Hot Prawn Canapes -- recipe

Nancy Madison’s Hot Prawn Canapes

12     slices of thin bread
1 lb.     shrimp, boiled, chopped fine
12     tbsp mayonnaise    
1         tbsp onion, chopped fine
1/4     Tsp pepper
2         Tsp paprika
1         cup butter, clarified*
 4         Tsp lemon juice, fresh
 2         Tsp horseradish
 ½     tsp salt
1         cup Parmesan cheese

Cut crusts off of bread. Cut each bread slice into 1/4, either round, oval or toast point. Mix the shrimp and other ingredients except Parmesan. Cover bread slices with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over bread. Place on cookie sheet and bake in 500-F or 260-C degree oven 3-5 minutes until cheese melts. Serve right from oven.  12 servings.

* To clarify butter, melt in a saucepan and measure out only the clear yellow oil from the top, leaving behind the whey residue at the bottom.             

Contributed by Nancy Madison, author of

Whispers.

In the wee hours of her wedding day, whispering wakes New York heiress Layne Hamilton. Investigating, Layne finds herself in the darkened hall outside her guest room. Through a closed door, she hears her fiance and maid-of-honor planning her death.

Realizing they are in bed together, Layne uses that as her excuse to cancel the wedding and flees south to Virginia. Freddy pursues his runaway bride, but when she rejects his attempts at reconciliation, Freddy loses his self-control and Max Carter, the county sheriff, comes to her rescue.

Max hopes Freddy will give up and go back to New York, but Freddy, desperate due to gambling debts, needs Layne's fortune too much.