Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, a cozy mystery set around an Irish Stout baking contest. Robbie Jordan is hosting the contest at Pans ‘n Pancakes while her dessert baker, Phil, plans to submit his Stout and Cheese biscuits for the contest. Whether the contest will ever happen is a mystery as the show’s manager is found dead in Robbie’s bed and breakfast lodging.
This is book #11 in the delightful A Country Store Mystery series. Set in South Lick, IN, Robbie Jordan has agreed to host a baking contest sponsored by a local brewery in which all contestants must use their Irish Stout beer. The results of the mystery are almost as satisfying as the scrumptious recipes found at the end of the novel. The Stout and Cheese Biscuits are my favorites.
Four Leaf Cleaver by Maddie Day
Stout and Cheese Biscuits
from a cozy mystery novel:
Four Leaf Cleaver
by Maddie Day
Book Outline and Tone:
Robbie Jordan store is the site of the Holiday Hot-Off baking contest sponsored by the Hoosier Brewing Company designed to highlight their Irish stout beer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Jordan is excited because they are paying her to use her restaurant and she is renting some of her bed and breakfast rooms to the crew. The first stumbling block is the death of Tara, the show’s manager and when the filming date gets rescheduled, another tragedy occurs.
Jordan continues her sleuthing skills spurred by having found Tara in a bedroom of the bed and breakfast attached to the restaurant. She has to balance dealing with Detective Oscar in this mystery rather than just her favorite detective, Buck. This makes her sleuthing more difficult and she calls on her step son, Sean, to help her. Together they look into the pasts of several of the people involved in the contest.
There is a secondary theme in this edition of the series and that is having babies. Robbie’s faithful worker Danna has an argument with her long-time boyfriend about whether now is the right time to have a baby, Robbie runs into her chef friend, Christine, who is pregnant, and Robbie herself wonders why she and Abe haven’t yet conceived. Could there be a change in the cast of characters in the next novel?
The Best Quote:
“My dream had always been to provide a community gathering place, the equivalent of a company water cooler, and I had succeeded. But at times like this, business picked up because people wanted a serving of gossip with their granola, some buzz with their buttered biscuits. By now I’d earned a reputation as a bit of an amateur sleuth and I was peppered with questions.”
Point of View:
The novel is told in first person point of view from the perspective of main character, Robbie Jordan.
The Author: Maddie Day
Maddie Day is one of my favorite authors to follow on social media. She posts regularly on Twitter @edithmaxwell. She also has a large following on Instagram and Facebook. Like so many authors, Maddie Day is a pseudonym for Edith Maxwell. She has at least six book series that can all be found on her website which is elaborate and has inside information and reviews for all of her books.
What is not to like?:
There are several characters and suspects to keep track of. A cast of characters at the end of the novel to refer to would be helpful.
The verdict:
First let me convince you to try these Stout and Cheese Biscuits. They are rich and flakey and absolutely delicious! The cozy mystery series is fun and the cast of characters continue to make the novels engaging. I love this series.
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).
Stout and Cheese Biscuits
Assemble the Ingredients
Do not preheat the oven. After assembling the biscuits, place them in the freezer to chill while the oven preheats.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
OXO Good Grips 3- Piece Plastic Mixing Bowl Set LInk
In a separate bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard and Irish stout. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.
Easy to read measure marks on inside of cup. Dishwasher safe.
Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter, then quickly transfer it to the flour mixture and toss to coat all the butter pieces with flour.
Add the grated cheese and mix to combine, being sure to coat all pieces with flour.
Make a well in the center and pour the beer mixture in the center.
Carefully mix until it forms a shaggy mass. There should still be loose bits of butter, cheese and flour.
Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface, then roll out into a long strip.
Fold one side halfway up, adding in any loose bits, then fold the other side over top, like a letter.
Rotate 90 degrees.
Roll out and repeat the fold two more times.
Roll the dough into 7″-8″ square, then cut into 9 even squares (or 16 for smaller biscuits).
Place the biscuits on a sheet pan, then place them in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
When the oven is preheated, remove the biscuits from the freezer, then brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and put them immediately into the oven.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until they’re puffed up and golden brown.
Serve warm.
Stout and Cheese Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2½ cup flour
- 2¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup Irish stout (such as Guinness) or other dark beer, cold
- 8 Tbsp butter, frozen, plus 2 tablespoons, melted
- 8 oz aged Irish cheddar or extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I used extra sharp cheddar)
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard and Irish stout. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.
- Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter, then quickly transfer it to the flour mixture and toss to coat all the butter pieces with flour.
- Add the grated cheese and mix to combine, being sure to coat all pieces with flour.
- Make a well in the center and pour the beer mixture in the center.
- Carefully mix until it forms a shaggy mass. There should still be loose bits of butter, cheese and flour.
- Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface, then roll out into a long strip.
- Fold one side halfway up, adding in any loose bits, then fold the other side over top, like a letter.
- Rotate 90 degrees, roll out and repeat the fold two more times.
- Roll the dough into 7"-8" square, then cut into 9 even squares (or 16 for smaller biscuits).
- Place the biscuits on a sheet pan, then place them in the freezer.
- Now preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
- When the oven is preheated, remove the biscuits from the freezer, then brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and put them immediately into the oven.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until they're puffed up and golden brown.Serve warm.
What would I do differently next time?
These are delicious and rich, next time I would cut the biscuits smaller, make 12 biscuits instead of 9.
More delicious biscuits to try!
Cheesy Biscuits from Flipped for Murder by Maddie Day
Maple Curry Biscuits from Biscuits and Slashed Browns by Maddie Day
Bolos Lêvedos, Portuguese Bread from Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay
