Diane Davidson - Tough Cookie

In a wide frying pan, pour vegetable oil to a depth of ½ inch. Heat to 370°F, then place no more than three egg rolls at a time into the oil and fry for 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.

Makes 16 egg rolls

Guacamole Dipping Sauce:

1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 cup fat-free or regular sour cream

½ cup medium-hot picante sauce

⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon grated onion

½ very finely chopped jalapeño chile, whirled in a small blender or food processor

Either mash all ingredients together until well combined, or whirl in a food processor until smooth. Chill and serve with egg rolls.

Chesapeake Crab Cakes

with Sauce Gribiche

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ cup finely chopped celery

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, crushed

⅔ cup lowfat mayonnaise

¾ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

1 pound crabmeat (can use refrigerated pasteurized crab)

1⅓ cups club cracker crumbs, divided in half

2 additional tablespoons vegetable oil, divided in half, plus extra to oil baking pan

In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat, add the celery and onion, lower heat, and add garlic. Sauté over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until translucent but not brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise with spices. Add crab, ⅔ cup cracker crumbs, celery, onion, and garlic. Stir until well combined. Using a ½-cup measure, scoop out crab mixture and form into 6 cakes about 4 or 5 inches in diameter.

Spread the last ⅔ cup cracker crumbs on a plate. Dredge the cakes in the crumbs.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking pan.

In a wide frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Place 3 crab cakes into the pan and cook approximately 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Place the cooked crab cakes into the baking pan and put them in the oven while you cook the rest of the crab cakes. Add the second tablespoon of oil to the hot frying pan and cook the last 3 crab cakes approximately 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Place in the baking pan in the heated oven while preparing the sauce.

Makes 6 crab cakes

Sauce Gribiche:

1½ teaspoons finely chopped shallots

2 gherkins, minced

1½ teaspoons capers, drained

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1½ teaspoons minced fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon sugar

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup lowfat mayonnaise

1 large egg, hard-boiled and finely chopped

In a small electric mincer or well-cleaned coffee grinder, combine shallots, gherkins, capers, parsley, and-tarragon. Pulse for about 5 seconds, or until thoroughly combined and well minced. Set aside. Stir together lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Stir into mayonnaise along with egg and minced shallot mixture. Serve with crab cakes.

Ice-Capped

Gingersnaps

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1½ cups dark brown sugar

2 eggs

½ cup dark molasses

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two cookie sheets.

Beat butter until creamy. Add brown sugar and eggs and beat until well combined, then add molasses and vinegar and beat thoroughly. Sift together all the dry ingredients and add-gradually to butter mixture. Using a 1½-tablespoon scoop, space cookies out 2 inches apart on sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies have puffed and flattened and appear slightly dry. Allow to cool on sheet 1 minute, then transfer to racks and allow to cool completely.

Frosting:

1½ cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons whipping cream

2 tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a shallow bowl, mix all ingredients well with a whisk. Holding the cooled cookies upside down by the edges, dip the tops into the icing. Allow to cool, icing side up, on racks until the icing hardens. Store between layers of wax paper in an airtight container.

Makes 5 dozen cookies

I wondered if Arthur had opened the bottle of dessert wine, and if he’d let me chug it after the show.

Muttering, I scooped the fragrant dough into Ping-Pong-ball-size spheres. The phone volunteers raised eyebrows at each other: Some caterer! I slapped the uncooked cookies into what Arch called the “pretend” oven and struggled to compose a last enthusiastic pitch about new equipment for PBS.

Two lights above the phone bank flashed as the ringing halfheartedly resumed. I rinsed my hands and wiped them on the towel. Volunteers murmured to the donors. How much longer? My watch was obscured by gingersnap batter. I plunged back into my monologue, urging viewers to tuck crab-cake sandwiches into their packs before a full day of skiing.

Camera One swept a wide-angle panorama of the hot line burgeoning with the completed, cooked dishes. Then the cameraman focused on the volunteers manning the phones, which had once again, drat them, gone dead. Arthur, pale with panic, shifted to a visual with the phone number viewers could call. He then ran a prepared tape of avalanche-avoidance safety tips. Shun steep, leeward slopes. Listen for broadcast warnings of avalanche danger. If you’re caught in unstable snow, grab a tree and hold on. And never, ever ski out of bounds .

Too bad Arthur hadn’t run safety tips for cooking live. I felt acutely, painfully embarrassed. You don’t know a thing, Goldy . No kidding.

I looked for Rorry Bullock.

She was gone.

CHAPTER 4

As the credits rolled, I scanned the interior of the bistro. Arthur was talking urgently into his headset. Jack was handing Eileen a champagne glass filled with orange juice. Or perhaps it was part orange juice, part champagne. Eileen cupped the glass in her hands and beamed Jack a grateful smile. No one was hustling up to offer congratulations or tell me how much money we’d made. True, the show had been flawed by the cookie fiasco, and had lacked the public support of the pregnant widow. But there should have been some good news. Wasn’t that what public broadcasting was all about?

Unfortunately, the only news coming my way was in the shape of pudgy, self-aggrandizing Doug Portman. His pate shone in the bright lights as he waved and shouldered toward the set through the dispersing crowd of spectators. I swallowed. How did you greet someone you’d had three dates with, eight years before?

“Hey, Goldy?” Doug bellowed. “You forgot my ticket!”

“Sorry, I—”

“Ready to rock?” he hollered. “It’s really coming down out there!” People stared at him.

“Yeah, okay, I’m coming.” I yanked off my microphone and surveyed the mess on the hot line counter. Fortunately, the bistro staff cleaned up after each show.

“Arch and Todd decided to take a group snowboarding lesson,” said Eileen, suddenly at my shoulder. “Want a mimosa before you take off? Jack made them.”