Murder at the Big T Lodge: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery (14 page)

The day after they
returned to Red Cedar, Roger walked into the lodge kitchen with a copy of the
San Francisco Chronicle in his hand. “Liz, there’s an article in here about
Milt Huston. Thought you’d want to see it.”

“Roger, please
summarize it for me. I’m trying to make that pecan pie you liked so much, and I
can’t stop to read it.”

“It says Milt
Huston died on a hunting trip when he was in Texas. His widow decided to hold a
closed family service for him. Evidently there will be a special election to
fill his Attorney General position. It made no mention of him being murdered. I
guess his widow didn’t want the media frenzy that would have come with that
revelation.”

“If I was a
betting person, I’d bet she’s trying to save every ounce of her strength in
order to deal with her pregnancy. My heart goes out to her,” Liz said.

“So does mine,
but at least you were able to ease any fears she might have eventually had
about there possibly being a killer on the loose. I’m sure it crossed her mind
whether or not she could have been a target as well.”

“Roger, I’m so
glad it’s over now. We’re back home, the guest cottages are completely sold
out, and quite frankly, I’m glad there wasn’t much press about Milt’s death or
those of Paul and Julia. I’d just as soon people didn’t know I had anything to
do with solving more murders. At some point it could adversely affect my
business here at the lodge and spa. I mean who wants to stay where the owner is
constantly getting involved in solving murder cases? If I were a guest, I might
begin to wonder if I was next on the list.”

“Liz, as long
as you keep serving the food you do, and if you could master that pie, I think
you could solve hundreds more murders, and people would still come here, just
for the food.”

“Out, out! If
you want me to get this pie crust right, leave me to my pastry,” she said
laughing. “You do realize that if it wasn’t because I love you so much, there
is no way in the world I would even try to master this impossible task.”

“Liz,
everything is possible. The impossible just takes longer. I read that in one of
Dan Brown’s books, you know the guy that wrote The Da Vinci Code. I think you
and your pie crust are one of those things.”

He preferred
to ignore the piece of dough she threw at his back as he walked out of the
kitchen wearing a grin on his face.

Risotto with Pancetta and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

8 thin slices of pancetta (I prefer
this, but if you can’t find it, you can substitute bacon)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 pound mixed mushrooms, thickly
sliced (This completely depends on what you can find at the market. Sometimes
my only choices are the brown and white ones. Once you start buying the others,
it can get a little pricey. Be forewarned)

¼ tsp. sea salt

3 tbsp. unsalted butter (I always use
unsalted, so I can control the amount of salt in the dish. If you use salted
butter, you’re at the mercy of the butter producer)

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
or tarragon

5 cups chicken stock (If you’re
worried about too much salt being in non-homemade stock, use low-sodium stock)

1 garlic clove, smashed (I use the
blade of a heavy knife. Whack it, remove the papery peel, then smash it again)

1 shallot, minced

1 ½ cups Arborio rice (Don’t think
you can substitute this type of rice with another variety. Believe me, if you
use a different type, the dish will not turn out well!)

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
plus ¼ cup shavings for garnish

2 tbsp. heavy cream

Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees or if
you have a plate warmer setting, use that. Place four shallow soup bowls in it.
Cook the pancetta in a frying pan until crisp. Drain on paper towels and
crumble.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over
high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and cook over
high heat, stirring until they begin to sweat. (In other words, start losing
their juices.) Transfer the mushrooms and the liquid to a strainer set over a
bowl. Lightly press on the mushrooms with the back of a spoon, reserving the
liquid. Wipe the skillet clean and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Return the
mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about three minutes or until they become
brown. Add the parsley, turn the heat to low, cover and keep warm.

In a medium saucepan, combine the
chicken stock with the reserved mushroom liquid and bring to a simmer, then
reduce the heat to low. In a large deep skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter.
Add the garlic and cook over medium heat for one minute. (You don’t want it to
brown.) Add the minced shallot and cook until softened. Add the rice and stir
until the grains are thoroughly coated with butter.

Slowly add 1 cup of the hot chicken
stock to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice has absorbed
most of the stock, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Cook the risotto, adding the
stock 1 cup at a time and stirring constantly between additions until each cup
is absorbed. Continue to cook the risotto until it has a creamy consistency,
about 20 minutes.

Remove the risotto from the heat and
stir in the Parmesan cheese, cream, and remaining tablespoon of butter. Season
with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to the warm soup bowls. Garnish with
pancetta, and Parmesan shavings. Serve and enjoy!

Pecan Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
and Bourbon Molasses Sauce

Pie Crust Ingredients:
(May be made in advance)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

¼ cup unsalted butter plus more for
buttering pie plate

4-5 tbsp. ice water

Directions:

Coat a deep 9-inch pie plate with
butter and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Cut in
the butter with a pastry blender (well worth the money and a lot less messy
than doing it with your hands. If you don’t have one you can use your fingers
to mix the flour with the butter. Some people use two forks or two knives to
work the butter into the flour. Your choice.) Keep at it until the mixture
resembles coarse meal. Gradually add ice water and with a wooden spoon, mix
until a ball of dough is formed.

Put the dough onto a lightly floured
sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disc. Dust the top of the dough with
flour and place another sheet of plastic wrap on top. Use a rolling pin and
roll from the center out until the dough is round and about 1/8-inch in
thickness. Remove the top piece of the plastic wrap and lay the dough across
the pie plate. Remove the remaining piece of plastic wrap. Press the dough
lightly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Cover the plate with a
piece of plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or
overnight.

Chef Jackson’s Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups pecan pieces

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

¾ light corn syrup

2 tbsp. unsalted melted butter

½ tsp. salt

1 sheet of aluminum foil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake them for 8 to 10
minutes or until toasted. Stir together the rest of the ingredients. Remove the
pie shell from the freezer and pour the filling in it. Bake for 55 minutes or
until set, placing aluminum foil over the pie after 20 minutes to prevent
excessive browning. Remove from oven.

Bourbon Molasses Sauce

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup water plus 2 tbsp., divided

3 tbsp. bourbon

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 ½ tbsp. molasses

¼ tsp. salt

Pastry brush (or any other type of
brush)

Directions:

Bring the sugar and 2 tablespoons
water to a boil in small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the
sugar dissolves. Using a pastry brush dipped in cold water, wash down any sugar
crystals from the side of the pan. Boil, without stirring, swirling the pan
occasionally until the color becomes a dark amber. Remove from heat and stir in
the bourbon, butter, molasses, and salt. Return to heat and simmer, stirring to
dissolve any hardened caramel if necessary (Can be made ahead and reheated.)

Assembly:

Pie crust

Pecan pie

Vanilla bean ice cream (Don’t skimp
here. Treat yourself to the expensive stuff. You’ve come this far and believe
me, it will be worth it when you taste the finished produce!)

Bourbon molasses sauce

Slice the pie into 8 pieces and plate
as many pieces as needed. Using an ice cream scoop, put one scoop of the ice
cream on the warm pie. Top with 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Enjoy!

LUMP CRAB MEAT AND CITRUS SALAD WITH
CHARDONNAY DRESSING (SERVES 4)

Dressing Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Chardonnay or white vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar

5 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Whisk together the chardonnay or
vinegar, mustard, and sugar in a small bowl. Slowly add the olive oil to the
mixture, whisking until it has all been incorporated. Set aside. (May be made
ahead and refrigerated.)

Salad Ingredients:

2 cups lump crabmeat

1 orange, peeled and sectioned

1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned

16 leaves romaine lettuce

1 tsp. chopped chives for garnish

4 cylindrical glass sundae dishes

Directions:

Gently combine the crabmeat, orange,
and grapefruit in a bowl.

Assembly:

Line the sundae dishes with the
romaine leaves. Divide the crabmeat, orange, and grapefruit evenly and place in
the sundae dishes. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the dressing over each mixture and
top each one with ¼ teaspoon chives. Enjoy!

LEMON SOUFFLE PANCAKES WITH BLUEBERRY
MAPLE SYRUP

Syrup Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed

Directions:

Place ingredients in a small sauce
pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted. Turn heat
to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

Pancake Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 large eggs, yolks and whites
separated

1 ½ cups buttermilk

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

3 tbsp. lemon juice

Put bowl and beaters in freezer for
beating egg whites

Directions:

Turn oven to 250 degrees or use warm
if you have that setting. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking
soda, and salt. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk,
grated lemon, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons butter. Take the bowl and beaters
out of the freezer and whip the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Pour
the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir to blend. Gently fold in
the egg whites.

Butter a frying pan or griddle over
medium heat. Pour batter in ½ cup portions onto the pan or griddle, being
careful that the portions don’t touch each other. Cook until golden brown on
each side, turning once. Keep the finished ones warm in the oven and repeat the
process to cook the remaining pancakes.

Serve the pancakes with the warm
syrup. Enjoy!

AVOCADO HALVES WITH CHILLED BROCCOLI
CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP

Ingredients:

1 packet of cheddar cheese broccoli
soup (I’m not a big fan of canned soup. Far prefer the packets of soup, and
they’re available pretty much everywhere)

1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup broccoli florets (I use small
prepackaged florets that come in a plastic bag)

2 avocados, cut in half with about 2
tbsp. flesh scooped out (Leave enough in there to form a boat shape)

8 lettuce leaves

Chives, chopped for garnish

Salsa Verde for garnish (There are a
lot of bottled brands available. I don’t really have a preference)

Directions:

Place 4 salad plates and forks in the
refrigerator to chill. Prepare the soup according to directions on packet. Add
1 cup of cheddar cheese and broccoli florets and cook until florets have lost
their crispness. If you want a thicker consistency add the additional ½ cup
grated cheddar cheese. You can enjoy a bowl of hot soup at this point.
Refrigerate the rest.

Assembly:

Place 2 lettuce leaves on a chilled
plate. Place one avocado half on each plate and spoon chilled soup into each
half. Garnish with chives and/or Salsa Verde. Enjoy!

*****

I'm giving away seven free
autographed paperbacks. Find out more at
www.dianneharman.com/freepaperback.html