A RECIPE OR TWO... For the first six mysteries in the series, everyone seemed content to let Desiree Shapiro do her cooking between the book covers. Then someone at my publisher's decided that since Desiree is a gourmet cook (or so she claims), all of the novels should include an original recipe—which, naturally, she, Desiree, wasn't able to supply. But protesting that I didn't have her culinary talents failed to convince anyone to abandon the idea. Don't get me wrong, though. I like to cook, and eating is one of my favorite things. But most of the dishes I prepare come straight out of a recipe book. From Murder Can Spoil Your Appetite on, however, I've been spending a lot more time in the kitchen, experimenting. I've also pestered friends and relatives to share their favorite recipes. I even persuaded a restaurant my husband and I used to frequent (until the landlord turned the building into condominiums) to part with the "how to" for an appetizer they served that I dearly love. I hope you find something here that you'll enjoy. Or better yet, more than one something. HORS D'OEUVRES AND APPETIZERS Wild Mushroom Croustades (From Murder Can Rain on Your Shower) For toast shells: 15 slices white bread butter Lightly flatten bread slices with palm of hand, then trim away crusts. Using a cutter about 2-1/2 inches in diameter, cut 2 rounds in each slice. Coat cups of a mini muffin pan with butter, and press bread rounds into cups. Bake at 400º for 8-10 minutes or until shells turn a little golden. Set aside to cool. For filling: 4T butter 3T shallots, finely chopped 2-1/2 cups stemmed shiitake mushrooms (approx. 9 oz.),    finely chopped 2 level T flour 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste pinch of cayenne 1-1/2T chopped chives 1T chopped parsley 1/2 tsp. lemon juice grated Parmesan cheese Melt butter in skillet and add shallots. Cook, stirring constantly, for about four minutes without allowing shallots to brown. Add mushrooms and mix well. Cook for ten minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Stir in the cream. Return to heat and, stirring continuously, bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a minute or two before removing from heat. Then add the salt, cayenne, chives, parsley, and lemon juice. Transfer mixture to a covered bowl and refrigerate until shortly before serving time. Stir mixture, fill toast cups, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350º for ten minutes. Serve hot. Makes 30. NOTE: The toast shells freeze well for filling at a later date. The filled, baked croustades can also be frozen. Reheat these at 350º for ten to fifteen minutes just before serving. Casa Mia's Funghi Alla Graticola (From Murder Can Mess Up Your Mascara) Manhattan's now defunct—and sorely missed—Casa Mia restaurant was kind enough to give me the recipe for this appetizer. It's so easy—and so good! 2 large portobello mushrooms (about 6" in diameter) extra virgin olive oil balsamic vinaigrette 6-8 leaves of radicchio 4 thin slices of fontina cheese (approximately 1/8 lb.) For vinaigrette: 3T extra virgin olive oil 2T balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning 1 small clove of garlic, minced salt and pepper to taste Stem mushrooms and cut into thin strips (about 1/4-inch wide). Brush with olive oil and broil about seven minutes or until soft. Meanwhile: Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together. Arrange a bed of radicchio leaves, torn into bite-size pieces, on a serving dish. When mushroom strips are soft, cover with fontina cheese, and broil one or two minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Transfer to the prepared dish. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve immediately. Serves 4. ENTRÉES Eggplant Parmigiana (From Murder Can Upset Your Mother) 1 large eggplant (about 1-3/4 lbs). 4 eggs, beaten 1-1/2 cups packaged bread crumbs 1 cup (or more) olive oil 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 8 oz. mozarella cheese, cubed Sauce recipe below or about 3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce For eggplant: Cut eggplant crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Dip first in egg, then in bread crumbs. Sauté slices in hot oil until golden brown; dry with paper towels. Lightly cover bottom of baking dish with sauce. Spread layer of eggplant, sprinkle with Parmesan, top with mozarella, and cover with sauce. Repeat until all eggplant is used, topping last layer of sauce with mozarella. Bake 1/2 hour in 350° oven or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. For sauce: 5-6T olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes 2 cups water 2 six-oz. cans tomato paste 2T sugar 2 rounded T salt pinch of onion salt pinch of cayenne freshly ground pepper, dried oregano, and basil to taste Sauté garlic in hot oil until golden. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer one hour, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-6. NOTE: I think this dish tastes better when completely baked, then re-baked the following day, or else baked, frozen, then re-baked whenever. But maybe that's just me. Orange Chicken with Almonds (From Murder Can Cool Off Your Affair) 2T slivered almonds Small amount of butter 1/3 cup orange juice 2 tsp. honey 1T soy sauce 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger 1-1/2 tsp. arrowroot or cornstarch 2 tsp. vegetable oil 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2T sliced scallions, white part only 1/2T fresh orange peel, slivered 1 lb. chicken breast, boned and skinned, cut into 1" x 2-1/2" pieces Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1-1/2T chopped scallions, green part only Sautè almonds in butter until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Whisk next 5 ingredients in a small bowl until mixture is smooth and set aside. Over high flame, heat oil in wok or large skillet. Add garlic, white part of scallions, and orange peel. Stir-fry one minute. Add chicken and stir-fry until chicken loses its pink color—about 3 minutes. Stir orange-juice mixture and add to wok. Stir-fry until liquid has thickened and chicken is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, then add green part of scallions. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Serves 2 and can be doubled. Veal Scaloppine with Mushrooms and Ham (From Murder Can Run Your Stockings) 1-1/2 lb. veal scaloppine, sliced very thin clove of garlic, cut in half flour for dredging 1/4 cup butter 1/3 cup cooked ham, cut into very narrow strips    (about 1/2" by 1/8") 3/4 lb. mushrooms, thinly sliced salt to taste (approximately 1/2 to 3/4 tsp.) dash of pepper 1/2 cup dry white wine 1-1/2 tsp. lemon juice snipped parsley Rub veal with the cut garlic, then coat each side well with flour. In a large skillet, heat butter over a high flame until hot. Add the veal slices, a few at a time, and sauté until golden brown. (About a minute on each side should be enough.) Remove from pan. Put the ham strips in the skillet and give them a few quick turns. Remove. Lower flame. Return scaloppine to skillet and heap ham and mushrooms on top. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add the wine. Cover skillet and cook over very low heat for about 20 minutes or until fork-tender, checking occasionally to be sure veal is moist. If needed, add water (a tablespoon or two). Just before serving sprinkle with lemon juice and parsley. Serves 6. NOTE: It's not a bad idea to pound the veal a little yourself, so it's really thin. GO-WITH(S) Sweet Potato Casserole (From Murder Can Botch Up Your Birthday) About 2 lbs. sweet potatoes 4T sweet butter, softened 1/4 cup heavy cream 1T Kahlua Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Miniature marshmallows Scrub potatoes, then cut a small, deep slit in the top of each. Bake on center rack of a preheated 375º oven for about 1 hr. or until potatoes are fork tender. In food processor fitted with steel blade, combine flesh of potatoes, butter, and cream. Process until very smooth. Add Kahlua and season to taste with salt and pepper. Process briefly to blend. Bake in ovenproof dish in preheated 350º oven for approximately 25 minutes or until very hot. Dot with mini marshmallows and bake for 5-6 minutes or until golden. Serves 4. NOTE: Casserole can be prepared in advance and refrigerated overnight or frozen, then brought to room temperature and baked as above. Home-Fried Potatoes (From Murder Can Crash Your Party) 2 medium potatoes 4T—or more—sweet butter 1/2 onion, chopped 1/4 green pepper, chopped Salt and freshly ground pepper Small amount of olive oil Peel potatoes and slice very thin, immersing slices in a pot of cold water as you work. Melt four tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Put in onion and green pepper. Drain potatoes, blot with paper towels, and add to skillet. Season with salt and pepper, and fry over medium heat, adding additional butter when necessary and turning potatoes gently as they cook. (Try not to break them, although some will probably break in spite of your best efforts.) When potatoes begin to brown, sprinkle with a small amount of olive oil for flavor. (A little olive oil goes a long way.) Turn down heat and cover. After about five minutes, remove cover and turn up heat. Cook until potatoes are brown and crisp, then blot with paper towels and serve. Serves 2-3. DESSERTS Chilled Lemon Soufflé (From Murder Can Spoil Your Appetite) 3 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 1T gelatin, dissolved, stirring, over low heat in 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 lemon rind, grated 4 egg whites at room temperature 1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups whipping cream Beat yolks and sugar together until pale and thick. Add dissolved gelatin, lemon juice, lemon rind. Beat 1-1/2 cups of the cream until stiff. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Add vanilla to egg whites. Fold yolk mixture into whites, then all into beaten cream. Put a wax paper collar around a 1-1/2 quart soufflé dish, oiling that part of paper that rises above rim of dish. Pour mixture into dish. Chill about 3 hours. Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream and pipe it onto the soufflé with a pastry tube as a garnish before serving. Serves 6 or more. NOTE: While I've been serving this dessert to company for years with no one suffering any ill effects, my publisher included a warning in the book that I feel I should repeat here: "A small percentage of fresh eggs have been shown to contain salmonella bacteria. Please do not use this recipe if you have reason to believe that the eggs in your area are not safe or if the medical condition of people who will consume this dessert makes them especially vulnerable to this bacteria." Pecan Pie (From Murder Can Depress Your Dachshund) 1 cup white corn syrup scant 2/3 cup dark brown sugar 1/3 cup melted butter 3 eggs dash of vanilla pinch of salt 1-1/2 T brandy heaping cup shelled pecans Mix first six ingredients together well. Heat brandy to boiling, then stir into other ingredients. Add pecans last, mixing well again. Pour into an unbaked nine-inch pie shell and bake in 350º oven for 45-50 minutes. Cool. NOTE: This is totally sinful when topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.