Guilty as Cinnamon (31 page)

Pepper's new love

FOR EACH DRINK:

1½ ounces Campari

1½ ounces sweet vermouth

1½ ounces gin

1 orange twist (a strip of peel, about ½ inch wide and 3 to 4 inches long, twisted to release the oils)

Pour the liquor into an ice-filled rocks glass, and add the peel. Best drunk outdoors on a deck overlooking water or a freshly mowed meadow. Or anywhere, actually.

For a Negroni
Sbagliato
, substitute champagne or sparkling wine for the gin. Drink lore says a bartender created it by grabbing the wrong bottle;
sbagliato
means “mistaken” in Italian. An inexpensive sparkling wine, on the dry side, like Freixenet (pronounced “fresh-eh-net”) Brut from Spain or Yellow Tail from Australia, will do nicely. Plus the wine will add a touch of that international flair Danielle advises! No need to worry about opening the bottle. Just uncrimp the wire cage and remove it, place one hand over the cork, and
turn the bottle
, not the cork, until you hear that satisfying pop.

It wouldn't be Movie Night without tasty treats . . .

SANDRA'S SPICY ROASTED NUTS

A bowl of spiced nuts is perfect with wine or cocktails. Sprinkle a few nuts on a plate of butter chicken or other dishes as a garnish. Make your own garam masala (recipe above), or find it and amchur, dried mango powder, in spice shops and Indian groceries. Variations abound; for a hotter flavor, substitute
curry powder or cumin for the garam masala. (A note from Pepper: When my author couldn't find amchur, she ground dried, unsweetened mango slices in her coffee grinder. Perfect!)

1 pound raw almonds or cashews, or a mix

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt or another crystal variety

1½ teaspoons amchur, or mango powder

1 tablespoon garam masala

1½ teaspoons ground cayenne

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together the nuts, oil, salt, and spices. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast about 10 minutes, stirring once to cook the nuts evenly. (If the edges of the nuts start to brown, pull them out to avoid burning.) Place the baking sheet on a rack; the nuts will continue to brown slightly as they cool.

Remember what Pepper says about spice blends: They take a few hours to marry and mellow, so these are best made ahead. They'll keep several weeks if stored in a tightly sealed container.

Makes 1 pound.

On this, Pepper and Tag agree: the very best crème brûlée ever.

2 cups heavy cream

½ cup white sugar (divided use)

Zest of 1 orange, removed in wide strips with a peeler

1 cinnamon stick

6 to 8 strands of fresh thyme

4 egg yolks

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

4 teaspoons turbinado sugar, for topping

Strips of orange peel or thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the cream, ¼ cup sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon stick. Roll the thyme strands back and forth between your palms, over the pan, to release the essential oils, then toss the thyme into the pan. Whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat and strain into a bowl to cool. (This step infuses the cream with the aromatics—the zest, thyme, and cinnamon.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, remaining ¼ cup sugar, and vanilla. When the infused cream is cooled to the touch, slowly pour it into the egg mixture and whisk to combine. (Cooling the cream avoids curdling the eggs.)

Place four 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups in a large baking dish or roasting pan. Carefully fill the ramekins with the custard mixture. Place the dish in the oven and carefully pour hot water into the pan, till it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake until the custard is set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center, about 35 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven. Lift out the ramekins—tongs work nicely—and cool on a rack at room temperature. (Don't leave them in the hot water, as the heat would continue to cook the mixture.) When cool, move ramekins to refrigerator to chill for at least an hour before the next step. Just before serving, sprinkle a teaspoon of turbinado sugar evenly over the top of each dish. Caramelize the sugar
with a kitchen torch. The sugar will harden, turn golden, and become crunchy. If you don't have a torch, broil the dishes 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar forms a crisp, golden top. Garnish with a curvy strip of orange peel or a sprig of thyme.

Serves
4.

Readers, I'm always delighted to hear from you. Drop me a line at [email protected], connect with me on Facebook at LeslieBudewitzAuthor, or join my seasonal mailing list for book news and more. (Sign up on my website, www.LeslieBudewitz.com.) Reader reviews and recommendations are a big boost to authors; if you've enjoyed my books, please tell your friends. A book is but marks on paper until you read those pages and make the story yours.
Thank
you
.

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