Laura Childs: Delicious and Suspicious: Pairing Food with Mystery
I’ve always believed that food and mystery make a delightful and inspired pairing. There’s nothing quite as comforting as cozying up in an easy chair, reading a mystery, and snacking on a scone, cookie, or brownie bite. It just works. Maybe it harkens back to when I was a kid, sitting in a darkened movie theatre, munching Jujubes while watching Sherlock Holmes dash across a foggy moor.
That’s why food features prominently in each and every one of my mysteries, which now total 53 books and counting. And, as you might have guessed, I include lots of terrific recipes. Because when you read a passage that mentions Chocolate Sour Cream Scones, Banana Cupcakes, or Lemon Chess Pie, I think your taste buds get curious. There’s also something fun and interactive about finishing a chapter, then buzzing into your kitchen to whip up those very same scones or cupcakes.
Since I write three different mystery series – The Tea Shop Mysteries, New Orleans Scrapbook Mysteries, and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries – I’m constantly balancing a delicious mélange of plot lines, suspense, characters, and recipes.
In my Tea Shop Mysteries, I also include tea tips for readers who aren’t necessarily tea drinkers or who might worry about tea types, tea etiquette, or brewing times. I urge them to grab a cup of tea or chai from their favorite coffee shop, or try the sample teas that local tea shops offer. Buying a small amount of fresh tea leaves at the supermarket or local co-op is also a great way to experiment. Mix a black tea with a flavored tea like cranberry spice and create your own house blend. (There, you’ve just invented Black Berry Spice!)
And once you’re into tea you might want to bake your own scones. Start with a basic scone recipe and tinker with it. Trade out white sugar for brown sugar. Instead of adding cranberries to your dough, throw in some butterscotch chips, chopped walnuts, or diced peaches. Because I’m a huge fan of turtle sundaes, I developed a turtle scone recipe that incorporates chocolate chips, butterscotch bits, and pecans – with a drizzle of caramel sauce on top. (Important note here: My husband has come to adore my test kitchen.)
That said, I hope you take a look at the Tea Time Recipes in the back of A Dark and Stormy Tea, my newest Tea Shop Mystery release. My recipes are easy and designed for busy people who don’t have time to chase from one grocery store to another searching for that one special ingredient that was harvested in the French Alps under a full moon. My Tea Time Recipes are simple, delicious, and kitchen tested. So please enjoy.
And about that basic scone recipe – here it is!
Basic Cream Scones
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. butter, cubed and softened
1 egg
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Combine egg, sour cream, and cream in a separate dish, then add to dry mixture. Combine until mixture holds together. If needed, a splash more of cream can be added. Pat dough into a large circle about ½ inch thick. Now cut dough into 10 to 12 triangles and place on well-greased baking sheet. Bake scones for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 10 to 12 scones.
Laura Childs is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Recently, Book Riot named her mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series.” In her previous life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, enjoys travel, and has a Chinese Shar-Pei dog named Lotus.
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