Table of Contents: From Breakfast With Anita Diamant to Dessert With James Patterson - a Generous Helping of Recipes, Writings and Insights From Today's Bestselling Authors (12 page)

4
Serve with hot rice or roti.

Makes 4–6 servings

When Anju and Sudha, the cousins who are the protagonists in my novel
Sister of My Heart
, are little girls, their aunt, Pishi, cooks several special desserts for them. This one, payesh, is very traditional in Bengal, the part of India where I come from and where
Sister of My Heart
is set. It is also a dish that my mother was famous for. But whereas hers used to take a half-day to make, I've given you a shortcut recipe.

Note:
The payesh consistency should be fairly thick, and it may take a little longer than indicated to achieve this thickness. Keep in mind that the payesh also thickens as it cools. The almonds in the payesh give it a crunchy texture.

1
In a heavy bottomed pot, bring half-and-half and milk to a boil over high heat.

2
Add rice and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often to prevent sticking, until rice is soft and milk thickened, 20–30 minutes.

3
Add sugar, raisins, and almonds. Cook on low heat another 15–20 minutes until the mixture is thick (see note). Remove cinnamon stick.

4
Payesh can be eaten warm or chilled. Sometimes we sprinkle rose petals on the chilled version just before serving. If refrigerated, it keeps for 5–6 days.

Timothi Jane Graham

SELECTED WOEKS

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
(2010)

Inspiration
I was inspired to write
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
by a newspaper article I read around fifteen years ago about a girl who survived a terrible accident that killed her family. I became obsessed with the girl: what would her survival look like? How would she grow up with her grief?
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
was my attempt to give that girl a voice and a future.

Readers Should Know
Nothing inspires me to write more than my morning coffee, which I drink with a bendy straw. I write first thing in the morning in longhand in my Moleskine journal. It's raw, wild writing; no rules or forms. It's the only time I'm not afraid of the blank page.

Readers Frequently Ask
People often ask me whether the story of Rachel, my young, biracial, and bicultural character in
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
, is autobiographical. And the answer is yes and no. What happens to Rachel did not happen to me, but the emotional center of her struggle is something that I can relate to.

Poetic Influence
I have a lot of favorite writers, but I turn to poetry when I am looking for inspiration. It helps attune me to language in a different way. Some of my favorites are William Stafford, Audre Lorde, Mary Oliver, Sharon Olds, and Shakespeare's sonnets.

Makes 1 loaf

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
is the story of Rachel, a young biracial/bicultural girl who survives a tragedy in which her family dies. Rachel is half-black and half-Danish and ends up living with her strict African-American grandmother in Portland, Oregon. In the early chapters, Rachel is struck by the fact that the bread she loves — the bread that her mother used to make — isn't anywhere to be found in her new community. Wonder Bread bought from the Wonder Bread Factory is the staple in her new neighborhood. Like Rachel, I missed hearty Danish breads when we moved to the United States from overseas. This recipe is my mother's homemade bread, and it takes me “home” every time I make it.

My favorite way to eat this bread is with a little butter, a slice of Danish Havarti cheese with caraway seeds, and a good cup of coffee. This is possibly my favorite meal of all time. Also, try it with a good jam or the Danish way with butter and a dark chocolate wafer. This is something I've only ever seen in Denmark, so I buy a few packs of wafers each time I get back.

Note:
This bread can be hand stirred; just use clean hands as a tool. Brush the dough with egg for a shiny crust or coffee for a deep golden brown crust.

1
Measure water, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt into large bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Start mixing at low setting; when all dry ingredients are moist increase speed to medium high. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Switch to dough hook and mix at low speed for 10 minutes. Dough should form a smooth lump. If dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough no longer sticks to bottom or sides of bowl.

2
Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface, and knead for about 1 minute.

3
Lightly grease a medium bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, and turn over to coat the top. Cover bowl with moist dish towel or plastic wrap sprayed on the inside with cooking spray or rubbed with oil. Put in warm place and let dough rise until double in size, 25–30 minutes.

4
Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly coat a 9″ × 5″ × 3″ loaf pan with cooking spray or oil.

5
Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface, and punch dough down to original size. Knead lightly and shape into a 9-inch long roll.

6
Place in loaf pan. Cover pan with dish towel and allow dough to double in size, 25–30 minutes.

7
Brush with lightly beaten egg, egg substitute, or coffee (see note). Poke several times with fork, or slice 5–7 slits in top (no deeper than ¼ inch). Place in oven and bake 40–45 minutes. Bread is ready when golden brown, and a light tap on crust gives a knocking sound.

8
Tip loaf onto cooling rack. Wait 10–15 minutes before slicing with a very sharp bread knife. Serve and enjoy your favorite way.

Makes about 12 crepes

In
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
, the big special “breakfast” that Aunt Loretta makes for Rachel when she comes to live in Portland, Oregon, is pancakes, the big fluffy kind. “There is something dangerous about pancakes,” Rachel says when she notices her grand-mother watching her eat. I grew up on Danish style pancakes (or panekager). Later in life, I learned that Danish pancakes — served with applesauce and sugar in my house — were called crepes in the United States. I simply call them delicious!

Our favorite way to serve these is to slather applesauce on them (each person does their own) and either sprinkle sugar on before rolling them up, or dip the rolled crepe into sugar and then applesauce. My mother makes the applesauce from scratch generally, and she also sometimes will serve them with other jams if there's a feeling for adventure in the room! We also like savory fillings such as Chicken à la King, broccoli and cheese, seafood, and cottage cheese garnished with tomatoes and cucumber slices.

Note:
My mom's favorite pan for these crepes is a 10-inch cast iron pan, but she also uses a nonstick at times. The crepes should be thin, similar to French crepes, so pour just enough batter into the pan to cover the bottom. Mor sometimes uses a gravy spoon to scoop the batter, and that's just about the right size.

1
In a large bowl, mix the milk, flour, eggs, cardamom or vanilla, and sugar vigorously by hand or with an electric mixer. Slowly stir in melted margarine or butter.

2
Heat an ungreased 10-inch crepe pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. It's hot enough when a few drops of water sprinkled onto pan disappear in a rapid dance.

3
Pour about ¼ cup of batter in the center of sizzling pan (see note). Immediately swirl pan until the entire surface is covered. Tiny bubbles will appear on top of the “almost-ready-to-be-turned-over” crepe. Another sign is that edge gets slightly curly. (If ridges form on batter while cooking, reduce heat slightly.) Flip crepe over with a spatula. Use common sense in cooking time on the other side. It is very brief, about 1 minute.

4
Serve with desired fillings.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie; 8 servings

Because my mom, like my character Rachel's mom, is Danish, her signature dishes are all made from Danish recipes. But my mom also worked hard to incorporate some American foods into her repertoire. Pecan pie became one of her specialties even though it would seem quintessentially Southern and not at all Danish. This recipe is perfection and even the very Southern Grandma Doris character in
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
would agree.

I am a pecan pie purist. I like vanilla ice cream beside the pie on the plate, and maybe I will wet a bite or two of the pie with the melty part of the ice cream. My mom likes ice cream on the pie.

1 To make the dough by hand:
Place flour in a mixing bowl. Add shortening in small amounts. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to crumble flour and shortening together until mixture reaches the consistency of grated cheese. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolk, vinegar, and water. Pour into flour mixture. Stir lightly with a fork just until dough forms a ball. Do not overmix or pound dough. If dough is not coming together, sprinkle on additional ice water, 1–2 teaspoons at a time.
To make the dough in a food processor:
Pulse the flour and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk, vinegar, and ice water, and pulse again until dough begins to mass together. Add extra water, 1–2 teaspoons at a time, if the dough seems crumbly or dry.

2
Shape dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic or wax paper, and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes.

3
Preheat oven to 350°F.

4 To roll the dough:
Place dough on lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll from the center outward into a circle roughly 13 inches in diameter. Carefully fold in half, then again to form a triangle. Place in an ungreased 9″ pie plate, positioning it so the point of the triangle is in the center of the pie plate. Gently unfold.

5
Trim dough to within ½ inch of edge of plate. Roll edges of dough inward, pressing lightly. To decorate, press the tines of a fork firmly into the dough rim, repeating around entire edge.

6 To make the filling:
Combine the sugars, corn syrup, eggs, and margarine or butter in a food processor, or beat vigorously by hand.

7
Pour pecan halves into the unbaked pie shell. Pour filling mixture over pecans. Bake for 65–70 minutes, until edge of crust is golden brown. Filling will not be set, but will do so as it cools off.

8
Serve lukewarm or cold as desired. Filling will become firmer after refrigeration. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you wish (see note). Pie also freezes well for later use.