Dead to the Last Drop (44 page)

George H. W. Bush—Use It or Lose It

The forty-first President consumed at least ten cups of coffee a day for most of his adult life. Barbara Bush said he brewed the morning coffee himself until his duties as the Commander in Chief took precedence over domestic chores. When President Bush was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in 1991, he was forced to give up caffeine. “He’s not happy with that decaf,” reported a White House spokesman, and soon the doctors allowed Bush to enjoy regular coffee again. After he left office, Bush resumed his normal routine. But Barbara Bush revealed during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that the former President had not made his own coffee for so long, he’d forgotten
how.

ABBY LANE’S PLAYLIST
THE JAZZ SPACE * VILLAGE BLEND, DC

Would you like to hear some of the music that inspired Abigail Parker’s headliner concert at the Village Blend’s Jazz Space or find out where Cleo Coyle watches jazz, streaming online every night, directly from New York’s Greenwich Village? Visit Cleo’s new online Jazz Space to learn more at coffeehousemystery.com.

Set One

“Let’s Fall in Love”

“Tonight”

“A Little Jazz Exercise”

Set Two

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor”

“Black Coffee”

“Someday My Prince Will Come”

“Someone to Watch Over Me”

Set Three

“Our Love Is Here to Stay”

“Love Ballade”

“Over the Rainbow”

“America the Beautiful”

“Who Wants to Live Forever”

“Fix You”

“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”

Jazz Resources

Learn more about jazz the way Abby did . . .

Visit jazz legends online:

Wynton Marsalis—wyntonmarsalis.org

Chick Corea—chickcorea.com

See Live Jazz in DC’s Georgetown

Blues Alley

1073 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

Washington, DC

bluesalley.com/index.cfm

See Live Jazz in New York City

Jazz at Lincoln Center—jazz.org

The Blue Note—bluenote.net/newyork/index.shtml

Smalls—smallsjazzclub.com

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT RESOURCES

Because truth matters, Mrs. Dubois . . . and a truth about our past can alter how we look at the present and move forward in the future.

—SERGEANT STANLEY “STICKS” MCGUIRE, USA, RETIRED

What is FOIA?
Enacted on July 4, 1966, and taking effect one year later, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) “provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions of them) are protected from public disclosure . . .”

Frequently Asked Questions About the FOIA:

foia.gov/faq.html

National Archives:

archives.gov/open/

Electronic Records Archives:

archives.gov/era/index.html

The National Security Archive:

nsarchive.gwu.edu/nsa/the_archive.html

According to the National Security Archive’s website, it was founded in 1985 by journalists and scholars to check “rising government secrecy.” The organization serves as an investigative journalism center, a research institute on international affairs, and a library and archive of declassified
U.S. documents—“the world’s largest nongovernmental collection” according to the
Los Angeles Times
. The National Security Archive is also “the leading non-profit user of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.”

Open Government at the National Archives:

archives.gov/open/

RECIPES AND TIPS FROM THE VILLAGE BLEND

Visit Cleo Coyle’s virtual Village Blend at coffeehousemystery.com for even more recipes, including:

* Luther’s Great American Glazed Donuts

* Luther’s Bourbon Street Brownies

* Clare’s “Hawaiian” Chocolate Chip Cookies

* Madame’s Pecan Sandies (
Sables!
)

* Clare’s Oatmeal Cookie Muffins

* Clare’s Farmhouse Peach Muffins

* Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

* Parker House Rolls

* Luther’s Honey-Chili Chicken

* Easy Smoky Chipotle Dip

* Luther’s Mini Meat Loaves with Smashed Baby Reds and Roasted Garlic Gravy

* Luther’s No-Churn Ice Cream (Vanilla, Cinnamon, and Coffee)

and more . . .

RECIPES

Music, food, and coffee are universal languages.

—CLARE COSI

Clare Cosi’s Best Blueberry Muffins

The humble yet beautiful blueberry, native to North America, is beloved across the USA. From Maine to California, nearly every diner, coffee shop, and bake shop has a version of the blueberry muffin. Now the Village Blend does, too. When a rush of new customers left Clare with a sold-out pastry case, she swung into action, creating this instant classic.

So why does Clare call these her Best Blueberry Muffins? Because this recipe produces impressive results with little fuss and few ingredients. It’s the best not because it’s the most elaborate, but because it’s the kind of recipe she uses again and again. These are not cupcakes pretending to be muffins—with more sugary cake than berries. Blueberries are a healthful superfood, and they are packed into these muffins. The muffins will bake up beautifully, too. No gray batter. And the crumb is tender with a taste like pound cake, yet you don’t need to drag out your mixer to cream butter into sugar. The secret is in the use of whole milk (not skim or low fat), and in the combination of vanilla and lemon flavorings. So be sure not to leave those out, and may you . . . eat with blueberry joy!

Makes 6 standard muffins

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 egg

½ cup whole milk (or half-and-half, aka light cream, or heavy cream)

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

¼ cup white, granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest (grated lemon peel, no white pith)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or ⅛ teaspoon table salt)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 to 2 tablespoons coarse finishing sugar such as turbinado or Demerara or a white coarse sugar to sprinkle on before baking (optional)

Step 1—Prep oven and muffin pan:
Preheat oven
at least 30 minutes
to 375ºF. Line 6 muffin cups with paper holders (yellow makes a nice presentation); lightly coat papers with nonstick spray.

Step 2—Prep blueberries:
If using fresh blueberries, de-stem, wash, drain, and pat dry. They can be a little moist, no worries. If using frozen blueberries, use them right out of the freezer, do not thaw. Gently toss the fresh or still-frozen blueberries in the 2 teaspoons of flour. Take care not to crush the berries as you toss them, keep them whole. The flour will absorb excess juice during baking and prevent your muffins from turning gray. Set aside.

Step 3—Create batter with one-bowl mixing method:
Crack egg into a mixing bowl and gently beat with a whisk. Add milk, oil, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt, and whisk until well blended. Now add baking powder and whisk very well, until dissolved. Switching to a spoon or spatula, mix in the flour until all the raw flour disappears and a lumpy batter forms.
Do not overmix
at this stage or you will develop the gluten in the flour and your muffins will be tough instead of tender. Finally,
gently
fold in the flour-tossed blueberries, again, taking care not to crush them. Keep them whole.

Step 4—Prep for baking:
This batter makes 6 standard muffins. Divide it up evenly among your paper-lined (and lightly sprayed) muffin cups.
Clare does not use finishing sugar.
But you may like this addition. If using a coarse finishing sugar, sprinkle over each unbaked muffin top . . .

Step 5—Bake
in your
well-preheated
375ºF oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins are done when tops just begin to become light golden brown.

Note:
The muffins are delicious with or without finishing sugar, but beware: although muffins with sugar on top will stay crunchy the first day, the sugared tops will go soggy on you if you wrap them in plastic for storage. So if you’re baking these a few days in advance of serving, leave the extra sugar off.

Toothpick method for de-panning hot muffins:
If muffins are left in hot pans, bottoms may steam and become tough. Gently insert a toothpick on each side of muffin. Use the toothpicks as handles and lift the muffin from pan. This is a quick way to remove muffins without squashing them.

To store:
Once completely cool, store muffins in a resealable plastic bag or plastic container. If your weather or climate is warm, also place in refrigerator. They will keep well several days that way. Muffins
can be reheated
easily (10 to 15 seconds) in microwave.

The Village Blend’s Charming Chocolate Chip Muffins

“The crumb is delectable,” Clare told Agent Cage about this muffin, “and if you sip your espresso as you eat the muffin, the rich roasted flavor of the coffee mingles on the palate with the bits of chocolate in a mind-blowingly sensuous dance . . .”

Sharon Cage, who’d had a rough morning leading an army of Secret Service personnel, stared in a kind of silent foodie shock at Clare’s description, a tiny drop of saliva glistening at the corner of her mouth. Yes, the woman had skipped breakfast—and she was slowly charmed by Clare Cosi and these amazing muffins. The triple espresso helped, too.

Makes 6 coffeehouse-style muffins or 8 smaller muffins

½ cup whole milk or buttermilk

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¼ cup granulated white sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten with fork

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon table salt (or coarse sea salt)

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips*

*Mini chips notes:
For the best results, you should absolutely use mini chocolate chips in this recipe. In a pinch, you can chop standard-sized chocolate chips or discs, but do not use standard-sized chips for these muffins.

Step 1—Prep oven and pan:
First preheat your oven to 425°F. Line 6 muffin pan cups (or 8 cupcake pan cups) with paper liners and lightly coat the papers with non-stick spray to prevent baked muffins from sticking. Or use a nonstick muffin pan and lightly coat the pan with spray.

Step 2—One-bowl mixing method:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the whole milk (or buttermilk), melted butter, white and brown sugars, egg, and vanilla. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Switch to a rubber spatula or large spoon and stir in the flour, but do not overmix at this stage. Stir only enough to form a batter, making sure all the raw flour is incorporated. Finally, fold in the mini chips. Batter will be thick.

Step 3—Bake:
Divide the batter into the 6 muffin cups (or 8 cupcake cups) and bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Now turn the oven down to 375°F and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to prevent the bottoms from steaming and becoming tough. To store, place completely cooled muffins in a plastic, airtight container.

Clare’s Corn Muffins

Clare often makes these corn muffins for Mike Quinn. They enjoy them with coffee in the morning. If reheating the muffins, simply warm them up for 10 seconds in the microwave and melt a bit of butter on them—amazing! For dinner, she’ll reduce the sugar and pair the muffins with a bowl of chili or barbecued ribs or chicken. Note her variation suggestions in both cases. If you prefer savory corn bread, simply reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons and (if you like) fold in some sweet corn kernels, a finely diced jalapeño, maybe even some shredded cheddar cheese. Make it your own and bake it with joy!

Makes 6 muffins

1 large egg

¾ cup milk (whole, 2%, or skim)

½ cup sour cream (drain off any visible liquid)

½ cup granulated sugar (for savory cornbread reduce to 2 tablespoons)

½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon fine table salt

¼ cup canola or vegetable oil