Wedding Cake Murder (20 page)

“Yes, but the cookie competition will be better. You don’t have to decorate those.”

“True. I know Ross was busy, but did you get a chance to say good-bye to him before you left?”

“Yes. He’s going to come over for breakfast early tomorrow morning before he goes to work. He said he’d be at the condo by six. I thought I’d make something easy, like pancakes.”

“I’ll make Breakfast Puffs,” Michelle offered. “One of my roommates gave me a recipe from her mother, and I’ve been dying to try it. She said they’re like doughnuts, except better.”

“That sounds good.” Hannah smiled at her. “But only if you’re sure you don’t mind getting up that early.”

“I don’t mind at all. Besides, you should sleep in tomorrow. I’ll get you up in time to take a shower and get dressed before Ross comes over. And then we’ll drive out to Sally’s for our seven o’clock practice time.”

“Seven o’clock?” Hannah was surprised. “But the kitchen will be crowded with staff if Sally’s serving her breakfast buffet.”

“I asked her about that, and she said she switched everything around so that all the contestants got time to practice. They’re setting up an omelet station, a pancake station, and a waffle station in the dining room. And they’re doing the cooking right there. She’s having a table with pastry and muffins, a station for tea and coffee, and a carving station for ham and turkey. Dick’s doing all kinds of sausages on their portable grill. Sally’s locking the kitchen and drawing the curtains so that none of the contestants will be disturbed during their practice times.”

“Are we the first contestants to practice?”

“Yes. Practice times run from seven in the morning to two in the afternoon. That’s an hour to practice and a half hour to clean up.”

“How about lunch? Won’t Sally and her staff need to get into the kitchen to prepare that?”

Michelle shook her head. “She’s serving sandwiches and soups for lunch. And there’ll be a table for desserts. That’s the way she planned it for practice days. On competition days, the kitchen will be open for business for breakfast and lunch, but dinner will be early, from four-thirty to six. And after the competition is over for the night, she’ll serve a late supper to anyone who stays for it.”

“That sounds like a lot of work for Sally and Dick.”

“It is, but Sally says it’ll be worth it as far as their business is concerned. While the film crew is here, they’re going to film a series of commercials for the Lake Eden Inn, and the Food Channel is going to run them for a solid two months for free.”

“National publicity.” Hannah turned to smile at the waitress, who’d arrived with their burgers and fries.

“Anything else, Hannah?” the waitress asked.

“Not for me, thank you.”

The waitress turned to Michelle. “How about you, Michelle?”

“Not right now, thanks. Maybe . . . dessert later?”

The waitress laughed. “Didn’t you even get to taste that great-looking cake that Hannah baked?”

“Uh . . . actually, yes. But that was in rehearsal. It was really good.”

“It looked good on TV. We had it on here, and I watched you two on my break. Congratulations!”

“Thank you,” Hannah responded, and the waitress hurried off. “Mystery solved,” she told Michelle.

“What mystery?”

“I was wondering how she knew our names when I couldn’t remember ever meeting her before.”

“You’d better get used to it,” Michelle said, picking up her burger with both hands. “Maybe you’re not classically trained like the other dessert chefs, but you’re about to become a national celebrity around here.”

BREAKFAST PUFFS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 large egg

1 cup cream cheese, softened

¾ stick salted butter
(3 ounces)

½ cup white
(granulated)
sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg
(freshly grated is best)

½ cup cold milk

1 and ¼ cups flour
(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

——————

¾ stick salted butter, melted
(3 ounces)

½ cup white
(granulated)
sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Spray the inside of a pan of 12 regular-size muffin cups with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Beat the egg until it is light and fluffy.

Unwrap the cream cheese and the butter, and place both in a microwave-safe bowl.

Soften by heating the cream cheese and butter in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the bowl sit in the microwave for another minute and then try to stir the mixture smooth. If you cannot stir it smooth, microwave in 30-second increments with 30-second standing times until you can stir it smooth.

Add the cream cheese and butter mixture to the beaten egg. Mix until everything is well combined.

Add the white sugar and mix it in.

With the mixer running on LOW speed, mix in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg until everything is thoroughly incorporated.

With the mixer still running on LOW speed, mix in half of the cold milk and half of the flour. Mix until well combined.

Add the rest of the milk and the rest of the flour. Mix thoroughly.

Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them
full.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and they have puffed up to fill the muffin cups.

When your Breakfast Puffs are approximately 5 minutes from done, place the second ¾ stick of salted butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl. Melt it on HIGH for 30 seconds.

While the butter is melting, place the white sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl and mix them together with a fork.

Prepare a towel-lined basket to use for serving your Breakfast Puffs.

When your Breakfast Puffs are golden brown on top and the time is up, turn them out on a cookie sheet or a bread board, and dip them, one by one, into the melted butter. Immediately roll the puff in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and place it in the towel-lined basket you prepared for serving.

Repeat, working quickly, with one puff at a time, until all 12 puffs have been dipped in butter and rolled in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Serve immediately. They’re best eaten hot.

Yield: 12 light and delicious Breakfast Puffs.

Hannah’s Warning: If you invite Mike for breakfast and you don’t have eggs, or sausage, or anything else to go with the puffs, you’d better make two or three pans.

Chapter Fifteen

“T
hese Breakfast Puffs are great, Michelle!” Ross took another from the basket, broke it open, and spread on more salted butter. “My cholesterol level’s probably through the roof, but I can’t seem to stop eating them.”

“That’s because they’re so good,” Hannah told him, giving her sister a smile. “Would you like more coffee?”

“That would be great.” Ross glanced at his watch. “I’ve got time for one more cup before I have to hightail it out to the station. P.K.’s meeting me at seven.” He slipped his arm around Hannah and gave her a little hug. “Are you two rehearsing in Sally’s kitchen this morning?”

Michelle pushed back her chair and stood up. “Yes. We’re supposed to be there at seven. We drew names and I got the first slot.”

“So that means the rest of your day is free?” Ross turned to Hannah to ask the question.

“Yes, and no. We’ll be helping out at The Cookie Jar, but we also have to figure out how we’re going to present our cookies to the judges.”

“Present?” Ross looked a bit confused. “You’re not going to pass a platter to the judges?”

“No. Everyone will do that, and Michelle and I want to be different. I think we’ll serve a coffee drink with our cookies.”

“Something with a liqueur in it,” Michelle explained. “There are all sorts of great dessert coffee drinks.”

“We just have to choose which one goes best with the cookies,” Hannah told him.

Ross smiled. “That’s a good idea. Your cookies are special, but a coffee drink would make them even more special.”

“That’s what we thought. The judges liked it when we served coffee with our wedding cake,” Hannah said.

“They
loved
it. Your coffee was a big hit with them. I’ve got a shot of Chef Duquesne drinking his third cup. And P.K. got some great footage of you cutting the cake. And that reminds me . . . the cookies you’re baking aren’t as colorful as the wedding cake, are they?”

Hannah shook her head. “No, they’re not. That’s one of the reasons why we want to pair them with a coffee drink.”

“Excuse me a second,” Michelle said, walking toward the kitchen door. “I’m just going to get my jacket. We’ve got to get on the road before we’re late for our practice time.”

Ross stood up and so did Hannah. He pulled her close to him and said, “You did great last night. I think you’re going to be the grand winner, Cookie.”

Hannah smiled. It was good that Ross had such faith in her, and there was no way she wanted to disappoint him. “I hope you’re right,” she told him, “but there are a lot of really good contestants and they’ve all been classically trained. I’m just a home baker.”

“That may be true, but I think you’re better than any of them.”

“Thank you.” Hannah hugged him, but then she pulled away to look up, into his face. “Will you be terribly disappointed in me if I’m not the grand winner?”

“Of course not!” Ross leaned down and kissed her. “I love you, Hannah. Even if you don’t win, you’ll always be
my
grand prize.”

* * *

Hannah was thoughtful as she zipped down the highway toward the Lake Eden Inn. “I think I’ll bring a dozen of our practice cookies home so Ross can have them for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Good idea.”

“And I’ll leave the rest of the dough in the walk-in cooler so Sally can use it for her lunch buffet.”

“
Not
a good idea.” Michelle shook her head. “Nobody should be able to taste what you’re baking until after you present it to the judges.”

“But I don’t want to throw out the dough!”

“Of course not. You can take it home with you and put it in your freezer. And then you can use it at The Cookie Jar
after
you find out how it does in the competition.”

“You’re probably right.” Hannah shivered and turned up the heater on her old Suburban. It was cold this morning, and it was starting to snow. It was definitely time to get out her winter parka. As she drove, huge, wet flakes of snow splattered against her windshield.