When I wrote Cooking for Ghosts, I had no idea it would inspire chef Carmen Shenk to create (from scratch) her own versions of the fictitious recipes named in the novel. The story is about four diverse women who open The Secret Spice Cafe, a restaurant aboard the haunted RMS Queen Mary. The Mary is a real life, majestic ocean liner that was once the fastest on the seas, and now sits permanently docked in Long Beach, California, as a floating hotel and museum. The women in the novel are surrounded by ghosts of the figurative kind long before the step aboard the ship, and encounter some genuine spirits who help them to resolve their tragic pasts.
During the month of October, the modern-day RMS Queen Mary holds a fun, spooky Halloween event called Dark Harbor (which is in fact, taking place there as I write this) and in Cooking for Ghosts, it’s during this event that one of the characters – Angela, the pastry chef – comes up with the idea to hold a special “Haunted Tea and Cakes” at the restaurant. Angela whips up scrumptious things such as, “Spiderweb Cheesecake,” “Jack-o’-Lantern Spiced Cupcakes” “Devil’s Chocolate Decadence” and more. I’m so pleased that Carmen Shenk was motivated to come up with real recipes for some of Angela’s desserts. With this being Halloween weekend, I thought it would be the perfect time to share one of her recipes and blog posts with you. (Carmen’s, that is, channeling Angela.) Also thought I would mention that Halloween weekend through the Day of the Dead, (November 2) the publisher of COOKING FOR GHOSTS is running an amazing special on the novel: Just 99 cents on Kindle. So, make some cupcakes, enjoy a fun, thrifty read, and have yourself a Happy Halloween!
Click here for Carmen’s Recipes
Leave a Reply