Study in Chocolate Bonus Recipes

Arlo’s Cuban Roast Pork

In A Study in Chocolate, Arlo invites Felicity and Logan to meet at his house to discuss some of the events surrounding the mystery. He’s made lunch – which allows Felicity to reminisce about old times, when he’d made her Cuban sandwiches back when they were dating. Use this pork roast as filling for the sandwiches.

It’s also great with a side of cole slaw, potato salad, and rolls. The pork just falls off the bone. Just think, weekend lunch at your parent’s house with all the fixings.

¼ c. lime juice
½ c. lemon juice
1 c. orange juice
1 onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. Complete Seasoning (Badia brand preferred)
2 Tbsp. Salt
4-5 lb. pork shoulder (or pork butt)

Preheat oven to 250°F

Mix the lime, lemon, and orange juices with the chopped onion and garlic. Set aside

Prepare the pork by patting it down with paper towels. Rub the complete mix seasoning and salt into the pork and set in a roasting pan with the rack. Pour the juice mixture over the pork and place in preheated oven. Roast for 8-9 hours, basting frequently. Add more liquid as needed as it cooks.

Arlo’s Cuban Sandwich

1 loaf Cuban bread, cut in half vertically, then horizontally to make two sandwich rolls.
3 Tbsp. yellow mustard
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 dill pickle, sliced with a mandolin on the thinnest setting
¼ lb. thinly sliced honey ham (from deli)
½ lb. Cuban pork roast – recipe linked here
4 Tbsp. butter

For Each Sandwich:

Spread mustard on both halves of the bread. Place two slices of Swiss cheese on each half. Place the dill pickle slices on top of the cheese on the bottom half. Top with the honey ham in layers, and top that with the Cuban pork roast. Place the top half of the bun (as prepared with mustard and cheese) on top of the roast.

Butter the top of the sandwich with half the butter

Heat a panini press or a pair of cast iron skillets (that can fit on top of each other) and put the other half of the butter in the bottom pan. Once the butter melts, add the sandwich and put the press (or the second skillet) on top for weight, cooking the sandwich for 4 approximately minutes. Flip the sandwich over and press again for another 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is browned.

Autumn’s Jamaican Meat Patties

In A Study in Chocolate, Autumn tries her hand at cooking, with her fiancé’s mom’s Jamaican meat patty recipe. Ultimately, she decides to leave the baking to Carmen, but proving to herself that she can cook – even if she doesn’t have to – gives her a new measure of confidence. She winds up substituting shortening for the more traditional beef suet (which would give a slightly different texture to the crust), but Felicity and her friends all declare the results delicious.

Remember to wear gloves (or hold the pepper through a plastic bag when mincing the Scotch Bonnet.

Turmeric Pastry:

3 ½ c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. shortening (or beef suet, if you can find it)
1 Tbsp. turmeric powder
1 c. ice cold water

Filling:

1 lb. lean ground beef
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. thyme
½ tsp. allspice
2 Tbsp oil
1 c. yellow onion, finely chopped
3 scallions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero), minced
1 c. water
½ c. breadcrumbs
¼ c. shortening

Place the flour in a mixing bowl with a hook attachment. Add the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, turmeric powder, and shortening. Mix on low speed until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the ice-cold water and mix on low speed until the ingredients are well combined and a dough forms. Remove the dough and divide into two pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and place the dough in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the ground beef in a large bowl. Add the salt, paprika, pepper, thyme, and allspice. Combine well and set aside.

Pour oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, scallions, garlic, and Scotch Bonnet pepper. Sautee the mixture until the onion turns translucent. Add the ground beef mixture, and cook, stirring frequently, until the beef is cooked through. Add the water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water is mostly reduced, about 20 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and stir until evenly incorporated. Add the shortening and heat until melted, stirring constantly until it is completely incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper (or use seasoned baking stones). Divide the filling into 12 equal parts.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide the dough into 12 equally-sized balls. Flatten each ball and roll out into an 8”x6” circle (or rough rectangle) and place the filling in the center of the circle.
Fold the pastry over the filling, forming a half-moon (or wide rectangle) shape. Press the edges of the dough together, then pinch the outer end with a fork to seal the seams.

Place the patties on the prepared baking trays and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the beef patties are lightly golden browned.

Carmen’s Chestnut Brownies with Cardamom and Pistachios

In A Study in Chocolate, Carmen invites several other chefs back to Greetings and Felicitations for a contest on who can make the best gluten free brownie. Carmen decides to do chestnut brownies, substituting a chia slurry for the eggs and olive-oil based butter, to make them vegan as well.

The addition of pistachios here is a nod to the traditional Turkish candy, Karyoka, which are chocolate-dipped balls of chestnut purée topped with chopped pistachios. The spices, while not appearing in the recipes for Karyoka that I found, just seemed to go with this flavor combination.

¾ c. plant-based butter
1 c. dark chocolate, chopped
¾ c. dark brown sugar
1 c. sweetened chestnut purée
Chia Slurry (2 tbsp. chia seed mixed with 5 tbsp. water)
1 c. oat flour
1 1/2 tsp cardamom
2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch sea salt
1/4 c. chopped pistachios

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave at 10 second intervals until just melted.

Add in the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Stir in the sugar until any lumps have dissolved. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the chestnut puree and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, and beat to combine.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add the flour, cinnamon, cardamom and salt and stir until just combined.

Pour the mixture into a 7″x8″ pan and bake for 30 minutes. If there’s more than a slight wobble to the top, place it back in the oven and cook for a further 3-5 minutes. (But take care that it doesn’t become too firm or you’ll end up with a dry brownie.)

Cool completely and refrigerate for at least half an hour before cutting.

Carmen’s Lavender Cherry Chicken Salad Sandwich

In A Study in Chocolate, Carmen helps out with a catering gig for a fancy tea party. She brings her usual flair with culinary herbs to even a simple chicken salad.

Remember, not all herbs are suitable for everyone. Always check with your guests to make sure.

4 c. cooked, chopped chicken
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. dried cherries, chopped
1/2 c. pecans, chopped
1 c. mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. lavender flowers, ground
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
croissants (for serving)

Shred cooked chicken into a bowl. Add salt, pepper, ground lavender flowers, lemon zest, chopped pecans, chopped dried cherries, chopped celery, and mayonnaise. Mix until well incorporated. Serve on croissants.

Chalupa’s Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas

Felicity’s favorite restaurant is a Tex-Mex joint, where she goes with her friends for everything from commiserating over chips and salsa to planning meetings with Autumn’s bridesmaids. In A Study in Chocolate, Felicity takes her parents to lunch there, to ask her dad to design a sculptural chocolate fountain for the expanded space for Greetings and Felicitations. She orders their cheese enchiladas.

I added a little Tajin to an otherwise classic recipe, because I like the extra hint of flavor from the lime.

1 lb. 80/20 ground beef
1 c. onion, finely chopped, divided
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. Tajin chili lime seasoning
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. all-purpose flour
2 c. chicken stock
4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
12 corn tortillas

Place the ground beef in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the beef is browned through. Add ½ c. of the chopped onion and cook until the onion turns translucent. Add the chili powder, Tajin seasoning, cumin, garlic powder, oregano (Mexican oregano preferably), garlic powder, salt, pepper and flour and stir until the seasoning coats the ground beef. Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer the chili gravy for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, place a little oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining half cup of onions, and cook until soft.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a half cup of chili gravy in the bottom of a 9”x13” pan.
Place a dry skillet over medium heat. One tortilla at a time, warm the corn tortillas until they are pliable, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Remove the tortilla from heat, then add about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and some of sautéed onions on the lower third of the tortilla. Then tightly roll the tortilla around the cheese and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until you have heated and rolled all of the tortillas.

Spoon the remaining chili gravy over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the chili gravy. Bake for 20 minutes.

Carmen’s Banoffee Banana Bread

At the beginning of A Study in Chocolate, Felicity gets invited to a tea party at a historic home. Wanting to bring a host gift, she asks her pastry chef, Carmen, to whip up something special that will show off what the shop can offer. Carmen comes up with this fun loaf.

½ c. butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. (2 medium) mashed bananas
¼ c. milk
2 Tbsp. dulce de leche or caramel sauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. graham cracker crumbs
¼ c. cacao nibs
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. toffee bits

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9×5 or 8×4 inch loaf pan. Seat aside.

Place sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition. Add the bananas, milk, dulce de leche and vanilla, them mix briefly, just until combined. Set aside.

In a small bowl, place the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cacao nibs, baking soda and salt. Whisk until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the toffee bits. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Remove. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store in the refrigerator.

NOTE: Add one cup chocolate chips to make this chocolate chip banana bread.

Aunt Naomi’s Chicken, Mushroom and Vegetable Soup

In A Study in Chocolate, Aunt Naomi winds up stuck at Logan’s apartment, when it isn’t safe for her to be at the hotel. She raids Logan’s fridge to make soup. This is basically just her gathering up what is at hand and adding seasonings to balance the ingredients. She’s always been a resourceful lady.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 c. onion, diced
¾ c. celery, finely diced
1 c. yellow or red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 c. potato, chopped
2 c. carrots, chopped
1 c. baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
6 c. chicken stock
1 c. white wine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 ½ tsp. dried marjoram
1 ½ tsp. ground thyme
1 ½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ c. fresh parsley, minced

Place the olive oil in the bottom of a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. When hot, add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Add the chicken and cook through. Add the carrot, potato, and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add chicken stock, white wine, salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme and oregano. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft, approximately 30-40 minutes. Add fresh parsley and remove from heat. Serve hot with French bread.

Felicity’s Pecan Pie Truffle

In A Study in Chocolate, Felicity gets a huge order for these truffles, complicated by the fact that each truffle has to be hand-dipped. But as the client is important to growing her business, and the pecan pie truffle is one of her signature flavors, it’s all hands on deck to get the project done. Even a few volunteers that Felicity’s employee Tracie talks into helping out – presenting it as an experience class.

You can either place each dipped truffle on a cooling rack (which may create a small pattern on the bottom of the truffle), or place it directly on waxed paper (where puddling of excess chocolate could create “feet” that will need to be carefully trimmed off with a paring knife).

1 c. heavy cream
1 lb. dark chocolate, chopped
2 c. Vanilla Wafers, rough chopped
1 c. pecans, finely chopped
½ c. corn syrup
4 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tsp. white vinegar
1 lb. milk chocolate, for dipping

Place the chopped chocolate in a deep dish with a wide surface area. Pour the cream over it, and allow it to sit for several minutes, until the chocolate starts to melt. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Add the corn syrup, butter, vanilla, vinegar, pie crust crumbles and pecans and whisk until evenly combined. Place the ganache in the refrigerator for several hours.

Roll the ganache mixture into 1-inch balls. Temper the milk chocolate and use a fork to dip each ganache ball and place on a cooling rack over waxed paper. Immediately press a pecan quarter into the top of each truffle.