Read The Body in the Cast Online
Authors: Katherine Hall Page
The Body in the Cast (36 page)
“But,” continued the director, “you know who you are.”
And Marta winked.
The Body in the Cast
includes, at the end of the story, five full recipes from Faith Fairchild's (fictional) cookbook,
Have Faith in Your Kitchen,
as well as a number of descriptions in the text of the way Faith makes some of her delectable dishes.
includes, at the end of the story, five full recipes from Faith Fairchild's (fictional) cookbook,
Have Faith in Your Kitchen,
as well as a number of descriptions in the text of the way Faith makes some of her delectable dishes.
The Body in the Vestibule
The Body in the Bouillon
The Body in the Kelp
The Body in the Belfry
The Body in the Bouillon
The Body in the Kelp
The Body in the Belfry
Have Faith in Your Kitchen
By Faith Sibley Fairchild
A WORK IN PROGRESS
It was marvelous to observe how the ghosts of bygone meals were continually rising up before him; not in anger or retribution, but as if grateful for his former appreciation and seeking to reduplicate an endless series of enjoyment, at once shadowy and sensual.
UNADULTERATED BLACK BEAN SOUP
1 pound dried black beans
2 ham hocks or 1 ham bone
2 medium onions, 1 red and 1
yellow
7-8 cups water
1/2
teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground
pepper
1 tablespoon dry sherry or
Madeira (optional)
sour cream
chives
2 ham hocks or 1 ham bone
2 medium onions, 1 red and 1
yellow
7-8 cups water
1/2
teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground
pepper
1 tablespoon dry sherry or
Madeira (optional)
sour cream
chives
Â
Pick over the beans, rinse, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand at least 1 hour. (Or soak the beans overnight.)
Rinse the ham hocks. Peel and quarter the onions. Bury hocks and onions in the beans.
Add 7-8 cups cold water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat
down and simmer 1
1/2
to 2 hours. Be sure the beans are soft.
down and simmer 1
1/2
to 2 hours. Be sure the beans are soft.
Remove the hocks or bone and strip any meat from them. Add the meat to the soup and puree the mixture in batches in a blender. (Note: a food processor sometimes leaks with this much liquid). Put the pureed soup in a clean pot; warm, adding the seasonings and wine, if used. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and finely minced chives. For a special party, put the sour cream in a pastry tube and pipe two concentric circles on top of the soup. Take a sharp knife and pull it through the circles, first toward the center, then away, for a nice spiderweb effect.
This soup tastes better if made a day ahead. Serves 8 to 10âmore if served as a first course.
NORWEGIAN MEATBALLS
1/2
pound ground veal
1/2
pound lean ground beef
1/2
cup bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2
teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground
pepper
1/8
teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 slices of salt pork (or slab
bacon), 3 inches square,
rendered
pound ground veal
1/2
pound lean ground beef
1/2
cup bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2
teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground
pepper
1/8
teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 slices of salt pork (or slab
bacon), 3 inches square,
rendered
Â
Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1¾ cups beef stock
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1¾ cups beef stock
Â
Combine the meats, crumbs, egg, and seasonings into balls 1
1/2
inches in diameter, using as little pressure as possible. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.
1/2
inches in diameter, using as little pressure as possible. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.
Brown the meatballs in the pork fat.
In a separate pot, melt the butter and add the flour, whisking together to make a roux. Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and add the browned meatballs. Simmer very low for 1
1/2
hours. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with finely chopped parsley. Serves 4 to 6.
1/2
hours. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with finely chopped parsley. Serves 4 to 6.
PEAR BRIE PIZZETTE
Dough
1 cup warm water
1 package granular yeast (not
rapid-rising)
1 teaspoon sugar
1
1/2
teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2
1/2
â
3 cups all-purpose flour
cornmeal
1 cup warm water
1 package granular yeast (not
rapid-rising)
1 teaspoon sugar
1
1/2
teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2
1/2
â
3 cups all-purpose flour
cornmeal
Â
Pour the water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Add the sugar, salt, olive oil, and mix until the yeast is dissolved. Add 1
1/2
cups of flour, stir, and add 1 more cup. Combine thoroughly and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, adding the rest of the flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead for 5 minutes.
1/2
cups of flour, stir, and add 1 more cup. Combine thoroughly and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, adding the rest of the flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead for 5 minutes.
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place until double in bulkâabout 1 hour. Punch down and divide into two pieces for pizzettes. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes. Using a rolling pin or your hands, shape into two rounds.
Â
Topping
3 large yellow onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1
1/2
tablespoons sugar
2 large ripe pears (comice are
especially good)
1/2
â
¾ pound ripe, but not
runny, Brie
3 large yellow onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1
1/2
tablespoons sugar
2 large ripe pears (comice are
especially good)
1/2
â
¾ pound ripe, but not
runny, Brie
Â
Preheat the oven to 450°.
Slice the onions into thin rings and saute in the melted butter and oil until limp. Cover the pan, stirring occasionally. Cook slowly for about 15 minutes. Uncover the pan, sprinkle the onions with the sugar, turn up the heat, and cook until well browned. Stir constantly. The sugar caramelizes the onions. This will take 15 to 20 minutes. Set the onions aside.
Peel and slice the pears.
Brush the tops of the pizzettes with some olive oil and spread the caramelized onions over each. Arrange the pear slices on top and dot with slices of the Brie.
Bake for 15 minutes on a lightly greased pizza pan on which you've sprinkled cornmeal. The dough may also be baked on a cookie sheet and cut into squares. Serves 4âmore if served as a first course.
DENOUEMENT APPLE/PEAR CRISP
This recipe can be made with pears or apples. It is especially delicious with a mixture of apples, such as Empire or Delicious (sweet) and Macoun or Macintosh (slightly tart).
1¾
â
2 pounds apples or pears
juice of
1/2
lemon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¾ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
â
2 pounds apples or pears
juice of
1/2
lemon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
¾ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Â
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Peel, core, and slice the fruit. Toss it in a bowl with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
Place the slices in a lightly buttered baking dish. Drizzle with the maple syrup.
Put the flour, salt, sugar, and butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process briefly. Or you may cut the butter in with a pastry cutter or two knives. The mixture should be crumbly.
Cover the fruit evenly with the flour mixture and bake for 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling.
Let sit for five minutes and serve with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or crème fraiche.
LIZZIE'S SUGAR AND SPICE COOKIES
¾ cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon cloves
¾ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
sugar
1 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon cloves
¾ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
sugar
Â
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Cream the butter, sugar, egg, and molasses together thoroughly. Sift the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together. Add to the butter mixture and stir.
Roll the dough into balls, 1 inch in diameter, and roll the balls in sugar. Set approximately 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Let cool on brown paper or racks. Makes approximately 4 dozen.
For an elegant tea cookie, make
1/2
-inch-diameter balls and reduce the cooking time to 9 minutes. Makes approximately 8 dozen.
1/2
-inch-diameter balls and reduce the cooking time to 9 minutes. Makes approximately 8 dozen.
I apologize to all of you who have been asking for recipes. I should have done them sooner, but when I wrote my first book,
The Body in the Belfry,
I thought it might seem I was borrowing more than a cup of sugar from the late Virginia Rich, one of my favorite authors. I was also afraid recipes might distract readers from the plot. You would be so busy deciding whether to put Spanish or Vidalia onions in your soup that you'd miss a red herring. However, here they are at last. I hope they will give you as much pleasure as they do my family.
The Body in the Belfry,
I thought it might seem I was borrowing more than a cup of sugar from the late Virginia Rich, one of my favorite authors. I was also afraid recipes might distract readers from the plot. You would be so busy deciding whether to put Spanish or Vidalia onions in your soup that you'd miss a red herring. However, here they are at last. I hope they will give you as much pleasure as they do my family.
Faith is a purist. I am not. People in fiction seem to have a great deal more time than the people I know in real life, with nine-to-five jobs, gardens to weed, and wash to do (plus that stack of books next to the bed). These recipes will all taste fine with modifications such as a good canned beef stock, instead of homemade, for the meatballs (although not canned bread crumbs) and already-prepared pizza dough, like Boboli, for the pizzette. You can also make the cookies ahead and freeze the balls, baking a batch when you needâor wantâthem. The point is to end up with something tasty to sit down to with the latest Faith Fairchild mystery propped up next to your plate.
Santé!
Santé!
THE BODY IN THE CAST. Copyright © 1993 by Katherine Hall Page. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
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Illustrations by Phyllis G. Humphrey
Design by Sara Stemen
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eISBN 9781466806566
First eBook Edition : December 2011
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Page, Katherine Hall
The body in the cast / Katherine Hall Page.
p. cm.
“A Thomas Dunne book.”
ISBN 0-312-09755-7
1. Fairchild, Faith Sibley (Fictitious character)âFiction. 2. Motion picture industryâMassachusettsâFiction. 3. Caterers and cateringâMassachusettsâFiction. 4. Women detectivesâMassachusettsâFiction. I. Title.
PS3566.A334B653 1993
813'.54âdc20
93-24389 CIP
First Edition: November 1993
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