Category: Cake

Nov 03 – Gimme Some Oven

Hello retro food lovers and welcome (back) to November 2003!  This month I am using Delicious Magazine to prepare a menu where we use the oven for each component.  I know a heap of people who never use their oven so I was hoping this might inspire some people to do so.  Unfortunately, this didn’t quite turn out as I was a bit disappointed with a few items on the menu.  There were many items to choose from, so maybe I just chose badly.  But before we get there, let’s take a little look at what was happening in the world in November 2003.

The War on Terror, the occupation of Iraq, and Paris Hilton’s sex tape were big news in November 2003.   There were also some cracking movies out.  Matrix Revolutions was number 1 at the box office, followed by Elf at #2 and Love Actually at #7. 

 The DaVinci Code was still the best-selling book and Baby Boy by Beyonce was #1 on the charts.  Personally, Outkast’s Hey Ya (#3) is a much better song but each to their own!

The Menu – November 2003

November 2003 Menu

Crab and Gruyere Tart

I was very surprised to find that the Crab and Gruyere Tart (I made one large tart instead of a few small tartlets) was largely tasteless.  This was a Rick Stein recipe and I normally find him very reliable.    This is not what I expect from a Rick recipe.  I feel this needed a herb or something to liven it up a bit! Neither crab nor gruyere is a cheap item so this also did not rate on value for money. 

Interestingly, Nathan Outlaw who, apart from having an amazing name, has worked with Rick Stein and, like Stein has a restaurant in Cornwall, has a recipe for a Crab and Cheddar Tart.  His recipe also contains spring onions and leeks.  I wonder if this would provide the flavour boost I felt was lacking in the Rick one.  

Crab and Gruyere Tart

Crab and Gruyere Tart Recipe

Nov 2003 - Crab And Gruyere Tartlets

Fish in a Herb Crust with Lemon Oil

In total contrast to the above, this is a Jill Dupleix recipe which I loved.  Personally, I don’t rate Jill Dupleix.  She hosted a night in conversation with Nigella Lawson I went to once and she came across as a bit obnoxious.  I really liked this recipe though!  It was quick and easy to make and was packed with flavour!  It was a lovely weeknight dinner. 

Fish in A Herb Crust

Fish In a Herb Crust with Lemon Oil Recipe

Fish in A Herb Crust recipejpg

Madeleines

I love a Madeleine.   So, as soon as I saw that there was a recipe for them in Delicious for November 2003 I knew I would have them as part of my menu.  In retrospect, maybe I should have chosen something else as this was not a good Madeleine recipe.  I have read many recipes for Madeleines and all, except for this one, call for the cake batter to be refrigerated for about an hour before baking.  This one didn’t.  It also only said to grease the Madeleine pan, not grease and flour it, again something that is in all the other recipes I have seen.  

Madeleines

These were a nightmare to get out of the pan.  They also lacked the nice crust that you usually get on the outside.  I think that was mostly stuck to the pan.  So another disappointment from this magazine.  

Madeleines Recipe

Nov 2003 - Madeleines

My Nigella Moment  – Turkish Pizza

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious.  In these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in because it is too good not to share.  

My Nigella moment this month came in the shape of a Turkish Pizza, which is not a pizza in the traditional sense but a totally yummy combination of spinach, feta, and mozzarella in Turkish bread. I loved this!  So easy to make and so tasty!  I will defintely be cooking the Turkish Pizza again!

Turkish Pizza Recipe

 

So, it was very much a mixed bag from Delicious Magazine from November 2003.  The oven did not deliver the loving I was hoping for with two of the four recipes not worthy of keeping. The fish was quick and easy and I will make it again.  That Turkish pizza though?  Perfection!  I have already made it twice more and it continues to delight me!

Have a great week!

 

 

September 2003 – Birthday Party, Cheesecake, Jelly Bean, Boom!

“That’s great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane”…so begins the fabulous REM song, “It’s The End of The World As We Know It”.  And for me, this year actually began with a 7.6 magnitude earthquake when we were holidaying in Darwin.  Last month we celebrated my birthday in absolute chaos (more on that later) whilst on holiday in Port Douglas. And when I say chaos, I mean a total f*cking nightmare.  So when the random number generator chose “Birthday Party, Cheesecake, Jelly Bean, Boom!  I thought it might be a good chance to reset and have a little party to make up for the day that was ruined!  The vehicle of choice for this month is Super Food Ideas, from September 2003 and I went in search of party food.  

Butterfly Cakes

But first, let’s take a little wander down the memory lane to the heady days of September 2003.  R Kelly’s Ignition (Remix) was #1.  Less said about that the better I think.  Finding Nemo was top of the box office and The Da Vinci Code was still the most popular book!  

The Menu – September 2003

Birthday Party Menu

Margarita

Now, I can’t think of a much better way to kick of any birthday celebration than with a classic Margarita!  And this one was perfection!!!!!  I 

Margarita

 

The cocktail napkin you see in the above photo was one of a set of napkins I bought in Port Douglas.  They are all super cute and also an inspiration to make the rest of the cocktails featured on them! 

And as with the margarita, the first four days of our holiday were wonderful.  Port Douglas is such an amazing place.  Rainforest, reef and beach – great restaurants, perfect weather….the only downside is the crocodiles…and the murder birds!  

Margarita Recipe

Margarita recipe

Seafood Pizza

As you may have noticed, I love my seafood!  This nicely leads me to where our holiday turned paradise into a nightmare.  Day 5 of our holiday, which was my actual birthday we had planned to move from our PD central apartment to a house around 10km out of Port Douglas.  It was also the night of The Matildas v England final of the Women’s World Cup.  We had been out for a lovely dinner the night before so the plan for my birthday was to grab a seafood platter from Port Douglas when we left and then enjoy the evening in our house.  Dip in our private pool, , bit of football on the telly, champagne on ice, and our gourmet seafood platter…could life get any better?

Seafood Pizza 1

Better?  No.  What we hadn’t figured was that it was about to get a whole lot worse!  

We turned up at the house, for which we had a confirmed booking from one of the largest, if not the largest booking agencies in the world.  The Fussiest Eater sends a text to the owner asking for the keypad number as the gate is locked. We are there for about 5 minutes when a woman comes out of the house.  “Can I help you?” she asks.  “Oh, yes, you probably just got our text.  We’re here for our holiday”  

Apparently we weren’t. 

In the time that we had made our booking and our actual holiday, the house had been sold.  It was no longer holiday accommodation.  

It was now 3:00pm on a Saturday, we had no place to stay for the next four nights and we had a rapidly warming seafood platter on the back seat of the hire car. 

Seafood Pizza Recipe

Seafood Pizza

Party Pies

Party Pie1

You know this is an Aussie Meat Pie because the secret ingredient is a spoonful of Vegemite!  I made mini versions of this pie – in Australian we call these Party Pies so they were perfect for my Birthday Party Menu!

Now back to Port Douglas.  The Fussiest Eater began calling the owner of the house. He confirmed that he had sold the house and had told the booking agency to cancel all future bookings.  I started trying to find us accommodation.  The first place I found wanted $15,000 for the four nights.  The second $6000.  Finally, we were able to find a studio room back in Port Douglas for the four nights for a price that we could actually afford.  And that had a fridge in which we could put the seafood platter!  From there we called the booking agency who offered to not only refund the cost of the house but also to pay for the emergency accommodation.  

The following day we were also able to move into a one-bedroom apartment in the same complex which was a lot better than the studio but still how we had wanted to spend the last few days of our holiday. 

As of today though, the booking company have yet to refund us the money for the second Port Douglas Apartment.  We are idiots who did not get their OG offer in writing and they are now saying that as the second apartment was cheaper than the house technically we are not out of pocket.

Technically they ruined my birthday and did not deliver on the holiday we paid for and expected. 

Technically I could have chosen the house that cost $15000 instead of that studio apartment as our alternative accommodation and technically they would have had to refund us the difference. 

I didn’t want to be an arsehole. 

I’ll leave that up to them.  

Meat Pie Recipe

Aussie Meat Pie

 

Chewy Almond Crescents

We now turn to the sweet part of our birthday party menu.  These were great!  Really tasty and not overly sweet.  You couldn’t really taste the apricot jam which was a shame.  When I make these again, I will maybe add some chopped-up dried apricots into the mix.  Or maybe add a glaze with the jam.  They were delicious regardless.  These would be great with a cup of tea or coffee or equally with a little glass of Baileys! This was probably my favourite thing on the menu.  I also loved the butterfly cakes but they were similar to cakes I had made before.  These were all new and I was so happy to discover them!

Chewy Almond Crescents

Accomodation saga continued….As of today though, the booking company have yet to refund us the money for the second Port Douglas Apartment.  We are idiots who did not get their OG offer in writing and they are now saying that as the second apartment was cheaper than the house technically we are not out of pocket.

Technically they ruined my birthday and did not deliver on the holiday we paid for and expected. 

Technically I could have chosen the house that cost $15000 instead of that studio apartment as our alternative accommodation and technically they would have had to refund us the difference. 

I didn’t want to be an arsehole. 

I’ll leave that up to them.  

Chewy Almond Crescents Recipe

Chewy Almond Crescents2

Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes

These were so pretty and also delish.  I loved the tanginess of the lemon curd with the sweetness of the cupcake!

Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes

The one-bedroom apartment was great.  However, on the first night, I was woken at around 2 a.m. by the sound of what sounded like a woman screaming. Channelling my inner Nancy Drew,  I got out of bed and looked out the window but the side street the room looked out on was deserted.  I was just getting back into bed when I heard it again.  This time I went to the main room to look out of the front windows but the main street which we overlooked was also quiet.  I went back to bed.  I heard the same noise once again at around 5 a.m. This time I wondered if maybe someone in the neighbouring rooms was having an argument as again there was no movement on either street.  

There was no mention of any attack on the news the following day so I went about my business.  As we were walking back to the apartment from dinner I heard the same noise.  This time though I was able to see that it was coming from a bird that we had just walked past.  A quick Google Search identified these murder birds as Bush Stone Curlews.  Thankfully no Nancy Drewing needed for me on the second night.  Or thereafter.  

Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes Recipe

Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes

 

My Nigella Moment  – Passionfruit Glazed Shortbread

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious.  In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was one of the most appetising things in the mag!

I love shortbread and passionfruit so these were high on my list of things to make.  They would have also fit in nicely with my birthday party theme but I ran out of time and had to choose between the Almond Crescents and these.  In the end, I have eaten Passionfruit Shortbreads before whilst the Almond Crescents were something new to me so I chose them.  These though?  High on my list of things to make!  And believe me, when I do…I will definitely be popping back to the biscuit tin, Nigella Style, for just one more!

Passionfruit Glazed Shortbread Recipe 4 (1)

 

Super Food Ideas really came through for my birthday-themed menu!  As did Port Douglas for my birthday holiday.  Despite the…ahem…hiccup with the accomodation, PD remains one of my favourite holiday destinations!!!! 

 

 

Summer Berry One Two Buckle My Shoe

Summer Berry Buckle2

Hello food lovers and crime readers! Today on Dining with The Dame, we are taking a look into the Hercule Poirot novel One Two Buckle My Shoe. And to snack on while we read, we have a lovely fruit filled cake called a Summer Berry Buckle. Yes, not much food in this one so again, I had to use some creative thinking for the food component. And the Summer Berry Buckle is a delight!  I loved that you got a different berry in each bite!

Summer Berry Buckle2

 

One Two Buckle My Shoe -The Plot

Leaving his dentist’s office, Hercule Poirot bumps into the delightfully named, Mabelle Sainsbury Seale, a former actress.  He picks up a buckle that has fallen off her shiny new shoe and gives it to her. 

Before you can even start to get any creepy dentist vibes aka Norman Gale in Death In The Clouds, we find out via Inspector Japp that sometime after Poirot’s visit, the dentist Hector Morley apparently killed himself.  Morley’s clients between Poirot and his death included Ms Sainsbury Seale, a banker called Alistair Blunt and a rather shady Greek gentleman called Mr Amberiotis.  Another man, an American activist called Raikes leaves the office without a visit to Morley’s Partner (who is a bit of a drunk).  

Summer Berry Buckle4

We have

  • Mr Amberiotis dying not too shortly after Dr Morley from an overdose of adrenaline and novocaine – both commonly used by dentists. Are the death’s connected?
  • A secretary called away from work on false pretenses.  Was it so she did not recognise the killer?
  • A fiance annoyed with Morley’s interference in his love life – did he kill Morley?
  • Mabelle going missing
  • A body in a trunk with her face bashed in.  
  • Two murder attempts on Alistair Blunt, one supposedly by the aggrieved fiancé.  Has he moved from killing dentists to bankers?
  • And what of the left-wing activist?  The one who left before seeing the drunk dentist?He has no love of bankers or members of the bourgeoisie.  Might he be the murderer?
  • And what of that drunk dentist?  Did he bear a grudge against his more successful partner?
  • We also have Poirot revealing himself to be a leg man!  How else would he know that a ten-inch stocking equates to a size six shoe?

Good thing we have Poirot around to sort out who did the deed!  We also have Inspector Japp in his last appearance in a novel.  😔

Summer Berry Buckle3

There is a lot going on in this book and the plot seems quite convoluted at times.  The nursery rhyme felt far more wedged in than in “And Then There Were None” too.  While this was not my favourite novel it did give an insightful look into power and privilege and the importance of one life versus another.  
 

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe – The Covers

I was able to find a lot of covers for this one, primarily I think because it has three names. It was originally called The Patriotic Murders in the US but they changed this to An Overdose of Death in 1953.

One Two Collage2

So many great covers here.  I think my favourite is the shoes second row second from the right which also is our very first Finnish cover!  

The Recipe – Summer Berry Buckle

I used the recipe from the New York Tmes as my recipe and I can highly recommend it. 

I served my Buckle with some labne that I had made for something else and wanted to use up and some fresh raspberries.   

Whipped cream or yoghurt could easily sub in for the labne. 

Poirot shrugged his shoulders.  He said:

I t would seem that death selected, most inartistically, the wrong man.  The Mysterious Greek, the Rich Banker, the Famous Detective – how natural that one of them should be shot!  For mysterious foreigners may be mixed up with espionage and rich bankers have connections who will benefit by their deaths and famous detectives may be dangerous to criminals”.

Whereas poor old Morley wasn’t dangerous to anybody, ” observed Japp gloomily.

“I wonder.” 

Agatha Christie – One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Summer Berry Buckle5

Links to The Christieverse

Poirot speaks of Countess Vera Rosakoff who we last saw in The Big Four and is the closest thing we come to Poirot having a love interest

The Case of The Augean Stables is mentioned.  We haven’t got there yet but it is one of the stories in The Labours of Hercules

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Summer Berry Buckle

Also, apologies for this post being nearly a week late!  I dropped my laptop, and thankfully whilst nothing major was damaged, the pin on the charger bent making it impossible to charge so I had to wait for the replacement charger to arrive.  I’m going to try really hard to get the post that is due tomorrow out on time or just a little late to get back on posting track!

July’s read is Evil Under The Sun which is a great read and I have something very special planned for it. 

Have a great week!

Signature2

Pineapple and Spice Financier – Murder is Easy

Murder is Easy Collage

Hello crime readers and food lovers!  This month’s read is Murder Is Easy, and I have a LOT to say about it!  Starting with a rant about how I ended up choosing a Pineapple and Spice Financier (which does not appear in the story at all) to represent the novel.  Murder is Easy contains very few food references.   This really annoyed me!   I kind of get it when AC doesn’t mention food in the novels set in foreign climes.  Back in the day, there would likely have been some good old-fashioned British reserve (ie thinly veiled racism) against foreign food.  But Murder is Easy is set in an English village and features multiple old ladies!  Where are the scones?  Where are the high teas and finger sandwiches?   The village fete with cake stalls galore?

Pineapple and Spice Financier5

Murder Might be Easy but Menu Decisions Aren’t!

So, what do you do when there is no food mentioned in the novel? My first thought always goes to puns.  Murder is greasy?  Murder is cheesy?  Chowder is Easy?  Humlebeetroot Salad?  I dismissed all of these as cornier than the chowder! I was very nearly set on the idea of making Olivia De Havilland’s Salad Niçoise.  (She played Honoria Waynfleet in the 1982 version of Murder is Easy).  However, when I looked more closely at the recipe on Silver Screen Suppers I saw that it contained both red and green capsicums.  Long-time readers will know that these do not agree with me at all.  I thought about inventing a Hit and Rum cocktail, which was going to be my take on a pineapple mojito, and spoke to two of the murders in the novel.  However, I felt there have been a lot of cocktails in my recent Dining with the Dame posts so I wanted to shy away from them.

Finally, I decided I wanted to use pineapple which, features as a murder weapon, in the story combined with the country feel of a freshly baked cake.  I chose the  Pineapple and Spice Financier as I  felt that the spices (cardamom and ginger) were a nod to Luke Fitzwilliam’s time in the Mayang Straits.  Whilst this is an entirely made-up place in my mind it is a reference to Malaysia which was still under British rule in 1939 when this book was written.

Pineapple and Spice Financier 1

Phew…that was a long intro!  So let’s get into Murder is Easy!

Murder is Easy- The Plot

Luke Fitzwilliam is home to England from his work as a policeman in the Mayang Straits.  On his way to London, he meets an elderly lady called Lavinia Pinkerton on the train.  They get to talking and Ms Pinkerton confides to him that she is on her way to Scotland Yard to warn them that there is a serial killer operating in her small country village.  She names several people who have already been a victim of said killer and also names who she thinks will be next.

Now, if you want my honest opinion of Luke Fitzwilliam?  To put it nicely, he’s no Hercule Poirot.  He’s not even a Miss Marple.  In the words of Smashmouth he “ain’t the smartest tool in the shed”.  However, his lack of perspicacity comes later.  Right now, we can’t really fault him for thinking he has sat down next to some batty old lady and so he doesn’t really take her seriously.

Until, the next day, he reads in the paper that she was killed in a hit-and-run accident.

And a week later, he reads that Doctor Humbleby who Miss Pinkerton said was the next victim, has also died.  Luke’s spidey senses start tingling and he heads down to Wychwood under Ashe to do some investigating.

Pineapple and Spice Financier3

We have:

  • Several mysterious deaths in the town Wychwood-Under-Ashe
  • A chauffeur killed by a stone pineapple
  • Dirty deeds going on with the local antique dealer
  • A cat called Wonky Poo who becomes involved in the murders in a totally disgusting way.
  • One of the suspects strangling a canary
  • Inspector Battle who we last saw in Cards on The Table (also in The Secret of Chimneys and The Seven Dials Mystery) making an appearance!

Unfortunately,  we don’t have Poirot around to solve the mystery.  Instead, we have Luke Fitzwilliam (cue Smashmouth quote above in your head) making what seems like interminable lists of suspects and motives and still not honing in on the killer faster than his new girlfriend Bridget.  Oh, and if we’re going to cue Smashmouth whenever Luke is mentioned, then the signature tune for Bridget is The Eagles Witchy Woman!  So many references to Bridget being witch-like.  All of which come to nothing.

Murder is Easy – The Covers

Murder is Easy Collage

 

The Recipe – Pineapple and Spice Financier

My recipe comes from the November 2022 issue of Delicious Magazine.

Pineapple and Spice recipe

 

“Luke – Luke – what’s that…?”

The moon had come out from the clouds.  Luke looked down to where Bridget’s shoe trembled by a huddled mass.

With a startled exclamation he dragged his arm free and knelt down.  He looked from the shapeless heap to the gate post above.  The pine-apple was gone. “

Murder is Easy – Agatha Christie

Pineapple and Spice Financier4

Links to The Christieverse

  • As mentioned above Inspector Battle makes an appearance in Murder is Easy.
  • The Bells and Motley. is a pub in Wychwood under Ashe.   A pub by the same name features in the Harley Quin short story called “At The Bells and Motley”.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Murder is Easy

  • Plum Pudding
  • Tea (multiple times)
  • Coffee (multiple times)
  • Bacon and eggs  (I will make these one day!)
  • Kidneys (I will never make these)
  • Liqueur Brandy
  • Beer
  • Sherry

Pineapple and Spice Financier 2

Other Related News

  • A boomslang features in the  Bullet Train. We, of course, know all about that particular snake from Death in The Clouds.
  • The BBC has announced a new adaptation of l Murder is Easy.   (The Olivia de Haviland / Bill Bixby version is available on You Tube.  The Miss Marple version is not great and I would not recommend it, except Benedict Cumberbatch plays Luke).)
  • This month marks the 100th anniversary of Murder on The Links…why not celebrate by making an Omelette Berrichonne?

April’s read is Sad Cypress.

Have a great week!

 

 

 

Orange and Poppyseed Cupcakes – November 2002

Hello Friends!!!  For today’s twenty years ago post, I am cooking from the November 2002 issue  of Super Food Ideas. Let’s see if the mag lives up to it’s name! Today’s theme is picnic food.  These orange and poppyseed cupcakes would be perfect for a spring picnic and were delicious to boot!  Sadly our weather has not been kind.   It has been very cold and rainy so my picnic ended being on my dining room table!

Orange and Poppyseed Cupcakes

My Picnic Menu

Picnic Menu

 

Chicken Club Sandwich

I love a club sandwich but for some reason, I only ever eat them when ordering  from a hotel room service menu.  This one was ok.  No bacon which was disappointing but the addition of avocado was nice.  There was a weird instruction to add tomato sauce (ketchup) into the avocado mix.  I ignored it. because….ewww.  You can do beter November 2002!

Chicken Club Sandwich

Here’s the recipe.

Chicken Club Sandwich recipe 3

 

I am not going to talk about the Mac and Cheese  bites here because, I ended up changing the recipe so much that I am going to do them as a separate post! But we came here for Orange and Poppyseed Cupcakes so here they are!

Orange and Poppyseed Cupcakes2jpg

I don’t think I have tasted orange and poppyseed anything before.  There was a time when I was absolutely addicted to the lemon and poppyseed muffins at Muffin Break.   It got so all the people I worked with  knew how much I loved them so even if I had not gone past the Muffin Break that morning, my colleagues would let me know if the lemon and poppysed muffins were on the menu.  These cupcakes were very reminiscent of those muffins.   In fact though, I did not have enough orange zest  to top all the cupcakes (possibly because I spilt so much of it all over the recipe) so there is a mix of lemon and orange zest on all of them making them even more nostalgic for me.

Orange and Poppyseed Cupcakes3jpg

Orange and Poppyseed Cupcakes – The Recipe

The original recipe was for one large cake.  For  cupcakes, just drop the cooking time,  Mine were ready in 25 minutes.

 

Orange and Poppyseed Cupcakes Recipe2jpg

 

My Nigella Moment

What is a Nigella moment?  You know how at the end of each episode of a Nigella tv show, you see her popping back to the fridge for just one more bite of something?  My Nigella moment this month is a recipe I cooked from the mag that did not fit with the picnic theme.  It was a salmon fillet with wasabi mayo.  I served mine with some edamame sprinkled with furikake, pickled ginger and some not very Japanese but very delicious oven fries!  In the interest of brevity, I have not included the recipe but, if you like the sound of it and want to do your own trip back in time, hit me up in the comments!

Salmon with Wasabi Mayo

I hope you’ve enjoyed time travelling back to November 2002 with me.

Have a great week!

Signature2