GUEST POST BY DARYL WOOD GERBER

ABOUT THE BOOK

The buoyant mood at Bistro Rousseau deflates when Chef Camille’s sister, Renee, turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen, and Mimi Rousseau must tease the real killer out of a mélange of menacing characters.

Crush Week in Nouvelle Vie is a madhouse—in a good way. Tourists pour into town for the pressing of the Napa Valley’s world-renowned grapes and all the town’s businesses get a nice lift, including Bistro and Maison Rousseau. Mimi is raising the ante this year with a Sweet Treats Festival, a wonderland of croissants, cakes, tarts, and soufflés crafted with expert care by the area’s top talents.

Chef Camille’s sister Renee is managing the festival with a cast-iron fist, upsetting everyone, including her sister. Which is bad for Camille when Renee turns up dead in the chef’s kitchen. Mimi is still building her business, so her first course of action is to whip up answers and catch the unsavory perpetrator before Camille takes a dusting and gets burned.

Book Details:

Title: A Soufflé of Suspicion

Author: Daryl Wood Gerber

Genre: Cozy mystery

Series: A French Bistro Mystery, book 2

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (July 10, 2018)

Print length: 296 pages

On tour with: Great Escapes Book Tours

A RECIPE FROM DARYL WOOD GERBER

This is one of the simplest dishes I know how to make and is packed with flavor. It’s a bit messy because of the pork and oil, but it’s so worth it. By the way, I adore white pepper. It makes the dish just a tad spicier than if you use regular pepper.

Cote de porc

(Serves 6)
6 (6-ounce) pork chops (about ½ inch thick) (*you may use bone-in chops)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon white pepper, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 cup diced shallots
2/3 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2/3 cup white wine (I used Trader Joe’s)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup thinly sliced cornichons
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Sprinkle the pork chops with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops. Cover! This mixture will spit. Cook 8 minutes, turning after 4 minutes, until the chops are golden brown. Remove pork from the pan and set on a plate; keep warm by covering with foil.

Meanwhile, add 1 more teaspoon of oil and shallots to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in the broth and wine, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Bring the onions to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced (about 8 minutes). Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, and Dijon mustard. Remove the pan from heat. Stir in the cornichons.

Arrange the pork on individual plates. Pour the sauce over the pork, distributing the cornichons evenly. Sprinkle with chopped fresh chives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Agatha Award-winning Daryl Wood Gerber is best known for her nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries and Cheese Shop Mysteries, which she pens as Avery Aames. She will soon debut the new French Bistro Mysteries. Daryl also writes stand-alone suspense: Days of Secrets and Girl on the Run. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in Murder, She Wrote. She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!

Connect with Daryl:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
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