Friday, August 28, 2015


It's
Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 
another great cozy mystery!

Today I'm featuring a recipe from the cozy mystery 
CHEF MAURICE AND THE 
BUNNY-BOILER BAKE OFF
Book 3 in the Chef Maurice Mystery series
by
J. A. Lang


They say all’s Fayre in love and baking… 

Spring has sprung, the bunting is up, and for the residents of the little Cotswold village of Beakley, this can only mean one thing: it’s time for the Beakley Spring Fayre. 

Drawing the crowds this year is stiletto-strutting celebrity chef Miranda Matthews, a woman for whom making enemies is a piece of (shop-bought) cake. And one of them is lurking around the Fayre, ready to make sure Miranda hangs up her apron—for good. 

Faced with a murderer with a possible penchant for top(ping) chefs, Chef Maurice must sift through the clues and weigh up the suspects—not to mention contending with a sous-chef with mummy issues, a food critic on a diet, and a bulletproof pudding—as he finds himself on the trail of a killer who’s not cooking by the rules…

Available October 12!

Today's recipe is one Chef Maurice just knows you will love! He asked 
J.A. to share it with us. 

CHEF MAURICE'S 
OVEN-BAKED ARANCINI


A great way to use up leftover risotto. And baking the arancini balls in the oven instead of deep-frying is both easier and healthier – win-win!

Ingredients

leftover risotto, chilled
150g all-purpose/plain flour
1 large egg
150g dried breadcrumbs
olive oil spray
Optional: mozzarella (or other cheese of choice)


Method

1. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4.

3. In a large bowl, make a thick batter by mixing the egg into flour, then adding water gradually until the batter reaches a thick, gloopy consistency.

4. Use your hands to form the leftover risotto into balls. (Chilled risotto is easier to work with than when it is warm.) Optional: add small chunks of mozzarella into the centre of each risotto ball as you are forming them.

5. Place the breadcrumbs onto a plate.


6. Dip each risotto ball into the batter, turning it until it is fully coated. Then roll the batter-covered ball in the breadcrumbs and then place onto the baking sheet. Repeat for each risotto ball.

8. Spritz each ball with olive oil spray.

7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs have turned golden. (Note: The arancini will not be quite as golden as they would have been if deep-fried.)

8. Serve hot.


Images supplied by author J. A. Lang

Tip: If you’re looking for a good risotto recipe, try this recipe for 

Don't those sound good? 



J.A. Lang is a British mystery author. She lives in Oxford, England, with her husband, an excessive number of cookbooks, and a sourdough starter named Bob.

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Please keep reading and check out my 
installments of 
Book Beginnings on Fridays
and
The Friday 56

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Book Beginnings and Friday 56
 for this week are from

BOOKED FOR TROUBLE
Book 2 in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series 
by Eva Gates


The author of By Book or By Crook returns to the Outer Banks and the Lighthouse Library, where Lucy Richardson must shed light on a shocking murder…

Lucy has finally found her bliss as a librarian and resident of the Bodie Island Lighthouse. She loves walking on the beach, passing her evenings with the local book club, bonding with the library cat, Charles, and enjoying the attention of not one, but TWO eligible men. But then her socialite mother, Suzanne, unexpectedly drops in, determined to move Lucy back to Boston—and reunite her with her ex-fiancĂ©.

To make matters worse, Suzanne picks a very public fight at the local hotel with her former classmate Karen Kivas. So, when Karen turns up dead outside the library the next morning, Suzanne is immediately at the top of the suspect list. Now Lucy must hunt down a dangerous killer—before the authorities throw the book at her poor mother…

Available September 1


Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader
Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading

My Book Beginnings...

I love my mother. Truly, I do. She's never shown me anything but love, although she's tempered it by criticism perhaps once too often. She believes in me, I think, although she's not exactly averse to pointing out that I'd be better off if I did things her way. She's a kind, generous person. At least, that is, to those she doesn't consider to be in competition with her for some vaguely defined goal, or else watch out---she'll carry grudge to the grave. She may be stiff and formal and sometimes overly concerned with the observance of proper behavior, but she's also adventurous and well traveled. And above all, her love of her children knows no bounds.    

I do love my mother. 

I just wish she weren't bearing down on me at this moment, face beaming, arms outstretched. 

"Surprise, darling!" she cried. 

It was a surprise all right. My heart sank into my stomach and I forced out a smile of my own. 

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice
Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's okay.) *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you. *Post it.

My Friday 56...

For once, my mother was silent. She took a seat on the sofa. She crossed her legs at the ankles and rested her hands lightly in her lap. Her nails were pink. The same color was on her toes, the manicure and pedicure fresh and smart.


As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

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clicking on the link in the 
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16 comments:

  1. How did I miss the Lighthouse Library series??? I'm off to find book one.

    My Friday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2015/08/friday-focus-friday-56-book-beginnings_28.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Catherine. I hope you enjoy it. Book 1 is By Book or By Crook.

      Delete
  2. I've never heard of these arancini balls before now, but they sound delicious! I also like the sound of Booked For Trouble - if the main character's a librarian, I might have to look at it! :)

    Check out my Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings).

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    Replies
    1. She is a librarian, Lauren. In a library in the most marvellous location!

      Delete
  3. That recipe sounds so yummy! I'm not much of a cook, though -- and risotto is not something I'd ever attempt. Spaghetti is more my speed.

    Booked for Trouble sounds like a fun read. Hope you're enjoying it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Once again I visit your page for a look at your Book Beginnings and my mouth starts watering over your recipes.

    My Friday Quotes

    ReplyDelete
  5. Booked for Trouble sounds like a delightful book from a fun series. I already like the mom! And those arancini sound yummy. What a delicious post.
    My Friday post features Taming Jenna.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Both cozies sound like good reads. Love the cover with the "bunny ears". :-)
    sherry @ fundinmental Friday Memes

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  7. Thanks, Lisa! Love the recipe. I'm so looking forward to Booked for Trouble!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Patricia. I hope you enjoy the book.

      Delete
  8. These both sound great. Thanks for having my TBR pile fall over.LOL

    ReplyDelete
  9. Both books sound great. So does the recipe. I am reading Truest by Jackie Lea Sommers this week. Happy reading!

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  10. CHEF MAURICE AND THE BUNNY-BOILER BAKE OFF sounds like a fun cozy. The CHEF MAURICE'S OVEN-BAKED ARANCINI looks delicious. I've never made or cooked with risotto. Perhaps now is a good time to start.

    Thanks, Lisa. I always look forward to Cozy Food Friday. :)

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  11. The recipe looks delicious. Seems like there is a love and hate relationship for the mother.

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  12. I love rice balls, but have not made them before. I will definitely try the recipe.
    Both cozies look good to me!
    Happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete