Hello crime readers and food lovers! Today we are reading (and eating) our way through another short story from the Murder in The Mews collection. On the menu is a lovely and light lemon soufflé. Also, an apology for the long break between posts – we had a lovely week away but pretty soon after we got home, I fell ill. I had an old-school non-covid flu that lasted nearly two weeks and left me with infections in both ears! A lingering cough from that same flu also lead me to putting my back out! All up, September has been a month of me either being ill or in pain, neither of which has left me with much energy for cooking or writing. However, I read this Poirot short story when away and in the small gap of time between my return home and getting ill, I cooked the soufflés.
The Incredible Theft- The Plot
.Air Marshal Sir George Carrington calls Poirot to come to the country house of Sir Charles Mayhew where some plans for a new bomber have been stolen. The bomber will give Britain unparalleled power in the air should war eventuate. The theft of the plans is a great blow to Britain’s military power. Attending a house party on the night of the theft was Mrs Vanderlyn, a much-married vamp who is described as being “a very useful person to….a European power – and perhaps to more than one European power”. Given her marriages have been to an Italian, a German and a Russian, we are not only given the start of a joke where three men walk into a bar but the possible European powers to which Mrs Vanderlyn might be useful!
Apart from the seductive Mrs Vanderlyn we have
- A mysterious figure in the shadows
- A screaming maid
- A woman with gambling debts
- A spoiled son in need of some cash
- Britain’s likely next Prime Minister with something to hide from the populace
Good thing we have Poirot to sort it all out. Only…do we? This story is somewhat of an anomaly because only after the denouement do we realise that Poirot actually does very little – all the work is done by….ah…that would be telling! 🙊
The Incredible Theft- The Covers
I could only find two covers for The Incredible Theft – neither of which are very exciting:
Instead, I thought we could all crush on the divine country manor that features in the Poirot version of The Incredible Theft
And, whilst we are in full drool mode, how about we take a look at Mrs Vanderlyn (and also some more house porn)
That same dress also does not disappoint from the back!
Here is another very glam outfit!
No wonder half of Europe seems to be gaga for Mrs V!
Lady Carrington also knows how to rock a sparkle and lace combo!
As much as I could dote on the fashions and locations of Poirot all day, we need to move on to another gorgeous little number, my lemon soufflé!
The Recipe – Lemon Soufflé
Lemon Soufflé – The Incredible Theft
A lovely light dessert, given a retro twist by serving it in the lemons.
Ingredients
- 8 medium-sized lemons
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Line an oven tray with baking paper.
- Trim the base of the lemon so they sit flat. Cut off the top third of each lemon and, using a teaspoon, remove the pulp from the lemons (this takes a while) over a bowl lined with a sieve.
- Squeeze the juice from the pulp and reserve. Discard the pulp.
- Place the lemon shells on the prepared tray.
- Preheat your oven to 180C
- Combine the yolks, half the sugar, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and the flour in a heatproof bowl. Beat until thick and pale.
- Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and beat for another 8-10 minutes until the mixture is the thickness of a thick custard. Remove from the heat but continue to beat until the mixture is cool – about another 2-3 minutes.
- Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, add the remaining salt and the remaining sugar and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy.
- Whisk one-third of the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture. Fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture with a large metal spoon. Be as gentle as you can here. You want to preserve as much of the lightness and air from the whipped whites as possible.
- Spoon the mixture into the lemon shells, filling to the rims.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the soufflés have risen 2-3 centimetres above the rim of the lemons and are golden.
- Transfer to serving plates, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
Notes
- Leftover lemon juice can be frozen into ice cube trays to use as you need.
- Or seeing as life has given you lemons, make lemonade!
- If you accidentally poke your spoon through the bottom of the lemon as you are removing the pulp, never mind. Wrap the base of the lemon tightly in aluminium foil for cooking and remove it for serving. This will prevent any souffle mixture oozing out the bottom!
As the butler handed round the souffle, Lord Mayfield leaned confidentially towards his neighbour on the right, Lady Julia Carrington. Known as the perfect host, Lord Mayfield took trouble to live up to his reputation. Although unmarried, he was always charming to women.”
– Agatha Christie, The Incredible Theft
Links to The Christieverse
Nothing that I could find.
Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in The Incredible Theft
- Dessert
- Port
- Breakfast
October’s read will be another short story from Murder in the Mews. Get out your sunblock and get ready for some fun and murder in the sun with Triangle at Rhodes.
Happy reading and cooking!
