Hello friends. Welcome to the final part of our Austrian culinary adventure. Today, we’ll savour Marillenkuchen – Austrian for Apricot Cake. I was more excited about Austrian desserts than the savoury dishes. Austrian cakes and pastries are world-famous, and Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery offers an enticing array! Initially, I struggled to choose between Sachertorte, the most famous, and Linzertorte, my favourite. However, when visiting my greengrocer, I saw a display of breathtaking apricots. Consequently, all thoughts of other cakes vanished instantly.
Unlike its more fancy counterparts, Marillenkuchen is a simple cake. But as the saying goes – the simple things in life are often the best! Tilly Pamment, author of the excellent baking book “The Plain Cake Appreciation Society,” says:
The Plain Cake Appreciation Society is a club for connoisseurs of uncomplicated cakes, seasonal bakes and the general appreciation of pausing (often) for tea and cake
I think Tilly would approve of the Marillenkuchen! As do many Austrians! Marillenkuchen holds a special place in Austrian culinary tradition. It’s often enjoyed during the summer months when apricots are in season. It is a perfect treat for picnics, garden parties, and afternoon tea.
Marillenkuchen – The Recipe
Apologies for my scribble about how much my eggs weighed!
A Fun Fact About Austrian Apricots
Did you know there was an Austrian apricot that is famous throughout Europe? I had no idea! The Wachau Apricot is a key ingredient in jam, brandy, and various liqueurs. The EU protects this fruit. Only apricots originating from the Wachau region can be called ‘Wachau Apricots. Furthermore, the Wachau region, nestled along the Danube River, looks stunningly beautiful! An apricot festival appears to take place annually in July. If I ever have the opportunity to visit, I will plan my trip accordingly
Today we bid “So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen goodbye” to Austria. Our next stop is Belgium. Have a wonderful week!
Hello crime readers and food lovers. Welcome to Dining with The Dame! Today’s book, A Pocket Full of Rye, is my favourite Miss Marple to date. I absolutely loved this one. This is not so much a Dark Marple but a Marple out for vengeance! To paraphrase the 1976 film Network, “She’s as mad as hell, and she’s not going to take it anymore”! And I am here for every second of it!
Inspector Neele gave a sudden, rather unexpected smile. He was thinking to himself that Miss Marple was very unlike the popular notion of an avenging fury. And yet, he thought that was perhaps exactly what she was.
A Pocket Full Of Rye – Agatha Christie
Something I did not love about this book, at least in writing this post, was the weird use of ‘Pocket Full’ versus ‘Pocketful’. However, if Agatha Christie preferred it that way, who am I to judge?
Today’s menu will be a Bird Pie from Diana Henry’s excellent book A Bird In The Hand. Please note that I am not aiming for any verisimilitude with the text by baking four and twenty blackbirds in my pie. This bird pie contains a far more prosaic (and I’m sure more delicious) chicken!
A Pocket Full of Rye – The Plot
Setting The Scene
The king was in the counting-house, counting out his money…
Rex Fortescue, a wealthy businessman, dies after drinking a cup of tea in his office. However, it soon becomes apparent that the circumstances are far more complex than they initially seemed. Firstly, the actual poison was taxine, a deadly poison derived from Yew trees. Since taxine is a slow-acting poison, it could not have been contained in the tea. Instead, it was far more likely to have been something Rex consumed earlier, such as breakfast. Furthermore, he was found with some grains of rye in his pocket, an intriguing detail that adds another layer to the mystery.
Suspicion soon turns to Rex’s second and much younger wife, Adele. Indeed, Adele was almost certainly having an affair with her “golfing” partner, Vivien Dubois, providing her with a strong motive for murder.
The queen was in the parlour, eating bread and honey…
However, not long after Rex’s death, Adele is also killed via cyanide in her afternoon tea.
The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes, when down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose
Gladys Mitchell, the Fortescue’s maid, is later discovered strangled by the washing line with a clothes peg on her nose.
Enter Miss Marple
Gladys, the maid, had previously worked for Miss Marple. In fact, Miss Marple trained Gladys in housekeeping straight from the orphanage. Miss Marple remembers Gladys as a somewhat gullible, hopelessly romantic young girl. And she is fuming about the way that Gladys died!
“It was the clothes peg that really worried me,” said Miss Marple in her gentle voice…That’s what made me so angry, if you can understand, my dear. It was such a cruel, contemptuous gesture. It gave me a kind of picture of the murderer. To do a thing like that! It’s very wicked you know to affront human dignity”
A Pocket Full of Rye – Agatha Christie
We have:
The return of Rex’s wayward son, Lancelot
Strange muddy footprints in the house
A housekeeper with something to hide
A mysterious person in the garden
An entire family vowing revenge on Rex Fortescue for some financial double-dealings around a failed goldmine in Africa
Blackbirds left on a windowsill and baked into a pie
Thankfully, Miss Marple can pull together these disparate threads and gain justice for poor Gladys. And, I guess, Rex and Adele. Even though they, and the members of their family, are all awful people.
A Pocket Full of Rye – The Covers
There are some amazing covers here. Lots of blackbirds and cups of tea as to be expected. There are also two great pulp covers featuring Rex and Adele lying dead. My favourite, though, is the German cover with the hand on the lawn, presumably referencing Gladys, lying dead by the washing line. Maybe, like Miss Marple, I am happy she is being recognised, if only in death.
Below this is a rather unflattering drawing of Miss Marple on the cover of a Czech version. In contrast, two to the right of this one, there looks to be a very snazzily dressed Miss Marple wearing a beautiful lilac suit paired with a gorgeous green scarf, bag and umbrella. It’s such a pleasant change to see a glam Miss Marple. Even though I’m sure far more eyes were focussed on the central figure of a very buxom Adele virtually bursting out of what is most definitely not a golfing outfit!
The Recipe: Bird Pie
I very much enjoyed this. The capers were a really nice addition that added a little spark to this chicken pie!
Links to the Christieverse
None that I could find. Please let me know if you find any!
Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in They Do It With Mirrors
Hello friends, I’m shaking things up today with a vintage recipe from Good Housekeeping’s Cooking for Today. Firstly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. This was a 13-part weekly magazine. The recipe for Frankfurter Roka comes from issue #2. I have a few of these, which I intend to cook from this year, so we will definitely be hearing more from this mag in the coming months!
Moving on, I’m channelling my inner Beatles and “Hey Jude”-ing a vintage recipe for Frankfurter Roka. Meaning, my aim is to “Take a sad song and make it better.” Just substitute “song” for “salad” and we’re there!
The Original Recipe for Frankfurter Roka
Here is a picture of the old and the new!
My Changes To The Original and Why
The original recipe promised a vibrant salad brimming with flavours I adore: tangy blue cheese, briny olives, and earthy potatoes. However, there were two ingredient that simply had to go. First up was the frankfurters. The mere thought of them makes me gag. Consequently, I had a delicious replacement in mind: finely sliced, pan-fried chorizo, adding a delightful smoky depth to the dish.
Whilst canned potatoes don’t give me the same visceral reaction, I would never willingly eat them! So, out with the convenience, in with the fresh! I opted to boil some lovely new potatoes and then pan-fry them in the aromatic oil left behind from the chorizo.
Now, the dressing presented its own challenge. The original recipe called for Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Dressing, a product sadly unavailable in Australia. No worries! I decided to channel my inner Nigella Lawson and whip up her “Universally Useful Blue Cheese Dressing.” While I skipped the HP sauce (personal preference!), I added a touch more Worcestershire sauce for an extra kick.
Finally, I decided to serve the Frankfurter Roka in large lettuce leaves. Consequently, everyone can choose their favourite bits and the amount of dressing they prefer. Furthermore, these could then be wrapped up and eaten using your hands, similarly to how you would in a Vietnamese restaurant when you get to wrap your spring rolls in lettuce and herbs. This makes for a fun shared plate to eat with family or friends! Here’s my updated recipe!
1 Serve of Nigella Lawson’s Universally Useful Blue Cheese Dressing, or if it is available in your country, some Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Dressing
12 stuffed olives
A pile of large lettuce leaves to serve – Cos / Romaine or Iceberg are ideal
1
Instructions
Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are just tender (about 10 minutes) Drain.
Slice the chorizo and place in a frying pan. You do not need to heat the pan or add any oil. Cook the chorizo over medium heat until they are nicely browned.
Remove the chorizo slices from the pan. Add the potatoes. Fry the potatoes in the oil left by the chorizo until they are golden and crisp.
Place your lettuce leaves on a serving platter.
Mix the chorizo, potatoes and olives, sprinkle with the parsley.
Serve the blue cheese dressing on the side.
To eat, load your lettuce leaves with the chorizo and potato mix. Pour as much or as little of the blue cheese dressing as you desire over the top.
Enjoy!
I loved my updated version of Frankfurter Roka! I hope that you will also think that I’ve taken a sad salad and made it better…better…better…
To celebrate: Watch Groundhog Day. It’s such a good, fun film!
February 3 – Carrot Cake Day
To celebrate, Bake a carrot cake. This post has two recipes: an original from Tina Turner and my updated version.
February 4 – National Sri Lanka Day
To celebrate: It’s a lot of work, but you can celebrate my cultural heritage today by making some traditional Sri Lankan Lamprais!
February 5 – International Clash Day
To celebrate, Listen to my favourite band on repeat today! My favourite album is Sandanista, but you could also listen to the eponymous album, Combat Rock, Give Them Enough Rope, London Calling—or all of them!
February 10 2006 – The last episode of Arrested Development airs on Fox. 🙁
To celebrate: To mark this bittersweet occasion, enjoy a Breakfast Banana Cream, a nod to the iconic Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana Stand from this beloved show. Subsequently, I recommend a full Arrested Development rewatch. Who’s in?
February 11 1977 – The heaviest lobster known was caught off Nova Scotia, weighing in at 44 lb 6 oz (20.14 kg)
To celebrate: You won’t need a whopper of a lobster to make this delicious lobster cocktail!
February 12, 1939—Writer Judy Blume was born. I loved her books, especially “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret.”
To celebrate: Treat yourself to a delicious Late Blumer Cocktail.
February 13 1920- The League of Nations recognises in perpetuity Swiss neutrality
To celebrate this significant milestone in international peace, enjoy some Zurich Mushroom Tartlets!
February 14 – Valentine’s Day? Too mainstream.
Today, we celebrate the first gig of the legendary B52’s in (1977)! Wear a beehive, sip on a B52 cocktail, and dance to “Rock Lobster,” “Planet Claire,” or your favourite B52’s tune.
Week 3
February 15 – In 1903, the first teddy bear went on sale.
To commemorate this momentous occasion, hug your childhood teddy bear or indulge in a Winnie-the-Pooh read-aloud
February 16 – Almond Day
To celebrate: Bake some almond cookies to celebrate this delicious nut!
February 19 – In 1964, in response to Beatlemania, a massive shipment of half a ton of Beatles wigs was flown from the UK to the US. This shipment was a testament to the sheer popularity of the band and the desire of American fans to emulate their iconic mop-top hairstyles
To celebrate, don your kookiest wig, bake a Beatles Cake, and sing along to your favourite Fab Four tunes. And let me know your favourite Beatles song! Mine is “Here Comes The Sun”.
February 20 – It’s Clean Out Your Bookshelves Day!
This is a much-needed day! My goal is to donate any book that doesn’t fit on my shelves. Wish me luck!
February 21 – In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published “The Communist Manifesto,” a foundational text of communism.
Whether we believe in the tenets of this book or not, let’s celebrate the day with a Red Signal.
Week 4
February 22 – National Margarita Day / National Supermarket Employees Day / National Walk Your Dog Day
To celebrate this trifecta of holidays, take your dog for a walk to the supermarket, show extra appreciation to the employees, and gather the ingredients for a well-deserved margarita!
February 23 – 1931. RIP Dame Nellie Melba. Not only was she a fantastic opera singer, but she also lent her name to Peach Melba and Melba Toast.
To celebrate: Sing an aria. Or enjoy a delicious Peach Melba
February 24 – Twin Peaks Day
To celebrate: Commemorate the arrival of Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks by raising a glass of “Leland Palmer” and indulging in an episode or two of this cult classic.
Hello Friends, today we’re continuing our journey into Austria in 1972. We started with some Eggs in Sour Cream a few weeks back and that was a great dish! Now, I’m sure some of you might be expecting a Wiener Schnitzel as the main course. However, as I have already shared a fancy version recently, I thought I would choose something a little different. So today, we are dining on a dish of Veal in Cream Sauce. This recipe sings to my soul! Capers, mustard, lemons. As they say in Austria, a few of my favourite things!
However, the Good Housekeeping World Cookery chapter on Austrian cuisine, gives us, a world of hearty peasant fare for mains. Now, don’t get me wrong, I adore a good, wholesome dish, but let’s be honest, ‘hearty peasant fare’ doesn’t always translate to the most Instagrammable plate.
As Jenny from Silver Screen Suppers so eloquently put it, ‘brown food is the enemy of the photographer.’ Therefore, I implore you, dear reader, to feast your eyes on the words, not the pictures, for this dish is a revelation
The cream sauce was glorious! Honestly, I could bathe in it. Furthermore, it worked perfectly with the veal, but I could see it gracing chicken, fish, and shellfish. In fact, I would have eaten it with just the potatoes and the broccoli, never mind the veal! To accompany the veal, I served steamed broccoli, a vibrant green counterpoint to the rich sauce, and Nigella’s divine Salt and Vinegar Potatoes, a perfect accompaniment. Finally, as the good Doctor Seuss might say, ‘I would eat this on a plane, I would eat this on a train, I would eat this in a box, I would eat this with a fox!
This is how eating this made me feel!
Veal In Cream Sauce – The Recipe
As a total aside, can I say how hard it is for me to type “Austria”? My fingers automatically move to “Australia”! I have had to correct this so many times in these posts! I, for one, will be glad when I hit the chapter on Belgium, so that I don’t have to keep correcting my spelling!
