The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss (26 page)

Wolf grinned at me. “I guess we both have. Thanks for understanding—about both things.”

“One last thing, Wolf. If Mitch hired Randy to kill Joe, then why did he ask me to find Joe?”

“Apparently he didn’t trust Randy. He wanted to see Joe’s body but Randy wouldn’t, couldn’t, tell him where it was. I gather Mitch was afraid to hire a professional because of his own involvement and thought you would lead him to Joe without involving the police. Woe to the killer who underestimates you, Sophie Winston!”

Wolf laughed and walked away, but I was okay. I took a couple of deep breaths, and opened the door, only to find Alex glaring at me.

Men!

I ignored his sour expression and hurried to the kitchen. “Coffee! I need coffee! Anyone else?”

Over lunch, I told my friends how close I had come to messing up the police investigation, omitting the part about the kiss, of course.

Natasha shook her head. “I’m shocked that no one murdered that Arnaud before. The man was nothing but a cheat and a thief.”

“A thief?” asked Nina. “Oh, you mean stealing from Cheryl and her family?”

“Cheryl? No, he cheated me. I met with him when he came to town because I was thinking about going into the chocolate business. I ordered special artisanal hand-dipped
chocolates from him. I paid him and everything, but they were never delivered.” She held up four fingers to emphasize her point. “Four times I had to call him and ask for them. I never did get them, and now he’s dead.”

Nina’s eyes met mine. “Your chocolates!” she exclaimed.

“The mystery chocolates in the unmarked boxes. They were delivered every day for five days.” I heaved a sigh of relief. “They were supposed to be delivered to your house?”

“
You
got them?” Natasha’s eyes flicked from Mars to me and back. “You two didn’t
eat
them, did you?”

“Why? What was in them?” I asked.

Natasha’s mouth twitched to the side. “Did you eat any?”

“No.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” she sagged with relief. “They were his aphrodisiac specialties. One or two of those chocolates, and he guaranteed a hot night. He has them delivered in unmarked boxes so no one will be the wiser.”

“You were going to feed me aphrodisiacs?” Mars sounded peeved.

“Don’t be silly.” Natasha flicked her hand at him but muttered to me, “Wouldn’t have been the first time. Where are they?”

“Most of them went to the lab to be analyzed, and the final box was stolen by Mitch, poisoned, then eaten by Randy, who died. The remaining one is in the possession of the police.”

“My chocolates? Now I’ll never get to try them!”

“As amusing and fascinating as this has been, I’d better get back to my office.” Alex scooted out of the banquette. “Could I have a quick word with you, Sophie?”

I cringed inside. Wolf wasn’t enough? Now I had to have the awkward conversation with Alex, too? Ugh.

I walked outside with him.

“I honestly don’t know what to do with you. I hate that you have Mars and Wolf in your life.”

We’d been through that before. I could see what was coming. The official dumping.

“Even worse, I cannot believe that you were whisked into the police van and then went to a safe house at two in the morning.”

Aargh. Even Wolf hadn’t chewed me out for that again.

“Yet, oddly enough, while part of me is completely appalled, another part of me finds you utterly fascinating. Which makes me worry about myself. There are so many women around who aren’t up to their necks in murder investigations. If I were smarter, I would date one of them. But it looks like I’m stuck on you, Sophie Winston. I’d like to think you feel the same way about me?”

Nina ran out of the house with Truffles, interrupting us. “I just got a call,” she wailed. “Someone is adopting Truffles. They’re on their way! I hardly had any time with her.”

At that moment, Kara ran up the street toward us. She knelt on the sidewalk and held out her arms. Truffles ran straight to her, wriggling with joy.

“I should have known,” said Nina. “A chocolate Lab for a chocolate family. What do you bet Truffles shows up on the Amore logo sometime?”

Alex slid his hand into mine. “I’m a sucker for a happy ending,” he said. “What do you say? Tonight, a picnic in the park? Just the three of us?”

“Three?”

“Don’t you want to bring Daisy?”

I gave him a little kiss, smack on the lips. And it wasn’t fake. It wasn’t a cover for anything. “Sounds wonderful. Daisy and I would love it. Just one thing—I think I’ve had enough chocolate for a while.”

He kissed me back.

1¼ cups strong espresso or coffee (3 tablespoons instant to 1¼ cup boiling water)

¼ cup Kahlúa (coffee liqueur)

4 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

½ cup Marsala wine

2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese

1½ cups heavy cream

2–3 packages of crisp ladyfingers (
savoiardi
)

1 square semisweet baking chocolate

1. Mix the coffee with the Kahlúa and set aside. Take the mascarpone out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

2. Find a bowl that fits on top of a pot. A double boiler would work, or just a bowl over a pot. Bring the water to a simmer. Beat the eggs over the simmering water about five minutes, until they are fluffy. Add the sugar and the Marsala wine and whisk over the simmering water for about 8 minutes. It will almost double in size and be quite thick.

3. In another large bowl, use a spoon to mash the mascarpone cheese against the sides to soften it. Don’t skimp on this step. Mash and stir until it’s creamy. Pour the egg mixture into it and combine until smooth.

4. Whip the cream and fold it into the egg and mascarpone mixture.

5. Briefly dip each ladyfinger into the coffee mixture and place in the pan, lining them up so that the pan is covered. Pour half the creamy mixture over them and spread. Repeat with a second layer.

6. Use a grater or vegetable peeler to shave the semisweet chocolate over the top as decoration. Refrigerate several hours, preferably overnight.

1½ cups flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1 cup hot water

2 eggs

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch baking pans. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Melt the butter with the unsweetened chocolate in the microwave on short bursts. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water. Beat the eggs with the dark brown sugar and oil. Alternate adding flour and water. Beat in the melted chocolate and butter. Divide evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 20 minutes or until the edge begins to pull away and a cake tester comes out clean.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

½ cup softened butter

3 cups powdered sugar

Vanilla extract to taste

Heavy cream

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add vanilla. Add cream by the tablespoon until desired consistency is achieved.

1½ cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup walnuts

2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1–2 zucchini)

1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso

2 teaspoons warm water

½ cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter plus extra for greasing pan

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter. In a food processor, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and walnuts. Pulse until the walnuts have disappeared. Pour out into a bowl and set aside. Use the shredding disk in the food processor to shred the zucchini. Set aside.

Dissolve the coffee in the water. Cream the butter with the sugars, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the coffee and the vanilla, and beat. Slowly add the flour mixture. The batter will be thick. Mix in the zucchini and stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45–50 minutes. Cool on a baking rack. When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

2 cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso

2 cups boiling water

1 stick (8 ounces) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch baking pans.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stir to mix well, and set aside.

Pour the boiling water over the sugar and coffee. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Place the butter and baking chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot liquid over them. Stir until dissolved and set aside.

Lightly beat the three eggs. Add the vanilla and beat briefly. Alternate adding chocolate mixture and the flour mixture until combined. Pour into prepared pans. Bake 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

9×13-inch baking dish

Butter for greasing

1 loaf challah

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup heavy cream

3½ cups milk (can use nonfat)

4 large eggs

4 tablespoons bourbon (1 airline-sized bottle)

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Tear the challah into pieces and place in a large bowl.

2. Combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt, and whisk together. Stir in the heavy cream and the milk. In another
bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Whisk them into the cocoa mixture. Add the bourbon, give a final stir with the whisk, and pour half of it over the bread. Turn the bread until it is all coated. Set aside for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease the pan. Pour the bread into the pan along with any liquid at the bottom. Spread the bread in the pan. Scatter the chocolate chips over the bread. Pour the remaining chocolate mixture over top and bake for 20 minutes.

4. Turn the heat down to 275 degrees and bake another 10 minutes or until the middle is firm and a cake tester comes out clean.

Serve with a traditional vanilla sauce or whipped cream. Or enjoy plain.

2 sticks butter (melted)

2 cups flour

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cups sugar

1¼ cup dark brown sugar

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1½ teaspoons vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in the microwave at half power in short bursts.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.

Beat the egg and egg yolk with the sugars. Add the cooled melted butter, alternating with the flour mixture. Add the vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips.

I prefer to use parchment paper, but a lightly greased baking sheet works just as well. Drop the raw dough on the sheet in generous spoonfuls a couple of inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10–12 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack when done.

If you don’t want to bake them all right away, roll the remaining dough in waxed paper and slide into a freezer bag. When ready to bake, slice in inch thick rounds and cut each round in half. Bake at 350 degrees for 10–12 minutes.

¾ cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons hot water

¼ teaspoon instant coffee

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

In the microwave, melt the chocolate in short bursts (about 30–40 seconds), stirring in between until melted and smooth. Set aside.

Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or grease thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water.

Cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in one egg at a time. Slowly beat in the flour mixture and add the vanilla. Beat in the cooled chocolate and the coffee. Bake 25 minutes or until the middle is just set and doesn’t jiggle.

CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING

Note: This frosting works well on brownies as well as cakes. For an 8×8 pan, you may wish to make half the recipe.

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

¼ cup butter plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened

¾ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2–3 cups powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate chips with ¼ cup butter in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. When smooth, set aside to cool. Beat in the sour cream, 1 tablespoon of butter, and vanilla until smooth, and add powdered sugar to desired consistency.

Please note: The flavor of truffles depends heavily on the quality of the chocolate. I recommend using a bittersweet or semisweet Belgian chocolate.

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

½ cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons liqueur, optional (Kahlúa, Grand Marnier, or Chambord)

Unsweetened powdered cocoa (or finely chopped nuts)

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Heat the cream until almost boiling. Pour over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Refrigerate. If using liqueur, stir in after the chocolate cools but before it begins to set.

After two hours, set out a tray or large plate with cocoa powder or finely chopped nuts. Take a small scoop of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a ball. Roll around in the cocoa or nuts until covered. Place on a tray. Repeat until all the truffles have been made. Chill until set.