lyn Watson (Mysteries a la Mode)
INGREDIENTS
6 ounces silken tofu (1/2 of a tetrapack)
1 cup soy/almond/rice milk
1/2 cup coconut cream*
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup natural peanut butter, room temperature
* Coconut cream is the dense part of coconut milk. You can buy coconut cream in some supermarkets and Asian groceries (do not use the sweetened cream of coconut—like Coco Lopez—that is sold in the liquor/mixer aisle of the store; there's no sugar in coconut cream). If you cannot find coconut cream, put a can of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. Open carefully and scoop the dense cream from the top of the can.
DIRECTIONS
Blend the tofu, non-dairy "milk," coconut cream, vanilla, and sugar in a blender until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate and blend well.
Transfer base to a bowl or large measuring cup. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Process in your ice cream maker, drizzling the peanut butter into the canister when the mixture is almost frozen.
Or—if your ice cream freezer breaks down like mine did—simply transfer the thickened base to a plastic container with a good lid. Drizzle the peanut butter over the top and marble with a knife. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours.
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EASY SEMI-SWEET HOT FUDGE SAUCE
by Janet Bolin (Threadville Mysteries)
DIRECTIONS
In a microwaveable dish, combine:
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons of cold water—added two at a time and stirred after each addition
Stir to create a thickish paste. Add:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Cover the dish and heat in your microwave oven for approximately 2 minutes on a medium/low to medium setting.
Stir to completely melt the butter and blend it into the paste (which will now resemble a sauce!)
Cool slightly.
Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
If necessary, reheat (gently) before drizzling the sauce on ice cream.
Hints: The rules for making fudge sauce are similar to the rules for making candy. For best results, make your sauce on a non-humid, non-rainy day. Cooking the sauce longer makes it (or the candy) harder. Don’t beat the sauce. Stir it gently to prevent it from becoming sugary. But don’t worry if it does separate. It will still taste good…
Make it in small batches—each time you reheat the sauce, you risk causing it to separate or turn into something resembling chocolate chips (which, as I said, isn’t necessarily a bad thing.)
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