Peel the plastic wrap off the chocolate filling and use the rubber spatula to transfer mounds of whipped cream to the surface of the chocolate filling.
Work quickly to dot the entire surface of the chocolate filling with whipped cream. Continue transferring the whipped cream until the mixer bowl has been emptied.
Using the rubber spatula, spread the mounds of whipped cream together to cover the entire surface of your Chocolate Cream Pie. Make sure the whipped cream topping goes all the way out to the edge of the pie crust.
Using the flat edge of the rubber spatula, press it against the surface of the whipped cream topping and pull it up quickly. This should cause the whipped cream to form a point on top. Make “points” over the entire surface of your Chocolate Cream Pie.
Choose the decorating topping you wish to use on top of the whipped cream. You can use more than one topping to really make it look fancy.
If you choose shaved chocolate, use a sharp knife to “shave” the edge of a bar of sweet chocolate. Place the shaved pieces in a bowl and, using your impeccably clean fingers, sprinkle the shaved chocolate over the surface of your pie.
If you choose chocolate curls to decorate the top of your pie, simply run a sharp knife down the long edge of a bar of sweet chocolate. If you don’t lift the knife blade, it will form a curl of chocolate. Use these chocolate curls to decorate the top of your Chocolate Cream Pie.
Maraschino cherries are always colorful on top of a pie. Cut the maraschino cherries in half vertically and transfer the halves to the surface of the whipped cream topping, rounded side up. Make a large circle of cherry halves around the edge or a design of your own making using the cherry halves.
If you choose butterscotch or caramel ice cream topping, simply drizzle it all over the surface of your pie in a pretty design.
Refrigerate your Chocolate Cream Pie for at least 2 hours before serving.
To serve, cut your Chocolate Cream Pie into 8 pieces and remove the pieces with a triangle-shaped spatula. Place each piece on a dessert plate and serve with a carafe of strong, hot coffee or tall glasses of milk.
Yield: This pie will serve 8 people . . . or 7 if you invite Mother. She’ll tell you she couldn’t possibly eat more of something so rich, but you won’t have to twist her arm to get her to agree to a second helping.
Chapter Sixteen
“What are those, Hannah?” Lisa pointed to the pan that
Hannah had just moved to the bakers rack to cool.
“Tortilla Snickerdoodle Cookies. Except I’m not sure I should call them cookies when they’re really sweet snacks.”
“If they taste as good as they smell, you can call them anything you want to,” Lisa said.
“They do!” Mike said from his stool at the work station. “Right, Norman?”
“Right!” Norman agreed.
Lisa hurried over to take one triangular-shaped piece from the bakers rack. She bit into it, started to smile, and popped the rest into her mouth. “Good?” she managed to say with her mouth full. “These are great, Hannah. We could sell bags of these to the kids from Jordan High who come in here after school.”
Hannah smiled back. “That’s one of the best things about you, Lisa. You always see a way to promote things and you’re almost always right. Jordan High students would love to munch these on their way home. Norman and I finished a whole bowl last night while we were watching an old movie on television.”
“That’s the sign of a good munchie,” Lisa declared, grabbing another Tortilla Snickerdoodle Cookie from the rack. “Are these hard to make?”
Hannah shook her head. “They’re really easy. All you have to do is cut flour tortillas into pieces, dip them in melted butter and then into cinnamon, sugar, and cardamom, and bake them for ten to twelve minutes in the oven. A kid could make them . . . Tracey!”
Lisa laughed, “ You just thought of that?”
“Yes! And Bethie could help her mix the cinnamon, sugar, and cardamom. As long as Grandma McCann sets the oven temperature, they could do it all by themselves.”
“That would be a great birthday present for Andrea,” Lisa said. “You could teach the kids how to do it and they’d have Tortilla Snickerdoodle Cookies waiting for Andrea when she got home from work.”
The phone on the wall rang and Hannah hurried over to answer it. A moment later, she was frowning. “Sure, Mother. I can come over in a few minutes. What’s going on at Granny’s Attic?”
There was a long pause and then Hannah sighed. “Okay. I’ll do my best to calm Carrie down, but you have to tell me what she’s worried about.”
There was another pause while Hannah listened. “All right, Mother. You can tell me when I get there. I’ll bring some cookies. That might help to . . .”
Hannah stopped speaking and looked shocked as she hung up the phone. “Mother hung up on me! She’s never done that before!”
“Never?” Mike asked.
Hannah shook her head. “Never. Mother’s too polite to hang up on anybody, even a telephone solicitor.”
“Then we’d better go over there right now,” Norman said, standing up and heading for the hooks by the back door, where he’d hung his parka.
“I’ll stay here, just in case Ross shows up,” Mike said. “Something must really be wrong over there. Just call if you need me and I’ll come right over.”
Hannah packed up a plateful of Tortilla Snickerdoodle Cookies, grabbed her parka, and headed across the parking lot with Norman. Granny’s Attic, Delores and Carrie’s antique shop, was only one store away. They went in the back door, wound their way around the antiques that were stored in the back room, and came out by the cash register in the middle of the store.
“Hi, Hannah, Norman,” Luanne Hanks, Delores and Carrie’s bookkeeper and assistant, greeted them.
“Hi, Luanne.” Norman gave her a smile.
“Hello, Luanne,” Hannah responded. “Mother called me and asked me to come right over.”
“They’re upstairs in the break room.” Luanne pointed to the staircase in the middle of the room. “Go right up.”
“Do you know what’s wrong? Mother sounded upset when she called me.”
“No. I just know they’re up there and they haven’t come down. Delores must have made the call from her cell phone.”
“I’ll wait down here with Luanne,” Norman told Hannah, and then he turned to Luanne. “Can I help you do anything while I’m waiting for Hannah?”
Luanne began to smile broadly. “You bet you can! I was about to reposition a couple of antiques that are awkward to move alone. Could you help me?”
“Of course,” Norman answered. “I’ll wait for you here, Hannah.”
“I’ll be down in a bit,” Hannah told him, turning and walking toward the central staircase.
The first six stairs went straight up and Hannah climbed them to the landing. A grandfather clock sat against the back wall on the landing and Hannah admired it as she walked across the floor. The remainder of the staircase was set at a ninety-degree angle to the lower stairs. Hannah made a sharp right and climbed the last few steps.
Once she’d reached the second story, Hannah hurried past the other antiques on display. There was a lovely cherrywood bedroom set with a tall chest of drawers and a vanity with an oval-shaped mirror. She admired it as she went past and decided to compliment her mother and Carrie on acquiring such beautiful items. They’d probably tell her that Luanne had found the bedroom set at an estate auction since Luanne now did most of the antique acquisitions. If that was the case, she’d compliment Luanne on her purchase when she went back downstairs.
“Hi, Mother. Hello, Carrie,” Hannah greeted the two women who had been friends for years. “I brought you some Tortilla Snickerdoodle Cookies.”