Paula Vince – Recipe for Romance – Part 2 of 3

Shannon here: Romantic suspense author, Paula Vince shares her recipe for cheesecake, plus winner’s choice of a print or e-book copy of her latest release, Imogen’s Choice. Comment on any post dated May 26 – 30 to enter the drawing. Deadline: June 7th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Paula:


In ‘Imogen’s Chance’ I have a friendly character named Chris Stubbins. With his dark skin and thick thatch of white hair, he looks like the negative of a photograph. He has lived an interesting life and had many hard experiences, including a tough one very similar to that which my hero, Asher, experiences. It makes Chris the ideal person to share the insight he has gleaned over the years with my two main characters. The problem is he’s not necessarily the sort of person they would choose to listen to.
There are various reasons for this. As a stranger, Chris initially seems to come on a bit strong. And as Asher has recently been told some devastating news, Chris’ cheerfulness rubs him up the wrong way. Yet Chris knows that he may have the counsel which proves to be the difference between life and death for the young man. He doesn’t want to let him walk away. The only one way he finds to break through Asher’s and Imogen’s reticence and defences is through his cooking.
Chris isn’t an all-round good cook, but declares that God has given him a particular knack for cheesecakes. By offering them their first slice (which happens to be his mango and white chocolate cheesecake), he knows he’s buying himself time with them.
They ended up sitting at this stranger’s table digging into the most delicious, sunshine-coloured dessert Asher had ever tasted. His spoon slid through it like a cloud and it dissolved in his mouth in a burst of tropical flavoured heaven.
This is the beginning. Asher and Imogen are lucky enough to get to sample several of Chris’ scrumptious cheesecake creations.
‘This one is chocolate almond fudge.’
The delicious aroma made Asher’s stomach begin to rumble as he raised his spoon and knocked a cloud of chocolate shavings off the top. At least if nothing else helped him, a visit to Chris’ house was good for the cheesecakes.
I have one of Chris’ cheesecake recipes, if you’d like to try making it. This is a raspberry and passionfruit one and I asked my daughter to make and photograph a sample. If you get a chance to read this novel, I hope you make one of these to enjoy the story with a slice of what the characters are indulging in too.
Light olive oil spray
250g gram packet of sweet plain biscuits
125 grams of melted, salted butter
60 ml boiling water
3 teaspoons gelatine powder
2 x 250g packets light cream cheese, at room temperature
100g caster sugar (and 55g extra)
300 ml thickened cream
2 passionfruit halved
300g fresh or frozen raspberry
1 Tablespoon cornflour
60 ml water
1) Release the base from a 20cm springform pan. Invert and spray with oil. Line the base and side with non-stick baking paper, allowing the edge to overhang.
2) Process biscuits in food processor until finely crushed. Add butter and process to combine. Transfer to prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon to spread and press biscuit mixture firmly over base and side of pan. Cover with plastic warp and place in fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
3) Place the boiling water in a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle with gelatine and use a fork to stir until the gelatine dissolves. Set aside for ten minutes to cool.
4) Meanwhile, use an electric beater to beat the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add the cream and butter and beat until well combined.
5) Add the gelatine mixture, lemon juice, half the raspberries and passionfruit pulp to the cream cheese mixture. Fold to combine. Pour in the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Cover and place in fridge for four hours or overnight to chill.
About Paula: Award-winning author, Paula Vince loves to evoke tears and laughter through her novels. A wife and homeschooling mother of three, she resides in the beautiful Adelaide Hills of South Australia. Her youth was brightened by great fiction and she’s on a mission to pay it forward.
Her novel, Picking up the Pieces, won the religious fiction section of the 2011 International Book Awards.
Her novel, Best Forgotten, was winner of the 2011 CALEB Award in the fiction category and also recognized as the best overall entry for the year, chosen over memoirs, devotionals and general non-fiction.
Paula’s books are a skillful blend of drama and romance tied together with elements of mystery and suspense. Paula is the author of Picking up the Pieces, The Risky Way Home, A Design of Gold and Best Forgotten. Her new novel, Imogen’s Chance, will be published in April, 2014. Paula is also one of the four authors of The Greenfield Legacy. Find out more at www.justoccurred.blogspot.com
About the book – Imogen’s Choice:
She has given herself a chance to fix her personal history. But will old mistakes bring up new emotions?
Imogen Browne longs to make up for past mistakes before she can move on. She quietly resolves to help the Dorazio family, whose lives she accidentally upset. Her biggest challenge is Asher, the one person who may never forgive her. And he is facing a crisis of his own. Imogen must tread very carefully, as trying to fix things may well make them shatter.
A sensitive story about misplaced loyalty, celebrating life and falling in love. Can family secrets concealed with the best intentions bear the light of day?
Come back May 30th for Paula’s character interview!