NEWSLETTER: THE IDES OF MARCH

Missed this month's newsletter? Click here to read it online and be sure to subscribe here. In the meantime, beware the Ides of March...

SIGNATURE EDITION: A COUNTERFEIT HEIRESS

Today, my publisher is releasing a new paperback edition of The Counterfeit Heiress. It includes an interview with me and is specially priced at $9.99 forever. So if you're missing this title from your collection, you might want to check it out...

WANT A SNEAK PEAK OF UNEASY LIES THE CROWN?

The 13th Emily novel comes out on 30 October 2018. This Pinterest board offers some clues about what you can expect to find in it...

PAPERBACK COVER: DEATH IN ST. PETERSBURG

Check out the gorgeous makeover Death in St. Petersburg is getting for its paperback release...

Copies will be available in bookstores everywhere starting 24 July 2018.

NEWSLETTER: THE IDES OF FEBRUARY

In case you missed my newsletter (published on the Ides of every month), read it online here. It includes a book recommendation, a link to a fabulous article about beautiful libraries...

...one of my favorite recipes from David Lebovitz...

....and, naturally, a gorgeous Worth gown.

If you'd like to subscribe, there's a link to do so here.

READ THIS - WATCH THIS - COOK THIS: NOVEMBER

OK, so I’m a disgrace for not having posted monthly suggestions in so long, but the world during the past few days has made me think good things are more essential than ever…

READ THIS

Michael Collins, CARRYING THE FIRE: AN ASTRONAUT’S JOURNEY

When my son was young, he was fascinated by all things space-related, and we read pretty much every book written about NASA and the Space Race. There’s a lot of good reading to be done on the topic, but Michael Collins, command module pilot of Apollo 11, penned what is without question the best of all the astronaut memoirs. He recounts the technical details, challenges, and triumphs of the program, but even better, he captures the profound emotion of it all. You can’t read this book and not be affected by it.

WATCH THIS

FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON

Sticking with my space theme, this docudrama produced by Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Brian Glazer, and Michael Bostick is simply fantastic. Each two-hour episode (which feels more like a movie than part of a mini-series) covers a different aspect of the Space Race. The fifth, “Spider,” which tells the story of the men who designed and built the Lunar Modular is my favorite, but there isn’t a weak installment in the series. The acting is flawless, and the special features are worth a look, too. It’s always mind-blowing to hear the astronauts talk about their experiences. Great for cool weather binge-watching.

COOK THIS

OVERNIGHT CINNAMON ROLLS

Cinnamon rolls are always time-consuming to make, but the effort is more than worth it. This recipe, from Williams Sonoma, is my favorite as you do all the work—and most of the rising— the day before. With just one rise left in the morning, you can have breakfast perfection without having to get up in the middle of the night. My son often requests these for his birthday…

For the dough: 
• 1 Tbs. (1 package) active dry yeast 
• 1/2 cup warm water (105°F) 
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed 
• 4 eggs 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 2 tsp. kosher salt 
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon 

For the vanilla glaze: 
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted 
• 2 Tbs. milk 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 

To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water, allow to bloom for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot, about 30 minutes. 

Add the eggs, granulated sugar, salt and the remaining 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on medium speed until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the room-temperature butter and continue to knead, adding a little flour to reduce stickiness if needed, until the dough is smooth, 10 to 12 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours. 

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Roll out into a 15-by-10-inch rectangle. Brush the rectangle with half of the melted butter, leaving a 2-inch-wide strip uncovered on one long side. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter. Starting at the long side covered with sugar, roll up the rectangle snugly and pinch the seam together. With the seam facing down, cut into 10 equal pieces. Place the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared dish. Brush the rolls with the remaining butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight. 

The next morning, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let rise until half again as high, about 1 hour. Preheat an oven to 350°F. 

Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. 

While the rolls are baking, make the vanilla glaze: In a small bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, milk and vanilla, then stir into the sugar mixture to form a smooth paste. Spread the glaze over the warm rolls and serve immediately. Makes 10 large rolls. 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Family Meals, by Maria Helm Sinskey (Oxmoor House, 2008).

READ THIS - WATCH THIS - COOK THIS: JUNE

I can’t believe it’s already June 1. Time might be flying, but the world is still giving me a headache, so I’m happy to distract myself by sharing some good things for the month…

READ THIS

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth 

My friends Sachin and Kalpana introduced me to this book, and I fell in love with it from page one. So let’s just get this out of the way: Yes, it’s long. Very long. As in more than a thousand pages. When it was published it was (and still may be) the longest single volume novel in English. I read fast, so I consider this a good thing. Set in post-Raj India, the book tells the story of Lata, whose mother is bent on finding her daughter a suitable boy to marry. Translation: a Hindu of the right caste. Lata, an enlightened university student, has other ideas.  

Seth weaves a family epic full of gorgeous details of Indian culture as well as the tensions between Hindu and Muslim factions. His characters are endlessly fascinating and his prose is sleek. This is not a gritty story, which so far as I am concerned makes it all the more worthy of recommendation. Some people criticize Seth for not including more of the seedy parts of urban life, but that is not what this book is about. Frankly, there’s enough of that in the real world; I’m happy to escape into something else. While you won’t be disappointed by giving this a chance, you will be surprised how quickly you breeze through it. Andrew Davies is currently adapting the novel for the BBC. I’m sure it will be fantastic, but read the book before you watch!

WATCH THIS

The Hundred Foot Journey

OK, so I never would have expected to find a film that combines these three things I love: Indian food, the south of France, and Helen Mirren.

After their restaurant in Mumbai is destroyed in a fire that took the life of their mother, the Kadam family moves to London. Their house, directly beneath the flight path to Heathrow, leaves more than a little to be desired, and Papa Kadam (played by the magnificent Om Puri) decides it’s time to go somewhere else. They head for the Continent, where his eldest son, Hassan (Manish Dayal, explains to an immigration officer why he left the UK: “I found in England that the vegetables, they had no soul; no life.”

How can you NOT like a movie with that line?

The Kadams end up in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, where Papa buys a vacant building he decides will be the perfect location for the family’s new restaurant. His children try in vain to dissuade him, insisting the French don’t eat ethnic food. Meanwhile, he draws the ire of Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) who runs the one star Michelin restaurant across the street. She’s horrified by her new neighbors, and a battle between them ensues.

This is a wonderful film, charming, funny, and touching without being overly sentimental. I loved it. Be warned, however. It will make you hungry.

COOK THIS

Murgh Jalfrazie (Chicken with Stir-Fried Spices)

As I’m on a bit of an Indian kick here, I’m sharing my favorite recipe for chicken jalfrazie, which comes from Mridula Baljekar’s fabulous cookbook, Curry: Fire and Spice. I could eat this pretty much every single day. You’ll want to check out Baljekar’s website (http://mridula.co.uk), where you can find this and many more of his recipes, but I highly suggest buying the book. First, because authors need to eat, too, and second because you won’t want to miss any of his dishes!

Ingredients

• 700g/1lb 9oz boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• The juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• 5 tbsps sunflower, rapeseed or plain olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsps garlic puree
• 2 tsps ginger puree
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsps ground coriander
• ½-1 tsp chilli powder
• 150g/5oz canned tomato with the juice
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 small or half a large sweet red pepper, cut into 2.5cm/1-inch cubes
• 1 small or half a large green pepper, cut into 2.5cm/1-inch cubes
• 1 tsp garam masala

Put the chicken in a non-metallic bowl and rub in the lemon juice and half the salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat four tablespoons of the oil in a heavy based medium saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion. Fry, stirring regularly, for 8-9 minutes or until lightly browned, reducing the heat half way through. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander and chilli powder and cook for 1 minute. Add a splash of water and stir-fry for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes reduce to a paste-like consistency and the oil separates from the spice paste.

Add the chicken, increase the heat slightly and cook, stirring until chicken is opaque. Add 150ml/5 fl oz warm water, bring it to the boil, cover the pan and simmer for 25 minutes.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small pan or wok over a low heat. Add the garlic and sauté until browned, and add the peppers. Increase the heat to medium, stir-fry for 2 minutes and add the garam masala. Stir and fold the contents into the cooked chicken. Remove from the heat and serve with rice or Indian bread.