Phyllis Richman

The Butter Did It: Here's a mystery guaranteed to make you hungry--for the salmon-filled pasta squares that Chef Laurence Levain sells for $20 a pop at his Washington, D.C. restaurant, for the salad of curly chicory and thick chunks of country bacon that first brings Levain and American food critic Chas (for Charlotte Sue) Wheatley together in Paris, for the warm polenta salad and pan-fried three-meat dumplings served at the CityTastes benefit the night that Levain is found dead of an apparent heart attack and Chas--his lover--has to write his obituary.

Murder on the Gravy Train: No review is available for this title yet.

Rex Stout

Too Many Cooks: The guest at a gathering of the greatest chefs in the world, Nero Wolfe must practice his own trade--sleuthing--when he discovers that a murderer is in their midst.

"I descended a flight to Wolfe's room, tapped on the door, and entered. He
was in bed, propped up against 3 pillows, just ready to attack the
provender on the breakfast table which straddled his mountainous ridge
under the black silk coverlet.  There was orange juice, eggs au beurre
noir, two slices of broiled Georgia ham, hashed brown potatoes, hot
blueberry muffins, and a pot of steaming cocoa."  Archie Goodwin from:
Over My Dead Body.

Eggs Au Beurre Noir

(this is a favorite dish and is served in several of the stories. in one
of them, Nero Wolfe cooks the dish himself, using tarragon wine vinegar
instead of sherry in the book The Mother Hunt)

6 Tbs butter
4 large eggs
1 tsp dry sherry

preheat the broiler.  melt 1 Tbs butter in each of 2 shirred-egg dishes
and add the eggs, yolks unbroken, 2 to a dish.  cook over medium heat for
1 or 2 minutes until the eggwhite is set.  sppon the butter over the eggs.
 put the dishes under a hot broiler for another minute until the eggs have
filmed over.  remove from the oven and let stand in a warm place.  in a
skillet, melt the remaining 4 Tbs of butter over medium heat.  when the
white waxy particles have settled to the bottom, pour the clear liquid
into a bowl.  return the clarified butter to the pan and continue to cook
until it has turned a deep golden brown. watch it carefully to be sure the
butter does not burn.  add the sherry and stir until blended.  pour the
butter sauce over the eggs and serve immediately.  serves 2.

Broiled Georgia Ham

"In Too Many Cooks Wolfe explains what is special about the Georgia ham he
serves. 'a pig who's diet is fify to seventy percent peanuts grows a ham
of incredibly sweet and delicate succulence which, well cured, well kept,
and well cooked, will take precedence over any other ham the world
affords.'  Archie gives Inspector Cramer an somewhat less elegant
description in Disguise For Murder: 'Georgia pigs fed on peanuts and
acorns. Cured to Mr Wolfe's specifications.  It smells good, but it tastes
even better."

1 thin slice Georgia ham (5x8 inches approximately)
1 cup milk
1 Tbs vinegar
1/2 tsp mustard
1 tsp currant jelly
1 grinding fresh black pepper

soak the ham in the milk for about an hour.  mis the remaining ingredients
together and heat.  drain, dry and broil ham under a hot flame for 2 to 3
minutes on each side.  pour the sauce over the ham and serve.  serves 2

Hashed Brown Potatoes

("please note that these potatoes are not fried, as they usually are in
American homes.  As Archie points out in The Father Hunt, 'eggs are never
fried in Wolfe's and Fritz's kitchen, and neither are potatoes.")

1/4 cup butter
2 cups diced raw potatoes
1 tsp minced shallots
watercress
salt and pepper to taste

melt the butter in a skillet.  mix the potatoes and shallots together and
add.  cook over medium heat without stirring for 3 or 4 minutes.  run a
spatula under the potatoes to prevent sticking, and continue to cook until
the bottom is slightly browned.  turn the potatoes and cook until the
other side browns.  fold onto a warmed serving dish as you would an
omelet, garnish with watercress, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
serves 3 to 4.

Blueberry Muffins

1/3 cup butter at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and drained

preheat oven to 375. combine the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  beat the eggs and add to the butter mixture.  blend well.  sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a smaller bowl, and add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk.  stir in the blueberries and spoon into greased muffin tins until two-thirds full.  bake for 25 minutes.  makes 12 muffins.

Corinne Holt Sawyer

Murder has no Calories: Plucky senior citizen snoopers Angela Benbow and Caledonia Wingate investigate the murder of a beautiful staff member at a California fat farm.

The Peanut Butter Murders: Following the death of a man who was too young to reside at the Camden-sur-Mer retirement community in southern California, senior sleuths Angela Benbow and Caledonia Wingate begin to suspect that a dangerous killer is on the loose.

Murder Ole: Angela Benbow and Caledonia Wingate, two savvy senior-citizen sleuths, find themselves embroiled in a south-of-the-border mystery when the residents of their California retirement home take a group trip to Tijuana, Mexico, and two people fail to return.

Loo Jane Temple

Revenge of the BBQ Queens: Kansas City's premier restaurateur, Heaven Lee, accidentally finds the upended body of champion barbeque cooker and giant pain Pigen Hopkins sticking out of a potent pot of his extra-special secret barbeque sauce. Unfortunately, Heaven has had problems with the law before, and even though she came out clean, this is one sticky mess that's hard to explain.

A Stiff Risotto: Heaven Lee, proprietress extraordinaire of Kansas City's celebrated Cafe Heaven, knew she had to watch her back at Aspen's gossipy Real Dish Food Festival. But it wasn't until the saucy cook stumbled across the battered body of one of the Best Chef contestants that she realized how deadly the competition could be.

Death by Rhubarb: Heaven Lee one of Kansas City's premier caterers. With a string of failed careers behind her, Heaven's finally found her true love--Cafe Heaven. Open-mike night at Cafe Heaven gets pretty hairy but Heaven is shocked when lawyer Tasha Arnold drops dead from poisoning. With the law and word-of-mouth threatening to close her down, Heaven turns sleuth to find a killer who could turn her into Kansas City's freshest corpse.

Bread on Arrival: Heaven Lee, Kansas City chef and reluctant heroine, is one tough cookie. Not only can she slice, dice, and julienne the finest food in town, she's got nerves of steel to match her culinary skills. This time, Heaven Lee takes on the fine art of making bread. But when one of her associates mysteriously winds up dead in the dough, perfecting her bread-baking skills is suddenly the last of Heaven's worries, as someone with a taste for murder is on the loose. From Sweet Pepper Bread to Mrs. O'Malley's meatloaf, Lou Jane Temple not only cooks up a top-notch mystery, she includes enough scrumptious recipes to keep you cooking till the next Heaven Lee adventure.
 

 

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