The Final Hours

We are in the final hours of the Smashwords 

Summer/Winter sale.  

Drink some wine and then go to Smashwords and receive a free copy of 

Murder Before The Bell

and 

Death Of A Foster Child.

 The sale ends at midnight on July 31.

Twelve Days Left

The Smashwords' Summer/Winter Sale ends in twelve days.  Click here to download a free copy of each of the books.

Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème

In Murder Before The Bell Leti makes Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème. This is not your typical chocolate pudding because it contains several ingredients that concentrate the flavor of the chocolate.  These include espresso, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and Kahlua.  You can put these in ramekins as mentioned in the recipe or you can make it in a tart dish and then serve it in wine glasses.  Either way, this dessert is delicious.  If you want to pair this with wine, use a Merlot.  The recipe was adopted from one found in Sunset magazine.

Serves 6

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (such as Kahlúa)

6 ounces finely chopped high-quality bittersweet chocolate

6 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring cream, milk, espresso powder, and spices to a gentle simmer; cook 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in coffee liqueur.

Put chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Slowly drizzle yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, whisking constantly. Let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a kettle or small pot, bring about 4 cups water to a simmer. Arrange a dish towel in the bottom of a 9- by 13-in. baking pan. Set ramekins on top of towel (this helps keep them in place), then fill each ramekin with custard or use a tart pan as show in the pictures. Pour simmering water into pan so that it comes halfway up sides of ramekins. Set pan in oven and bake the pots de crème until their edges are set but their centers are still wobbly, about 25 minutes; do not over bake. Transfer ramekins to a cooling rack and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill in refrigerator until fully set, about 3 hours.

Summer/Winter Sale

The Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale--July 1-31

Go to: Smashwords to receive a free copy of 

and