Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(68)

“But . . . how did he get back to KCOW to pick up his car?” Michelle asked.

Sally shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess he called a taxi.”

“I have to ask you a hard question, Sally,” Hannah addressed her directly. “Do you think that Pinkie was deranged enough to kill P.K.?”

Sally thought about that for a long moment, and then she sighed. “I just don’t know, Hannah. I thought about that. The argument was quite a while before P.K. died, but I guess it’s possible that Pinkie could have held a grudge against him that long. I know people do. And it could have kept building and building inside her until finally she was driven to take action.”





ALMOND CUSTARD PIE WITH RASPBERRY JAM GLAZE



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





The Crust:



1 and ? cups of crushed soda or Ritz Crackers (measure AFTER crushing)

6 Tablespoons (? stick) salted butter, melted

? cup brown sugar (pack it down when you measure it)





The Almond Custard:



? cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream (that’s whipping cream)

? cup smooth almond butter (I used Jif)

? cup white (granulated) sugar

? cup brown sugar (pack it down when you measure it)

4 large eggs



sweetened whipped cream to garnish pie slices

chopped, blanched almonds to garnish or fresh raspberries You will use a 9-inch pie plate for his recipe.





Mix the cracker crumbs, butter, and brown sugar thoroughly.





Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.





Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Then remove it from the oven, but DON’T TURN OFF THE OVEN.





Let the crust cool on a wire rack or a cold burner while you make the filling.





Combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan and bring it to a simmer.





Add the almond butter and allow it to sit for a minute. Then whisk it smooth.





In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until the mixture is fluffy and light yellow. This will form part of your custard mixture.





With the mixer running on LOW, add the hot milk mixture slowly to your bowl, mixing all the while.





Hannah’s 1st Note: If you add the hot milk mixture too fast, it may cook the eggs!





Set the pie crust on a drip pan (that’s any larger pan with sides).





Pour only HALF of the custard mixture into the crust. You will add the second half of the custard mixture once your pie is on the oven shelf.





Hannah’s 2nd Note: The unbaked pie may be difficult to carry to the oven without spilling it. If you pour half of the custard into the pie shell first, pull out the oven rack just a bit, stick in the pie and drip pan and THEN fill the pie with the rest of the custard mixture and carefully push in the oven rack, the custard mixture won’t spill on the way to the oven.





Bake your pie at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.





Test your pie while it’s still in the oven by inserting the blade of a table knife one inch from the center. (You may have to pull out the rack a bit to do this.)





Pull out the knife and if there is still milky liquid clinging to the blade, your pie needs at least 5 minutes more in the oven.





After the 5 minutes are up, test your pie with a clean table knife again. Repeat as often as necessary until the blade of the knife comes out clean.





When your pie has set, remove it from the oven and place it on a cold stove burner or a wire rack for 15 minutes. Don’t forget to shut off the oven.





When the time is up, refrigerate your pie until it is completely cold. (You can tell by feeling the bottom of the pie pan. If it’s still warm, your pie hasn’t been refrigerated long enough.)





When your Almond Custard Pie has thoroughly chilled, make the Raspberry Jam Glaze and pour it over the top of your pie. Then refrigerate it. When the pie and glaze are completely chilled, slice the pie. Garnish each slice with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped almonds or fresh raspberries if you desire.





(Raspberry Jam Glaze recipe can be found on the following page.)





Yield: This pie is very rich and delicious. I usually cut it into 8 pieces and serve it with plenty of strong, hot coffee.





RASPBERRY JAM GLAZE




1 cup seedless raspberry jam

? teaspoon dry unflavored gelatin (I used Knox)

? cup cold water





Hannah’s 1st Note: The original glaze was made with jelly, not jam. Jelly does not have pieces of fruit in it. I’ve modified it so that you can use either jam or jelly, which gives you a wider choice of flavors.