Hello crime readers and food lovers!  Today’s Dining With The Dame dives into “Taken At The Flood” (also known as “There Is A Tide”).  This is a classic Agatha Christie mystery full of death and dastardly doings but also somewhat a mystery is our chosen dish – Vienna Steak!

Now, at first glance, this dish might have had you thinking schnitzel, a more familiar Austrian offering. But here’s the twist: Vienna Steak is actually more akin to a bunless hamburger. Traditionally, it’s served alongside fried onions and potatoes, a hearty, comforting but economical, combination.  However, I couldn’t resist putting my own spin on this wartime dish. Who can resist a good peppercorn sauce, right? So I jazzed up my version with a rich, flavorful sauce that adds a bit of glamour to the Vienna Steak.

Speaking of twists, a lightbulb moment just struck! Given the title of the book, wouldn’t “Vienna S-Taken At the Flood” be a great pun? (Okay, that one’s a stretch…) But you know how much we love a little food-related wordplay here at Retro Food For Modern Times!  

Taken at The Flood – The Plot

There were waves in the air of feeling – a strong electrical current of – what was it?  Hate? Could it really be hate?  Something at any rate – destructive.  

Lynn thought suddently, “But that’s what the matter everywhere.  Ive noticed it ever since I got home.  it’s the aftermath the war has left.  Ill will.  Ill feeling.  It’s everywhere.  On railways and buses and in shops and amongst workers and clerks and even agricultural labourers.  And I suppose worse in mines and factories.  Ill will.  But hereit’s more than that.  Here it’s particular.  It’s meant!

Agatha Christie – Taken at The Flood

It’s autumn 1944, and an air raid rattles the Coronation Club in London. Here, amidst the chaos, we meet Major Porter, the club bore. He regales Hercule Poirot with the tragic news of Gordon Cloade’s death. A German bomb has recently obliterated Cloade’s London house, taking his life in the process.

However, a twist emerges. Cloade died intestate, meaning he hadn’t updated his will after his recent marriage. This leaves his entire estate to his second wife, Rosaleen. But Rosaleen’s past holds a potential complication. Before marrying Cloade, she was the wife of a man named Robert Underhay. Underhay’s fate remains shrouded in mystery – appearently he died years ago in Africa, but concrete proof is absent.

Major Porter has just revealed that Underhay had spoken about faking his death and assuming a new identity as Enoch Arden when, he realises, much to his embarrassment that  Jeremy Cloade, Gordon’s brother has overheard his conversation.  

The narrative then leaps forward in time. Spring 1946 sees Mrs. Lionel Cloade, another member of the Cloade family, seeking out Poirot. Convinced by a recent ouija board session, she pleads with him to locate Robert Underhay. Finding Underhay alive would invalidate Rosaleen’s marriage to Gordon, thereby jeopardizing her inheritance of the Cloade fortune. Poirot, however, remains unimpressed by this reliance on the spirit world and politely dismisses Mrs. Cloade.

But fate, it seems, has other plans. Just a few days later, news arrives that  a man named Enoch Arden has been found dead…

I included the above quote on ill will on purpose as Taken with the Flood is full of crimes and misddemeamours.  My copy is only 192 pages yet in that we have (In no particular order)

• Murder
• Attempted Murder
• Death by misadventure
• Death by Bomb blast
• Accidental Death
• Death by Suicide
• Death by overdose
• Eavesdropping
• Bribery
• Embezzlement
• Perjury
• Impersonation of persons living or dead
• Drug addiction
• Casual racism
• General cattiness
• A very red flag raising romance

And to lighten the tone a little bit of cross dressing! 

Good thing we have Poirot on hand to unravel all the threads and get to the bottom of what is going on with the Cloade family!

Taken at The Flood – The Covers

As usual there are some amazing covers here and quite the variety  This is quite a complex story and as many aspects of it are in these covers.  The ouija board, the items found in  Enoch’s hotel room, Enoch’s body on the floor with the murderer seen absconding out the window, a very egg shaped head on Poirot, the blitz. 

And because it is Dining With the Dame we also have a wacky cover from Sweden showing a house sinking into a bog and some grassland in the shape of a girl’s face.  The Swedish translation is “High Water” which may explain the cover!  Either way, I love it!

The Recipe: Vienna Steak

“And every year things get worse and worse  No Service! Food uneatable! Vienna Steak indeed!  A steak’s either Rump or Fillet – not chopped up horse!” 

Agatha Christie – Taken at the Flood

Vienna Steak with Mashed Potatoes, Fried Onions and Peppercorn Sauce

Print Recipe

A tasty throwback to a pub meal from 1940’s Britain as described in Taken at The Flood.

• Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For The Vienna Steak:

• 500g minced Beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 slice of white bread, crusts removed and torn into small pieces
• 1 tbsp of milk
• 1 tsp Herbes of Provence
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• Oil for frying the onions and the “steaks”
• Salt and Pepper

For The Fried Onions:

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper, ground
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

For the Mashed Potatoes:

• 500g potatoes, peeled and chopped into quarters
• 50ml milk
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste

For The Peppercorn Sauce:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 50ml brandy
• 150ml Beef stock
• 100ml cream
• 2 tbsp green peppercorns from a tin or jar, slightly crush these with the back of your knife

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Instructions

For The Fried Onions

• Place the onions in a shallow bowl and cover with the buttermilk.  
• Cover and place in the fridge for about an hour.
• Place the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a ziplock bag and stir to combine.  
• After the hour, heat the oil to 180C in a deep saucepan.  
• Take a handful of onions from the bowl and shake off the excess buttermilk. Add them to the ziplock bag and shake.  Remove the onions from the bag and shake to remove any excess flour.  
• Place in the oil and fry until they are a deep golden brown (2-3  minutes).
• Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain the onions on paper towel.
• Repeat with the rest of the onions until they are all used up.
• Serve sprinkled on top of the Vienna Steaks.

For The Vienna Steaks:

• Heat the oil and saute the onions until golden brown.  Set aside to cool.
• When cool, add to the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  
• Shape into four burger patties.
• Place in the fridge for around an hour.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat.  Add the patties.  Sear for a minute on each side then lower the heat  to medium and and allow to cook through, turning once during cooking.  Cook to your preferred state of doneness
• Remove from pan and keep warm while you make the peppercorn sauce.  

For The Mashed Potatoes:

• Place the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with water.  Add salt.
• Cook for approx 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 
• Drain the potatoes.  Leave to dry for a minute or two the pop back into the pan.  Mash well ensuring there are no lumps of potato left.  
• Add the butter and milk and mash again.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For The Peppercorn Sauce:

• Melt the butter  over medium heat in a small pan.
• Add the chopped shallot.  Cook for around 5 minutes until softened, stirring every few minutes.
• Add the peppercorns and stir for 1 minute.  
• Increase the heat to medium high.  Add the brandy and cook until this is amost entirely reduced.
• Add the stock and simmer until reduced to about half (3-5 ) minutes
• Reduce the heat to medium low, Add the cream and heat to your desired consistency.  Do not allow to boil.  

To serve, place a big spoonful of mashed potatoes on a plate.  Place a Vienna Steak on top of the mash.  Pour the sauce around the mash.  Sprinkle the onions on top of the “Steaks”. 

He stood for a moment in the hall looking from the glass -enclosed empty office to the door labelled in firm old-fashioned style COFFEE ROOM.  By experience of country hotels Poirot knew well that the only time coffee was served there was somewhat grudgingly for breakfast and that even thena good deal of watery hot milk was its principal component/  Small cups of a treacly and muddy liquid called black coffee were served not in the COFFEE ROOM but in the lounge.  The Windsor Soup, Vienna Steak and Potatoes and Steamed Pudding which comprised dinner would be obtainable in the COFFEE ROOM at seven sharp.  

Agatha Christie – Taken at the Flood

Links To The Christieverse

Superintendent Spence says to Poirot “And then your anonymous A B C lunatic killed….(no spoilers here”).  This might refer to the killer in the earlier Poirot mystery The A.B.C Murders.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in  Taken At The Flood

• Breakfast x2
• Coffee
• Toast 
• Soup
• Milk
• Tea x2
• Sherry
• Gin
• Beer
• Cake
• Swiss Roll
• Windsor Soup
• Steamed Pudding

Our August read will be Crooked House.  

Have a great week!