Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(69)

Measure out one cup of seedless raspberry jam and place it in the bowl of a food processor.





Process the jam with the steel blade until it is smooth and completely pureed.





Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the dry, unflavored gelatin over the cold water. Let it stand for 1 minute.





Stir and let stand another 10 minutes. This will allow it to “bloom.”





Hannah’s Note: When gelatin “blooms,” it means that soaking the gelatin in liquid will cause it to become tender and dissolve more readily. Both sheet gelatin and dry gelatin granules will usually “bloom” in any liquid.





Mix the gelatin and water mixture with the pureed raspberry jam in a small saucepan.





Cook the mixture over MEDIUM heat until it bubbles, stirring the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon or a heat resistant rubber spatula.





Pour the Raspberry Jam Glaze over the cooled Almond Custard Pie and refrigerate it until the glaze has set.





Chapter Twenty-one


Sally paused at the open door to the convention floor so that all three of them could drink in the scene. Then she turned back to them. “Do you like it?”

“It’s stunning,” Hannah told her, gazing at the giant Christmas tree in the center of the food court. Round tables with red and green tablecloths were set up on the length of the center space, and there was a white picket fence, decorated with colored Christmas lights, defining the rectangle that was designated as the food court. Statues of reindeer and elves were placed along the inside of the fence, and there was a golden throne at one end with a sign announcing the hours that Santa Claus would be there.

“Very impressive,” Norman said, walking over to examine one of the statues. “Where did you get these, Sally? I’d like to get a couple to decorate my front lawn for Christmas.”

“They’re from a place called Christmas Joy. It’s located in Avon and they delivered the statues and set them up for me. Take a look at their website. I’ll give you the address before you leave. The statues are sturdy and they’re indoor-outdoor and they’re okay up to thirty below. I thought I’d put a few of them outside when the convention’s over.”

“I love the throne,” Michelle said. “Who’s playing Santa this year?”

“Gene Hickman from Jordan High. He’s been playing Santa out here for the past two years, and all the kids love him.” She motioned them forward. “Come with me and I’ll show you your booth.”

Hannah was amazed when she saw their booth. The Cookie Jar was spelled out in letters made of linked candy canes and the outside was decorated with garlands and lights. The inside was lined with counters and shelves, and two giant coffeepots sat close to the front service window, but not so close that someone could touch them and burn themselves. There were brightly colored cardboard cutouts of Christmas trees, holly, snowflakes, reindeer, and Christmas stars tacked on the walls, and a giant wreath with red and green bells hung in the center, above the service window.

“It’s beautiful, Sally!” Hannah smiled happily. “I might just move in here and forget about going back to The Cookie Jar.”

“Brooke and Loren decorated it. They helped to set everything up yesterday.”

A man waved from the doorway, and Sally motioned him in. “Come over and meet your new neighbors, Gary,” she called out to him.

The man hurried over to Sally with a friendly smile on his face. “These two ladies are the Swensen sisters, Hannah and Michelle. And this is Norman Rhodes. They’re manning The Cookie Jar booth.” She turned back to Gary. “And this is Gary Fowler. He’s taking care of his sister’s booth, and it’s the one on your right.”

“Hello, Gary,” Hannah greeted him. While Norman and Michelle did the same, she turned to look at Gary’s booth. It was filled with Christmas decorations of every type conceivable. “You have a lot of product,” she said.

“My sister has a lot of product,” he corrected her. “She’s in the hospital and couldn’t be here so I volunteered to take over for her.”

“That’s nice of you,” Michelle commented, walking over to look at a little toy rocking horse. “This is really cute.”

“I think she told me that it was a replica of a Swedish horse, or maybe it was Norwegian. It’s homemade.”

“She made this?” Michelle was surprised. “It’s really beautiful.”

“She didn’t make it,” Gary told them. “My sister’s selling the horses for the man who made them. That’s what she does. She sells things on consignment that other people make.”

“Are all the decorations homemade?” Norman asked him.

“Yes. She doesn’t handle anything commercial.”

“I’ll be here helping Hannah and Michelle. When I take a break, I’ll come to look at your decorations. I’m decorating for Christmas this year and I don’t have a thing.”

“Drop by anytime. I’ll give you a discount if you buy more than five things.” He turned to Sally. “I’d like to stay and talk, but I’d better continue unpacking. I didn’t get a chance to finish it today.” He smiled at them. “I’ll see you all on Friday.”