It is time for delicious foods, love, and a suspicious death. Hayley has expanded her reputation as not just a talented food columnist, but also an excellent cook. Local caterer, Garth, has hired her to help show off his cooking skills at the preholiday Midnight Madness. If only the caterer could make it to that event, but as the title suggests, he dies mysteriously.
A Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery novel. This is book #5 and it is a fun holiday ride. It comes as no surprise that Hayley’s reputation for great cooking is growing with recipes like these Onion Brie Palmier. I made these for my Thanksgiving feast and they are wonderful!
Death of a Christmas Caterer by Lee Hollis.
Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes
Book Review
Murder Mystery Books🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Book Review Outline and Tone:
Merry Christmas! Hayley’s reputation as a food and spirits columnist continues to grow. In this book, her reputation for being an excellent cook also grows. She brings food to her office Christmas party and her coworkers rave about the food on social media. Local caterer Garth Rawlings decides to hire Hayley to help him with the local Midnight Madness that features local shops and restaurants displaying their offerings just in time for Christmas shopping.. As the title tells you, this caterer is found dead.
Typically in this series I rave about her food and spirits columns that are interspersed throughout the novel. While I do still enjoy them, this time around the mystery was fantastic. Figuring out who did it and how it was done is creatively written. I couldn’t even make a plausible guess and when the mystery was revealed, it was satisfying.
Hayley also has a love life to muddle through. When her ex boyfriend Lex moves back to Bar Harbor, he threatens to disrupt what Hayley has going with the sexy Aaron. This storyline is another highlight of the novel.
The author:
This book was written by Lee Hollis. Well sort of… Lee Hollis is the pseudonym for the real authors, a brother and sister team, Rick Copp and Holly Simason. There is more information on Goodreads. Like their protagonist Hayley Powell, Copp and Simason are from Maine. Copp moved to Hollywood and wrote for The Golden Girls, Wings, Teen Titans and a long list of impressive television and movies. Simason is a columnist in Maine and writes a cooking column. Fortunately for us readers, they decided to combine their talents and write the Lee Hollis series, currently being published by Kensington House Publishing Corporation. The Hayley Powell series has a Facebook page. The authors are active on both Twitter and Instagram.
What is not to like?:
I was rooting for Hayley to solve the mystery of Garth’s death, but I wasn’t sad he died. The search for justice seemed to be for justice’s sake and not because the reader feels bad for Garth’s death.
The verdict:
Amazingly I found the mystery more intriguing than the food and spirit columns that are in the book. This is a remarkable statement because I thoroughly enjoy the food columns as interjections for comedy. So this time, read it for the mystery and the humorous columns.
Book Club Recommendation: 5/5 Books 📚📚📚📚📚 I LOVE this series! Read It!
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).
Onion Brie Palmier made with puff pastry
Assemble the Ingredients
Easy to make appetizer: 4/5 on the Easy as Pie scale 🥧🥧🥧🥧
Appetizer Recipe 📖📖📖📖📖
In a large skillet cook your onions in the butter, brown sugar, and vinegar over medium low heat until the onions are golden brown, stirring frequently.
The onions pictured above have just begun to cook. Cook them low and slow until they are caramelized. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon; cool to room temperature.
While the onions are cooling, remove the rind from the Brie.
On a lightly floured surface, roll your puff pastry into an 11-inch x 8-inch rectangle.
To help you roll the puff pastry to the correct size, try using a silicone baking mat like
Silicone Pastry Mat for Rolling Dough 16" x 24", Red LINK
Spread the softened Brie cheese over the pastry. Cover the cheese with the onions; sprinkle with the caraway seeds.
Roll up one long side to the middle, and the other side to the middle, so you have two rolls. Using a serrated knife, cut the rolls into 1/2-inch slices.
Place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and flatten to about a 1/4-inch thickness.
Put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl beat an egg and some water; remove your onion Brie palmier from the refrigerator and brush the egg mixture over the tops.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy!
I made these for Thanksgiving and added them to the rim on a simple charcuterie board. These appetizers are addictive and before I know it my board was empty.
Taste: 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐These appetizers were gone fast.
So delicious 😋😋😋😋😋
Onion Brie Palmier from: Death of a Christmas Caterer a cozy mystery novel
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 sheet puff pastry, room temperature
- 4 oz brie cheese, softened (remove rind)
- 2 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp water
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook your onions in the butter, brown sugar, and vinegar over medium low heat until the onions are golden brown, stirring frequently.
- Remove the onions with a slotted spoon; cool to room temperature.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll your puff pastry into an 11-inch x 8-inch rectangle.
- Spread the softened Brie cheese over the pastry.
- Cover the cheese with the onions; sprinkle with the caraway seeds.
- Roll up one long side to the middle, and the other side to the middle, so you have two rolls. Using a serrated knife, cut the rolls into 1/2-inch slices.
- Place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and flatten to about a 1/4-inch thickness.
- Put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small bowl beat an egg and some water; remove your onion Brie palmiers from the refrigerator and brush the egg mixture over the tops.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
What would I do differently next time?
I already made a simply change when I made these. My brie was 8oz package, so I doubled the recipe the first time I made them. I am extremely glad I did that because my family gobbled them up at our family Thanksgiving dinner.
Will I make it again?: Absolutely Yes! 😋😋😋😋😋
Many of the recipes I review are sweet desserts, here are a few savory dishes to try.
Grits with Cheese from When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day.
Hot Mama Frittata from Bedeviled Eggs by Laura Childs.
Cheesy Biscuits from Flipped for Murder by Maddie Day.
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