Hello food lover and crime readers!   Welcome to a festive edition of Dining with The Dame.  Today’s menu contains a Stilton and Leek Soufflé inspired by Agatha Christie’s 1938 novel Hercule Poirot’s Christmas.  It makes me wonder – of all the people who received this book as a Christmas present that year, who would have guessed that within 12 months the world would be plunged into a second and terrible world war? Ok, sorry, that was not a very festive way to start this post.  But really despite being set at Christmas, this is not an overly festive novel!

Before we move into that, let’s briefly talk about the wonderful combination that is leek and blue cheese.  I first came across this many years ago at a pizza restaurant not far from my work.  They had a lunch deal which was two slices of pizza and a drink for a very small amount.  My favourite slice of pizza was a leek and gorgonzola.  I ordered it every week for years!

I realised the minute I took the soufflés out of the oven that I had left my copy of Hercule Poirot’s Christmas upstairs.  There was no going to get it, the soufflés were falling by the second!

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas – The Plot

Simeon Lee is a very rich old man.  And, like many rich old men, he is what they might have called back in Agatha Christie’s day, an old curmudgeon.  I can think of a few more modern descriptions but, it’s Christmas so we’re keeping it clean!  He’s angry at his family primarily as none of his sons have given him a grandson to carry on the family name.  He is also somewhat of a braggart and likes to talk about all his sexual conquests and how he likely has many sons “on the other side of the blanket”.  Which is gross, partly because he speaks at length about this to his granddaughter and no one, not even a formally estranged adult granddaughter needs to hear that grandpa was a f*ckboy!  Also, because cheating on your wife and knocking up numerous women is not cool.  He also has some uncut diamonds in his safe which he likes to fondle whilst he reminisces about his younger days in South Africa,  Think Monty Burns crossed with Gollum and maybe a Bond villain and you have my interpretation of Simeon Lee.

He gets his though, as on Christmas Eve, not long after calling his family together to announce that he is changing his will, Simeon Lee has his throat cut.  However the murder takes place in a locked room.  And the diamonds are gone!

Who is the guilty culprit?

• Harry, the prodigal son.  Did he return just to do his father in?
• David, the son who has always resented the way Simeon ill treated his mother.
• George, the pompous son scared his father was going to reduce his allowance.
• Alfred, the son who has remained steadfastly by Simeon’s side, jealous because his father favours Harry
• Pilar Estravados, Simeon’s granddaughter, recently arrived from Spain.
• Stephen Farr, the son of Simeon’s former business partner, come to England from South Africa
• Horbury, Simeon’s possibly shifty valet.
• All in all, we have many people who potentially Simeon Lee dead.
• And a  second murder attempt
• And way too much blood!

Good thing we also have Poirot on hand to discover who did it and to explain the significance of a bit of rubber and a small wooden item found on the floor near Simeon’s body!

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas – The Covers

We have some absolutely cracking covers here, and a fair number of them from non-English speaking countries, which is something I love!  My favorite is the pulp fiction cover from I’m going to say the 1950’s  which I have shown below in full.  Just take a closer look at the lady in red.  Yes, I know all our eyes are drawn to her cleavage but the expression on her face is  not even remotely congruent with the sight before her!  “Pffftttt…another dead body just in time to ruin the holidays” she seems to be saying.  “And by the way, have you seen my breasts?  They’re real and they’re spectaular”

The Recipe – Stilton and Leek Soufflé

You might be wondering why I chose a stilton and leek and soufflé for this post.  I was thinking I could make some sort of pun on Simeon Lee and Stilton Leek.  The more I tried, the more laboured it became until I trashed it.  Sometimes, as per Kenny Rogers, “you gotta  know when to fold ’em”.

Good lord, who knew wen starting this we were going to get a Seinfeld quote and a Kenny lyric?

Here’s the recipe.  It is from a  1992 book by the Australian Women’s Weekly called Brunches and Lunches.

As mentioned, I love the combo of leek and blue cheese.  However, if you are not a lover of blue, you could sub in a cheese of your choice!

Tresilian went round with the soufflé.  It struck him, now that hi interest in the ladies’ toiletries and his misgivings over Walter’s deficiencies were a thing of the past, that everyone was very silent tonight.  At least, not exactly silent:  Mr Harry was talking enough for twenty – no not Mr Harry, the South African gentleman.  And the others were talking too, but only, as it were, in spasms.  There was something a little – queer about them.

Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

Links to The Christieverse

Colonel Johnson refers to “that Cartwright case” when conversing with Poirot.  This is reference to Three Act Tragedy.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

• Coffee
• Hock    I was not familiar with this name for Riesling but I feel this would work very well with the souffle!
• Claret
• Pear

January’s read will be the final novella in the Murder in the Mews Collection – Dead Man’s Mirror.  And if anyone can get the pun on Simeon Lee and Stilton and Leek to work, please let me know!