Remove your pie from the pan by releasing the catch on the side and lifting off the ring. Leave the pie on the bottom of the pan and simply place it on a flat platter.
Either cut the pie and serve it at the table, or cut it in the kitchen and place the pieces on pretty dessert plates. Serve with plenty of strong hot coffee. This pie is very rich and luscious.
If there is any leftover pie, which there probably won’t be, be sure to keep it refrigerated. This pie will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Yield: 8 to 12 slices of delicious pie, depending on the width of your slices.
Chapter Three
Hannah leaned back in the cushioned chair and smiled at her new husband. Thanks to Ross, getting off the ship had been easy. Their owner’s suite had entitled them to an escort and they’d been the first passengers to get off the ship. Their luggage had been waiting for them, complete with a porter and cart, and they’d gone out to the street just in time to catch a shuttle to the airport.
Once they’d gone through the airport security check, they had been escorted to the VIP lounge where a uniformed waitress had seated them at a table and taken their breakfast orders. They’d eaten the delicious breakfast, which had been followed by a pot of excellent coffee, and then they’d relaxed in lounge chairs until it was time to board their flight.
Flying couldn’t have been easier, Hannah decided as she sipped the glass of orange juice that the stewardess had brought for her. Of course, Ross had prearranged everything for them and that was the reason they hadn’t experienced the delays and frustrations that plagued other airline passengers. All it took was money, he’d assured her, and Hannah was beginning to believe it. So far, their journey home had been worry-free and there was no reason to expect that the rest of the trip would be any different.
The lift-off was smooth and uneventful, even though Hannah had reached for her husband’s hand when the engines had revved up and the plane had begun to move down the runway.
The co-pilot had just announced that they had reached cruising altitude and they were now allowed to turn on their electronic devices. Since Hannah didn’t have any electronic devices and she probably wouldn’t have used them even if she’d had them, she closed her eyes and let the smooth sound of the engines lull her to sleep.
*
“Wake up, Cookie. We’re on approach.”
Ross’s voice roused Hannah from a dream filled with duck appetizers quacking and spinning on the tips of the miniature waffle cones that held them. Except for the spinning and the quacking, it had been a replica of the appetizer they’d eaten at the ship’s French bistro restaurant the previous evening.
“I think I can make them stop quacking if I eat them,” she told Ross groggily.
“Make what stop quacking?”
“The duck appetizers.”
Ross reached out to hug her. “You’re still dreaming, honey.”
“Oh.” Hannah took a moment to think about that. “You’re right. I was dreaming about the dinner we had last night on the ship. Everything was delicious.”
“Yes, it was.” Ross reached across her and pulled a tray from the console between them. “You’re probably hungry. I ordered something for you before I woke you.”
Hannah looked at him in surprise. “Isn’t it too late for a meal? I thought we were landing.”
“We won’t land for another twenty-five minutes and the stewardess is making a pot of fresh coffee for you. I thought you might need it before we landed.”
Hannah smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Ross. I do need something to wake me up. I’m still a little groggy.”
“Here you are, Mrs. Barton,” the stewardess said as she delivered Hannah’s coffee. “Just let me know when you need a refill.”
Hannah thanked her and took a sip of her coffee before she turned back to Ross. “I wonder if anyone will meet us at the airport.”
“I don’t think so. I ordered a car to pick us up and take us to Lake Eden, but it wouldn’t surprise me if your family is waiting for us when we get back to the condo.”
“You’re right. They’ll probably be there.” Hannah gave a little sigh.
“You won’t be glad to see them?”
“It’s not that. Of course I’ll be glad to see them. But I was looking forward to being alone with you and Moishe, and settling back into some sort of a normal routine.”
“We’ll do that, honey. Don’t worry. But your family missed you and they’ll want to welcome you home. And then there’s your mother.”
“Right.” Hannah sighed, admitting the inevitability of having company their first night home. “Mother will want to tell me all about Tori Bascomb’s murder.”
“Naturally. And your sisters will want to hear all about our honeymoon cruise. That’s why I was glad that you got some sleep on the plane.”
“Then you knew my family would be there when we got home?”
“No, I guessed they’d be there. It just seemed like something they’d want to do.”
“You’re right, Ross. They’ll probably bring dinner, or lunch, or whatever. What time is it, anyway?”
Ross glanced at his watch. “It’ll be close to five by the time we collect our luggage and get back to Lake Eden.”
“Dinner,” Hannah said. “I hope they don’t want to take us out. I’d rather just grab something at home.”
“Then it’ll be pizza, hamburgers, or Chinese. There’s not a huge choice of takeout cuisine in Lake Eden.”
“True, but that’s okay. I had enough fancy meals on the ship to last me for at least a month, maybe longer. I can tell them about the meal last night. It was spectacular, especially with the view. I wish we had some photos of the ship and the shore excursions to show them. The only one I have is the photo of us that you bought from the photographer on the sailboat.”