Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #24)(15)

SPINACH SALAD WITH BACON AND SWEET CREAM DRESSING



12-ounce bag baby spinach ? pound regular sliced bacon (Don’t use thick-sliced bacon because it doesn’t crumble as well.)

? cup chopped red onion





Wash the baby spinach under cold water and remove the stems. (You can just pinch them off.)



Remove the spinach leaves to a strainer or colander to drip dry.



Fry the bacon slices until they are crispy.



Let the bacon cool on a bed of paper towels to absorb the grease. When they cook enough to handle, crumble them in a small bowl.



(Recipe for Sweet Cream Dressing follows this recipe.)



Hannah’s Note: You can use a prepared dressing if you don’t feel like making it from scratch, but it’s very simple if you want to make Michelle’s Sweet Cream Dressing. Any already prepared sweet dressing will work. Aunt Nancy says she sometimes uses honey mustard dressing, which is readily available in most grocery stores.



Pour the dressing you’ve made or chosen in the bottom of a large salad bowl.



Pat the baby spinach dry with paper towels and place it on top of the dressing in the salad bowl.



Scatter the bacon crumbles over the top of the spinach.



Scatter the chopped red onion over the bacon.



Place the salad bowl in the refrigerator. There’s no need to cover it if you plan to serve it in an hour or so. If you’ve made the salad earlier than that, cover it loosely with foil. If you cover it right away, the bacon won’t be crunchy any longer.



When it’s time to serve, simply mix the salad at the table and either leave it in the bowl so that the guests can serve themselves with salad tongs, or place each serving in salad bowls in the kitchen.





SWEET CREAM DRESSING



2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

1 Tablespoon white Karo syrup (you can substitute honey for the white Karo syrup)

1 teaspoon stone ground mustard teaspoon salt ? teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ? cup whipping cream





Put the 2 Tablespoons of raspberry vinegar in a small bowl.



Use a whisk to whisk in 1 Tablespoon of white Karo syrup (or honey).



Whisk until the white Karo syrup has been incorporated with the vinegar.



Add 1 teaspoon of stone ground mustard and whisk it in.



Whisk in the salt and the ground black pepper.



Pour in the heavy cream and continue to whisk until your dressing is smooth and creamy.



Yield: ? cup of sweet and creamy dressing that is especially good on spinach salads.





FRENCH BAKED BRIE WITH BREAD KNOTS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.



2 small rounds (each approximately 4 inches in diameter) of ripe Brie (I used President soft ripened Brie)

4 teaspoons Herbs Provencal 1 roll of refrigerated unbaked French bread (I used Pillsbury in the blue foil package)

2 ounces (? stick) salted butter





Prepare two 9-inch pie pans by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or covering the bottoms with a round of parchment paper cut to fit and then sprayed with nonstick baking spray.



Unwrap the Brie and use a sharp knife dipped in water to cut/peel off the top rind. (This is easier if you use a knife with a long, flat blade and keep rinsing it off in water.)



When the top rinds have been removed, sprinkle the top of each Brie with 1 teaspoon of Herbs Provencal.



Place your herbed Brie rounds in the center of the prepared pie pans, herbed side up.



Open the can of unbaked French bread and use a sharp knife to cut it into pieces that you can shape into 1-inch balls.



Roll the pieces into balls and place them on a piece of wax paper on the counter.



Place the salted butter in a shallow, microwave-safe bowl.



Heat the butter on HIGH in the microwave for 20 seconds to melt it. If the butter isn’t completely melted, heat it in additional 20-second intervals until it is.



The bowl may be hot, so use pot holders to remove it from the microwave and place it on a folded towel next to the pie pans with the herbed Brie rounds.



Using tongs, dip each bread dough ball into the melted butter and place the balls around the bases of the Brie rounds. (It’s okay if they touch each other.) Work until the Brie rounds are ringed with circles of bread dough balls.



Sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoons of Herbs Provencal over the tops of the bread dough balls.



Bake your Brie at 375 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bread dough balls have turned a nice golden brown.



Let your French Baked Brie With Bread Knots cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Then remove them using a large flat metal spatula and place them on a serving platter.



Yield: 2 delicious appetizers that will serve 8 to 10 guests.





CHICKEN IN CABERNET SAUCE

Made in a 4-quart slow cooker—must cook 7 hours or longer.