Crunch Time (51 page)

Mix the cinnamon into the sugar until well combined; set aside. Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan and place the torn-up bread into it.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it is creamy. Mix in the cinnamon sugar and beat until very creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined. Mix in the half-and-half and vanilla, and beat well. (The mixture will be thin and will not be completely combined; this is normal.) Stop the beater and use a spatula to mix as well as possible.

Pour the butter mixture over the torn-up bread. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, remove the pan from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Bake the pudding for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon. Place the pudding back in the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until it is puffed and golden. While the pudding is baking, prepare the rum sauce (see below).

Place the pudding on a rack and carefully pour the rum sauce over it. Allow the rum sauce to soak into the pudding (2–3 minutes), and then serve. Pudding will be very hot.

Makes 8 servings

Rum Sauce

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup best-quality rum

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 large egg

In a medium-size sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the sugar, rum, and nutmeg, and stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is well blended. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, still in the pan.

In a small bowl, beat the egg until it is very frothy. Beat the egg into the butter mixture until well combined. Place the sauté pan back on the stove and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until the mixture thickens.

Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the pudding.

Puerco Cubano

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 pound ground pork

2 tablespoons freshly minced or crushed garlic

2 teaspoons demi-glace de poulet or demi-glace de veau (chicken or veal demi-glace)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh or organic, not-from-concentrate lime juice

2 teaspoons (or more) granulated sugar

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large (12-inch) nonstick sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the pork and the garlic, and cook, stirring and breaking up the pork, until the meat is just cooked. Add the demi-glace and stir well.

Add the flour, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the flour is cooked and the mixture bubbles.

Stir in the juices and sugar and raise the heat to medium. Stir constantly until the mixture bubbles and is thickened. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Spoon the pork onto a large platter and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. This dish goes well with hot cooked rice.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ferdinanda’s Florentine Quiche

rice crust (see below)

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 large eggs

2 cups small-curd cottage cheese

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/3 cup best-quality Gruyère cheese, grated

1/4 cup best-quality Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter a 9-inch glass pie pan. Prepare the rice crust and press it into the pie pan; set aside.

Cook the spinach according to package directions. Drain thoroughly, pressing all the liquid out through a strainer. Place the drained spinach in a bowl and add the butter; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Stir in the cottage cheese, cream, mustard, seasonings, and grated cheeses. Stir until well mixed. Add the buttered spinach and stir again until well mixed. Pour the spinach mixture into the rice crust.

Bake about 40 minutes, until puffed, golden brown, and set in center. (Check the center with a spoon to be sure it is no longer liquid.) Allow to cool 5 minutes. Slice and serve. This dish goes well with sliced fresh fruit and hot rolls.

Makes 8 servings

Rice Crust

1 large egg

2 cups cooked rice, at room temperature

2/3 cup best-quality Gruyère, grated

Beat the egg until frothy. Add the rice and cheese and stir well. Spread this mixture in the buttered pie pan.

About the Author

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

www.dianemottdavidson.com

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

Credits

Cover photograph collage © by Monalyn Gracia/Corbisand Ian O’Leary/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.

CRUNCH TIME
. Copyright © 2011 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 non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, 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.

EPub Edition April 2011 ISBN: 9780062078889

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Davidson, Diane Mott.

Crunch time / Diane Mott Davidson. — 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-06-134815-0

1. Schulz, Goldy (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Caterers and catering—

Fiction. 3. Arson investigation—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3554.A925C78 2011

813’.54—dc22

2010037729

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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