Tag: Cake

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!

 

 

 

Blueberry Cake

Last Friday was Canada day so it seemed like an appropriate time to leave the United States of America and head north in our journey through Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery.  It may also be an excellent time to leave the United States of America for Supreme Court related decisions too but that is by the by.  Anyhoo, to celebrate our move to Canada I made a blueberry cake!

Blueberry Cake 1 (2)

Now, blueberry cake is not the first thing I think of when my thoughts turn to Canadian cuisine.  BUT…this chapter was fairly disappointing.  Notably, the first thing I do think of was totally missing.  I mean – WHO ON EARTH HAS A CHAPTER ON CANADIAN COOKING AND DOES NOT INCLUDE A RECIPE FOR POUTINE????

Ok. Let me take a few moments to do some of the deep rhythmic breathing they taught me at the conference I attended recently.  Just.  Breathe. Do not feel disappointed that you will not be making poutine.  When you go to the office on Thursday you can buy some poutine from the very excellently named Lord of The Fries. Which may be even better than making some yourself.  And breathe…

Ok, calming mantra over, let’s get on with the blueberry cake.

Blueberry Cake – The Recipe

The recipe called for lemon flavouring.  We currently have a tree laden with lemons so I used the zest of one lemon and the juice of half a lemon as my “flavouring”.  This added a nice hit of lemon to the cake.  I found this cake to be quite dry – it very much needed a bit of cream or ice cream on the side.  I had some with some homemade Mango Kufli (from Adam Liaw’s recipe) and it was divine.  Mango, lemon and blueberries are a match made in heaven!  I am not sure if this is because I did not have enough blueberries to half fill the loaf pan.  There was a LOT of cake batter to blueberries so for future baking I might halve the batter mixture.  Another variation might be to put a layer of blueberries in the middle or through the cake as well as on the top.

Blueberry Cake recipe

I think the way the blueberries bleed into the cake is so pretty!

Blueberry Cake 2

Have a great week everyone!

Signature2

 

 

 

Upside Down Cake

Welcome to the best of March!  I have been dying to share this recipe ever since I made it over a month ago.  I held off because after tasting it I thought it would take something absolutely amazing to top it.  Whilst my tastebuds would have rejoiced had this been the case, the pineapple upside-down cake from Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery was last month’s winner.  It also made me realise that this is my favourite cake.  You can take your chocolate cake, your red velvet and even your Victoria Sponge, I will choose Pineapple Upside Down Cake over pretty much any other type of cake ( the one exception would be Sri Lankan Love Cake).

Upside Down Cake

Why do I like it so much?

  • It’s delicious!!!!
  • It has a delightful retro charm both in look and taste
  • It’s happy – the bright yellow pineapple and glossy red cherries can brighten a gloomy grey day
  • The half circles of pineapple look like they are smiling at you and the whole pineapple rings look like bright flowers

Upside Down Cake – The Recipe

Other Favourites of The Month

Reading

The best book I read in March was Turns Out,  I’m Fine by Australian comedian Judith Lucy.  I am a big fan of her work in general and this one did not disappoint.  Lucy tackles relationship breakup, money issues, death of loved ones, aging and menopause, women in comedy, activism and many other things in her typically frank, funny and vulnerable way.  This was a joy to read and really, who doesn’t want to know how not to fall apart?  (Added bonus is that she reads the audio book).

Cookbook

My favourite cookbook for the month is not actually a cookbook  The Alcorithm is about how to let your favourite flavours expand your palate.  It reminds me very much of one of my other faves, Niki Segnit’s Flavour Thesaurus.  I have only just started reading the Alcorithm but I am already fascinated.

The Alcorithm

 

Watching

I watched Pieces of Her on Netflix and I am mid-way through Bad Vegan and The Girl from Plainville. All of which I either enjoyed or am enjoying  We are watching Se7en for film club this week.  Is it weird to say that such a gory movie is probably in my top ten films ever?  I am fairly sure that there will be people in the club who do not share my passion but that is what makes these discussions so interesting.

 

I didn’t do a lot else this month apparently – I have been trying to get to the gym more so my viewing time has been significantly cut back.  I am on the lookout for some good streaming series to get stuck into and some new pods to listen to – please let me know if you have any recommendations!

Have a wonderful week!  And please, let me know, what is your favourite cake?

Signature2

 

It’s the Year of the Tiger

Hello and welcome to the second instalment of my Year of The Tiger special. Today we having a Tiger Skin Chicken from Adam Liaw and some little  French almond cakes called Les Tigres (the tigers) from Dorie Greenspan.  But first let’s have a little look-see at what may lie ahead for us in the Year of the Tiger!

Les Tigres 1

Predictions for the year of the Tiger suggest that this could be a year of political and social upheaval.  It is also a year of extremes, some people will boom and some will bust.  Fortune will tend to favour the brave.  The water element in this year of the Water Tigre will bring emotions to the forefront.

Strap in folks, this could be a wild ride!

Tiger Skin Chicken

Let me first show you Adam Liaw’s beautifully striped Tiger Skin Chicken.

Mine was not nearly as precise.

BUT, this was so delicious! I basted the chicken every 15 minutes in those buttery juices and it stayed delightfully moist.  It had  a slight spicy curry flavour which I thought was lovely eaten warm and also cold in sandwiches the following day.

I just need to get my squeeze bottle technique so the lines are a little thinner and maybe control the heat during the grilling of the skin a little better.  I also think I should have heated my honey before mixing it in with the yoghurt as it didn’t mix in well which is why I think some of my stripes were white, they were primarily yoghurt.

Tiger Skin Chicken 1

Here is the recipe from Adam’s Big Pot:

Tiger Skin Chicken Recipe

Les Tigres

To end our Year of the Tiger special we are having some little French cakes called Les Tigres.  I am assuming this is because they are dipped in a ganache which gives them a dark stripe against the dark gold of the almond cake.  They could also be called the leopards because the inside is dotted with choc chips!

Les Tigres 4

Les Tigres Recipe

Les Tigres recipe2
via Dorie Greenspan and Food Network

 

 

Les Tigres 3

The Tigres were a lovely way to finish this celebratory meal!

Best of luck to you all in the coming 12 months – let’s hope you don’t catch too many tigers by the tail but that you wake every morning with a tiger in your tank!

Signature2

 

Cowboy Day – Pepsi Cola Cake with Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting

Yippee Ky Yay Cake Lovers, number 5 is alive!!!!  This weekend, courtesy of the nicest man on the Internet,  Greg Swenson, we are celebrating Cowboy Day with a Cookalong.  I have chosen to bake a cake (because every celebration needs one) from Greg’s book, Recipes for Rebels:  In The Kitchen with James Dean – and oh (cow)boy, what a cake it is.  Pepsi Cola Cake with Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting.

CBD-LOGO-small

 

Pepsi Cola Cake wth Broiled Peanut Butter Frosting

You might be wondering what is the connection between a cake made from Pepsi and Cowboys? Well, hear me out here. It is a little like one of those puzzles you used to do at school where you change one letter at a time to turn one word into another…

But here me out:

James Dean played a cowboy in the film Giant
James Dean’s first paid acting job was in a Pepsi Commercial
Pepsi is a key ingredient in this cake.

Cowboy to cake in less steps than it will take you to go from bath to tubs!

Cowboy Day 2021

Good lord, just look at that face!!!  If that is not a textbook definition of impossibly handsome, I do not know what is.

Something that is most definitely not impossibly handsome is the Pepsi-Cola Cake.  It is a massive brute of a thing (might one say a Giant?) that erupted like a volcano in my oven.  It reminded me of the ads we used to have for Picnic bars – deliciously ugly.

 

Pepsi Cola Calke

I mean, ok, it doesn’t look quite as much like a pooh as a Picnic bar but at the point of removal from the oven, it did not look good.

But as the picnic ad states that’s what wrappers are for. And the wrapping on the Pepsi-cola cake is some divine Peanut Butter frosting.

Pepsi Cola Cake 4

I mean it’s still not the prettiest cake in the world. But, do not let it’s somewhat less than gorgeous faced fool you.  Remember the delicious part of deliciously ugly?  Well this cake has a ton of delicious!  The cake itself is moist and fudgy, a little like a brownie.  The slight slatiness in the  peanut butter frosting is a perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of the cake.  Beware though the Pepsi Cake is not just rich.  It is filthy rich!!!

.

I have a sweet tooth and even I would recommend cutting what you think is a normal-sized slice of cake then cutting that in two.  And bada bing bada boom that’s elevenses and afternoon tea sorted!!!!

Pepsi Cola Cake – Recipe

So, the recipe for this cake made me laugh.  I love the way they ask for non-sweetened cocoa powder.  I mean, when you already have 2 cups of sugar and a cup of Pepsi in your cake I guess you have to draw the line somewhere.

Here’s the recipe!

 

 

Giant 2

 

This was so much fun!  I loved cooking this cake and being able to take part in the world wide cookalong to celebrate Cowboy Day 2021!  Thank you Greg for organising and inviting me to contribute!

Have a great week everyone!!!!

Signature2