Cinnamon Toasted (34 page)
Authors: Gail Oust
Was McBride flirting with me? No way.
Impossible. I wasn’t a Hollywood starlet; he was out of my league. And then there was Doug. Sweet, dependable Doug.
“Even without homemade goodies, the coffee tasted great.” McBride gave me one of those rare smiles, the kind where the cute dimple in his cheek flashed in and out. The kind that made me weak in the knees. “See ya,” he said.
“See ya,” I echoed.
Hmm.
Maybe I’d ask Melly if she’d
share her gingersnap recipe with me. I could keep the cookies on hand for certain unexpected visitors. Probably not a wise idea, yet …
Who doesn’t like cinnamon? Whether it’s mixed with sugar and sprinkled on toast or added to our favorite baked goods, cinnamon is a hands-down favorite with most people. The bark from an evergreen tree in the laurel family, cinnamon was traded in biblical times. Arab merchants risked life and limb to transport it to customers. Egyptian pharaohs sent expeditions on quests to find it.
Crusaders brought cinnamon back from the Holy Land, thereby making it a staple in medieval kitchens. There are two main types: cassia, native to Southeast Asia, which has a strong, spicy-sweet flavor; and Ceylon or “true” cinnamon, which is less sweet with a more complex flavor. In many countries, cassia and cinnamon are used interchangeably. Harvesters cut paper-thin slices of bark, then hand-roll
them into quills more than three feet long to be dried. Cinnamon should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark, and dry place. Ground cinnamon will keep for about six months, while cinnamon sticks will stay fresh for about one year. The shelf life may be extended by storing them in the refrigerator. The smell test is a reliable way to check for freshness. If it doesn’t smell
sweet, discard.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1
/
8
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
1
/
3
cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (approx. 1.3 oz.)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
¼ cup vegetable
shortening, room temperature
1 large egg
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl until blended. Mix in the crystallized ginger and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, butter, and shortening with an electric mixer until fluffy, being
careful not to overbeat. Add the egg, honey, and vanilla, and beat until blended. Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula, mixing just until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray or use parchment paper. Spoon the granulated sugar onto a small plate. Using wet hands, form the dough into
balls of approximately 1¼ inch; roll them in the granulated sugar to coat. Place the dough balls on baking sheets 2–3 inches apart.
Bake the cookies until they are cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 11–13 minutes. Cool them on sheets for 1 minute. Carefully transfer the cookies to wire racks; cool completely. Yields 3½ dozen cookies.
2 cups water
1½ cups red wine vinegar
½ cup dry red wine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional for seasoning meat
8 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
6–10 juniper berries
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 (3½- to 4-pound) bottom round pot roast
1 tablespoon
vegetable oil
1
/
3
cup sugar
½ cup old-fashioned gingersnaps, crushed
*
In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the water, red wine vinegar, red wine, onion, carrot, celery, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil; lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Rub the meat with the vegetable oil and salt it
on all sides. Heat a large sauté or fry pan over high heat; add the meat and brown it on all sides.
After the marinade has cooled, place the meat in a nonreactive vessel, and pour the marinade over it. Place the roast in the refrigerator for three days. If the meat isn’t completely submerged, turn it over once a day.
After three days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325°F. Add the sugar to
the meat and marinade, cover the pan, and place it on the middle rack of the oven. Cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.
Remove the meat and keep it warm. Strain the liquid to remove solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place it over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook the sauce until it thickens, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove
any lumps. Slice the meat and serve it with the sauce.
*
If the sauce needs additional thickening, either use more crushed gingersnaps or mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup water and whisk the mixture into the sauce as it cooks.
1 egg
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup dark molasses
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup candied mixed fruit peel, finely chopped
GLAZE
1 egg white, beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
In a large bowl, beat the egg, brown sugar, and honey until smooth. Stir in the molasses. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Stir the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture. Stir in the almonds and candied fruit peel. Cover the bowl or wrap the dough, and chill overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 2 x 3-inch rectangles (or squares). Place the cookies 1½ inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. While they are still warm, brush the cookies with the lemon glaze.
To make the glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the
egg white, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Brush the glaze over warm cookies.
The author of the Bunco Babes mystery series,
GAIL OUST
is often accused of flunking retirement. Hearing the words “Maybe it’s a dead body” while golfing fired her imagination for writing a cozy. Ever since then, she has spent more time on a computer than at a golf course. She lives with her husband in McCormick, South Carolina. Visit her online at
www.gailoust.com
. Or sign up for email updates
here
.
A
LSO BY
G
AIL
O
UST
Whack ’n’ Roll
’Til Dice Do Us Part
Shake, Murder, and Roll
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C
ONTENTS
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A THOMAS DUNNE BOOK FOR MINOTAUR BOOKS
.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
CINNAMON TOASTED.
Copyright © 2015 by Gail Oust. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue,
New York, N.Y. 10010.
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover illustration by Matthew Holmes
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Oust, Gail, 1943–
Cinnamon toasted: a spice shop mystery / Gail Oust. — First edition.
p.; cm. — (Spice shop mystery series; 3)
ISBN 978-1-250-01106-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-3430-9 (ebook)
1. Women detectives—Fiction. 2. Murder—Investigation—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3620.U7645C56 2015