Jules Montague, proprietor of Torte bakery and several other small businesses in her hometown of Ashland, Oregon, is nervous. Her stepson, Ramiro, has been living with her and her husband, Carlos, for the better part of the school year so far, and his mother, Sophia, is about to travel over from Spain with the rest of her family to come visit. While Juliet and Sophia did not have the best relationship to begin with, they’ve come to appreciate each other as positive figures in Ramiro’s life and have slowly become both pen pals and friends.

As such, she wants to make sure to show Sophia and her family a really nice time while they’re in Ashland. Having scheduled the visit to coincide with Ramiro’s winter break, she and Carlos are intent on filling the holiday with pleasant activities for the whole family. The first of these is a Starlight Snowshoe Trip on local ski hill Mount A.

While their guide, Hero, is professional and competent, their trip is marred by the antics of another guide, Fitz Baskin. Hero is forced to cut short their expedition in order to rescue Fitz, leading to a scene back at the lodge. Fortunately, Sophia and her family seem unbothered by the interruption. Regardless, Jules is determined to make sure that the next item on their itinerary is a success. The Downhill Dummy event has all manner of local groups building thematic dummies to launch down a ski slope, with the winner being the dummy with the most spectacular crash. Torte will finally be entering this year, as will Ramiro’s soccer team.

At first, things go according to plan, but when one of the dummies suddenly spins out of control, the very worst happens. A bystander is caught underneath it and crushed to death. Everyone is appalled, but Jules’s amateur sleuth senses begin to tingle when she discovers that the victim is Fitz. When the lodge owner accuses an employee of Fitz’s murder, Jules knows she’s going to have to get involved if she has any hope of salvaging this vacation for her extended family.

I love the care and compassion Ellie Alexander puts into the depiction of a blended family that not only needs to overcome emotional history but also the stresses of far-flung geography. Jules and Sophia’s commitment to doing what’s best for Ramiro should be a model for all parents. The mystery here, too, was nicely done, with twists I did not see coming but was wholly absorbed in reading.

There were seven food and drink recipes for items deliciously described in the novel, and I decided to try out this one:

Chicken and Chickpea Buns

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup finely chopped onions

1⁄2 cup finely chopped carrots

1⁄2 cup finely chopped celery

1 large bunch chopped cilantro (stalks and leaves)

3 cloves of chopped garlic

1 lb ground chicken (or substitute with canned chickpeas for a vegetarian option)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

11⁄2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ginger paste or finely grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Prepared bread dough (you can use Torte’s bun recipe or store-bought dough)

Black sesame seeds

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Directions

Preheat your oven to the temperature recommended for your dough (usually around 350-375°F or 180-190°C).

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, cilantro, and garlic. Sauté until they soften and the onions turn translucent, about 10 minutes. If using ground chicken, add it to the pan with the sautéed vegetables. Cook, breaking it apart with a spatula, until it’s no longer pink and cooked through. If using chickpeas, add them to the pan and cook for a few minutes until heated through. Stir in the tomato paste, turmeric, smoked paprika, chili powder, ginger, ground coriander, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Remove from heat and let the filling cool.

While the mixture is cooling, roll out your dough on a floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough into circles using a round cutter or the mouth of a glass.

Place a spoonful (about 2-3 tablespoons) of the chicken and chickpea mixture in the center of each dough circle. Fold the dough over to create a half-moon shape and pinch the edges to seal the bun. Place the filled buns upside down on a parchment-lined baking tray. Brush the tops of the buns with the beaten egg for a shiny finish. Sprinkle each bun with black sesame seeds for added flavor and texture.

Bake the buns in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked through.

I had trouble finding regular prepared bread dough in my area so decided to use pizza dough, which was an absolutely genius substitution if I do say so myself! Using pizza dough here makes for a pillowy soft savory treat with just a hint of tooth to the crust. Definitely follow the baking time and temperature for your dough regardless of what kind you choose. In my case, for example, I had to oil my pan instead of using parchment paper because the instructions that came with my pizza dough said to.

The filling is very tasty and, if you have extra after you’ve used up all your dough, goes perfectly on top of rice or pasta. Don’t be afraid of all the spices; they blend together really well! I’m still not capable of making good-looking buns (and shamefully forgot to sprinkle on the sesame seeds until after these came out of the oven), but they definitely made up for in taste what they lacked in appearance. The buns also reheat surprisingly well in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for about ten minutes if you find yourself with a lot more of them than you can finish in one sitting. I will definitely be experimenting with this dish again. 

Next week, we fold up some sweet treats while looking into a murder further south down the West Coast. Do join me!

See also: Cooking the Books: Murder with Chocolate Tea by Karen Rose Smith