Category: Lemon


Dec
2024

After The Funeral – Cold Lemon Soufflé

categories: Desserts, Dining With The Dame, Lemon, Poirot

Hello crime readers and food lovers.  Today, we have a sweet treat for you…well, actually, maybe three treats.  First, we are dining on a lovely cold lemon soufflé, and we are reading After The Funeral, which is both a Poirot and has one of the most dastardly Christie villains we have ever met! So treats both gustatory and literary are in store!  

Cold Lemon Souffle

After The Funeral – The Plot

Richard Abernethie is dead and his family are gathered around to pay their respects.  After the funeral, the family gathers at the ancestral home to hear the reading of his will.  Family members and Richard’s lawyer are startled when Richard’s somewhat eccentric younger sister Cora states that Richard was murdered. Cora is known within the family for saying outlandish (but true) things.  Her remark does not sit well with Mr Entwhistle, the lawyer, who becomes even more disturbed when Cora is brutally murdered the next day.

It turns out that Richard visited Cora just before his death.  Did he give her some information that led her to believe his life was in danger?  Did someone kill Cora to keep her quiet?  

 We have:

  • No one in the family with a sound alibi for the time Cora was killed.  
  • Among them, we also have issues with gambling, adultery and madness
  • A false confession
  • Helen Abernethie (Richard’s sister-in-law) feeling that something was not quite right on the day of the funeral.
  • Helen then getting coshed over the head as she calls Entwhistle to tell him what she remembered
  • A motif of creepy nuns terrifying Miss Gilchrist, Cora’s companion
  • A malachite table and some wax flowers providing a clue as to what might have happened

Poirot goes undercover as Mr Pontalier, a gentleman looking for a large home to house refugees from the war to sort out whodunnit.  Even if no one knows who he really is, even after his ruse is discovered.  

After The Funeral – The Covers

So.  Many.  Covers.  I know this looks like a lot but I narrowed this down from over 50!  These are all wonderful in their own way so instead of calling out my favourites I thought we might go through the translations of some of the names.  

The American title is Funerals Are Fatal…which is, yes, true for at least one person.  In a similar vein are the Hungarian and Swedish titles Funerals are Dangerous.  

The German title translates to “The Bouquet of Wax Flowers”, a deep reference to a plot point in the story.  

The French Title translates to The Indiscretions of Hercule Poirot”.  I beg your pardon, what?  No!  That is all wrong!  Je n’aime pas le français! 

lemon souffle 3

The Recipe:  Cold Lemon Soufflé

I returned to my school Home Economics textbook, Cookery The Australian Way, for this recipe.  I clearly remember making this way back in class with Mrs Rama, my Home Ec teacher.  Delicious then.  Delicious now!  

“Cold lunch, of course, it had to be.  Ham and chicken and tongue and salad.  With cold lemon soufflé and apple tart to follow.”

After the Funeral – Agatha Christie


Lemon Souffle recipe

Cold Lemon Souffle2

Better  to go home cross-country.  These bath buns were really excellent.  Extraordinary how hungry a funeral made you feel.  The soup at Enderby has been delicious – and so was the cold soufflé

After the Funeral – Agatha Christie

Links to the Christieverse

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in After The Funeral

January’s read will be They Do It With Mirrors.  We’re starting the year with Miss Marple! 

Have a great week!

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Apr
2024

April 2004 – The Letter L

categories: 20 Years Ago Today, Breakfast, Delicious, Drinks, Fruit, Lamb, Lemon, Magazines, Mango, Meat

 

Hello, retro food lovers!  Today’s post features the letter L and Delicious Magazine from April 2004.  Our meal today has a slightly Indian feel with a lassi, some lamb and a lovely lemony dessert!  But before we get to the food, let’s set the scene.

The Da Vinci Code was the best-selling book of the first half of April.  Quelle surprise!  However, for the remaining two weeks, Glorious Appearing stole the number-one spot!  Before you get excited, this book sounds dreadful!  I would rather read The Da Vinci Code!  Toxic by Britney was number one on the charts and Hellboy was number one at the box office. 

April 2004 (2)

 

Hopefully more on the side of glorious, rather than toxic or hellish is our menu for April 2004!

April 2004 menu

Mango Lassi

I am starting my L themed meal with a Mango Lassi.  Lassis are yogurt-based drinks often containg spices. Think of it as a Punjabi smoothie.  Lassis boast a long history, dating back to 1000 BC!  People believed they had healing properties.  Drinking lassis could improve your digestion and your skin and reduce bloating just to name a few!  

Lassis can be sweet or savoury.  The mango here makes this one quite sweet so it would have been an equally nice way to end the meal!  This also takes less than a minute to make so quick as well as delicious.  I used frozen mango in mine so you do not have to wait until mangoes are in season to make this!

Mango Lassi

Mango Lassi Recipe

Mango Lassi Recipe

Spiced Lamb Lollipops with Korma Sauce and Toasted Almonds

This, like the Mango Lassi above comes from an article called “Curry on Jamie”.  No surprises for guessing that the Jamie is one Mr Oliver, who seems to be featuring in thee 20 Years Ago posts rather a lot.  The Lamb Lollipops were a version of a curry.  The twist was that instead of the meat being cooked in the curry, it was grilled and served with a curry sauce for dipping.  It was absolutely delicious!  I served my Lollipops with a radish and coriander pickle from the same article and some bought paratha.  

Lamb Lollipops

Lamb Lollipops Recipe

Lamb Lollipops Recipe

Lamb Lollipops2

Lemon Posset with Lemon Crunch

Apart from the letter L, there is another linking factor between today’s recipes.  The lassi dates back to ancient times, Korma is believed to be created in the 16th century for Shah Jalan at the inauguration of the Taj Mahal and our dessert also has it’s roots in history.  The OED traces posset back to the 15th century where, like the lassi, it was known for it’s healing properties.  I liked the lemon crunch because it added some texture into what was otherwise a very soft dessert.  The texture of the posset was panna cotta-esque.  An almond biscotti would have also gone down a treat with this…and created a link with the lamb dish!

Lemon Posset Recipe

I found the quantities here made for quite a sweet mix so l added more lemon juice, specifically as I also knew the crunch would also be sweet.

lemon posset recipe

 

My Nigella Moment  – Breakfast Almond Croissants

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.  

One of my favorite bakery treats is an almond croissant so I was delighted to find a recipe where I could do a cheats’ version at home.  These were delightful.  And also went nicely with some mango lassi!

Breakfast Almond Croissants

Breakfast Almond Croissant Recipe

Breakfast Almond Croissant recpe

 

 

Oh, I just realised another link.  These meals all belong in a spectrum from yellow to brown…the posset is light lemon yellow, the mango lassi is a pale orange, the korma sauce was a deep orange and the croissants were brown.  These colours are also all autumnal so maybe I was also channelling the seasons with my meal!

The colours of my menu

colours

 

Have a great week! 

 

 

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Oct
2021

Lemon Barley Water

categories: Drinks, Lemon, Non - Alcoholic

When life gives some people lemons, they make lemonade.  We, here at Retro Food For Modern Times never like to follow the crowd so we made lemon barley water.  As previously mentioned, our backyard lemon tree is laden and because we are now in our sixty-fifth year of lockdown (or our 240th day – which feels like 65 years) we can go nowhere nor can anyone visit us so the opportunities for giving away our lemon crop are few.  Other people in the area have cornered the market in setting  boxes of lemons on the pavement for walkers by to pick up so we can’t even give ours away to strangers.

Lemon Barley Water 1

 

I was contemplating setting up my own Lucy Van Pelt-esque lemonade stand.  And then, as if we don’t have enough to contend with, on top of the 240 days of lockdown already mentioned, we also had an earthquake!  I now think the idea of the psychiatric stand is a better option. I mean how much more are we expected to put up with?

If you would like to see the most Australian response to the earthquake watch this.  If you are offended by profanity and you watch it, that’s on you.  I gave you fair warning.

Anyhoo, we were talking about Lemon barley water.  It is a very old-fashioned drink.  They used to serve it at tennis tournaments when I played as a teenager and I remember it as being refreshing and not too sweet.   It is also the perfect drink to serve in this delightful fruit-inspired jug and glasses that I found the last time I went antiquing.

Lemon Barley Water 2

Benefits of Lemon Barley Water

You might be wondering why make lemon barley water and not just good old-fashioned lemonade?  Well, I had some barley that had been sitting in the pantry for a while….

Also, according to healthline.com barley water may:

  • Lower cholesterol
  • Control blood sugar
  • Promote weightloss
  • Improve digestion
  • Lower the risk of cancer
  • Support the immune system and,
  • it is rich in vitamins and antioxidants.

I suspect that some of these benefits are not as prevalent in this version which contains quite an amount of sugar but it is also probably no worse for you than many sweet drinks.  The slight nutty barley flavour with the lemon is very pleasant.

Lemon Barley Water 3

I used the recipe for Lemon Barley water that was on the back of the pack of barley.  You can also find it here.    I added the juice of an extra lemon juice into my mixture to give it a bit more zing as I thought the initial end product was a bit bland.

What to do with the leftover barley

The making of lemon barley water does cause one issue – what to do with the barley.  Some other recipes I looked at suggested it could be served unstrained in which case you would get more of the health benefits of the barley.  I was not in the mood for a lemon barley bubble tea so I rinsed the lemon and sugar off the strained cooked barley and made a tabbouleh-like salad with more lemon juice, a heap of parsley and some tomatoes with some of it.  I also mixed the rest of the rinsed barley with the dogs’ food so none of it went to waste!  And we were all pretty happy!

Holly

Have a great week!

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Aug
2021

Limoni di Amalfi Cotti Al Forno

categories: Italy, Lemon, Starters

To vaguely paraphrase The Arctic Monkeys we are going from the rubble to The Ritz.  I’ve lately dabbled in some trashy food but the next two posts are going to be pure class.  Hello Limoni di Amalfi Cotti Al Forno! You can tell this one is high-end because it has a name in a foreign language.  Unless you are Italian. Then they are plain old Amalfi baked lemons.

I am going to confess straight up that my lemons are not Amalfi lemons.  They are good old down home straight from the ‘burbs East Keilor lemons via the tree in my backyard!  You can probably expect a lot of lemon recipes in the coming weeks!

We have just now entered  LOCKDOWN SIX so it seemed like a good time to transport myself somewhere else!  The Amalfi coast seemed like not a bad option!  This is a Jamie Oliver recipe so you can expect fresh vibrant flavours and Limoni di Amalfi Cotti al Forno delivered!  These little morsels were delightful and totally took me to a little open-air trattoria by the coast on a warm sunny day.

This is where I went when eating these!

via Vogue.com

Now, where’s my  glass of prosecco?

Limoni Di Amalfi Cotti Al Forno – The Recipe

I think these would also be great placed on a bbq and as soon as it is warm enough to eat outside here, I will be putting that to the test!

You could play around with the flavours in the OG recipe too  – add some olives or garlic, swap out the basil for dill or parsley, use sun-dried instead of fresh tomatoes., add some little marinated mushrooms…but speaking of the recipe, here it is!

Limoni di Amalfi Cotti al Forno3

You can use the leftover lemon flesh in anything where you would normally use lemons – I made a hot lemon and honey drink with mine.

Limoni di Amalfi Cotti al Forno4

 

These were so delicious and brought some much-needed summer sunshine and Italian sophistication into a dreary lockdown winter day!

Have a great week friends!

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Jan
2021

REPOST – General Satisfaction

categories: Baking, Berries, Custard, Desserts, England, Lemon, Limoncello, Meringue, Pudding

Pop quiz hotshots…

General Satisfaction is:

a) A minor character in the Stanley Kubrik classic Doctor Strangelove,

b) A new character in the game Clue / Cluedo. ” It was General Satisfaction in the billiard room.  With the Candlestick” or,

c) A Victorian nursery pudding with the most awesome name ever?

General Satisfaction
General Satisfaction

I made this to take to my family on Christmas day and let me tell you…general satisfaction became major happiness as people tucked in.  And who would not be happy with this mix of lemony berries, topped with sponge finger biscuits liberally soaked in limoncello, topped with a lovely lemony custard and then baked with a meringue topping?

Yep.  It’s like you’ve died and gone to heaven….

One of the side effects of the Paleo diet is that I seem to have become hyper-sensitive to sugar.  The first version I made of this was so sweet I actually couldn’t eat it,  Someone else in the house had no such qualms.  He’s lying in a diabetic coma as we speak.

My first introduction to General Satisfaction came from recipe came from Tamasin Day-Lewis’ Supper for A Song .  There is also this version online:

General Satisfaction

I “unsweetened” this by swapping out the jam for a slightly more tart lemon curd and adding some fresh (frozen) berries into the base mix.  I also added some limoncello to the custard mix. Just because…name me one thing that isn’t made better by a liberal splash o’ booze.  And you know, it is the season….

General Satisfaction

It was still pretty sweet though.

This is at it’s best straight out of the oven with the custard runny and the meringue all crispy. However the last few pieces were also pretty good at room temperature a few days later as part  of an afternoon tea.

General Satisfaction
General Satisfaction

And if you make this, true to it’s name, I promise you will not be disappointed!!!

I am also interested to know what are most kookiest food names you have come across? General  Satisfaction must be right up there but I would love to know yours!!!

General Satisfaction 3Wishing you and yours not only general satisfaction but super happy fun times for 2015.  May it also be the year you learn to stop worrying…

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Print

General Satisfaction

Print Recipe

A lovely tangy take on a Victorian nursery pudding.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 level tbsp cornflour
  • 425g full cream milk
  • 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped (or 1 tbsp vanilla essence)
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 5 tbsp caster sugar
  • 170g lemon curd
  • 1 cup mixed berries, thawed if using frozen
  • 1 tbsp warm water
  • 1/4 cup limoncello, maybe a bit more….
  • 10–12 savoiardi or sponge finger biscuits

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180c.

For The Custard

  1. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp milk.
  2. Pour the milk into a small, heavy saucepan. Add the vanilla seeds, empty pod and cornflour mix.
  3. Bring to the boil, stirring then drop the heat and simmer, still stirring for a coupe of minutes. Remove from the heat.
  4. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl then whisk in a tablespoonful of the milk mixture. Repeat three times then pout the combined egg and milk mixture into the warmed milk.
  5. Set the pan back over low heat, and whisk until the custard thickens and is perfectly smooth. Don’t let it boil. Remove from the heat, and whisk in 2 tablespoon of the sugar and half of the limoncello. Set aside to cool.

For The Lemon Berry Sauce

  1. Mix the lemon curd with 1 tbsp of just boiled water until runny and pour into the base of a medium baking dish.
  2. Scatter the berries over the curd then press them down with a potato masher to flatten them down a bit and get their juices running.
  3. Lay the savoiardi on top of the curd and berry mix and sprinkle with the remaining limoncello.
  4. Poor the cooled custard over the biscuits, straining if it is lumpy.

For The Meringue

  1. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then whisk in the remaining sugar, little by little until you have a firm shiny meringue.
  2. Spoon the meringue over the custard.
  3. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes until the meringue is pale golden and crisp when you tap it.

Notes

  • Adding a little bit of the milk to the egg, prevents the egg from cooking.

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