#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR LEA WAIT/CORNELIA KIDD COOKS UP SALMON MOUSSE

We’re always thrilled to have mystery author Lea Wait stop by for a visit. Today she joins us under her new Cornelia Kidd pen name, which launches her Maine Murder Mystery series. Lea also writes the Mainely Needlepoint and Shadows Antique Mystery series and historical novels set in nineteenth century Maine. Learn more about her and her books at her website, where you’ll find a link to a free prequel of Death and a Pot of Chowder, the first book in her new series. She also blogs with the Maine Crime Writers.

Salmon Mousse

from Death and a Pot of Chowder

A light lunch? An appetizer? An hors d’oeuvres with crackers? Mamie’s salmon mousse will be a hit. This amount will serve four to six, but she suggests you double the recipe so you’ll have some for tomorrow, too.

This recipe is from Cornelia Kidd’s Death and a Pot of Chowder, the first book in the new Maine Murder culinary mystery series, set on an island off the coast of Maine.

Ingredients:

15-ounce can red salmon (it’s prettier than pink) or 2 cups cooked salmon, shredded

1/2 T. salt

1/2 T. sugar

1/2 T. flour

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

2 egg yolks

1-1/2 T. melted butter

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 envelope granulated gelatin dissolved in 2 T. cold water

The day before serving:

Clean and flake salmon and put in thin bowl or mold.

Mix dry ingredients in the top of a double boiler, or a small pan you can cook over another pan. Add egg yolks, butter, milk, and vinegar. Cook over boiling water, stirring almost constantly until the mixture thickens enough to stick to your spoon. Add the gelatin and stir until the gelatin dissolves.

Pour mixture over salmon and mix gently.

Chill in refrigerator (not freezer) overnight.

At least 3 hours before serving:    

To remove from bowl or mold, put bottom of mold in hot water to loosen. Be gentle as you turn mold upside down on a plate. Then replace mousse in refrigerator for several hours to ensure mousse will maintain its shape.

Serve with crackers, thin slices of French bread, cucumbers, olives ... whatever you choose. Especially refreshing on a hot day.

Death and a Pot of Chowder

A Maine Murder, Book One

Maine’s Quarry Island has a tight-knit community that’s built on a rock-solid foundation of family, tradition and hard work. But even on this small island, where everyone knows their neighbors, there are secrets that no one would dare to whisper. 

Anna Winslow, her husband Burt and their teenage son have deep roots on Quarry Island. Burt and his brother, Carl, are lobstermen, just like their father and grandfather before them. And while some things on the island never seem to change, Anna’s life is about to take some drastically unexpected turns. First, Anna discovers that she has a younger sister, Izzie Jordan. Then, on the day she drives to Portland to meet Izzie for the first time, Carl’s lobster boat is found abandoned and adrift. Later that evening, his corpse is discovered, but he didn’t drown. 

Whether it was an accident or murder, Carl’s sudden death has plunged Anna’s existence into deadly waters. Despite barely knowing one another and coming from very different backgrounds, Anna and Izzie unite to find the killer. With their family in crisis, the sisters strive to uncover the secrets hidden in Quarry Island and perhaps, the ones buried within their own hearts. 

Buy Links

hardcover

ebook 

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR JOANNE GUIDOCCIO AND QUICK SALMON FOR ONE

In 2008, Joanne Guidoccio took advantage of early retirement from a 31-year teaching career and decided to launch a second act that would tap into her creative side and utilize her well-honed organizational skills. Slowly, a writing practice emerged. Her articles and book reviews were published in newspapers, magazines, and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in her novels and short stories. Joanne writes cozy mysteries, paranormal romance, and inspirational literature. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

In Search of a Quick-And-Easy Salmon Recipe (For One)

At my last appointment with the specialist oncologist, I struggled to pay attention. After ten months of treatments, I longed to leave the whole cancer experience behind me. While that wasn’t possible in the short-run—I still needed to report for check-ups every six months for the next five years—I believed that all the hard stuff was behind me.

In spite of my restlessness during that appointment, I did pick up three nuggets of information: spinach, salmon, and yoga.

Spinach wasn’t a problem. Each morning, I add several handfuls to my smoothies. I also enjoy spinach salads.

Once I recovered from radiation, I started a yoga practice that I have maintained since 2005.

Salmon presented the greatest challenge of all. I prefer white fish such as halibut and tilapia. I have several foolproof recipes that appeal to my non-foodiness (I don’t enjoy cooking or baking), a quality I share with the protagonist of the Gilda Greco Mystery Series. Unfortunately, none of those foolproof recipes work with salmon.

Friends and colleagues eagerly shared their recipes. Grateful, I did experiment with all their suggestions but found myself rebelling against the lengthy list of ingredients and prep time involved.

My goal: A quick-and-easy recipe (for one) that appealed to my taste buds.

Last year, I discovered the following recipe (that’s closer to a hack) while eavesdropping on a conversation at the beauty salon. With only three ingredients (four if you count the water) and six minutes of cooking time, it’s the ideal solution for non-foodies.

Ingredients

Half a lemon

One salmon fillet

Greek seasoning

Thinly slice the lemon. Cover the bottom of a small microwaveable dish with the lemon slices.

Sprinkle the salmon fillet with Greek seasoning. Place the fillet on top of the lemon slices. Add two tablespoons of water. Cover and microwave on High for five to six minutes.

Murder & Mayhem

A boxed set featuring six murder mysteries from the following Wild Rose Press authors: J L Wilson, Misty Simon, Michelle Witvliet, Vicki Batman, Cindy Davis, and Joanne Guidoccio.

My contribution: A Season for Killing Blondes. A teacher wins a $19 million lottery and returns to her hometown, only to find herself the primary suspect in the murders of four blondes. Can she prove her innocence and solve this case?

Buy Link 

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR JO-ANN CARSON AND CRUSTLESS SALMON QUICHE

Jo-Ann Carson has lived most of her life on islands surrounded by snow covered mountains, lush rain forests and pristine beaches off the west coast of Canada. Growing up, she dreamed of traveling the world like James Bond, searching for relics like Indiana Jones, and finding true love, so it's no surprise that in her Mata Hari Series she combines elements of adventure, danger and steamy romance. In her Vancouver Blues Series she slides into the realm of Urban Noir and explores the dark side of the city. Learn more about Jo-Ann and her books at her website and her Lovin’ Danger blog.

This is another recipe I picked up on the Haida Gwaii and shared with Smokey at the Scuttlebutt café (in my book). It’s quick, easy and a real crowd pleaser. It also works with other kinds of fish and rice flour.

The Scuttlebutt’s Crustless Salmon Quiche

Yield 6 large servings.

1 can of salmon (or the equivalent amount fresh)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

5 eggs

2 cups milk

1-1/2 cups parmesan cheese grated

1/4 cups chopped green onion (but can be replace by any kind of onion you have on hand)

Drain salmon, reserving liquid. Set both aside.

In a blender, mix salmon liquid, flour, salt, eggs and milk until smooth.

Pour mixture into a ten inch pie plate. Sprinkle salmon, cheeses and onion over top. Press down lightly with a fork to dampen the egg mixture.

Bake 25 to 35 minutes (400 F) or just until the quiche is set and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand for 5 min. before slicing.

Ain’t Misbehavin’, Vancouver Blues Suspense Series, Book 2

A naked alderman, a haunted trattoria and a love that can not be denied.

When the manager of the Black Cat Blues Bar, singer Maggy Malone, witnesses a murder in her favorite trattoria, her life is upended. Known as the Naked Alderman, the victim is a controversial politician who wants Vancouver to be known as the greenest city in the world. He’s also the lover of Maggy’s best friend.  Despite his noble ideals, his head ends up in the pasta.

The last thing Maggy wants to do is chase another murderer. She’s worked hard to keep the Black Cat afloat and sort out her life, which is complicated by two, hot men, and acts of sabotage at her dock community on Granville Island.

But when the body count rises, Maggy decides to catch the killer.

Buy Links

paperback 

ebook 

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR JO-ANN CARSON AND KILLER SALMON CHOWDER

Growing up, Jo-Ann Carson she dreamed of traveling the world like James Bond, searching for relics like Indiana Jones, and finding true love, so it's no surprise that in her Mata Hari Series she combines elements of adventure, danger and steamy romance. In her Vancouver Blues Series she slides into the realm of Urban Noir and explores the dark side of the city. These  books are mainstream suspense with strong romantic elements and are very-Vancouver. Learn more about Jo-Ann and her books at her website. 

This is a recipe that I learned when I lived up on the Haida Gwaii, a remote and pristine wilderness area of Canada often referred to as the northern Galapagos Islands. In my book, Black Cat Blues it’s served at the local restaurant on Granville Island called The Scuttlebutt.

Smokey’s Killer Salmon Chowder

Ingredients:

a few T. oil

1 medium cooking onion

4-1/4 cups water

2-4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 can (or equivalent) lima beans

2 fresh carrots, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery

4 cooked sliced bacon strips, cut into 1/2" pieces

4 cups milk

6 T. flour

1 lb. can of salmon (or equivalent fresh)

In a large, deep skillet sauté sliced onion in oil until it’s soft. Add cooked bacon.

Add flour and stir until it cooks. Add 1/4 cup water and stir until it thickens to make roux. Add more water if necessary.

Boil 4 cups of water. Add the roux and stir. Add potatoes, beans, carrots, celery and the fluid from the canned salmon. Add more water if it’s too thick.

Cook twenty minutes or so, until the potatoes are cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

Flake salmon with a fork and add to above. Always add fish at the very end of any recipe, because you don’t want to overcook it. This salmon is already cooked. You are just heating it up.

Add milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Serve.

I often garnish this with either shredded mozzarella or shredded cheddar cheese.

Black Cat Blues

A nightmare waits in the alley…

Stabbed in an alley behind the Black Cat Blues bar, private investigator Jimmy Daniels clings to life just long enough to tell Maggy Malone a secret.

Maggy, a curvy, blond, blues singer with a sultry voice and a razor sharp mind is starting her life over after a lousy marriage. Reluctant at first to get involved with a murder, she tells no one the secret.

But when the murderer stalks her, she changes her mind.

Maggy teams up with Jimmy’s brother Logan, a handsome suit with a tidy view of life. They figure out the killer is looking for gold buried on Gabriola Island by the notorious cult-leader Brother XII.

The body count rises. Will Maggy catch him? Or will she be his next victim?

And the lady sings the blues…

Buy Link