Agatha Christie - Retro Food For Modern Times

Tag: Agatha Christie

11
Mar
2024

Malice In The Hollow

categories: Apricot Brandy, Bourbon, Drinks

Hello, cocktail lovers and Agatha Christie readers. While this post might not be our usual “Dining With The Dame” feature for March, fret not! Instead, consider it a literary aperitif, a tasty prelude to the main course. Today’s recipe is a cocktail called “Malice in The Hollow.” This concoction is a playful riff on Hedda Hopper’s recipe titled “Malice in Hollywood,” which I found in the fantastic book “Recipes for Rebels” by a friend of the blog, Greg Swenson. Greg, being the good sport he is, I’m sure won’t mind a little tampering with Hedda’s, original recipe! The Hollow, a 1946 novel by Agatha Christie is our current Dining With The Dame read.

Hedda Hopper and Agatha Christie

Hedda Hopper, an American gossip columnist and actress, was born in 1885. This makes her a contemporary of Agatha Christie, who was five years younger. Intrigued by a possible connection between the two, I began to research. Perhaps, I thought, Hedda had starred in a film adaptation of one of Christie’s acclaimed novels. Sadly, this was not the case.

However, the Wikipedia article for the 1965 version of “Ten Little Indians” (also known as “And Then There Were None”) cites an article by Hedda Hopper. This tantalizing detail sparked my curiosity. Did their paths ever cross beyond this single reference? Calling all Agatha Christie and Hedda Hopper superfans! If you have any information about a deeper connection between these two ladies, please share it!

Now, let’s shift gears. “Malice in Hollywood” is a fitting description for Hedda Hopper’s career. She wielded her pen with a vitriolic touch, becoming one of the most feared figures in Hollywood. Furthermore, her staunch conservative views fueled her column during the McCarthy era, where she relentlessly denounced those with leftist leanings.

The Malice In Hollywood Cocktail

In Recipes for Rebels, Greg says that Hedda was said to have created the Malice in Hollywood Cocktail in the 1940’s. The OG recipe is below.

The Malice In The Hollow Cocktail

I am not fond of Bourbon so I have changed the ratios and added some lemon juice to balance out the sweetness of the Apricot Brandy.

Malice In The Hollow

Print Recipe

A bourbon sour, based on Hedda Hopper’s Malice in Hollywood

Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

Scale

2 parts Bourbon (ideally Jim Beam black)

2 parts Apricot Brandy

1 part lemon juice

Dried Apricot and Lemon peel to garnish

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Combine the bourbon, apricot brandy and lemon juice in a shaker

Shake over ice then strain into a cocktail glass.

Garnish with dried apricots and a twist of lemon

Next week’s post will be our Dining with The Dame for The Hollow, so there is still plenty of time to read it if you so desire!

Also, why not pop over to Amazon and buy a copy of Recipes For Rebels? It is a beautifully curated book of celebrity recipes which I am sure you will love!

Have a great week!

09
Jul
2023

The Ginger Tingle

categories: 1960's recipes, Dining With The Dame, Drinks, Mocktail

Hello friends and welcome to a precursor episode to next week’s Dining with The Dame. We will be focussing on Evil Under The Sun in both weeks. This week is just me. But, next week’s post will feature a very special collab with a very special person! More about that at the end of the post. Today we are drinking with the Dame with the delightfully named Ginger Tingle. The recipe comes from The Australian Hostess Cookbook (1969).

Arlena Marshall

As soon as I read the name, I knew I wanted to dedicate The Ginger Tingle to Arlena Marshall from Evil Under The Sun. Arlena – is a gorgeous redhead (hence the ginger) and full of sex appeal (hence the tingle). I”m nothing if not subtle! 😜

Here is Arlena’s entrance into the story:

Her arrival had all the importance of a stage entrance.

Moreover, she walked as though she knew it. There was no self-consciousness apparent. It would seem that she was too used to the invariable effect her presence produced.

She was tall and slender. She wore a simple backless white bathing dress and every inch of her exposed body was tanned a beautiful even shade of bronze. She was as perfect as a statue. Her hair was a rich flaming auburn, curling richly and intimately into her neck…the whole effect of her was one of youth, of superb and triumphant vitality”

Arlena Stuart Marshall as played by Diana Rigg — Arlena Marshall as played by Diana Rigg

I intentionally left out a bit of that quote that said “Her face had that slight hardness which is seen when thirty years have come and gone” . On behalf of women of a certain age, everywhere, none of us need that! Or, in the words of another lovely redhead:

I also wanted to feature Arlena because she is treated incredibly harshly in the novel. She is not only the murder victim but she is also resoundingly and almost universally slut-shamed throughout the book:

“Now to my mind, that woman’s a personification of evil. She’s a bad lot through and through”

“Such women are a menace – a menace to — “

“There’s a type of woman who likes smashing up homes”

“She’s the world’s first gold digger. And a man-eater as well. If anything personable in trousers comes within a hundred yards of her, it’s fresh sport for Arlena. She’s that kind.”

Even the police inspecting her murder have noting good to say about her:

“Ï should say that a lady like her would -well, would make some pretty bad enemies”

Arlena reminded me of another misunderstood readhead.

One of the remarkable things about Evil Under The Sun is that we mostly hear about Arlena. We rarely hear from her. Arlena’s own motivations are intentionally omitted (I believe) to build a picture of her as seen through the eyes of other people. Only the more astute guests at Jolly Roger Hotel see her for what she truly is – a victim – of an unscrupulous murderer, gossip from other guests, and ultimately, her own foolishness. Christie does this with an absolutely deft touch that reveals a writer at the top of her game!

The Recipe – Ginger Tingle

Now if you wanted to add a little splash of gin or vodka into the mix, be my guest! The Ginger Tingle however a lovely refreshing soft drink and would be perfect to sip under the sun as is. Either way let’s raise a toast to Arlena!

Next Week’s Dining The Dame

I am absolutely delighted that next week’s post will be a collaboration with Jenny from the fabulous blog Silver Screen Suppers. Why not grab a copy of Evil Under The Sun or watch the Poirot episode based on the book and join us for some fun (and evil) under the sun!

06
Jan
2023

Champagne Cocktail – Dead Man’s Mirror

categories: Champagne, Cocktail, Dining With The Dame, Poirot

Hello food lovers and crime readers! Welcome to the first Dining with the Dame of 2023! We are celebrating the new year with a classic Champagne Cocktail and the final story from the Murder in the Mews Collection. I improvised here as there is no food mentioned in Dead Man’s Mirror. However, the sound of a cork popping features in the story so a Champagne cocktail feels fitting. Besides, who doesn’t love a Champagne cocktail?

Dead Man’s Mirror- The Plot

Hmm…we have a dead man in a locked room. If it sounds familiar is because it is also kinda, sorta what happened in Hercule Poirot’s Christmas which was last month’s read. This time the patriarch who meets an untimely end is Sir Gervase Chevenix-Gore. Sir G as we will call him because if I have to type Sir Gervase Chevenix -Gore every time I name him, I’ll be writing this into next year summons Poirot to his home at Hamborough Close. Much like Simeon Lee from last month, Sir G is obsessed with not having an heir to carry on the family name. He is also a bit of a martinet when it comes to timeliness. For instance, dinner is announced by a gong which is sounded twice – the bangs being seven minutes apart. Guests who are late for dinner are not invited back! On this night Sir G himself does not appear by the second gong. He is found, shortly thereafter, in his locked study, with a bullet in his brain and a pistol lying on the carpet by his body. A piece of paper with the word “Sorry” written on it lies on the desk in front of him. A clear-cut case of suicide.

Or is it?

We have

For the bullet to have smashed the mirror, Sir G must have shot himself at a very odd angle
As in Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, we have a woman picking up something from the floor of the crime scene
Ruth, Sir G’s adopted daughter. Sir G was keen for her to marry her cousin Hugo Trent which would keep the family line going. Only Ruth has some secrets.
A lack of footprints in the flower bed

Luckily we have Poirot around to solve the mystery of the Dead Man’s Mirror!

Dead Man’s Mirror – The Covers

As expected, many of the covers feature a broken mirror. I particularly like the one in the top which shows the dead man in the mirror, holding the note in his skeleton hand. However, my absolute favourite is the one on the far right which shows the Egyptian head and scarab beetle, in reference to Vanda, Sir G’s wife who believes she is the reincarnation of the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut and a priestess from Atlantis. It’s such a minor plot detail but makes an amazing cover! The broken mirror around her eye also gives it a bit of a steampunk look, decades before there was such a thing!

The Recipe – Champagne Cocktail

I am using the from a book called Fantastic Cocktails and Mixed Drinks. I have added a garnish of an orange wedge and a maraschino cherry to make it look prettier!

“You see, I thought the first gong had gone, so I hurried up with my dressing, came dashing out of my room, heard, as I thought, the second gong and fairly raced down the stairs. I’d been one minute late for dinner the first night I was here and Hugo told me it had about wrecked our chances with the Old Man, so K fairly hared down. Hugo was just ahead of me and then there was a queer kind of pop-bang and Hugo said it was a champagne cork but Snell said “No”to that.

Dead Man’s Mirror – Agatha Christie

Links to The Christieverse

Mr Satterthwaite, who we last met in Three Act Tragedy makes an appearance in this story. He not only mentions that case but also that he has seen Mary Lytton Gore recently.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Dead Man’s Mirror

None

If you are wondering why this post is unusually early, it is because later today we are going to see The Arctic Monkeys, then tomorrow we are flying to Darwin for a week to celebrate the Fussiest Eater in The World’s birthday. Neither of us has been there before so it will be an exciting trip for us. It is by far the farthest north in Australia we have ever been! Also, just to put the distance in perspective, Darwin is about 400km closer to Singapore than it is to Melbourne! I am expecting some delicious seafood, tropical fruit, and some spectacular scenery

I may have to delay next week’s post due to the holiday. However, we have all the more time now to get stuck into February’s read – Appointment with Death.

13
Dec
2022

Stilton and Leek Soufflé – Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

categories: Blue Cheese, Dining With The Dame, Leeks, Poirot, Soufflé

Hello food lover and crime readers! Welcome to a festive edition of Dining with The Dame. Today’s menu contains a Stilton and Leek Soufflé inspired by Agatha Christie’s 1938 novel Hercule Poirot’s Christmas. It makes me wonder – of all the people who received this book as a Christmas present that year, who would have guessed that within 12 months the world would be plunged into a second and terrible world war? Ok, sorry, that was not a very festive way to start this post. But really despite being set at Christmas, this is not an overly festive novel!

Before we move into that, let’s briefly talk about the wonderful combination that is leek and blue cheese. I first came across this many years ago at a pizza restaurant not far from my work. They had a lunch deal which was two slices of pizza and a drink for a very small amount. My favourite slice of pizza was a leek and gorgonzola. I ordered it every week for years!

I realised the minute I took the soufflés out of the oven that I had left my copy of Hercule Poirot’s Christmas upstairs. There was no going to get it, the soufflés were falling by the second!

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas – The Plot

Simeon Lee is a very rich old man. And, like many rich old men, he is what they might have called back in Agatha Christie’s day, an old curmudgeon. I can think of a few more modern descriptions but, it’s Christmas so we’re keeping it clean! He’s angry at his family primarily as none of his sons have given him a grandson to carry on the family name. He is also somewhat of a braggart and likes to talk about all his sexual conquests and how he likely has many sons “on the other side of the blanket”. Which is gross, partly because he speaks at length about this to his granddaughter and no one, not even a formally estranged adult granddaughter needs to hear that grandpa was a f*ckboy! Also, because cheating on your wife and knocking up numerous women is not cool. He also has some uncut diamonds in his safe which he likes to fondle whilst he reminisces about his younger days in South Africa, Think Monty Burns crossed with Gollum and maybe a Bond villain and you have my interpretation of Simeon Lee.

He gets his though, as on Christmas Eve, not long after calling his family together to announce that he is changing his will, Simeon Lee has his throat cut. However the murder takes place in a locked room. And the diamonds are gone!

Who is the guilty culprit?

Harry, the prodigal son. Did he return just to do his father in?
David, the son who has always resented the way Simeon ill treated his mother.
George, the pompous son scared his father was going to reduce his allowance.
Alfred, the son who has remained steadfastly by Simeon’s side, jealous because his father favours Harry
Pilar Estravados, Simeon’s granddaughter, recently arrived from Spain.
Stephen Farr, the son of Simeon’s former business partner, come to England from South Africa
Horbury, Simeon’s possibly shifty valet.
All in all, we have many people who potentially Simeon Lee dead.
And a second murder attempt
And way too much blood!

Good thing we also have Poirot on hand to discover who did it and to explain the significance of a bit of rubber and a small wooden item found on the floor near Simeon’s body!

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas – The Covers

We have some absolutely cracking covers here, and a fair number of them from non-English speaking countries, which is something I love! My favorite is the pulp fiction cover from I’m going to say the 1950’s which I have shown below in full. Just take a closer look at the lady in red. Yes, I know all our eyes are drawn to her cleavage but the expression on her face is not even remotely congruent with the sight before her! “Pffftttt…another dead body just in time to ruin the holidays” she seems to be saying. “And by the way, have you seen my breasts? They’re real and they’re spectaular”

The Recipe – Stilton and Leek Soufflé

You might be wondering why I chose a stilton and leek and soufflé for this post. I was thinking I could make some sort of pun on Simeon Lee and Stilton Leek. The more I tried, the more laboured it became until I trashed it. Sometimes, as per Kenny Rogers, “you gotta know when to fold ’em”.

Good lord, who knew wen starting this we were going to get a Seinfeld quote and a Kenny lyric?

Here’s the recipe. It is from a 1992 book by the Australian Women’s Weekly called Brunches and Lunches.

As mentioned, I love the combo of leek and blue cheese. However, if you are not a lover of blue, you could sub in a cheese of your choice!

Tresilian went round with the soufflé. It struck him, now that hi interest in the ladies’ toiletries and his misgivings over Walter’s deficiencies were a thing of the past, that everyone was very silent tonight. At least, not exactly silent: Mr Harry was talking enough for twenty – no not Mr Harry, the South African gentleman. And the others were talking too, but only, as it were, in spasms. There was something a little – queer about them.

Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

Links to The Christieverse

Colonel Johnson refers to “that Cartwright case” when conversing with Poirot. This is reference to Three Act Tragedy.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

Coffee
Hock I was not familiar with this name for Riesling but I feel this would work very well with the souffle!
Claret
Pear

January’s read will be the final novella in the Murder in the Mews Collection – Dead Man’s Mirror. And if anyone can get the pun on Simeon Lee and Stilton and Leek to work, please let me know!

26
Mar
2022

Macaroni au Gratin / The ABC Murders

categories: Dining With The Dame, Pasta, Poirot

Hello Crime readers and food lovers! I am excited today to be sharing a recipe for Macaroni au Gratin – aka Baked Mac and Cheese! This month’s Agatha Christie book, The ABC Murders is dark. It is definitely the darkest book we have read so far. So, it’s a good thing we have the comforting familiarity of macaroni and cheese to get us through! We have my favourite trio in Christie too – Poirot, Hastings and Japp. It is however written in a mix of first-person and third-person which feels a bit clumsy. However, it is a cracking read so do not let that prevent you from reading this.

The ABC Murders – The Plot

We begin with Poirot receiving a letter taunting him:

MR. HERCULE POIROT–You fancy yourself, don’t you, at solving mysteries that are too difficult for our poor thick-headed British police? Let us see, Mr. Clever Poirot, just how clever you can be. Perhaps you’ll find this nut too hard to crack. Look out for Andover on the 21st of the month. Yours, etc., A.B.C.

And on the 21st Mrs Alice Ascher is murdered by a blow to the head in Andover

We have:

Some fun banter between Poirot, Japp and Hastings prior to the first murder.
A second murder – Betty Barnard strangled in Bexhill
A third murder – Sir Carmichael Clarke clubbed to death in Churston
Taunting letters to Poirot with each murder and a copy of the ABC rail guide left by the body of each of the victims
The diary of a man who seems to be increasingly losing his grip on reality. The man’s name? Alexander Bonaparte Cust. (Just look at those initials!)
We have a group of amateur sleuths made up of Megan Barnard (Betty’s sister), Franklin Clarke (Sir Carmichael’s brother, Donald Fraser (Betty’s fiance) and Mary Drower (Alice Ascher’s niece).
There is a beautiful and very poignant bit of writing about the death of Alice Ascher and the remorselessness of the passing of time
This is lightened almost immediately by a lovely fun bit of banter between Poirot and Hastings concerning fruit and vegetables
The fourth letter leads Poirot to Doncaster. Will Poirot be able to stop the ABC Murderer’s reign of terror here?

What makes The ABC Murders so dark is the use of gaslighting by the villain of the piece. Christie would not however have used that term as it only came into being in 1944, eight years after The ABC Murders was published!

The ABC Murders – The Covers

There are some very cool covers here. The two that for me are the standouts – top row second from the left looks very Hitchcockian, Tippi Hedren fleeing from birds with evil intent maybe. And speaking thereof…that cover with poor Betty Barnard lying dead on the beach with the seagull’s feet on her throat gives me the screaming heebie jeebies!!!!

The Recipe – Macaroni au Gratin

I kept this macaroni au gratin very simple. The internet abounds with fancy recipes for mac and cheese. I love the lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese they serve at Meatmaiden, one of my fave local restaurants! And if you are looking to make your mac ‘n’ cheese a bit more healthy then I can also recommend Jamie Oliver’s Greens Mac ‘n’ Cheese.

Macaroni au Gratin / The ABC Murders

Print Recipe

Comfort food at its finest!

Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

Scale

110g macaroni
1 bay leaf
450g milk
50g butter (plus more for dabbing on the top)
40g plain flour
175 grated Cheddar cheese or a mix or what you have in the house. I used some Red Leicester for this one.
Freshly grated nutmeg
Dash of Tabasco (optional)
Breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp fried shallots (optional) Or more if you like!

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Bring 850ml of water to the boil and cook the macaroni for 3-4 minutes less than the instructions on the pack. (We will finish off cooking in the oven).
Meanwhile, heat the milk with the bayleaf in a small pan and leave it to infuse.
In another pan, melt the butter and add the flour and allow your roux to cook for a minute. Gradually add the milk, whisking all the time to remove any lumps. Cook until the mixture reaches the consistency of pancake batter, stirring all the while.
Add half of the Cheddar and stir until it melts. Add some grated nutmeg and Tabasco sauce if using and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat your oven to 180C.
Drain the macaroni and add it to the cheese sauce. Place into one large or individual baking dishes Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, the fried onions if using and a few dabs of butter to help the breadcrumbs brown.
Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until bubbling around the edges. Then turn on your grill and cook under the grill until the cheese and breadcrumbs are golden.
Let this sit for 1o minutes before eating. If you can wait that long!

Enjoy!!!!

Notes

I like to cook this in smaller dishes so I have a ready supply of work from home lunches!

The fried shallots are available at Asian Groceries and whilst by no means traditional, add a lovely French onion flavour to this fish.

I really wanted to make this with alphabetty spaghetti. Unfortunately, I could not find any so elbow macaroni had to do!

If the fried shallots are not your bag, you can top with finely chopped chives or parsley before serving.

Our first visit was to The Ginger Cat. Situated on the seafront, this was the usual type of small tearoom. It had little tables covered in orange-checked cloths and basket-work chairs of exceeding discomfort with orange cushions on them. It was the kind of place that specialised in morning coffee, five types of tea (Devonshire, Farmhouse, Fruit, Carlton and Plain), and a few sparing lunch dishes for females such as scambled eggs and shrimps and macaroni au gratin.

-Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders

The Adaptations

The Alphabet Murders – 1965

Tony Randall as Poirot, Robert Morley as Hastings? Anika Ekberg as….I’m not really sure who she was but she was stunningly beautiful whoever she was meant to be.

I was so up for watching this!

Until I started watching it.

It. Was. Terrible.

I lasted half an hour max and went scurrying back to my beloved trio of David Suchet / Hugh Fraser and Phillip Jackson.

I don’t know what possessed MGM to try to turn this book into a comedy but it didn’t work for me at all!

The ABC Murders – Poirot S4 E1 1992

This version is the most true to the book. To me, this is the gold standard by which all adaptations should be judged and this episode is no exception. And there is an absolutely touching moment at the end between Poirot and Cust.

The ABC Murders – 2018

John Malkovich as Poirot? Sign me up!!! I only watched this one recently and it blew me away.

This version has Rupert Grint aka Ron Weasley as Inspector Crome. No Hastings, Japp dies within the first few minutes. Poirot is old and tired and has lost his relevance. Britain is dirty and dark and xenophobia is running high. This one is DARK.

I think this one brings to life the characters of Betty Barnard and Alexander Cust in a way the other two did not. It is beautifully shot and the attention to detail is meticulous. The acting is largely superb. Poirot, Cust, Betty, Rose Marbury, Thora Grey, Franklin Clarke – all played to perfection!!!!! It is not entirely true to the book but it goes some interesting places. This one is a much watch for any Christie fan although I’m sure some die-hard Christie fans will not be happy with the kink element, the addition of a new murder and Poirot’s backstory.

I would LOVE to see more Malkovich as Poirot!!!!

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in The ABC Murders

As per usual we have a mention of Bacon and Eggs
Coffee (several mentions)
Meat Pie
Black Tea
Scrambled eggs and shrimps
Brandy
Tea and Devonshire Cream
Mackerel
Irish Stew
Sandwiches and a glass of wine

Next month we are heading to the Middle East for a Murder in Mesopotamia. My advice on this one? Pack your disbelief into a deep dark corner and just go with it. The plot is largely ludicrous but we’ll have some fun on the way!