That Old Black Magic (24 page)
Read That Old Black Magic Online
Authors: Mary Jane Clark
2 teaspoons dried yeast
½ cup warm water
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted and
cooled
¾ cup evaporated milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
(approximately)
Oil for deep frying
Confectioners' sugar
Makes about three dozen
beignets
In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the
warm water. Add the granulated sugar, salt, eggs, butter, and evaporated milk.
Mix in enough flour to make a soft but not sticky dough. Knead until smooth and
elastic. Leave dough to rise in a warm place until it doubles in bulk.
Punch the dough down and knead again briefly. Roll
out to a ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 3 x 2-inch diamonds. Lay them on a
lightly oiled baking sheet, cover, and leave to rise until doubled in
height.
Deep-fry in oil heated to 365 degrees Fahrenheit
until puffed and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve fresh and warm,
sprinkled generously with confectioners' sugar.
Ooh la la!
M
agic. Luck. Providence. I've come to believe that it's the last concept which has influenced the course of my life. Providence defined as God's protective care.
Mostly I've seen examples of Providence in the human beings who have crossed my path at critical junctures. People who provided what I needed when I needed it. People who helped me keep going. People who pointed the way.
Providential creatures have also influenced each book I've written. I've seen them at work again in
That Old Black Magic.
Father Paul Holmes was there every step of the journey,
providing
support throughout the writing process and sharing his many creative talents. Paul stands, loyal and steadfast. If his is not divine care, I don't know what is.
Elizabeth Higgins Clark, my thespian daughter,
provided
Piper's voice and acting realism. From across the continent, Elizabeth cheered me on.
I'm indebted to Daniel Baum for his reportage in
Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death,
and Life in New Orleans.
His vivid and memorable account of inhabitants of the dazzling, tortured, heroic Crescent City made me even more eager to set my own book there.
For firsthand experience with parenthood and cerebral palsy I turned to my cousin, Colleen Lyons. Thank you, Colleen, for being so open and willing to help me.
Joni Evans gave freely of her formidable talent and precious time: reading, commenting, and suggesting. Her generosity astounds me. It was Joni who led me years ago to agent extraordinaire and now good friend Jennifer Rudolph Walsh. Wow, that was
providential
!
The team at William Morrow/HarperCollins supplied the necessary
provisions.
Editor Carrie Feron,
pro
that she is, offered her savvy ideas to improve the story. Maureen Sugden's fine and expert copyedits were a delight to review. Sharyn Rosenblum and Abigail Tyson are my hardworking and amazing publicity team. Many thanks also to Kimberly Chocolaad, Nicole Fischer, Lynn Grady, Tavia Kowalchuk, Shawn Nicholls, Virginia Stanley, Liate Stehlik, and the many others, unnamed here, who contributed their talents to usher
That Old Black Magic
out into the world.
MARY JANE CLARK worked at CBS News for nearly three decades. Her twelve KEY News media thrillers were inspired by that experience. Envisioning the Piper Donovan/Wedding Cake mystery series, Mary Jane enrolled in cake-decorating classes and researched unique wedding locations. The daughter of an FBI agent and a mother who customized cakes for the neighborhood kids when she was growing up, Mary Jane has two grown children and splits her time between New Jersey and Florida. She is currently concocting her next novel.
Join Mary Jane and Piper Donovan on Facebook:
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https://www.facebook.com/authormaryjaneclark
Piper Donovan:
https://www.facebook.com/piper.donovan
www.maryjaneclark.com
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Do You Want to Know a Secret?
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real.
THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC.
Copyright © 2014 by Mary Jane Clark. 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 978-0-06-213547-6
EPub Edition FEBRUARY 2014 ISBN: 9780062135490
14 15 16 17 18
OV/RRD
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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