Welcome! Today I’m hosting one of the last stops on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A Soufflé of Suspicion, the second in the French Bistro Mystery series by Daryl Wood Gerber. This was a fun book to read and I really enjoyed it.  Daryl Wood Gerber has generously provided a guest post with recipe for today’s post. My review and information about the book – including purchase links and a rafflecopter giveaway – will be below the guest post! Enjoy!

Guest Post from Daryl Wood Gerber

I have to tell you that I am a huge fan of caramel. I like it as a candy. I love it on ice cream. And now, this soufflé might be my favorite dessert. It’s decadent. It’s creamy. It’s packed with caramel flavor. And the pinch of sea salt gives it a delicious kick.  Soufflé is easy to make, but it does sink quickly. Do not despair. Simply enjoy the flavor of whatever result turns out for you. This is an insider trick of a chef.

SALTED CARAMEL SOUFFLÉ

(Makes 2)

Ingredients for caramel:

• 6 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon crème fraiche

Ingredients for soufflé:

• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Ingredients for salted caramel sauce:

• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of sea salt

1. First, make the caramel. In a sauté pan, over medium heat, bring water and sugar to a boil.  Stir until it is a dark golden color, about 5-7 minutes, then add the crème fraiche and stir on low heat until smooth.  Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush two 3-inch ceramic dishes with 1/2 tablespoon melted butter. Dust each with 1 teaspoon sugar. Shake off the excess.
3. In a medium saucepan (off the heat), whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, then slowly add the warm milk.  * I heated the milk in a microwave for 1 minute on high. Whisk to incorporate. Cook the mixture on medium, whisking constantly, until thick.  Then stir in the caramel, which will be sticky. Set the mixture aside and allow to cool slightly, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with the vinegar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg white into the caramel-egg mixture. Pour mixture into the two prepared baking dishes and tap each on a level surface to remove air bubbles.
5. Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden. There will be a slight wobble in the center. Remove from the oven. Let cool 15 minutes. They might sink a bit.
6. Meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce.  Put the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, vanilla, and sea salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Let bubble for 1-2 minutes until glossy, stirring constantly.
7. Serve the soufflé with a side of the salted caramel sauce.

PS  The salted caramel sauce is terrific over vanilla ice cream!

About the Book

A Soufflé of Suspicion: A French Bistro Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Crooked Lane Books (July 10, 2018)
Hardcover 296 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683315865
Digital ASIN: B075QMR44B

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Synopsis

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.

Review

This was a fun summer read.  I’m enjoying the characters in this series quite a bit. I’m one for character-driven series and books. If the characters aren’t interesting, it doesn’t matter how good the plot is, you lose me. Thankfully this series has some great characters. I really enjoy Mimi, Jo, Heather, and the rest of the gang. They’re tons of fun.

I love the setting in this series too. The inn that is made to look like Monet’s house at Giverny and the gardens designed like Monet’s garden. Fabulous. The focus of this book with the Sweet Treats Festival was fabulous. Don’t get me wrong, I love the bistro and all its nuances, but having another setting helped keep the story moving along.

I did not figure out the villain until it was revealed which is a plus. In fact, the villain in this one was a complete surprise to me. Well, maybe not a complete surprise as Mimi did speculate about them, but I didn’t really see it being this person until it was revealed.

All in all it was a fun read with some great recipes. 🙂 I look forward to #3 in the series!

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!

Author Links

Visit Daryl or Avery at www.darylwoodgerber.com.

Daryl’s Blog – Avery’s Blog – Mystery Lover’s Kitchen – Killer Characters –

Facebook: Daryl Avery

Twitter: @AveryAames @DarylWoodGerber

Goodreads: Daryl Wood Gerber Avery Aames