If you’d really like to win an autographed copy of Fanny Newcomb and the Irish Channel Ripper…head over to Amy Bruno’s Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour. The Giveaway ends around March 19.

AND…check out my book tour schedule. Fun for all!

On January 28 I’ll be sharing ideas on “Writing a Killer First Chapter” with the Redwood Writers (a Branch of the California Writers Club) in Santa Rosa.

Here are some links with more info….

For novels:
• 10 Things Your Opening Chapter Should Do: A Check-List for Self-Editing
• Finding the Perfect Place to Start Your Novel
• 4 Approaches for the First Chapter of Your Novel
• How to write a murderously good mystery

For short stories:
• Short Story Structures: Several Ways Of Structuring Short Fiction
• How to write a mystery story

For two days only (Saturday December 9 and Sunday December 10), Fanny Newcomb & the Irish Channel Ripper for Kindle is on sale for 99 cents!

ALSO this weekend….all SAND HILL REVIEW PRESS Kindle editions  are available for 99 cents!

Here’s the recipe directly from “The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book”:

And here’s the 2017 easier-to-follow version:

Roast Turkey With Truffles.

Dinde Truffle Rotie.

1 Fine Young Hen Turkey.
1 Pound of Lean Ham, Cut into Dice.
2 Pounds of Truffles.
1/4 Nutmeg.
1/4 of a Teaspoonful of Pepper.
1 Bay Leaf, Minced Fine.

1. Clean and prepare the turkey for roasting as directed in the above recipe.
2. Put a saucepan on the fire and put in the ham cut into dice.
3. When hot add two pounds of the very best truffles and the grated nutmeg, the pepper and a minced bay leaf.
4. Stir over the fire for about fifteen minutes.
5. Then take off and let cool.
6. When it is cold stuff the place at the neck of the turkey whence you take the craw, and sew up and arrange as indicated in the directions for dressing a turkey.
7. Stuff the body of the turkey with the remainder of the truffles and sew it up and truss it.
8. Set it in the oven and roast according to the above recipe, serving with a Sauce aux Truffles.
9. This is a very expensive dish.

Here’s the recipe directly from “The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book”:

And here’s a rearranged version:

Stuffed Tomatoes.
Tomates Farcies.

6 Tomatoes.
1 Tablespoonful of Butter.
1 Cup of Wet Bread, Squeezed Thoroughly.
Salt, Pepper and Cayenne to Taste.
1 Clove of Garlic (if desired.)
1 Onion.
1/4 Inch of Ham.

1. Wash the tomatoes, selecting fine, large, smooth ones for this purpose.
2. Either cut the tomato in two, or else cut one slice from the stem end.
3. Scoop out the inside of the tomato, and put it in a dish and save the skins.
4. Take one onion and one quarter of an inch of ham and chop very fine.
5. Put a tablespoonful of butter into a saucepan, and add the onion, letting it brown nicely.
6. Then add the ham. Let it brown.
7. Add the insides of the tomatoes, and then add, almost instantly, a cup of bread that has been wet and squeezed.
8. Beat all well together as it fries, and add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Let it cook well, and then take off, and stuff the tomatoes, cut in halves or whole. The former is the daintier way.
10. Sprinkle the tops with bread crumbs, and dot with butter.
11. Place in the oven for fifteen or twenty minutes, till brown, and serve hot with filet of beef or chicken, etc.

Here’s the recipe directly from “The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book”:

And here’s a rearranged version:

Pineapple Fritters.

Beignets d’Ananas.

½ a Pineapple.
Fritter Batter.
½ Cup of Sugar.
1 Gill White Wine.

1. Slice the pineapple, and cut the slices in halves.
2. Sprinkle with sugar and White Wine, and let them soak for an hour.
3. Then proceed as in Apple Fritters:

a. Make a batter à la Créole and have ready a deep saucepan of boiling lard.

b. Drain the pineapple.

c. Dip the slices, one at a time, into the 
batter, lift out with a large kitchen
s poon, drop into the boiling lard, 
and fry to a golden brown.

d. Then
 lift out with a skimmer, and set on
 brown paper, in the mouth of the
 oven, and drain.

e. Sift powdered white
 sugar over them, and serve hot, piling high in pyramidal shape, and
 sprinkling again with powdered
 white sugar.

4. Or, simply sprinkle with sugar, let them stand one hour, add the juice to the fritter batter, and proceed as above.

Ana’s notes:
A Gill (sometimes called a “teacup”) is equal to a quarter of a pint.

Here’s the recipe for the batter à la Créole:

1 Cup Flour.
2 Eggs.
2 Tablespoonfuls Brandy.
14 Teaspoonful of Salt.
Cold Water.
1 Tablespoonful Butter, Melted.

1. Beat the yolks of the eggs well, and add the flour, beating very light.
2. Now add the melted butter and the brandy, and thin with water to the consistency of a very thick starch.
3. Add the whites of eggs, beaten to a stiff froth.

George Brookshaw (1751-1823)

Just in case you’re still looking for that perfect dish for your Thanksgiving table…this week, I’m going to be posting some of my favorite turn-of-the-century recipes from New Orleans!

First up, your appetizer–Cream of Asparagus Soup.

Here’s the recipe directly from “The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book”:

And here’s a rearranged version:

Cream of Asparagus Soup.

Creme d’Asperges.

1 Large Bunch of Asparagus.

1 Tablespoonful of Butter.

1 Quart of Milk.

3 Tablespoonfuls of Rich Cream.

2 Even Tablespoonfuls of Flour or Corn Starch.

Salt and Pepper to Taste.

1. Wash the Asparagus, tie it in a bunch and put in a saucepan of boiling water.
2. Let it boil gently for about three-quarters of an hour, or until perfectly tender.
3. Take it from the water, cut off the tips or points and put them aside until wanted.
4. Put the milk on to boil in a farina boiler.
5. Press the Asparagus stalks through a colander, and add them to the milk.
6. Rub the butter and cornstarch or flour together until perfectly smooth, and add to the boiling milk, stirring constantly till it thickens.
7. Now add the Asparagus tops, salt and pepper.
8. Serve, without Croutons, as the Asparagus tips form a beautiful garnish.

Ana’s Notes:

STEP FOUR requires a “farina boiler”, which I think is the same as a “farina kettle” which looks like this:

Although STEP SIX might sound like you’re making a roux, a roux is always made with exactly equal parts of butter and flour.

I’m Ana Brazil, author of Fanny Newcomb and the Irish Channel Ripper. How to introduce myself? Let me just say that I’m curious about many, many things.

First of all, I’m fascinated by the exploits of bold and audacious women, especially the women who followed their strong hearts to challenge and improve American society during the Gilded Age (1870s to 1900).

Women like photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston and settlement house pioneer Jane Addams and “around-the-world-in-72-days” journalist Nellie Bly and Presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull.

I love the stories of courageous and clever heroines. How about you?

I also love New Orleans, a Gilded Age city beset by hurricanes, riots, lottery swindles, and yellow fever epidemics. But also a city celebrated for new educational institutions, the 1884 World Cotton Centennial, and the glow of electric lighting.

And finally, I admit to a healthy curiosity about London’s brutal butcher, Jack the Ripper.

All of my fascinations come together in Fanny Newcomb & the Irish Channel Ripper. In my Gilded Age New Orleans, the city is overrun with prostitutes, pornographers, and a malicious Jack the Ripper copycat. And there’s also Fanny Newcomb, an intelligent and ambitious typewriting teacher. But is Fanny clever and courageous enough to capture the fearful menace known as the Irish Channel Ripper?

Let’s find out here….

• Curious about Fanny Newcomb and 1889 New Orleans? Read the first chapter here.
• Want to know what the Gilded Age looked like? Visit my Fanny Newcomb1889 tumblr blog and pinterest pages.
• Eager to read what I’m up to every month? Sign up for my newsletter here.

Once again, Welcome!