HOW I LOVE RESEARCH: Guest post by Daryl Wood Gerber -- Recipe for Delightful Trifle!

Whenever I start a new series, I have to do a lot of research. Luckily, I like to do it. I can even fall into the abyss by researching WAY TOO MUCH for my own good. I mean, I’m supposed to be writing, not reading.  
 
For my new Literary Dining Mystery series, which I set in a small town near Asheville, NC (mainly because I wanted the set the series in a mountain town and my nephew lives nearby), I had to do a deep dive into the area. A tour was involved.  
 
Next, because Murder on the Page focuses on Pride and Prejudice, the favorite book of the victim, I not only reread the book, but I pulled quotes, studied the costumes of the Regency Era, and tried to make a few recipes that the Bennets and their friends might consume. I had a blast. I learned how to make Maids of Honor, which are delectable little jam cakes (the recipe is on my website, click the link).  
 
And I made white soup!  What a treat. Note:  it took a lo-o-ong time to concoct. 
 
One of the desserts I decided to make was Delightful Trifle.  This recipe asks for regular pound cake. Store bought is fine. However, because I’m celiac and need to eat gluten-free, I made a cake from scratch. Delish! You can write me for that recipe if you need to eat gluten-free.  
 
I hope you enjoy this trifle. May it bring you joy and make you feel like you, too, are dining with the Bennetts . . . or my new adventuresome protagonist, caterer Allie Katt.
 

DELIGHTFUL TRIFLE

(Serves: 8)

 
Needed for the recipe:

1 recipe stirred custard
1/2 loaf pound cake 
1/3 cup triple sec or orange juice
1 cup strawberry freezer jam
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh strawberries 
 
How to make Stirred Custard:
 
5 egg yolks, beaten
1 ½ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
 
In a heavy medium sized saucepan, stir together egg yolks, milk, and sugar.
 
Prepare a large bowl filled with ice and ice water. Set aside.
 
Cook and stir continuously over medium heat until the mixture coats the back of a clean metal spoon.  About 5–6 minutes.  Do not boil.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
 
Quickly cool the custard by placing the saucepan in the large bowl of ice water for 1–2 minutes, stirring repeatedly.
 
Pour the custard into a small bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Chill the custard for 2 hours or until serving time. It will be runny. Stirred custard does not “set.”  
 
 
How to make Strawberry Freezer Jam:
 
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups sugar
1 package dry pectin or 1 package gelatin
¾ cup water
 
In a medium bowl, mix strawberries and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes.
 
Meanwhile, stir the pectin or gelatin into the water in a small saucepan.  Bring this to a boil and boil for 1 minutes.
 
Add in the strawberries and, using a potato masher, crush the berries.  Allow the mixture to stand for 3 minutes and then pour into clean jars, leaving space at the top for expansion. 
 
Let stand for 24 hours at room temperature before freezing.  *This may be used immediately in the trifle recipe—if you didn’t have time to freeze it—but it must be cooled completely.
 
To Construct the Trifle:
 
Cut half a loaf of pound cake into slices about 1/2 -inch thick and then cut the slices in half or cubes. Measure out the triple sec and jam.
 
To assemble individual trifles in bowls, layer:

Cake 
1 teaspoon triple sec
1 tablespoon strawberry freezer jam
2 tablespoons custard
Cake
1 teaspoon triple sec
1 tablespoon strawberry freezer jam
3 tablespoons custard 
 
To assemble a large trifle in a clear glass bowl that will serve 8:
 
Layer:
Half the cake slices or cubes
Sprinkle with 8 teaspoons triple sec
Top with ½ cup strawberry freezer jam
Top with 1 cup custard
 
Repeat: 
Half the cake slices, cubes
8 teaspoons triple sec
½ cup strawberry freezer jam
1 cup custard
 
Chill trifle(s) for at least 8 hours.This is a must.The cake will sop up the moisture.
 
When ready to serve, make the whipped cream and garnish dishes with fresh strawberries.

***

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense novels and an occasional romance. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” 

Learn more on her website: https://darylwoodgerber.com
 

COZY CARIBBEAN KITCHEN MYSTERY: Raquel V. Reyes Guest Post with Recipe

Raquel V. Reyes: Cozy Caribbean Kitchen Mystery - Recipe for Picadillo de Pavo

Miriam Quiñones is many things: a mom, a Cuban-American, a doctor (the PhD kind), a food anthropologist (think High on the Hog), a cook show star, and the main character of Mango, Mambo, and Murder. When her BFF gets her a part-time (that turns FT) stint on a Spanish-language morning show cooking segment, Miriam pushes back that “I’m a home cook not a celebrity chef.” I feel her! I, too, am a home cook not a trained chef. Yet here I am writing the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series. And like Miriam I’m rolling with it, learning new skills, and having fun. There are many dishes and snacks mentioned in the book but only four recipes in the back of Mango, Mambo, and Murder. Here is one of them. It is a staple in my house, and I share it with the home cook in mind. It is easy to make and very satisfying. 

Picadillo de Pavo 

In my Cuban-American & Puerto Rican house, I call it Latin Sloppy Joe. This recipe is mine as a working parent that doesn’t have hours to prep and cook. It is also a little healthier than the traditional beef version as I am not a big fan of red meat. (I probably eat beef only 2-3 times a year.)

Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: appox 30 mins. Prep your ingredients for the picadillo. Start your rice then start your picadillo. They should both be done within minutes of each other. Serve the picadillo over the rice and with a side of platanos maduros (aka amarillos) or an avocado salad. 

Ingredients: 

1 lb ground turkey Olive oil 

½ a large, sweet onion or 1 Spanish (yellow) onion 

1 jar of sofrito Salt to taste 

½ tbsp adobo 

1 tsp cumin or to taste 

3 cloves of garlic 

12-15 green olives 

Directions:

Drizzle oil into pan and sweat the thinly sliced onion and crushed garlic. Add meat and powdered spices. When browned and separated add the jar of sofrito. Use a little water or vino seco to get the remainder of the sofrito from the jar. (Shake and pour slurry into pan) Add olives and let simmer until rice is done. Some people also add raisins. (I am team olives, but I don’t hate the sweetness the raisins add. I just pick them out before eating my dinner.)

Rice is the traditional side to accompany the picadillo, but mashed potatoes work, too. This is how I learned to make the perfect rice. Rinse your rice. The extra starch on the rice is what makes it sticky and clumpy. Follow the ratio (usual 1 rice to 2 waters) and add a generous drizzle of olive oil and 3-4 cloves of garlic. Salt to taste. 

Every Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican household probably has a rice cooker if not two, one large for parties and one small for family dinner. They are essential and make rice perfectly each time. Growing up in Miami, rice cookers were called Hitachis because that was the brand that made them. Now there are dozens of brands and a variety of colors. I think I’ve seen a pink Hello Kitty one. But mine growing up was a buttery almond color.

Picadillo is so versatile. It can be served over rice or baked with a mashed potato top layer or served on a bun like a sloppy joe, or used as the filling for empanadas. 

 ***

Raquel V. Reyes writes stories with Latina characters. Her Cuban-American heritage, Miami, and the Caribbean feature prominently in her work. Raquel is a co-chair for SleuthFest. Her short stories appear in various anthologies, including Mystery Most Theatrical, Midnight Hour, and Trouble No More. Mango, Mambo, and Murder is the first in the Caribbean Kitchen Mystery series. Find her across social media platforms as @LatinaSleuths.