Pineapple Snow Pudding

Hello friends and welcome to our final voyage to the South Sea Islands aboard the SS Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery. Today, we’re crafting a delightful Pineapple Snow Pudding bursting with tropical flavours of pineapple and coconut.  As Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery doesn’t include many visuals, sometimes you need to use your imagination to envision the final product.

And sometimes my imagination runs a bit wild. I pictured the coconut settling at the bottom, so when I inverted it, the Pineapple Snow Pudding would resemble a miniature Mount Fuji. Unfortunately, reality didn’t quite align with my vision.  I’m not even sure why I had a Japanese vision for my South Sea Island dish…maybe it was because the previous recipe from this chapter, Mainland Teriyaki, was Japanese-inspired? 

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No surprises but it didn’t look anything like that…

Pineapple Snow Pudding

The Pineapple Snow Pudding may not have looked like how I imagined, but nor did it taste that way.  It is almost impossible to describe how light and airy this is.  It is almost as if you are just getting pure flavour from air!  Absolutely delicious!

I loved the Pineapple Snow Pudding!!!!

  It’s light and airy, fruity and tropical.  Never mind Mount Fuji, this dessert tasted, if not exactly like summer, then more like the promise of summer.  And with the coconut, pineapple and strawberry garnish, it also smelled of summer.  

Pineapple Snow Pudding2

Pineapple Snow Pudding – The Recipe

TAA Pineapple Snow Pudding Recipe

This ends our trip to the South Seas and also technically ends Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery. However, those of you with a wanderlust for World Travel and 1970’s versions of classic dishes needn’t worry. For some reason, lost to time, I started cooking from this book with Swizterland which starts at page 400. So, from next month, we are heading to the start of the book to check out the best of pages 1-399!

Have a great week!

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A Murder is Announced – Delicious Death

Hello, crime readers and food lovers! Today’s Dining with The Dame takes us on a culinary journey from the bustling streets of Iraq to the quaint English country village of Chipping Cleghorn. And, as we all know, the English country village is the natural home of one Miss Jane Marple!  Our delectable companion for today’s reading is Delicious Death – a delightful and delovely chocolate cake that is sure to satisfy both your taste buds and your thirst for a good mystery.  However, it’s important to note that this Delicious Death is not the same one created by Jane Asher in 2010 to celebrate Agatha Christie’s 120th anniversary. I had some difficulty in finding all the necessary ingredients for that particular recipe so as Fleetwood Mac famously suggested, I went my own way on this one!

  Delicious Death

 

A Murder is Announced – The Plot

When the inhabitants of Chipping Cleghorn read the following in the local paper, they mostly think it is a joke.  

A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th at Little Paddocks at 6:30pm.  Friends please accept this, the only intimation.”

Despite this, most of them turn up to Little Paddocks, the home of Letitia Blacklock and Dora “Bunny” Bunner on the 29th at the designated time to find out what is going on.  

At exactly 6:30, the lights go out.  In the darkness, a gun fires twice.  And dead body is found on the ground.

Delicious Death2

 

The body turns out to be that of a young man who worked in a hotel in the local town.  But why was he there?  Who put the weird notice in the paper?  And why? Is someone really trying to kill Leticia Blacklock?

We have:

  • Forged cheques
  • An unused door being oiled
  • A missing revolver
  • A missing lamp
  • Missing photos
  • A host of people who might not be who they say they are 
  • More murders 
  • And EVERYBODY being utterly horrible to Mitzi the maid

Thank goodness for Miss Marple! Sir Henry Clithering might bizarrely call her the ‘Super Pussy of all old Pussies,’ but she’s the one who’ll solve this mystery and bring peace back to Chipping Cleghorn!  Here is a somewhat less unhinged quote from Sir Henry on Miss Marple:

“She’s just the finest Detective God ever made.  Natural genius cultivated in a suitable soil…remember that an elderly unmarried woman who knits and gardens is streets ahead of any detective sergeant.  She can tell you what might have happened and what ought to have happened and even what actually did happen. And she can tell you why it happened”

A Murder is Announced – Agatha Christie

A Murder is Announced – The Covers

Murder is Announced Collage1 (2) (1)

There are some absolutely cracking covers here.  I couldn’t find as many foreign covers as usual which was disappointing.  However, I feel the calibre of the ones I did find make up for it.  Even the weird French one at the bottom which looks like people in a doctor’s waiting room has its own charm! 

The Recipe: Delicious Death

“Death!” said Patrick in sepulchral tones.  “Delicious death.”. 

“Be quiet, Patrick, ” said Miss Blacklock as Miss Bunner gave a little yelp.

“I only meant the special cake that Mitzi makes,” said Patrick apologetically.  “You know we always call it Delicious Death”

Delicious Death Recipe and Pic (1)

Delicious Death 3

“Ha, ” Patrick cried dramatically as the party took their places around the dining room table.  “What do I see before me?  Delicious Death.”  

“Hush” said Miss Blacklock.  “Don’t let Mitzi hear you. She objects to your name for her cake very much.”

“Nevertheless, Delicious Death it is!  Is it Bunny’s birthday cake?”

“Yes, it is, ” said Miss Brunner.  “I really am having the most wonderful birthday”.

A Murder is Announced – Agatha Christie

Links to the Christieverse

Edward Swettenham wrote a play called “Elephants Do Forget”.  Christie later wrote a novel called “Elephants Can Remember”. 

Dermott Cradock, the investigating officer in “A Murder is Announced”, is Sir Henry Clithering’s godson.  We previously met Sir Henry, the former head of Scotland Yard, in Murder at the Vicarage and The Body In the Library.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in “A Murder is Announced”

  • Coffee x3
  • Kippers x2
  • Toast
  • Sherry / Bad Sherry (so many times!)
  • Eggs x2
  • Stewed Beef
  • Goulash
  • Cheese Straws x2
  • Olives
  • (Fancy) Pastries (multiple mentions)
  • Cabbages
  • Brandy
  • Asparagus
  • Apples
  • Chocolates x3
  • Herrings
  • Lettuces
  • Skim Milk / Milk
  • Honey x2
  • Vegetable Marrows
  • Quinces / Quince Jelly
  • Tea x2
  • Cakes x2
  • Bread
  • Margarine and Butter
  • Meat Paste
  • Meat and two veg
  • Eggs
  • Cream x2
  • Horsemeat
  • Sardine Sandwiches
  • Tomato Sandwiches
  • Wine
  • Corn (for hens)
  • Side of bacon
  • Omelettes
  • Fried onions
  • Jam

November’s read will be Mrs McGinty’s Dead

Have a great week!

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Feb 2004 – From the Garden

Hello dear readers!  I was updating the index for the Twenty Years Ago Today posts this week and I realised I had not actually posted this one from way back in February!  Given that today’s post was just a little teaser for Murder is Announced which will be released on Tuesday, I thought why not post this today so you also get some real content.  Enjoy!  

Hello, retro food lovers! Buckle up for a delicious journey back in time! Today, we’re using the magic of Australian Table magazine to teleport ourselves to February 2004, and build a menu that celebrates the vibrant bounty of the garden. Talk about perfect timing, with our own gardens bursting at the seams right now! But before we whip up some culinary magic, let’s take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane and see what was buzzing in pop culture back then.

First up, music: Australia was rocking out to Shannon Noll’s powerful cover of the Moving Pictures classic “What about Me?”. Fun fact, this very song just gave me some serious bragging rights in a pub quiz! So, while it might have retired from the charts, it’s clearly not forgotten.

Now, onto the literary world: can you guess the top-selling book of the first half of February 2004? Drumroll please… yep, you guessed it, it was the phenomenon that was The Da Vinci Code. And if you think its grip on pop culture was about to loosen anytime soon, think again!  Speaking of cultural giants, Jesus himself made a big splash on the big screen, with The Passion of the Christ becoming the highest-grossing film of the month. So, get ready for a menu that’s not only fresh and seasonal, but also infused with a touch of early 2004 nostalgia. 

Fun Fact From Australian Table February 2004

I found this little timeline of how food evolved in Australia over the last 70 years fascinating  I particularly liked it that they did this by looking at old magazines.  Hmm…now what does that remind me of?

Feb 2004 70 years

Now, let’s take a look at our menu.  

The Menu – February 2004

Feb 2004 Menu

Summer Cocktail

Garden ingredient : Mint

This was a take on a Classic Pimms Punch combining gingerale, lemonade, Pimms, cucumber, mint and orange.  Many of these recipes often also contain strawberries which we also have growing but this one didn’t.  It was however delicious.  This was summer in a glass! 

 

Summer Cocktail

Summer Cocktail Recipe

Feb 2004 Summer Cocktail

 

Seared Scallop Salad with Macadamia and Coriander Pesto

Garden Ingredients, Mint, Lime

Seared Scallop Salad

While I am not a huge scallop fan this was delicious!  Next time I make it I would use prawns.  Confession: I took some liberties with the salad, swapping out the red capsicum and beansprouts.  I can’t eat red capsicum and I could only find huge bags of beansprouts at the greengrocer.  Bean sprouts aren’t bad, but buying a giant bag just for a few felt wasteful! I opted for cherry tomatoes (home grown) and red onion instead.   This dish is colourful and pretty and the macadamia and coriander pesto is divine!

Seared Scallop Salad with Macadamia and Coriander Pesto

Feb2004 Seared Scallop Salad

Rosemary and Lemon Chicken with Mint Dressing

Garden Ingredients:  Rosemary, Lemon, Mint

This was a great quick and easy midweek meal.  Nothing elaborate but relatively quick and tasty. 

Rosemary and Lemon Chicken

 

Rosemary and Lemon Chicken with Mint Dressing – Recipe

Rosemary and Lemon Chicken Recipe (1)

Potato Salad with Garlic and Caper Mayonnaise

Garden Ingredients:  Lemon, Parsley

I love potato salad.  Roseanne Cash Potato Salad remains one of my favourites but the Garlic and Caper Mayo on this one was superb!

Potato Salad with Garlic and Caper Mayonnaise

Potato Salad with Garlic and Caper Mayonnaise – Recipe

Feb 2004 Potato Salad with Garlic and Caper Mayonnaise

Angel Cheesecake

Garden Ingredients:  Limes

I am not 100% sure why this is called an Angel Cheesecake.  Maybe because there are egg whites in the filling to make it lighter?  Maybe because the combination of lime and passionfruit is divine?  

Angel Cheesecake

We have a passionfruit vine in the garden but it is only tiny so has not had any fruit on it yet.  I am looking forward to making this again with some homegrown passionfruit sometime in the future!  

Angel Cheesecake – Recipe

My Nigella Moment  – Barbecued Green Rice

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.  

This month I chose a recipe that used a technique that was new to me.  I have never thought of putting rice on the bbq.  But I made the sushi with crispy rice out of the book Eat California by Vivian Lui (highly recommended BTW) and I loved it.  And this gave me the same vibes.  It was really tasty and I did get the crispy rice I was after but this recipe really needed some salt to make it a 10/10 instead of an 8/10!  We also do not have a bbq at the moment so I made this in a pan on the stove.  

Bbqed Green Rice

Barbecued Green Rice Recipe

Feb 2004 Barbecued Green Rice

 

I really enjoyed this month, it just felt very lemon and mint-heavy in terms of garden produce!  There were some absolute winners in the taste department too – the pesto, the potato salad, the cheesecake, and the rice are things that will become part of my repertoire!  

 

 

October 2004 – The Letter B

Hello Friends, today we are time tripping back to October 2004.  Our menu is brought to us by Delicious Magazine and the letter B.  And if that has a vaguely Sesame Street ring to it, then you might also enjoy this! And whilst we are delving into nostalgia, let’s take a look at what was topping the film, book and movie charts in October 2004.  

Lamb Burger1

October 2004 – Pop Culture

Films

If you remember last month, I was underwhelmed by the movies on offer.  How the world can change in 30 days!  October 2004 was an absolute belter of a month for movies.  Team America World Police was #8, The Motorcycle Diaries was #13 and one of my very favourites, Shaun of the Dead was at #14.  

Shaun of the Dead Poster

Books

For what seems like the first time since I have been doing these posts, The Da Vinci code was not at #1 on the book charts.  The start of the month saw Trace by Patricia Cornwall take that spot and later in the month the 7th instalment of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, The Dark Tower top the best sellers.

Music

Just Lose It by Eminem was top of the charts, followed by She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5 and Lose my Breath by Destiny’s Child.  Losing things was big in October 2004! My favourite, Bowling for Soup’s 1985 was still at #8.  

Having set the scene, now lets turn our attention to the menu.  

The Menu  – October 2004

October 2004 The Letter B

 

This was another AI assisted menu design.  Still super frustrating to do! I’m sure I will get better at it, the more I do it, but for the moment it is really difficult!

Broad Bean Bruschetta

Well, if we’re gong to feature the letter B, why not start with a  triple!  I love broad beans – their bright green colour  and the velvety feel of their pods give me a sense of joy that is hard to describe.  And their appearance signals the start or spring and longer warmer days. The tarragon, which came from my garden,  was an unexpected delight in this!  I really want to grow my own broad beans too but keep missing the growing season.  I would love to be able to make these again with both of the main items home grown.  I’ll file that one for next year!  

My one complaint with this is that there was nothing to “stick” the beans to the bread.  The minute I picked it up and took a bite, there was a rain of broad beans off the bread!   I think maybe a goat’s cheese or a whipped feta would have worked here to help the broad beans stay on the bread.  

Broad Bean Bruschetta1

 

Broad Bean Bruschetta Recipe

Broad Bean Bruschetta (2)

Lamb Burger

Lamb Burger2

This was billed as the best lamb burger.  Now, we all know that the actual ultimate lamb burger is my Spic(e)y Feta Burger but these were pretty good! 

Lamb Burger Recipe

Lamb Burger rec (1)

Berry Tiramisu

Who doesn’t love a Tiramisu?  And the berries brought a fresh note into this Italian classic.  This was SENSATIONAL.  I don’t love a coffee dessert but I would eat this every and any night of the week!

Berry Tiramisu 2

 

Berry Tiramisu Recipe

Berry Tiramisu rec (1)

My Nigella Moment – Crumpets

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 may not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in because it is too good not to share. 

Possibly inspired by my Welsh Rarebit Crumpets of a few weeks ago, I was very excited to make my own crumpets.   They were somewhat successful.  They were quite tasteless which was not so much of an issue because I could add flavour with the toppings but I could not get the really crumpet like top on them.  This one was probably the most recognisably crumpetty one:

Crumpets

 

They did have the crumpet like texture on the inside though!  Would i make these again?  Probably not.  They were quite a bit of work and when bought crumpets are cheap and delicious I think I will stick to them in future.  Still, at last I can say I gave them a go! 

Crumpet2

Crumpets Recipe

Crumpets Recipe (1)


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