Saving Scott (Kobo) (40 page)

Grand Marnier
Truffles

Recipe courtesy of
Mark Carter

Ingredients:

1 pound high quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine (a
food processor works well)

1 c heavy cream

Zest and juice of one orange

1 ounce Grand Marnier™ or other liqueur

Cocoa powder for dusting/coating truffles

In a heavy saucepan, bring the cream and zests to a boil.
Add the chocolate and mix thoroughly but slowly until fully incorporated. Add
the orange juice and liqueur. Pour into a shallow pan (lasagna-type) and cover
with plastic wrap making certain that plastic comes in contact with the
chocolate mass. Allow to sit overnight in a cool location. If the weather is
too warm, you may refrigerate it and then bring it back to room temperature the
next day.

The chocolate mixture should now be firm yet pliant. Using a
pastry bag without a tip, evenly pipe out small amounts, about the size of a
Hershey’s Kiss onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.
You can pipe a small amount of the mixture onto the corners of the pan before
lining with the parchment paper to help keep it from lifting. If you don’t have
a pastry bag, you can also spoon them out into small balls. It’s OK if they are
irregularly shaped and sized. Refrigerate until very firm.

To assemble the truffles, sift the cocoa powder into a
second shallow pan. Place the chilled truffles next to the cocoa pan and have
another empty container to the other side of the cocoa pan. Pick up one of the
truffles and gently roll it between the palms of your hand until it is roughly
spherical. Drop it into the cocoa. Continue doing this until you have almost
filled the cocoa pan with truffles. Gently shake the cocoa pan so that the
truffles roll around in the cocoa, which will enable them to be completely
coated.

With clean hands (or a second person) lift the truffles out
of the cocoa and “sift” them between your fingers in order to remove excess
cocoa. Place the truffles onto/into the third pan. When you have finished coating
all of the truffles, the pan should be covered and refrigerated until ready to
use.

***

The prize-winning
recipes from Ashley’s brownie bakeoff

Grand Prize

Double Chocolate
Cream Cheese Brownies

Recipe courtesy of
Janet Rudolph,
Dying for Chocolate

Brownies

1/2 c sweet butter, room temperature

4 ounces high quality dark chocolate (60-75% cacao,
fair-trade), coarsely chopped

1 c sugar

1 t Madagascar vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 c all purpose flour

Pinch of Salt

1/2 c dark high quality dark chocolate (65-75% cacao,
fair-trade), chopped into smallish chunks (
or chocolate chips
)

Cream Cheese Layer

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 c sugar

1 t Madagascar vanilla extract

1 large egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

1. Line 9 x 9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil
across the bottom and up two opposite sides of pan.

2. In top of double boiler, or saucepan over a saucepan of
simmering water, melt butter with chocolate.

3. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each with a
spoon.

5. Stir in flour and salt and beat until batter is smooth
and glossy (
about a minute
).

6. Remove 1/2 cup of brownie batter and set aside.

7. Fold Chocolate Chunks into remainder of brownie batter.

8. Pour batter evenly into bottom of prepared pan.

9. Using mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar,
vanilla, and egg and process just until smooth.

10. Spread cream cheese mixture over brownie layer.

11. Spoon small clumps of reserved brownie batter on top of
the cream cheese filling.

12. With knife, swirl two batters without mixing them (don’t
overswirl).

13. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until brownies
start to pull away from sides of pan and edges just begin to brown.

14. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

15. Refrigerate brownies until firm enough to cut into
squares (two hours).

16. Remove brownies from pan by lifting ends of aluminum
foil and transfer to cutting board. Cut into squares.

***

Second Place

Triple Chocolate Pecan Brownies -
Makes 2 dozen

Recipe courtesy of Brittiany and Michael Koren

Ingredients:

2 squares
of unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped (1 oz. each)

2 squares
of semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (1 oz. each)

1/2 c
margarine

1 c
all-purpose flour

1/2 t of
salt

1/4 t
baking powder

1 1/2 c
sugar

3 eggs

1 t
vanilla

1/3 c
sour cream or vanilla yogurt

1/2 c
chopped pecans

3/4 c
semisweet mini-chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat
oven to 350 degrees.

Melt
chocolate squares and margarine together. Stir until smooth.

Combine
flour, salt, baking powder in bowl and set aside.

Beat
sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl, then add in chocolate mixture and stir.
Once smooth, add in flour mixture, then stir in sour cream first, then pecans
and mini-chocolate chips. Mix until well-blended.

Pour into
a well-greased 13 x 9 inch pan (glass/ceramic preferred). Bake 25-30 minutes or
so, depending on your individual oven and type of pan. Let cool 7 minutes, then
cut into brownie squares. For special occasions, serve with vanilla ice
cream, whipped cream, and your choice of hot fudge or caramel topping.

***

Third Prize

Caramel Brownies

Recipe courtesy
Mollie Smith

Ingredients:

1 pkg German chocolate cake mix

3/4 c melted butter

1 (5oz) can evaporated milk

6 oz chocolate chips

50 caramels, unwrapped (1 bag)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Blend cake mix, melted butter, and 1/3 cup evaporated milk.
Put half of the batter into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 6
minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately pour chocolate chips over
batter. Melt the caramels in remaining evaporated milk. Pour caramel over
chocolate chips.

The remaining batter will be very stiff. Using your hands, “patty
cake” the batter into little “mud pies” and place in parts over caramel.

Bake 15-20 minutes more. Wait at least 2 hours before
cutting.

***

I have to give credit to some awesome people who have been
indispensible in getting this book written. The saying might be, “Write what
you know?” but in reality, it’s, “Write what you can get others to help you
with if you don’t know it.”

I thank my critique partners, Karla Brandenburg and Steve
Pemberton for your keen eyes and insights. I thank Dan and Jessica Odell for
letting me run ideas past you. You’re the best.

To Lee Lofland, CJ Lyons, Josh Moulin, Tom Stroup, Wally
Lind and the gang at Yahoo’s crimescenewriters—you’re always there for me. To Amy
Daraghy—thanks for your Oregon assistance and making Maggie so knowledgeable
about tea.

Another special group to thank, for their willingness to
share recipes with Ashley so she could share them with you: Lelo Carter, Janet
Rudolph, Brittiany and Michael Koren, Mollie Smith, and the Odells who have
kept Grandma Lena’s chocolate cake alive. And extra special thanks to Mark
Carter who not only provided recipes, but answered countless questions about
running a bakery.

And of course, thanks to my editor, Brittiany Koren and to
my cover artist, Dave Fymbo. Your patience is extraordinary, and the product is
better for it.

As always, don’t blame any of the above for anything I got
wrong. Errors are mine, whether they’re inadvertent, or because I take
liberties for the sake of the story. It IS fiction, after all.

Terry Odell began writing by mistake, when her son mentioned
a television show and she thought she’d be a good mom and watch it so they’d
have common ground for discussions.
Little did she know she would enter the world of writing, first via fan fiction,
then through Internet groups, and finally with groups with real, live partners.
Her first publications were short stories, but she found more freedom in longer
works and began what she thought was a mystery. Her daughters told her it was a
romance so she began learning more about the genre and craft. She belongs to
both the Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.

Now a multi-published, award winning author, Terry resides
with her husband in the mountains of Colorado. You can find her online at:

Her website -
http://terryodell.com
Her blog -
http://terryodell.com/terrysplace
Facebook -
http://www.facebook.com/terry.odell
Twitter -
http://twitter.com/authorterryo