Wine gelatins in the Metropol

I love cooking what my characters have made, so when I came across Milly’s letter describing her attempts to make wine gelatins in the fancy Metropol hotel, I knew I’d have to try them.

Milly didn’t say how she made hers, other than swiping some wine from a traveling American saleswoman, so I improvised. Because I don’t eat meat, my recipe is vegetarian, while Milly most likely used gelatin (an animal by-product). She probably didn’t have fresh whipped cream either, but hey, we’re fancy.

These were easy to make, so if you want to get yourself in a Salt the Snow mood, give it a try.

Ingredients (to make three tea-cups’ worth):

• 1 1/2 cups wine (I used a red blend; Milly used red too. But these would be good with any!)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 rounded tsp agar agar (vegetarian gelatin replacement; it gives a much softer texture than gelatin too, so I think is a better result regardless)

• splash of vanilla

It doesn’t take much to make these gems!

Pour the wine and sugar into a small pan, then heat over medium heat until it begins to simmer.

Pour in the agar agar, stir constantly for two minutes.

Remove from heat and pour into your tea cups (or bowls).

Chill overnight, or until set. Just before eating, top with fresh whipped cream. (Cream plus a little bit of sugar, whipped with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.)
The final texture is smooth and the flavor is sweet but not cloying. Sort of like wine jam.

Enjoy!

2019 Reading and Writing Round-Up

The past year was one of the most intense years of my life. No new children were born, but it felt almost as momentous. My debut came out in November 2018, so much of the promotion for A Light of Her Own was in 2019. I went on a road trip book tour with new and now-beloved friend Clarissa Harwood, I attended book festivals as a presenter for the first time ever, I talked to book clubs, and I (gulp, sometimes) dared to read reviews. I even got to take a trip to Spain to do some book-related research.

At a reading in NYC.

At the same time, I was finishing writing and editing Salt the Snow, which comes out in February. This book is in many ways quite different from A Light of Her Own. STS takes place in Moscow in the 1930s, and it’s a broader look at a woman’s life, not just a six-month snapshot, as in Light. I had many, many more historical resources for STS. But the story still focuses on a woman who dared — in this case, real-life American journalist Milly Bennett, who covered stories across the world and ended up in Moscow. It was the Depression and she wanted to see if the Soviets could build a better world. Plus, she was fleeing some major heartbreak, but she found plenty more in Moscow too. There’s hope as well in Milly’s story, and I loved writing it.

Then, the day job was NUTS, and of course there’s family life and friends. (What they put up with …)

Still, reading is my lifeline, and I read a lot. Much more than I expected, even, based on my year-end count. Something like 85 books, not counting the manuscripts I read for Pitch Wars mentoring, or the many picture books I read to the kids. Mostly I read historical fiction and literary fiction, plus some excellent fantasy. I particularly recommend:

• The Golden Wolf by Linnea Hartsuyker

• Bear No Malice by Clarissa Harwood

• A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Ann Fowler

• A Woman is No Man by Etaf Run

• The Unrepentant by E.A. Aymar

• Orchid & the Wasp by Caoilinn Hughes

• Woman 99 by Greer Macallister

Here’s wishing you a wonderful 2020!