Fried Bay Scallop Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS (serves two):

1/2 pound bay scallops (washed and patted dry with a paper towel)

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn flour (Maseca)
1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
salt and pepper
1 can of beer (a lighter, crisper variety will work excellently)
1/2 cup of oil (we used half olive and half vegetable)

1)  Combine the dry ingredients with a fork.
2)  Add the beer and the egg yolk, making a slightly runnier batter than pancake batter.
3)  Pour the batter into a Ziplock and toss the scallops in, dredging them thoroughly.
4)  Make sure your oil is hot enough for frying by testing with a drop of batter--about 350 degrees.  Fry half the scallops so as not to lower the oil temperature unduly, flipping after about 90 seconds.  When the batter is crisp and brown, remove the first batch to a paper towel-lined plate and fry remaining scallops.

Garlic Aioli:
3-5 cloves garlic
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tblsp lemon juice
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 large egg yolk
a pinch of sugar
salt and pepper

1)  Toast the cloves with skin on in a small un-oiled pan, about 3 minutes per side.
2)  Peel the garlic.
3)  Combine ingredients in a food processor or with a blender until well emulsified.

Dress your delicious sandwich with:

rolls of your choice (we used egg rolls)
fried bacon strips
arugula
lemon juice

salt and pepper
tomato
a few dashes of hot sauce to taste

And drink a Victory Prima Pils with it!

THE BEER:

Prima Pils is a delicious brew hailing from Pennsylvania and the fine folks at Victory.  We like it so much, we might have talked about it on the blog before.  If so, we don't care.  It's technically a German Pilsener, but if you're in the mood for a spicy-sweet pale ale and there are none to be had, this is an excellent choice.  A fine drinking summer beer with a citrus-rind nose and a lingering grassy finish.  You get a lot of lacy head with this brew, and a delicate bitterness at the end after the sweet pils malt fades, and the mouthfeel is excellent for what is essentially a fairly light style.  

THE LAUNCH:

I should probably be telling you all about my UK trip.  I'm not going to.  Why?

I hereby swear before Gabe and Prufrock and also Grendel, who are the people currently occupying this living room, that I will update this blog more often and as incentive, I will tell the nice friendly people all about our trip to Scotland, England, and Ireland next time I post, which will be SOON, and if I do not, may I be trapped in a room consisting only of televisions playing the early seasons of Full House and primarily episodes focusing on Michelle.

Anyway, this information might be relevant to your lives because Seven for a Secret comes out on September 17!  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!  *runs screaming through woods and fields of tall grasses*  I'm ridiculously excited about it, and apparently some other people are too, including STRANGERS, because Publisher's Weekly and Booklist both put little stars next to glowing reviews and made me very happy.

Because my publisher is extraordinarily nice to me, I'm going on a crazyass tour.  Join me!  I can't wait to see you.  I'll be chatting about Tim Wilde (he's up there on the gorgeous cover, seeeeee him?), but if that doesn't move you, come for the jokes and to see my blue hair and if you asked me something about Sherlock Holmes, I'd very likely answer you, because I occasionally talk about that fellow.

Here's linkage to all my appearances!

NYC Launch Party 9/18
Bouchercon!
Minneapolis Reading 9/23
Houston Reading 9/24
Scottsdale Reading 9/25
San Diego Reading 9/26
Portland Reading 9/27

And then I shall collapse into the approximate shape and consistency of a very well-cooked bucatini noodle and sleep for eight years. 

Seriously, I've been really really lucky (like, Harrison Ford cast as Han Solo lucky) to be getting some amazing press for the new book and additionally for Penguin to be giving it a great deal of support.  I really couldn't ask for better from them, they're practically requiring their entire sales department to get Seven for a Secret face tattoos.

Meanwhile, the First Draft of Horrendous Unwieldiness and Source of Inexpressible Torment to the Author Also Known As the Third Book in the Timothy Wilde Series is now 127,000 words instead of 150,000 (which is not a book but rather a coffee table).  So I'm starting up two great short story projects that were commissioned as well as Project I Cannot Yet Discuss But Which I Am Confident Will Cause the Sherlockian World Joy.  More soon (ugh, I promise, NOT A YEAR LATER BUT RATHER PERHAPS A WEEK).

See you all at the signings, I hope!

Croque Madame

INGREDIENTS (for four people):

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, warm
3 tbsp. flour
2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh black pepper
1/8 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated white cheddar cheese
8 slices sandwich bread
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 pound thinly sliced honey or maple turkey
4 large eggs
-------------------------------------------
Mimosas

(Salad is optional, but did you know your main course contains fewer calories when accompanied by a small salad or side of greens? Well, it does. That's science. This recipe is *liberally* adapted from a March, 2007 offering in Gourmet magazine.)

1) To make the sauce, melt 3 tbsp. of the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, then whisk in the flour and cook roux until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add milk and bring to a boil; continue to whisk occasionally at reduced heat for 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 1/2 a cup of cheese and whisk until cheese has melted into sauce.
2) Remove sauce from heat and cover directly with wax paper to prevent it forming a skin.
3) Spread 1 1/2 tbsp. of the sauce over 4 slices of bread, then sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese.
4) Spread mustard on other 4 bread slices, topping with the turkey. Combine both kinds of bread to form sandwiches.
5) Spread half the warm butter on the top of the sandwiches, adding half the garlic powder, thyme and oregano. Toast the sandwiches butter-side down in a warm skillet while spreading the remaining butter and spices on the other side. Flip and toast until golden on both sides, 3-4 minutes total.
6) Preheat the broiler. Spread remaining sauce on top of the sandwiches, coating evenly. Broil for 2-3 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and golden in spots.
7) Crack eggs into a heated skillet and season them with salt and pepper. Fry eggs, covered, until the whites are set but the yolks still runny, about 3 minutes. Top sandwiches with eggs, and serve with a light salad to reduce the calories in the sauce.
8) Open bottle of champagne and pour into flutes with 2 oz. orange juice. Enjoy together.

THE BEVERAGE:
All right, all right, it isn't a beer. But you know something? We're a big fan of beverages in general, particularly effervescent beverages, and those belonging to the category our friend Mark terms "sauce." Mimosa is one hell of a tasty sauce, and since we were having brunch, after all, the usual beer evaluation was deferred for next time. (I should point out here that Gabe will readily tell you, if you ask him, that the ideal brunch pairing of all time is a draft glass of Leffe Brun and a plate of blueberry pancakes.)

THE GUEST:
We happened to be entertaining a Canadian diplomat when this brunch took place; there's Nicole Joy-Frasier (wife of Jeff Teerlink, if you follow Longview, Washington's Flemish exchange student culture) on the couch. She had a very successful week at the Native Theater Festival downtown at the Public, and here we feature her in slippies, sipping a hot and comforting beverage. The back of Lisa Hernandez's head is showcased to great advantage by her teal v-neck, as I smugly anticipate the moment when she realizes Gabe is about to swing onto her back from the chandelier.