The Sugar Queen: Read with a slice of Caramel Apple Cheesecake

 

The book, The Sugar Queen, by Sarah Addison Allen is the story of a sheltered young woman, Josey Cirrini, daughter of a rich Italian man and her Southern Belle mother, who lives in a ski town in North Carolina in the house she grew up in. She doesn't have much of a social life, and mainly takes care of her aging mother.  Through a series of interesting events and magical characters,  Josey learns to live her life..  The book has humor, romance and mystery, and is a fun read.  I read it on the plane from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale last weekend and back.  Each chapter is titled after a candy, which ties into the theme of the chapter. Did I mention that Josey is obsessed with candy?  There is also a superstitious maid in the book who thinks peppermint oil keeps evil spirits away....some very funny and amusing characters.

Chapters:
1 - Everlasting Gobstoppers
2 - Rock Candy
3 - SweeTarts
4 - Sno Caps
5 - Lemon Drops
6 - Sour Patch
7 - Sugar Daddy
8 - Jawbreakers
9 - Snow Candy
10 - Mellowcreme Pumpkins
11 - Candy Hearts
12 - Mr. Goodbar
13 - Lifesavers
14 - Now and Later

It is very intriguing, that Josey's friend, Chloe Findley, has an odd relationship with books...they magically appear in every situation based on what she is going through in her life.  The books that keep showing up in Chloe's apartment whenever she needs guidance were titled:

Finding Forgiveness
Old Love: New Direction
A Girl's Guide to Keeping Her Guy
Madame Bovary
The Complete Homeowner's Guide

You can learn more about the book at: http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Queen-Random-Readers-Circle/dp/0553384848/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290478966&sr=1-1

Since all kinds of sweets, candies and pies are mentioned in the book (Apple, Strawberry and Rhubarb to name a few), I decided to make a very decadent dessert...wait for it....

Caramel Apple Cheesecake!  I used a Paula Deen recipe, the Queen of Sweets! 

You can find the recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/caramel-apple-cheesecake-recipe/index.html

It was very good - the middle was a little soft, so I would recommend baking a little longer (35 minutes versus 30), and putting in the freezer before serving to harden it a little.

Very delicious!