Murder by Mocha

Method: Grate all of the chocolate, reserve 2 teaspoons, and divide the rest in half, putting each half in a separate mug. Place a saucepan over medium heat and warm the milk, stirring continuously. Do not let the milk boil or you may get a scorched taste in your hot chocolate. When the milk begins to simmer, remove it from the stove and divide it between the two mugs. Stir the milk and chocolate until the chocolate completely melts. Top with whipped cream and a teaspoon (per mug) of the grated chocolate you reserved at the beginning of the process.

How to Make Crème Fraîche: Crème fraîche is a thick, tangy French sour cream. It’s delicious on top of sweetened berries. Try mixing it with herbs and using it as a potato chip dip or adding a dollop on potato pancakes. (See Esther’s Roasted Garlic and Herb Latkes recipe in the Coffeehouse Mystery Holiday Grind.) Crème fraîche can even add the complexity of tangy brightness to buttercream frosting.

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream with 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Warm carefully over medium heat—just to the touch, no more. Pour the liquid into a glass jar or bowl, and cover lightly with a clean towel (do not seal). Let stand at room temperature (about 70°F) for 10–24 hours. You’re watching for it to thicken. Stir it well, then seal and refrigerate. (Use within 10 days.)

Madame’s Sablés

Like a French shortbread, this tender, buttery little cookie is very simple to make yet an elegant addition to any coffee or tea tray. Sablé actually translates to “sand,” the name coming from the crumbly texture of the cookie (again, like a shortbread).

The French have many variations (lemon, orange, almond). They dip them in chocolate and sandwich them together with jams. But Clare’s favorite flavor is praline—for very good reason. Praline sablés were the cookies Madame baked for Clare during her pregnancy. No surprise: they’re Joy’s favorite, too.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Basic Vanilla Sablés:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg white (for wash)

⅓ cup coarse finishing sugar, such as sparkle, demerara, or turbinado (Sugar in the Raw)

Step 1—Make the dough: Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour and salt, and stir with a spoon or spatula, until the dry ingredients come together into a sticky dough ball—but do not overwork the dough or your cookies will be tough instead of tender.

Step 2—Form logs: To make the dough easier to work with, chill it for 15 minutes. Divide in half and form two 8- to 9-inch logs on separate sheets of wax paper, using the paper to shape and smooth the logs. Wrap tightly and chill in refrigerator until very firm (at least 3 hours or overnight). Logs can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or wrapped a second time in foil and frozen up to 1 month.

Step 3—Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. On a separate sheet of wax paper, lightly brush each log with egg white wash and roll in (or heavily sprinkle with) coarse finishing sugar. Using a knife, cut the chilled dough into ¼- to ½inch slices (your choice). Bake for 15–20 minutes, rotating pan once for even baking. Cookies are finished when edges are light brown but centers are still pale.

PRALINE SABLÉS:

Follow the recipe above, but in Step 1 fold ½ cup Crushed Praline (recipe follows) into the dough before shaping and chilling. When Madame makes the praline version, she also replaces the ⅓ cup coarse finishing sugar (in Step 3) with ½ cup or more crushed praline, pressing lightly to make sure particles stick to the egg-washed dough logs.

Crushed Praline (and Foolproof Almond Brittle!)

Praline is a brittle confection made of almonds (or hazelnuts) and caramelized sugar. A popular ingredient of French pastry chefs, it can be served as candy; ground and used as a flavoring; or even sprinkled over ice cream or on top of tarts, custards, and cakes.

Makes 2 cups

⅓ cup water

¼ teaspoon lemon juice (to prevent caramel from crystallizing)

1¼ cups white granulated sugar

1⅓ cups slivered almonds, toasted (see How to Toast Nuts on page 334)

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. To make caramel, combine water, lemon juice, and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan. Place over high heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. After 10 or so minutes of continual boiling and stirring, the mixture will turn light golden. Just as the color deepens to a darker golden, remove pan from heat (if it darkens too much it will burn). Add almonds and stir well. Carefully pour this very hot mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Flatten into an even layer. As it cools, it will harden. (You have just made a delicious almond brittle!) Break into pieces. Place pieces into a resealable plastic bag and crush into a coarse powder with a rolling pin, meat mallet, or bottom of a heavy mug. (Who needs anger management?) For easy cleanup, fill pan with water, add utensils, and boil to melt crusted caramel.

Clare Cosi’s Moist Mocha Cake with Shiny Chocolate Guinness Glaze

“Like a party in my mouth,” said Sergeant Manny Franco upon tasting Clare’s super-moist, chocolate-glazed mocha cake. The cake is wonderfully spongy so it soaks up the rich, chocolate glaze beautifully. As Clare mentioned to Franco, the flavor notes of coffee and malt (from the dark beer) intensify the chocolate. You hardly taste the coffee in the cake or the beer in the glaze; you simply enjoy a deeper, more satisfying chocolate experience.

Makes one 8-inch round, single-layer cake

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup cake flour (if using all-purpose flour, see note at end of recipe for proper amount)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda