by: Carolyn Eichhorn
Series: Gina Morrison Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Publisher: Grounds for Suspicion
When Gina Morrison agrees to pen the memoir of celebrity chef Marisol St James, she expects high-pressure deadlines, diva behavior, and decadent dishes-not murder. But when Marisol is found dead in her restaurant’s kitchen, Gina’s literary aspirations take a back seat to her survival. Between a cutthroat industry, simmering secrets, and the demands of Marisol’s unfinished manuscript, Gina becomes entangled in a web of lies, rivalries, and danger. Worse still, Marisol’s killer may be keeping tabs on Gina to ensure she doesn’t write too much.
It’s my great pleasure to offer readers a sneak peek at my upcoming memoir featuring some of my favorite recipes from all stages of my career. Unlike my cookbook The Mix, I am including recipes that I frequently make at home for friends and family. I hope that this glimpse of the stories behind my favorite dishes will inspire you to spend time around your table with the ones you love.
Marisol St.James
Fish en Papillote
One of the first recipes I learned in culinary school was a fish dish that was baked in parchment envelope with herbs. The parchment sealed in steam, cooking the fish and keeping it moist. It’s very hard to mess up so it’s a great beginning recipe. Over the years, I’ve experimented with different herbs or vegetables or spice rubs for the parchment packets and I would encourage you to do the same. I’ve even made a variation with chicken and asparagus en papillote – delicious! I regularly offer cod or halibut en papillote at The Mix and it’s very popular, but you can make this easily at home. Make sure you buy fresh fish and cook it the same day. Open a nice bottle of white wine (you’ll need a little for the recipe anyway), invite some friends over and impress them with this beautiful and tasty dinner that is as simple as it gets.
• 1 lemon
• 1 zucchini
• ½ red onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
• ½ stick of butter
• 4 tbsp. dry white wine
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Julienne the onion, carrot, and zucchini and place in a medium bowl. Mince the garlic and add, along with the olive oil and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Slice the lemon into eight thin slices and remove the seeds.
Take four large squares of parchment paper and fold each in half. Cut to make into large heart shapes with the fold mark down the center.
Place a fish fillet on each heart, just to the right of the fold mark and add salt and pepper. There should be at least an inch of parchment around each fillet. Top each with a quarter of the vegetable mixture, two lemon slices, two sprigs of thyme, a tablespoon of butter, and a tablespoon of white wine.
Fold the parchment carefully over the fish and starting at the top of the heart shape, fold sections tightly over along the edge toward the center, sealing the fish inside. The point at the bottom can be secured with a paper clip.
Place pouches on a baking sheet and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until the fish is fully done. Serve in the parchment pouch to retain the juices.
Edward’s Favorite Apple Cake
I first tasted apple cake as a young chef-in-training in New York. Like so many who are drawn to the city in pursuit of their professional dreams, I worked as many hours as I could get in order to make ends meet, including most holidays. My coworkers became my family, a multicultural group of stranded twenty-somethings accustomed to sharing tight quarters. We celebrated holidays at odd hours potluck style, each of us sharing dishes from our own traditions.
Edward’s Favorite Apple Cake
I first tasted apple cake as a young chef-in-training in New York. Like so many who are drawn to the city in pursuit of their professional dreams, I worked as many hours as I could get in order to make ends meet, including most holidays. My coworkers became my family, a multicultural group of stranded twenty-somethings accustomed to sharing tight quarters. We celebrated holidays at odd hours potluck style, each of us sharing dishes from our own traditions.
At one such gathering, a beautiful waitress-until-Broadway-calls brought an apple ring cake, a holiday favorite from her Pennsylvania home. I remember that we devoured it before the dinner was over. Fascinated, I tinkered with using apples in cakes and muffins for years, but it wasn’t until years later when I tasted French apple cake that I created what would become a staple recipe and my late husband’s favorite dessert.
Unlike the Pennsylvania version that inspired my appreciation for apple cake, this French version has butter (bien sur!), dark rum, and is baked in a springform pan rather than a ring pan. I add cinnamon to mine, although it is rarely called for in traditional French recipes, as my nod back to that first delightful cake in New York. Feel free to experiment with your favorite apples. I’ve always mixed some sweet and tart apples together, but you may alter to suit your preference. Edward always enjoyed this with vanilla ice cream. I’ve found that it is a welcome hostess gift and is still requested at potluck gatherings.
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened or melted and cooled to room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp dark rum
• 3 large or 4 small apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½ to 1 inch chunks
Preheat oven to 350°F.
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened or melted and cooled to room temperature
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp dark rum
• 3 large or 4 small apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½ to 1 inch chunks
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray a 9” springform pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter generously and place on a cookie sheet.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are foamy. Whisk in the sugar until blended. Add the butter until mixed. Whisk in the rum and vanilla. Add the flour mixture until the batter is evenly moistened. Fold in the apples.
Pour into the springform pan and make sure that the apples appear evenly distributed and well coated with batter.
Bake for 40–55 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges and removing the sides of the springform pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Carolyn Eichhorn is a mystery novelist and former Disney Imagineer whose work blends suspense, humor, and heart. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and has published short mystery fiction and essays. Based in the mountains of Western North Carolina, she draws inspiration from small towns, big secrets, and the stories people tell to survive.
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