Welcome to another round of total deliciousness that is Friday Feast. This week: crimes, passion(fruit) and a giveaway!

But first, the segment formerly known as Us Heins Weren’t Mean To Play Golf. I say formerly because in a miracle moment, caused by who knows what, I played an absolute blinder. And when I say blinder, I mean smacking it like an ‘A’ grader blinder. It was, dare I say, a fiiiine thing. Perhaps a little too fine because that burst of unprecedented form cost me two whole strokes off my handicap. Expect a giant crash next week as I panic trying to play to it. Sigh.

Never mind. Off we trip to much more exciting things.

I’m thrilled to bits to be introducing you to a brand spanking new author this week. Well, not completely brand new, because this author has appeared on Friday Feast in the guise of her alter ego Keziah Hill.

But that doesn’t make me any less delighted to introduce you to Australian crime author DB Tait. A lady who not only writes wonderfully, but really knows her stuff thanks to a long career working in the criminal justice system. DB now lives in the beautiful Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, where works part time in the community sector and writes super-exciting crime novels.

DB’s upcoming release is Cold Deception. Take a look.

COLD DECEPTION

Secrets, lies, deception. That’s what it takes to stay alive.

At 20, Julia Taylor went to prison for murdering a man who deserved it. Ten years later, she’s ready to put the past behind her and get on with her life. But someone won’t let her.

Someone will do anything to drive Julia away, including murder.

As the body count rises, Julia is forced to accept the help of Dylan Andrews, a cop with dark secrets of his own. Unfortunately help has a cost. Dylan is digging into Julia’s past, uncovering secrets she is desperate to keep.

Julia must keep Dylan at a distance, or else risk her own safety, and the safety of everyone she loves…

What a ride that sounds! I’m really looking forward to reading this one and already have it pre-ordered. You can do the same. Simply clickety-click over to Amazon, Amazon.au, Amazon.uk, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, or your favourite ebook retailer and add it to your list. Come March 12th it’ll then be all secure on your ereader, tablet, phone or computer. Too easy!

Set? Excellent. Now please give a big Feasty welcome to DB Tait!

Mood Food

Cathryn bellisima! Thank you for having me!

Food is definitely a passion of mine. I like to eat. I’m not a bad cook, but I definitely prefer to eat. Which for a writer is a bit of a disaster, especially if exercise consists of crossing the lounge room to look up a reference book or going out to check the mail.

Food is also comfort for me, which of course all sensible dietary advice tells us is bad. Bad. Very bad. Nevertheless, I am shameless when it comes to wanting food to lift my mood. I often wonder what life would be like without the pleasure of chocolate, the tangy rush of lemon or the nutty, earthy taste of garlic. I am fortunate to be able to indulge my love of mood altering food in my kitchen whenever I want.

That’s not the case with some women. If you are unfortunate to end up in prison, like my heroine Julia, food is something that other people control. Which is why most people in prison become obsessed with food. Correctional administrators know that food is vital in the ongoing stability of prison life. As you can imagine, it’s basic and can be pretty terrible. Inmates can buy extra food if they have the money, but no juices, citrus fruit or sugar, only artificial sweeteners. That’s because alcohol can be fermented from citrus and sugar.

However, by the time a prisoner gets to minimum security and can see release is getting closer, food can improve, mainly because in some jails, it’s easier for inmates to make their own food. For women in jail, a favourite dessert was making caramel from boiled condensed milk. Comfort food par excellence.

Rather than boiling condensed milk, which I’m always a bit nervous about, I make a passionfruit slice (which my friend Kandy Shepherd is particularly fond of).

Sometimes when I make this slice I remember some of the women I met when I worked in the jail system and hope they’re out, crime and drug free and cooking with sugar and citrus in their own kitchens, like Julia.

This recipe is straight from taste.com.au

Passionfruit Slice

Melted butter, to grease

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour

85g (1 cup) desiccated coconut

100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

100g butter, melted

1 x 395g can sweetened condensed milk

125ml (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons passionfruit pulp

Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 16 x 26cm (base measurement) slab pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and 2 long sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang.

Use a wooden spoon to combine the flour, coconut, sugar and butter in a bowl. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Transfer to the prepared pan. Use a metal spoon to press firmly over the base. Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden. Set aside to cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 150°C. Mix together the condensed milk, lemon juice and passionfruit pulp in a large bowl until smooth and well combined. Pour into the pan and spread evenly over the base. Bake in oven for 15 minutes until just firm to the touch. Set aside to cool completely. I like drizzling some more passionfruit pulp on top. Cut into squares to serve.

What a blast from the past! I remember having this as a kid at Pony Club when all the mums would bring a plate for afternoon tea. There were some serious plates on offer too. I bet this recipe would be right at home. Mind you, anything with condensed milk in it…

Thanks so much for sharing, DB. And for telling us about food in the correctional services. Very educational.

Now, as you know, Friday Feast guests are very generous souls, and DB is no exception, which is why she’s offering a…

GIVEAWAY!

Yes, you could be the lucky winner of an ebook copy of DB’s exciting crime novel, Cold Deception. But as always, you must work for it. This time we want to know your favourite mood food.

What puts you in a happy mood, or even a bad one? Or perhaps a sexy one…

The food guaranteed to make me one happy little Vegemite is a fresh rice noodle dish that I make. It’s made with chilli bean paste and seriously cannot get enough of it. Every time I eat it, it’s like the world has turned marvellous. And hot. It’s a bit spicy, that dish. I’ve also been known to get hot and bothered over a big bowl of beautiful cherries but that’s another tale…

My other half swears that vegetarian meals ruin his day. I just have to think “meatless dinner” and he’s condemned.

What about you? What food changes your mood, for the better or worse?

Giveaway closes midnight Tuesday AEST, 3rd March 2015. Ebook only. Open internationally. Rah!

If you’d like to learn more about DB Tait and her books, please visit her website. You can also connect via Facebook and Twitter using @DBTait

This giveaway has now closed. Congratulations to Sue who has won a copy of DB Tait’s new crime novel, Cold Deception. Thanks to all who joined in the mouthwatering fun.