CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE with BRANDY SAUCE: Guest Post by Daryl Wood Gerber

My chocolate and mystery worlds collide again! Today I welcome back mystery author Daryl Wood Gerber. Agatha Award-winning Daryl Wood Gerber writes the French Bistro Mysteries as well as the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. Daryl also writes stand-alone suspense, which include the titles DAY OF SECRETS and GIRL ON THE RUN. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line! 

DARYL WOOD GERBER:

Hello, Janet’s fans. Thank you for letting me share a bit about my upcoming book as well as a delicious chocolate soufflé recipe. For those who don’t know me, I’m known for my culinary mysteries—currently, the French Bistro Mysteries. The first, A Deadly Éclair, came out in trade paperback in June. (It debuted in November 2017 in hardcover, e-book and audio). The second in the series, A Soufflé of Suspicion, will be on the shelves July 10.

Here’s a bit about A Soufflé of Suspicion:

The buoyant mood at Bistro Rousseau deflates when Chef Camille’s sister, Renee, turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen, and Mimi Rousseau must tease the real killer out of a mélange of menacing characters. 

Crush Week in Nouvelle Vie is a madhouse—in a good way. Tourists pour into town for the pressing of the Napa Valley’s world-renowned grapes and all the town’s businesses get a nice lift, including Bistro Rousseau and Maison Rousseau. Mimi is raising the ante this year with a Sweet Treats Festival, a wonderland of croissants, cakes, tarts, and soufflés crafted with expert care by the area’s top talents. Chef Camille’s sister Renee is managing the festival with a cast-iron fist, upsetting everyone, including her sister, which is bad for Camille when Renee turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen. Mimi is still building her business, so her first course of action is to whip up answers and catch the unsavory perpetrator before Camille takes a dusting and gets burned.

*

Of course, when I write the recipes for my books (oh, yes, there are recipes included), I do a lot of research. Over the years, I’ve become quite adept at making spinach soufflé and cheese soufflé, but I hadn’t tried my hand at many dessert soufflés. Well, let me tell you, I had a blast cooking and taste testing for this novel. The orange soufflés were quick favorites with my young grandsons. Personally, I’m partial to the salted caramel and chocolate soufflés. There’s something about dessert that makes me smile. I hope this recipe will make you smile, too. Don’t be upset if the soufflé deflates quickly. That’s to be expected. No matter what, the flavor will still be great. Enjoy.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE 
Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened (for buttering soufflé dishes)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (for dusting soufflé dishes)
3 1/2 ounces of semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons strong coffee
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
Gather and measure out all ingredients. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Set a rack at the lower level of the oven.

Coat four 8-ounce soufflé dishes with butter. Dust with sugar and dump out excess sugar. Set aside.

Place the chocolate and coffee in the small pan over the pot of simmering water. Cover and remove from heat, allowing the chocolate to melt while continuing with the recipe.

Measure the cornstarch into a 2-quart saucepan. Whisk in the milk to make a smooth cream. Continue whisking until all milk is added. Add the butter and stir over medium heat until boiling. Boil the mixture, stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and beat for another minute to cool slightly.

Now, one by one, whisk the egg yolks into the hot milk sauce. Then add the melted chocolate mixture. Then mix in the vanilla.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and salt in a mixer until soft peaks are formed. Sprinkle in the 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff shiny peaks are formed.

Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Pour the soufflé mixture into the prepared soufflé dishes and set on the rack in the lower level of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 24-28 minutes WITHOUT opening the oven door. Soufflé is still creamy in the center when a skewer comes out slightly coated. It is fully done and will stand up well when the skewer comes out clean. Either way is fine and is merely a matter of preference. (I prefer mine almost, but not quite completely done.)

When you first take the soufflé out of the oven, it will be VERY tall. It will deflate quickly. Don’t take offense. Let cool 10-15 minutes.

If desired, serve with brandy sauce.

BRANDY SAUCE 

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons brandy

Combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cream in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir the mixture over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Stir often. Cook 5 more minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the brandy.

Serve immediately, or cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until needed. To rewarm, microwave the uncovered sauce on low for about 1 minute. 

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A Deadly Eclair: Guest Post by Daryl Wood Gerber

I love when my Mystery and Chocolate worlds cross. Today I welcome back Agatha Award-winning Daryl Wood Gerber who writes the brand new French Bistro Mysteries as well as the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. A DEADLY ÊCLAIR, the first French Bistro Mystery, comes out this month. Daryl also writes stand-alone suspense: DAY OF SECRETS and GIRL ON THE RUN. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!  

Daryl Wood Gerber:
Mystery Food, um…no, that’s not quite right… 

To be honest, I had no idea that as a mystery writer I would need to be a “foodie”, let alone a cook. Luckily, I am both!

After writing the Cheese Shop Mysteries and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, I realized that writing mysteries with recipes is part of my “brand,” and so I continue with the French Bistro Mysteries.

Why did I choose to write about French food? I’m not French. I can barely speak French, although I did play a chanteuse on stage, way back when. Plus I’m not a chef by any stretch of the imagination. However, I am a pretty good cook and, honestly, I love a challenge.

I’ve set my new series in a darling French bistro, similar to a place my husband and I frequented when we first started dating. My protagonist’s name is Mimi Rousseau. Her mother and father are based on the two people who ran this lovely restaurant. Ah, yes. Writing this series has brought back fond memories!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought French food was difficult to make. Not true. There are some very basic, easy recipes. The five “mother” sauces are quite simple. Béchamel, Velouté, Hollandaise, Tomato, and Espagnole are their names. Four require roux—roux is typically made with flour, though Tomato, as created by Italians, does not use roux. Hollandaise sauce is egg-based.

Though French food might not be “difficult,” because it does use flour, and I need to eat gluten-free, it’s hard! However, like I said above, I like a challenge.

You’ll note that the title of my new mystery is A DEADLY ÉCLAIR. Yes, I did make an éclair for this book. Because this is a chocolate blog, I must share it with you.

And it’s gluten-free!! Can you believe it? The pastry was deliciously delicate. Note: you’ll want to eat the éclair the same day you make it. If you don’t want the pastry, the custard is terrific all by its lonesome. So is the chocolate glaze, which would be terrific on top of ice cream.

CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIR 

Gluten-free version (Makes 8-10) 

Custard filling:
2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Pastry: 
1 stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour (Cup for cup GF flour mixture * see below)
4 eggs, room temperature

Chocolate Glaze: 
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter

To make the filling: 
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside to let the vanilla’s richness infuse the milk.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain.

Add in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture and whisk until incorporated. Add in the remaining hot milk mixture and whisk. Reserve the saucepan (don’t wash).

Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Slowly boil until it thickens up.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cold unsalted butter. Let the mixture cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap. Lightly press the plastic against the surface so a skin won’t form.

Chill the custard at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. You can make this a day ahead. Remove from refrigerator for about an hour before using.

To make the pastry: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the boil butter, sugar, water and salt to a roiling boil. Remove from heat, and add gluten-free flour and stir briskly for 1 minute. It will become sleek and glossy.

Place dough in bowl of stand mixer (or hand mixer) and beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Then, while mixing, add 4 eggs one at a time. Let each egg absorb fully before adding the next. Keep mixing until the dough is smooth and sticky. It shouldn’t look lumpy.

This is where it gets messy! If you’re not a pro, don’t worry. Enjoy the fun. Put the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip. Pipe out the dough into logs on the parchment paper. The logs should resemble hot-dog buns. Leave two inches between them.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 20 minutes longer, until light golden brown. If they’re turning too brown around 15 minutes, turn off the oven but let them remain in the oven for the full time.

Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet. Pierce a few holes in the éclairs to let the steam out. Cool at least 10 minutes.

To make the chocolate glaze: 
Set the chocolate in a small bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on medium for 30 seconds. Stir then melt again on medium for about 15 seconds. If necessary, melt again for another 15 seconds. Do not overcook!

Add in the butter and stir until melted.

To assemble: 
Cut éclair pastry shells in half, lengthwise. I like to use pastry scissors for this.

Pour chocolate mixture onto a flat plate. Dip the top of the shell in chocolate. If necessary, use the back of the spoon to smooth the chocolate. Set the top half on a piece of parchment paper, chocolate side up, to cool. Chill 1 hour to set the glaze.

When ready, spoon the custard into the bottom half of the shell and place the chocolate shell on top!

Enjoy! If you like, you can wrap each individually, tightly in plastic wrap, insert into a freezer bag, and freeze. Defrost by letting them stand at room temperature.

Tips: 
Don’t own a pastry bag? That’s cool. Place the dough in a large Ziploc baggie and cut the corner to pipe. 

Dough too sticky? Put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes for better handling. 

FYI, pastries and cream can be made ahead of time, but éclairs should be assembled just before you eat them. 

MY CUP-FOR-CUP VERSION OF GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR: 

Makes 4 cups:
2 cups sweet rice flour
1 ¾ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup whey powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Stir together and store in a container; use as necessary in recipes. Replenish, as necessary.

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

Mimi Rousseau is throwing the bistro’s first wedding—the nuptials of a famous talk show host. She is sure things will go awry when the bride’s father shows up drunk to the out-of-towners’ dinner. By the end of the evening, things look sweet again…until the next morning, when her benefactor is found dead at the bistro with an éclair stuffed in his mouth. All fingers point at Mimi, whose loan is forgiven if he dies. It’s up to her to éclair—er, clear—her name before the killer turns up the heat.

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