Hey friends! Today, I’m diving into a classic recipe: Cheddar Scotch Eggs. This little gem hails from 500 Recipes for Quick and Easy Meals by Marguerite Patten (1972).
I’ve got a confession: Scotch Eggs are one of those foods I adore eating but dread making. Remember the Pakistani version, the Nargisi Kofta, I made back in 2019? It was a culinary delight, but let’s face it, Scotch Eggs are a lot of work! Who wants to deal with the mess of a deep fryer just for one meal? It’s like running a marathon for a single slice of pizza!
Scotch eggs are however, quite lovely eaten cold, which makes making a big batch worthwhile as you can enjoy meals for a few days! They are also amazing picnic food so if you are contemplating an al fresco meal in the near future, these could be your go-to dish!
Ahem, I hear you say. That looks exactly like a regular Scotch Egg. Where’s the extra cheese you promised? Scotch Eggs are already laborious enough to make, but this version takes things to a new level. You cut the eggs in half, remove the yolks, and mix them with cheese. Then, you reassemble the eggs and proceed with the normal Scotch Egg process.. You can see the split in the eggs where they where cut through in the close up photo below.
What Are Scotch Eggs?
But maybe I should pause here in case some of my readers are unfamiliar with the concept of a Scotch Egg.
First thing. They are not from Scotland. They were invented by Fortnum and Mason the very posh department store in Picadilly in London in 1738. The term scotch comes from adding anchovies to the meat to cut through the fattiness of the meat and to give it a stronger flavour.
Second, they are an egg, wrapped in a meat casing and then crumbed and fried.
Hello, crime readers and food lovers! Today’s Dining With The Dame delves into “Crooked House,” which is an absolute belter of a read! Typically, I prefer the Poirot or Marple novels, and standalone novels often fall short for me. However, this one is a delightful exception! The storyline is captivating, and Christie truly outdoes herself in crafting the villain.
Speaking of captivating, let’s transition to our culinary companion for this episode: Tarte Tatin. I selected this classic French dessert for a few reasons. Firstly, apples, a prominent motif in “Crooked House,” provided a thematic link. And, dare I say, there is a bad apple in the crooked house! Also, with the Paris Olympics in full swing, a touch of French flair seemed fitting. And finally, a well-executed Tarte Tatin is magnifique!
Crooked House – The Plot
“I think people more often kill those they love than those they hate . Possibly because only the people you love can really make life unendurable to you”
Agatha Christie – Crooked House
The plot of Crooked House is somewhat similar to Taken At The Flood which I covered last month. This time, we meet the Leonides family, the patriarch of which, Aristide Leonides has just been murdered. Someone, swapped his insulin for Eserine, a deadly poison contained in his eye medicine. Aristide had built up considerable wealth and members of his family stand to inherit a lot of money.
The family, and list of suspects include:
Brenda, Aristides young second wife, who may or may not be romatically involved with the tutor of his grandchildren, Laurence Brown
Roger and Clementine Leonides, one of Aristides brothers and his wife
Phillip Leonides and his wife, Magda West a (tryhard but largely unsuccessful actress played by Gillian Anderson in the 2017 adaptation)
Edith de Haviland, the sister of Aristides first wife who has lived with them since her sister’s death in order to take care of the children (played to perfection by Glenn Close in the 2017 adaptation)
Sophia Leonides, Aristides eldest grandchild and daughter of Phillip and Magda
Eustace Leonides the teenage son of Phillip and Magda
Josephine Leonides, the 12 year old daughter of Phillip and Magda
Laurence Brown, Eustace and Jospehine’s tutor
Charles Hayward, Sophia’s fiance is our amateur detective, working closely with Chief Inspecor Taverner and Detective Sergeant Lamb to find the killer.
Before we get there though, many things happen including
A missing will
Embezzlement
Josephine being attacked
Hidden love letters coming to light
The children’s nanny being poisoned by some deadly hot chocolate
The wrong people being arrested
A missing notebook that may hold the key to everything
It might not be a good thing that we have Charles trying to discover (as one of the covers below asks) who put the poison in the hypo. He is not, as they say, the sharpest tool in the shed. Despite the abundance of clues scattered throughout the text, he repeatedly overlooks them.
In fact, I found myself uncovering an unusual number of clues while reading “Crooked House,” far exceeding the usual number in Christie’s works. This abundance of hints led me to speculate on whether it was a deliberate strategy on Christie’s part. Given that “Crooked House” was published in 1949, I imagine the revelation of the villain must have been a truly shocking experience for readers of the time. It’s possible that Christie meticulously planted these clues to soften the impact of the eventual reveal for contemporary audiences. If you have read this, please let me know your thoughts on this!!!!
Crooked House – The Covers
I was very happy to be able to include a Greek cover here as the Leonides family are Greek in origin. I was also very glad to see that one of the covers featured an apple. This, vindicated my somewhat unusual choice of dish! There are lots of crooked houses which are to be expected, including one growing out of a ladies head, which is not. I don’t understand the rather scruffy looking chicken. And as for the creepy hell clown? No. Just no.
The Recipe: Tarte Tatin
There was no one in sight as we drove up to the front door. I paid the taxi and it drove away. I felt uncertain whether to ring the bell or to walk in. The front door was open. As I stood there hesitatiing I heard a sound behind me. I turned my head sharply. Josephine, her face partially obscured by a very large apple was standing in the opening of the yew hedge looking at me”
Agatha Christie – Crooked House
I broke off. Josephine had emerged from the door leading to the drawing room. She was eating the inevitable apple, and over its round rosiness her eyes sparkled with a kind of ghoulish enjoyment.
“Nannie’s been poisoned,” she said. “Just like grandfather. It’s awfully exciting, isn’t it?”
Agatha Christie – Crooked House
Links To The Christieverse
None that I picked up on – but please let me know if you found something!
Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Taken At The Flood
Hello friends and welcome to today’s Twenty Years Ago Today Post where I am creating a meal from the pages of Delicious magazine from July 2004. But, as usual, the menu comes with a challenge – this month the challenge was to create a meal where none of the recipes contained the letter A. In the event that you ever have an Alphaphobic over to dinner, I have you covered with this one.
And, even if I do say so myself, July 2004 did not disappoint in the taste department. Last week I mentioned that the Grapefruit Oat Brulee was Top Ten in the things I have cooked this year. And this week we have another, not one but two contenders for that list! Life is good – at least in the eating department!
Pop Culture – July 2004
We’ll get along to the deliciousness soon but here’s a little reminder of what was big in July 2004 to help set the scene. Looking first at films, Spiderman, I Robot and The Bourne Supremacy where respectively 1-3 at the box office. Personally, I would have been more interested in Anchorman, Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Notebook at 4, 5 and 7.
In books, the Da Vinci code was yep, you guessed it still number 1! Will the reign of this book never end? Angels and Demons also by Dan Brown was sitting at #7 this month so we might be looking at a Dan Brown double next month! And speaking of doubles, Usher had the number 1 and 2 songs on the Billboard charts with Burn and Confessions Part II.
And now we’ve set the scene, let’s take a look at our menu!
The No A Menu – July 2004
Minestrone
This was, without a doubt the best Minestrone I have ever eaten. I made a huge pot of it and ate it everyday for my lunch for the entire week. Now usually when this happens by Thursday I am starting to get a bit bored and by Friday I am dreading the meal, Not so this time, I would have eaten this for another 5 days if I had more!
This Bill Granger recipe is a little different from most other minestrones for two reasons. First, it has meatballs made from Italian sausages and second it has no pasta. It is also LOADED with veg so, outside of those little meatballs, it is also very healthy. This minestrone was definitely worthy of being on my Top Ten for the Year!
Minestrone Recipe
Smoked Fish Pie
The Smoked Fish Pie was also delicious! I used smoked trout in my pie and it was really yummy! This one is definitely something I will make again! We ate our pies on a frosty cold winter’s night and it was perfect comfort food!
Smoked Fish Pie Recipe
Lemon Meringue Muffins
Now…I could have sworn I took photos of these but no…not on my phone. Not in the cloud….and not enough time to remake them! Also, to be honest, these were probably the weakest part of the meal. They were ok but a little dry. This though, could have been my fault. I cooked the muffins until they were nearly ready but then I had to go out. I left them in the turned off oven to finish the cook and cool. Maybe they were in there a bit too long. I did however love the little secret stash of lemon curd in the muffin and the meringue top was delightful.
I thought for want of my own photo, I would include the photo from the magazine as inspiration. However, there wasn’t one. The recipe was included as a reader asked why there was a recipe for Lemon Meringue Muffins indexed in April 2004, however there was no such recipe in the magazine. The editors explained that the recipe had been pulled for space at the last minute.
There certainly seems oto be something slightly cursed about this recipe!
Lemon Meringue Muffins Recipe
My Nigella Moment – Baked Brie with Braised Cabbage
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.
Oh wow…this was sooo good! This was the other recipe that is Top Ten so far this year. There is so much to love in this – warm oozy cheese, salty crispy pancetta, the sweetness of the apple in the cabbage….this was luscious!
Baked Brie with Braised Cabbage Recipe
Well, for me Delicious Magazine from June 2004 was great. Shame about the muffins….but maybe they should have been left out of this issue too!
Hello friends and welcome to a recipe which is top ten, maybe even top five of everything I have cooked this year! Grapefruit Oat Brulee is delicious, quick, has only four ingredients and is (mostly) a healthy snack/dessert/breakfast. You might even find yourself eating it for all of the above, it’s that good! The recipe comes from 500 Recipes for Quick Meals by Marguerite Patten (1972).
I mean really…how good does that look? These photos make me want to run out and buy a bag of grapefruit immediately just so I can recreate this dish over and over again. I made these a while ago, and even now, looking at the pictures is making my mouth water.
My only word of advice, apart from urging you to purchase your own bag of grapefruit without delay, is that this dish can be quite messy to eat. Consequently, I discovered that segmenting the grapefruit before broiling is the most efficient method. I want to give credit where credit is due: I’m actually grateful to Marguerite for omitting this step from the recipe. It unintentionally empowered me to experiment with several grapefruits to develop a user-friendly process for you, dear readers!
How To Segment A Grapefruit for Bruléeing
First, cut the grapefruit in half.
Then, to stabilize the grapefruit, cut a small slice from its bottom.
Next, use a sharp knife to carefully separate the pith from the grapefruit flesh, loosening the segments. Then, using the same knife, meticulously slice along each segment of the grapefruit.
This methodical approach will make eating your grapefruit a lot easier!
Place under a medium hot grill (broiler) until lightly browned and crisp on top
Notes
Adapted from a Margeurite Patten recipe found in 500 Recipes for Quick Meals (972)
For a a less oaty version of this, you can check my recipe for Bruléed Grapefruit here.
Next week in the July 20 years ago Today post, there will be one…actually….maybe even two recipes that are also in my Top Ten things I’ve cooked this year! July has been a good month for recipes! Speak you then!
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!”
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
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
