Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #2)

by Joanne Fluke

Strawberry Shortcake Swensen Serves 12 (or 6 if they ask for second helpings) To make this dessert, you will need: Pound Plus Cake*, three boxes of ripe strawberries, and a bowl of Hannah’s Whipped Crème Fraiche. (Pronounce it “Cremm Fresh” and everybody will think you speak French.) Pound Plus Cake Preheat oven to 325° F., rack in the middle position. 1 ½ cups softened butter (3 sticks) 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 cup sour cream (you can substitute unflavored yogurt for a lighter cake) ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups cake flour (DO NOT SIFT—use it right out of the box) Generously butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. (Don’t use Pam or spray shortening—it won’t work.) Cream softened butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. (You can mix this cake by hand, but it takes some muscle.) Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until they’re nice and fluffy. Then add the sour cream, baking powder and vanilla. Mix it all up and then add the flour, one cup at a time, and beat until the batter is smooth and has no lumps.

Pour the batter into the pans and bake at 325 degrees F. for 45 to 50 minutes. (The cakes should be golden brown on top.) Cool in the pans on a rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edges of the pans to loosen the cakes and turn them out on the rack. After the cakes are completely cool, wrap each one in plastic wrap, sealing tightly. Wrap these packages in foil and store them in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Take them out an hour before you serve, but don’t unwrap them until you’re ready to assemble the dessert.

The Strawberries (Prepare these several hours before you serve.) Wash 3 boxes of berries and remove stems. (The easiest way to do this is to use a paring knife to cut off the top part of the berry.) Slice all but a dozen or so, reserving the biggest and best berries to top each portion. Taste the berries and add sugar if they’re too tart. Stir and refrigerate, covered tightly. Hannah’s Whipped Crème Fraiche (This will hold for several hours. Make it ahead of time and refrigerate it.) 2 cups heavy whipping cream ½ cup white sugar ½ cup sour cream (you can substitute unflavored yogurt, but it won’t hold as well and you’ll have to do it at the last minute) ½ cup brown sugar (to sprinkle on top after you assemble the dessert) Whip the cream with the white sugar. When it holds a firm peak (test it by dipping in your spatula), fold in the sour cream. You can do this by hand or by using the slowest speed on the mixer. Assembling Strawberry Shortcake Swensen Cut each Pound Plus Cake into 6 pie-shaped wedges and place on dessert plates. Top with the sliced strawberries. Put several generous dollops of Crème Fraiche on top and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Garnish with the whole berries you reserved. Serve and receive rave reviews.

Apricot Bread Pudding Do not preheat oven yet. The bread pudding must settle for 30 minutes before baking. 8 slices of white bread (either homemade or “store bought”) ½ cup melted butter (1 stick—¼ pound) 1/3 cup white sugar ½ cup chopped dried apricots (not too fine, you want some chunks) 3 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork) 2 ¼ cups top milk* (you can use light cream or Half’n Half) Heavy cream, sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream for a topping Generously butter a 2-quart casserole. Remove the crusts from the bread and cut each slice into 4 triangles. (Just make an “X” with your knife.) Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and put in the bread triangles, tossing them lightly with a spoon until they’re coated with butter. Arrange approximately a third of the triangles in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle on a third of the sugar and half of the chopped apricots. Put down half of the remaining bread triangles, sprinkle on half of the remaining sugar, and add ALL of the remaining apricots. Cover with the rest of the bread triangles. Scrape the bowl to get out any butter that remains in the bottom of the bowl and put that on top. Sprinkle with the last of the sugar and set aside.

Whip up the eggs in the butter bowl and whisk in the light cream. Pour this over the top of the casserole and let it stand at room temperature for thirty minutes. (This gives the bread time to absorb the egg and cream mixture.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position. Bake the bread pudding uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes, until the pudding is set and the top is golden brown. Let it cool slightly (five minutes or so) and serve in dessert dishes with heavy cream, sweetened whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top. You can make this with any dried fruit, including currants or raisins. Andrea likes apricots, Mother prefers dates, and Michelle thought it was “yummy” with dried pears. We didn’t try it with prunes. Carrie Rhodes is the only person I know who likes prunes. (And I’m not going to comment on that!)

Oatmeal Raisin Crisps Preheat oven to 375° F., rack in the middle position. 1 cup melted butter (2 sticks—½ pound) 2 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up with a fork) 2 ½ cups flour (no need to sift) 1 cup raisins (either regular or golden, you choose) 2 cups GROUND dry oatmeal (measure before grinding) Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and mix. Then mix in the vanilla, salt, and the baking soda. When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the eggs. Add the flour and stir it all up. Then mix in the raisins. Prepare your oatmeal. (Use Quakers if you have it—the cardboard canister is useful for all sorts of things.) Measure out 2 cups and dump it in the food processor, chopping it with the steel blade until it’s the consistency of coarse sand. Dump it in your dough and mix it all up. (This dough will be fairly stiff.) Roll walnut-sized dough balls with your hands and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (If it’s too sticky to roll, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and try again.) Squish the dough balls down with a fork in a crisscross pattern (like peanut butter cookies).

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

COCOA SNAPS DO NOT preheat oven yet— dough must chill before baking. 1 ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks) 2 cups cocoa powder (unsweetened) 2 cups brown sugar 3 large eggs beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork) 4 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 cups flour (not sifted) ½ cup white sugar in a small bowl (for later) Melt butter and mix in cocoa until it’s thoroughly blended. Add brown sugar. Let it cool slightly, then mix in beaten eggs. Add soda, salt, and vanilla and stir. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (Overnight is fine, too.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. This dough may be sticky, so roll only enough for the cookies you plan to bake immediately, then return the bowl to the refrigerator. Roll the dough balls in the bowl of white sugar and place them on greased cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten them with a spatula (or the heel of your hand if the health board’s not around). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets for a minute or two and then remove the cookies to a wire

rack to finish cooling. (If you leave them on the cookie sheets for too long, they’ll stick.)

Hawaiian Flan Preheat oven to 350° F., rack in the middle position. 1 cup white sugar ½ cup water 6 eggs 1 can sweetened, condensed milk (don’t use evaporated—it won’t work) ¼ cup white sugar 1 ½ cups pineapple juice 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 small can crushed pineapple (well drained) Sweetened whipped cream topping (optional) Find an 8-inch-by-8-inch square pan (either metal or glass) or any other oven pan that will hold 6 cups of liquid. Do not grease or butter it. Simply have it ready, next to the stove top. Combine one cup of white sugar with a half cup of water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stirring at first, then swishing it around until the mixture turns golden brown. (This gets as hot as candy syrup so wear oven mitts.) Carefully, pour the syrup into the pan you’ve chosen and tip it to coat the bottom and the sides. This is your caramel sauce. (Be very careful. This is extremely hot.) Run water in the saucepan you used and set it in the sink. Then set the baking pan aside while you make the custard. (You may hear cracking noises as the caramel cools. Don’t worry. It’s the caramel cracking, not your pan.) Beat the eggs until they’re light yellow and thick. (This will take a while if you don’t have an electric mixer.) Add the sweetened condensed milk, the sugar, the salt, and the pineapple juice, and beat thoroughly. Get out a strainer and strain this mixture into your baking pan. Find a larger baking pan that will contain your custard pan with at least an inch to spa...

Molasses Crackles Do not preheat oven yet. Dough must chill before baking. 1 ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks—¾ pound) 2 cups white sugar ½ cup molasses (use Brer Rabbit green label or a very dark molasses) 2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork) 4 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons cinnamon * 1 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground is best) 4 cups flour (there’s no need to sift it) Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add sugar and molasses and stir. Let it cool slightly. Then add the beaten eggs, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring after each addition. Add flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each one. The dough will be quite stiff. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Overnight is fine too.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position. Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls. Put some sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it. Place them on a greased cookie sheet (12 to a standard sheet). Press them down just a little so they won’t roll off when you carry them to the oven.

Bake for 10–12 minutes. They’ll flatten out, all by themselves. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Molasses cookies freeze well. Roll them up in foil, put them in a freezer bag, and they’ll be fine for 3 months or so. (You’d better lock your freezer if you want them to last that long.)

Chocolate Highlander Cookie Bars Preheat oven to 350° F., rack in middle position. 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks, ½ pound) ½ cup powdered sugar (make sure there’s no big lumps) ¼ teaspoon salt 2 cups flour (no need to sift) 4 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork) 1 cup melted butter, cooled to room temp. (2 sticks, ½ pound) 1 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup flour (don’t bother to sift) 2 ½ cups chocolate chips (measure BEFORE they’re melted) 1/3 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar to sprinkle on top of the pan FIRST STEP: Cream butter with ½ cup powdered sugar and salt. Add flour and mix well. Pat it out in a greased 9-inch by-13-inch pan with your fingers. (That’s a standard cake pan.) Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes. That makes the shortbread crust. Remove from oven. (Don’t turn off oven!) SECOND STEP: Mix eggs with melted butter and white sugar. Add baking powder, salt, and flour, and mix thoroughly. (A hand mixer will do the job if you’re tired of stirring.) Melt the chocolate chips in a small double boiler, a pan over hot water on the stove, or nuke them for 3 minutes in

the microwave on high. (Be sure to stir—chips may maintain their shape even after they’re melted.) Add the melted chocolate chips to your bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture on top of the pan you just baked and tip the pan so it covers all of the shortbread crust. Stick it back into the oven and bake it for another 25 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and sprinkle on additional powdered sugar. Let it cool thoroughly and cut into brownie-sized bars. You can refrigerate these, but cut them before you do. (They’re pretty solid when they’re cold.)