Anyone read her? I just finished Deadly Beautiful (read the first one too, can't remember title) and it's quite a tarty thriller!

Like Kate White, Baker is a journo in fashion mags. But I found these quite a bit grittier and liked them more than White's series.

In other news- it's almost spring break, and I just got Kisses and Lies! so if I want to read it all at once, I can because I DON"T HAVE TO GO TO WORK for a week! hurrah!

also intend to try making the famous whiskey cake next week.

Really, what more could one ask for in a holiday! well, maybe for someone else to make the cake while I read the book, but one can't always have the moon.

never heard of her, but sounds interesting. and seriously, the whisky cake is unbelievable and would work just as well with bourbon or dark rum. I served it with whipped cream and I think Stella added blueberries too to make it healthy, hahaha. If you did it with rum, an orange-zest spiked cream would be divine.

mmm. I made ginger cake yesterday for family dinner today, new recipe, am worried they said to leave it too long in the oven. But it's supposed to be better the next day, hence making it 24 hours in advance... hopefully it will be nice and fudgy this evening. Slathered with cream, of course! I thought of spiking the cream with rum as that goes well with ginger. Thoughts??

ah, great minds. I was thinking of making ginger cake tomorrow for the buddists. was wondering about adding in very small slivers of real ginger ... too hot? too savoury? will find out!
yum, Lauren, orange with rum for the whiskey cake great idea.

IMO real ginger too much work. Have tried in the past and didn't think it added much. Stem ginger in syrup, on the other hand, would be great.

The one I made was from the Observer's Best 50 Recipes last week - it's perfect, with lots of black treacle, just leave it in the oven for 40 mins tops, NOT the 1 hour they for some reason recommend.

and new exciting-sounding recipe I wanted to share:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/dining/181arex.html?em

haven't made it yet, but doesn't it sound fab?

when did we manage to turn this into a cooking blog?

Hahaha!! Recipe sharing doesn't seem very tarty does it? Sort of 50's housewife. Who cares! I love to eat!! This isn't a libacious way to enjoy gingerbread but I grew up with warmed homemade applesauce spooned over it. I don't know why you couldn't put a slug of applejack in the sauce. The tartness of the applesauce is really yummy with gingerbread...my mom has always used the same heirloom sauce apples all these years...Transparent apples. But cream is always the better option.
That blood orange cake, tho, wow! Sounds awesome. I consider myself to be pretty intrepid in the kitchen but have never made dessert containing olive oil...it isn't overwhelming to the taste of the cake?

nope, the oil is more about texture and richness. I have an olive oil and Sauternes cake recipe that works very well too. DON"T USE extra-virgin though, it loses all its extra-virginity as soon as it's heated. that goes for anything involving oil - just use a standard pure olive oil for cooking, anything else is a total waste of money.

first person to make the blood orange/olive oil cake, post on here!

I love that we have a crime/tart/food/baking message board! and I do think cooking is very tarty. cf Martha Grace in Tart Noir!!
mmm, blood orange cake ...
(hey, my gingerbread recipe also said to cook for 55-60 mins, but was done at 50 - with slightly too crispy edges actually.)