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Tag: Poirot

21
Oct
2023

Oeufs Caroline – Five Little Pigs

categories: 1960's recipes, Dining With The Dame, Eggs, Poirot

Hello crime readers and food lovers. In what is starting to become a bit of a trend, today’s post is dedicated to one of the main characters in Five Little Pigs, Caroline Crale. To many fans, Five Little Pigs is the nec plus ultra of the Christie novels. And it is an absolute cracker! We never actually meet Caroline as she is sixteen years dead when the story begins. But…what a character. I absolutely loved her. Her dignity, grace, loyalty, and fiery temperament made her a wonderful compelling and intriguing character.

I also feel that all egg recipes are a little wink to Poirot and his egg-shaped head!

I found the recipe for Oeufs Caroline in the French children’s cookbook called La Cuisine Est Un Jeu D’Enfants by Michel Oliver (1963). It is a very cute book and I will definitely cook more from it but the timing on this recipe was completely wrong. You have no idea how many times I ate Oeufs Caroline for lunch this week trying to get it right!

Five Little Pigs – The Plot

The accepted version of certain facts is not necessarily the true one.”

Agatha Christie – Five Little Pigs

A young woman called Carla Lemarchant approaches Hercule Poirot with a very unusual case. Sixteen years ago, her mother, Caroline Crale was found guilty of poisoning her father Amyas Crale. However, before she died in prison, Caroline sent a letter to her daughter professing her innocence. Carla wants Poirot to find out the truth. Did her mother kill her father? Poirot focuses his investigation on the five people, apart from Carla and Caroline who were present on the day Amyas died. For if Caroline is not guilty, then one of them is…

We have:

Philip Blake

A stockbroker (went to market, geddit?) was one of Amyas’ closest friends. On the day of Amyas’ death, he overhears an argument between Caroline and Amyas where Caroline threatens to kill him. Philip is apparently no fan of Caroline and puts the murder down to “crude female jealousy. However, does he have a secret desire to see Amyas dead?

Meredith Blake

Philip’s brother. Unlike his brother who is a successful broker, Meredith stayed home and dabbled in herbalism and other country pursuits. It is some coniine from his laboratory that killed Amyas. Unlike his brother, Meredith admits a fondness for and a loyalty to Caroline. He argues with Amyas saying that the situation with Elsa was an “”unendurable insult” and not fair to either woman. Might seeing the woman he cares for being mistreated have given him a motive for murder?

Elsa Greer (now Lady Dittisham)

The little piggy who had roast beef. She was a rich, spoiled beautiful, young woman in love with Amyas. It is her deliberate provocation of Caroline on the day of the murder that many people see as being the catalyst for later, lethal events. Poirot…”saw her beautiful and rich, seductive to men, seeking with greedy predatory hands to fill up a life that was empty”. She is still vitriolic about Caroline and says she would have preferred to see her hanged.

Cecilia Williams

Angela Warren’s former governess. She is a shrewd, fiercely loyal woman, living “close to the bone”. She epitomises the one who has none. She believes that Amyas got what was coming to him, her sympathies are entirely with Caroline. But she also has proof, never previously disclosed that Caroline murdered Amyas

Angela Warren

Caroline’s half-sister. Caroline is overly protective of Angela after disfiguring her face in a fit of pique as a much younger woman. Angela is spoiled and enjoys playing tricks on Amyas. He wants to send her away to school. She doesn’t want to go and this is causing some additional friction between Amyas and Caroline (as if there wasn’t enough already -the two are already, to quote Bonnie Tyler, “Living in a powderkeg and giving off sparks!).

Amyas Crale

And finally, let’s talk about Amyas. In my first few drafts of this, I didn’t include a description of him because I felt we all know this character. That is not to say that he is badly drawn but because many of us have met this person in real life. He is an Artist and everything and everyone around him comes second to his art…back in my uni days, I would have found him irresistible. Now, the sheer arrogance and gall of this man would make me want to stab him in the neck.

Amyas was…a ruthless egoist. He loved Caroline but he never once considered her in any way. He did as he pleased…he was as fond of her as he could be of anybody – but she came a long way behind his art

Agatha Christie – Five Little Pigs

🤮

Well, just like Shaggy, it wasn’t me but it was someone. And it will take all of Poirot’s little grey cells to figure this one out!

Five Little Pigs – The Covers

There’s nothing too crazy in the covers, lots of references to Amyas being an artist, and a few to the poisoned beer. My favourites are the second row, second left for its pulp fiction feel and amazing font. And I also really like third row first on the left with the artist and his brushes.

The Recipe – Ouefs Caroline

I have included here both the OG recipe from Cuisine Est Un Jeu D’Enfants and my updated version.

Oeufs Caroline

Print Recipe

A lovely breakfast or lunch dish, inspired by Agatha Christie’s Three Little Pigs

Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

Scale

1 tomato
1 egg
1 slice of bread (I used a potato and rosemary bread)
1 tbsp Creme Fraiche
Chives or other herbs to garnish
Butter, Salt Pepper

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Cut the top off the tomato and scoop out the insides with a spoon.
Sprinkle the inside of the tomato with salt and turn upside down. This will help to drain a lot of the tomato juice. Otherwise, your eggs will be very watery. Leave for 1/2 -1 hour.
Heat your oven to 180C.
Crack the egg and separate. I found it easier to put the yolk into the tomato first and then top up with the white. Don’t overfill. You need some room to add the creme fraiche.
Butter your bread and place the tomato on top of it.
Place your egg-filled tomato and bread into the oven and cook for approximately 15 minutes for a soft egg and 25 minutes for a harder egg. Check this as cooking time will depend on the size of your tomato.
After 15-25 minutes add the creme fraiche to the egg, turn off the oven and turn on the grill. Grill for an additional 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and garnish with herbs, salt and pepper.

Notes

I wanted to keep mine vegetarian but you could add a rasher or two of bacon when you place the tomatoes under the grill.

And Caroline Crale? Each person had seen her differently. Montague Depleach had despised her as a defeatist-a quitter. To young Fogg she had represented Romance. Edmunds saw her simply as a ‘lady’. Mr Jonathan had called her a stormy, turbulent creature. How would he, Hercule Poirot, have seen her? On the answer to that question depended, he felt, the success of his quest. So far, not one of the people he had seen had doubted that whatever else she was, Caroline Crale was also a murderess.”

Agatha Christie – Five Little Pigs

Links To The Christieverse

Poirot brings a letter of introduction from Lady Mary Lytton-Gore with him when he meets Meredith Blake.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Five Little Pigs

Butter
Beer
Coffee
Sandwiches
Plums, sour apples, hard pears
Dandelion Tea
Roast Beef
Gin, Vermouth, Lemonade, Gingerbeer
Fruit
Fish

November’s read is The Moving Finger

09
Jul
2023

Chinese Lemon Chicken: Evil Under The Sun

categories: Chicken, China, Dining With The Dame, Poirot

Hello crime readers and food lovers! Welcome to Dining with the Dame for July and a collab with Jenny from Silver Screen Suppers. We have been reading/watching Evil Under The Sun. I loved this book. It reminded me of both Triangle in Rhodes and Death on the Nile, books I also loved. Maybe I just love an ill-fated love triangle. I was very disappointed that there was no food mentioned in this one – it is set in the delightfully named Jolly Roger Hotel (based on the Burgh Island Hotel). I would have thought that we might get the details of at least one meal in such a grand establishment but sadly that was not to be. Enter Jenny to save the day with a recipe for not just any old Chinese Lemon Chicken but David Suchet’s Chinese Lemon Chicken!!! I almost feel like we have two special guests this time round, Jenny and David Suchet! What an amazing dinner party that would be!

Evil Under The Sun -The Plot

Hercule Poirot is on holiday at the Jolly Roger Hotel in Devon. The hotel, which as mentioned has a very real-life counterpart, is located on a causeway that is underwater during high tide, accessible only via boat (book) or sea tractor (real life). One wonders why Hercule Poirot who, as we know suffers badly from “la mal de mer” would choose to holiday on an island remains unexplained in the book. The Poirot episode of Evil Under The Sun, explains this by saying that the hotel is a wellness spa that Poirot must attend for his health.

We have:

Stephen Redfern and Arlena Marshall, both married, (not to each other) having a very public attraction to each other
Two upset spouses
Arlena strangled to death on the beach
One of the other guests almost beaned by a bottle thrown out of a window
An oddly timed bath
A troubled teen buying candles
Arlena’s husband and his childhood sweetheart both being lying liars who lie
Drug smuggling in Pixy Cove
A reverend obsessed with evil in general and evil women in particular

Good thing we have Poirot on hand to solve the mystery of whodunnit!

Evil Under The Sun – The Covers

Again, the Christie covers do not fail to disappoint. Except maybe that Hawaiian Dancing Girl in Les Vacances D’Hercule Poirot…which…nice try French people but not really relevant! The impressionist-style Russian title (top left) is gorgeous! I also really like the second row far right which to me has a bleached-out California 1960s vibe. It may be more Helter Skelter than Hercule Poirot but is very attractive all the same. I also really like bottom row, second from the right, which gives a nod to Arlena’s red hair, green Chinese hat and Linda’s foray into witchery.

The Recipe – Chinese Lemon Chicken

Chinese kimonos are optional but heartily recommended!

I was feeling lazy the first night we ate this and served it with some bought fried rice and spring rolls. The second night, I stir-fried up some kale and cashew nuts to eat with the Chinese Lemon chicken. Both worked really well.

Emily Brewster said..”this isn’t the sort of place you’d get a body!”

Hercule Poirot stirred a little in his chair. He protested. He said:

“But why not Mademoiselle? Why should there not be what you call a “body” here on Smuggler’s Island?”

Emily Brewster said: “I don’t know. I suppose some places are more unlikley than others. This isn’t the kind of spot –” She broke off, finding it difficult to explain her meaning.

“It is romantic, yes, ” agreed Hercule Poirot. “It is peaceful. The sun shines. The sea is blue. But you forget Miss Brewster, there is evil everywhere under the sun:

Agatha Christie – Evil Under The Sun

A Slight Tangent on Poirot’s Attire

“There was one very important person (in his own estimation at least) staying at the Jolly Roger. Hercule Poirot, resplendent in a white duck suit , with a panama hat tilted over his eyes, his moustaches magnificently befurled, lay back in an improved type of deck char and surveyed the bathing beach”

Now, if like me, you are not 100% familiar with male couture of the late 1930’s and have only a limited idea of what a duck suit is…let me give you some advice. Unless you specify 1930’s duck suit in your search, you are more likely to get a whole heap of this:

And not a lot of this!

Also, speaking of costumes, I have not seen the Peter Ustinov version of Evil Under The Sun but I will pay good money for it, just to see this scene!

Magnifique, as Poirot himself might say! (Peter Ustinov also looks like je might be about to tuck into a place of Chinese Lemon Chicken in that kimono!)

And on Casting…

I know that the Poirot version of Evil Under The Sun is not held in high regard by many people. However, I think Michael Higgs is perfectly cast as Patrick Redmond. He is undeniably handsome but also has a slightly dissolute air about him – a combination the French would call louche and good girls everywhere who love a bad boy call hot! (Also louche is one of my favourite words and finally after 11 years I get to use it on the blog!)

Equally Tamzin Malleson is perfect as Christine Redmond:

Links to The Christieverse

Mrs Gardner mentions “That business in Egypt when Linet Ridgeway was killed” referring to Death on The Nile (and also possibly setting the scene for another love triangle?)

When Colonel Weston talks of “that affair at St Loo” he is referring to Three Act Tragedy

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Evil Inder The Sun

Strawberry Jam
Dry Martini
Bacon and Eggs (of course)
Cup of Tea x 2
Poisoned Chocolates
Devonshire cream
Sandwiches

Thanks to Jenny for providing the David Suchet recipe, I hope you enjoyed your foray into the world of Agatha Christie! For everyone else, please pop over to Silver Screen Suppers to see Jenny’s take on the recipe. (I will link to it when it is up).

August’s read will be N or M. I finished reading it today and it is a super Tommy and Tuppence World War 2 Thriller! I am reading ahead because I am on holiday for part of August so need to be super organised to make sure I can get that post out before I leave.

Have a great week!

10
Jun
2023

Summer Berry One Two Buckle My Shoe

categories: Berries, Cake, Dining With The Dame, Poirot

Hello food lovers and crime readers! Today on Dining with The Dame, we are taking a look into the Hercule Poirot novel One Two Buckle My Shoe. And to snack on while we read, we have a lovely fruit filled cake called a Summer Berry Buckle. Yes, not much food in this one so again, I had to use some creative thinking for the food component. And the Summer Berry Buckle is a delight! I loved that you got a different berry in each bite!

One Two Buckle My Shoe -The Plot

Leaving his dentist’s office, Hercule Poirot bumps into the delightfully named, Mabelle Sainsbury Seale, a former actress. He picks up a buckle that has fallen off her shiny new shoe and gives it to her.

Before you can even start to get any creepy dentist vibes aka Norman Gale in Death In The Clouds, we find out via Inspector Japp that sometime after Poirot’s visit, the dentist Hector Morley apparently killed himself. Morley’s clients between Poirot and his death included Ms Sainsbury Seale, a banker called Alistair Blunt and a rather shady Greek gentleman called Mr Amberiotis. Another man, an American activist called Raikes leaves the office without a visit to Morley’s Partner (who is a bit of a drunk).

We have

Mr Amberiotis dying not too shortly after Dr Morley from an overdose of adrenaline and novocaine – both commonly used by dentists. Are the death’s connected?
A secretary called away from work on false pretenses. Was it so she did not recognise the killer?
A fiance annoyed with Morley’s interference in his love life – did he kill Morley?
Mabelle going missing
A body in a trunk with her face bashed in.
Two murder attempts on Alistair Blunt, one supposedly by the aggrieved fiancé. Has he moved from killing dentists to bankers?
And what of the left-wing activist? The one who left before seeing the drunk dentist?He has no love of bankers or members of the bourgeoisie. Might he be the murderer?
And what of that drunk dentist? Did he bear a grudge against his more successful partner?
We also have Poirot revealing himself to be a leg man! How else would he know that a ten-inch stocking equates to a size six shoe?

Good thing we have Poirot around to sort out who did the deed! We also have Inspector Japp in his last appearance in a novel. 😔

There is a lot going on in this book and the plot seems quite convoluted at times. The nursery rhyme felt far more wedged in than in “And Then There Were None” too. While this was not my favourite novel it did give an insightful look into power and privilege and the importance of one life versus another.

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe – The Covers

I was able to find a lot of covers for this one, primarily I think because it has three names. It was originally called The Patriotic Murders in the US but they changed this to An Overdose of Death in 1953.

So many great covers here. I think my favourite is the shoes second row second from the right which also is our very first Finnish cover!

The Recipe – Summer Berry Buckle

I used the recipe from the New York Tmes as my recipe and I can highly recommend it.

I served my Buckle with some labne that I had made for something else and wanted to use up and some fresh raspberries.

Whipped cream or yoghurt could easily sub in for the labne.

Poirot shrugged his shoulders. He said:

I t would seem that death selected, most inartistically, the wrong man. The Mysterious Greek, the Rich Banker, the Famous Detective – how natural that one of them should be shot! For mysterious foreigners may be mixed up with espionage and rich bankers have connections who will benefit by their deaths and famous detectives may be dangerous to criminals”.

Whereas poor old Morley wasn’t dangerous to anybody, ” observed Japp gloomily.

“I wonder.”

Agatha Christie – One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Links to The Christieverse

Poirot speaks of Countess Vera Rosakoff who we last saw in The Big Four and is the closest thing we come to Poirot having a love interest

The Case of The Augean Stables is mentioned. We haven’t got there yet but it is one of the stories in The Labours of Hercules

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Bacon
Coffee (multiple mentions)
Breakfast cereals
Sandwich
Tea x2
Pot of Chocolate
Sugar Biscuits
Brandy
Whiskey Soda

Also, apologies for this post being nearly a week late! I dropped my laptop, and thankfully whilst nothing major was damaged, the pin on the charger bent making it impossible to charge so I had to wait for the replacement charger to arrive. I’m going to try really hard to get the post that is due tomorrow out on time or just a little late to get back on posting track!

July’s read is Evil Under The Sun which is a great read and I have something very special planned for it.

Have a great week!

10
May
2023

Salmon Rillettes: Sad Cypress

categories: Dining With The Dame, France, Poirot, Salmon, Smoked Salmon, Starters, Uncategorized

Hello crime readers and food lovers! Welcome to Dining with the Dame for May and my take on Sad Cypress. I loved this one! And I also loved the Salmon Rillettes so this was a win-win for me! Now it may be a bit risky to base my recipe on the supposed murder weapon (poisoned salmon paste sandwiches) but the rillettes were absolutely delicious!

Sad Cypress -The Plot

First up, the name comes from a quote from Shake’speare’s Twelfth Night:

Come away, come away, death,

And in sad cypress let me be laid.

Fly away, fly away, breath;

I am slain by a fair cruel maid.

The beautiful Mary Gerrard is dead. Prior to her death, Mary had been the gardener’s daughter in an estate owned by the Welman family. Elinor Carlisle, niece to the recently deceased Laura Welman stands accused of her murder.

Her motive? Elinor had recently been jilted by her fiance (and kind of cousin) Roddy for Mary.

Her means? Salmon paste sandwiches laced with morphine.

Her opportunity? Tea time whilst clearing out the Welman estate.

All fingers are pointing to Elinor being the murderer. But did she do it? Luckily the local doctor who has a bit of a crush on Elinor brings in Hercule Poirot to determine who is guilty.

We have:

A poison pen letter
Some missing morphine
An elderly aunt possibly bumped off before her time
A very large fortune left to Elinor.
A mysterious figure lurking in the bushes
A possibly perfidious cousin
A strange mark on a nurse’s wrist
Secrets from the past impacting the present
Poirot hilariously calling himself a “pukkah sahib”

Such a good story!!

Sad Cypress – The Covers

There are some great covers here – many of which contain aspects of things we have mentioned, the roses, the morphine, the poison pen letter. We also have our first Japanese cover, some French covers, a Spanish cover and a German which may actually be my favorite. Here it is in full:

I also want to call out this one because…what?

I understand the rose and the tea set. The weird green guy? Not a clue! It reminded me of Dumb Witness when Emily Arundell, who had been poisoned with phosphorus was said to have a luminous haze around her head.

The Recipe – Salmon Rillettes

I based my recipe for Salmon Rillettes on the recipe for Rainbow Trout Rillettes, Rye, Cucumber and Watercress Sandwiches from Food for Friends by Hardie Grant Publishing. That recipe is by Philippa Sibley and her book New Classics. I swapped out the trout for Salmon and used white bread for my sandwiches.

Elinor went across the hall and brought back from the pantry a big plate of sandwiches. She handed it to Mary saying:

“Have one?”

Mary took one. Elinor stood watching her for a moment as the girl’s white, even teeth bit into the sandwich”

Agatha Christie – Sad Cypress

Links to The Christieverse

Peter Lord, the doctor who is crushing on Elinor tells Poirot that he was recommended by Dr Stillingfleet. He is a character in a short story called The Dream which appears in The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Sad Cypress

Raspberries
Fish Paste Sandwiches (multiple references)
Cocktails
Tea (multiple references)
Doughnuts
Pink Sugar Cakes
Milk
Salmon and Shrimp Paste
Salmon and Anchovy Paste
Beer
Fresh Fish for lunch

June’s read will be One Two Buckle My Shoe

Have a great week!

06
Jan
2023

Champagne Cocktail – Dead Man’s Mirror

categories: Champagne, Cocktail, Dining With The Dame, Poirot

Hello food lovers and crime readers! Welcome to the first Dining with the Dame of 2023! We are celebrating the new year with a classic Champagne Cocktail and the final story from the Murder in the Mews Collection. I improvised here as there is no food mentioned in Dead Man’s Mirror. However, the sound of a cork popping features in the story so a Champagne cocktail feels fitting. Besides, who doesn’t love a Champagne cocktail?

Dead Man’s Mirror- The Plot

Hmm…we have a dead man in a locked room. If it sounds familiar is because it is also kinda, sorta what happened in Hercule Poirot’s Christmas which was last month’s read. This time the patriarch who meets an untimely end is Sir Gervase Chevenix-Gore. Sir G as we will call him because if I have to type Sir Gervase Chevenix -Gore every time I name him, I’ll be writing this into next year summons Poirot to his home at Hamborough Close. Much like Simeon Lee from last month, Sir G is obsessed with not having an heir to carry on the family name. He is also a bit of a martinet when it comes to timeliness. For instance, dinner is announced by a gong which is sounded twice – the bangs being seven minutes apart. Guests who are late for dinner are not invited back! On this night Sir G himself does not appear by the second gong. He is found, shortly thereafter, in his locked study, with a bullet in his brain and a pistol lying on the carpet by his body. A piece of paper with the word “Sorry” written on it lies on the desk in front of him. A clear-cut case of suicide.

Or is it?

We have

For the bullet to have smashed the mirror, Sir G must have shot himself at a very odd angle
As in Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, we have a woman picking up something from the floor of the crime scene
Ruth, Sir G’s adopted daughter. Sir G was keen for her to marry her cousin Hugo Trent which would keep the family line going. Only Ruth has some secrets.
A lack of footprints in the flower bed

Luckily we have Poirot around to solve the mystery of the Dead Man’s Mirror!

Dead Man’s Mirror – The Covers

As expected, many of the covers feature a broken mirror. I particularly like the one in the top which shows the dead man in the mirror, holding the note in his skeleton hand. However, my absolute favourite is the one on the far right which shows the Egyptian head and scarab beetle, in reference to Vanda, Sir G’s wife who believes she is the reincarnation of the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut and a priestess from Atlantis. It’s such a minor plot detail but makes an amazing cover! The broken mirror around her eye also gives it a bit of a steampunk look, decades before there was such a thing!

The Recipe – Champagne Cocktail

I am using the from a book called Fantastic Cocktails and Mixed Drinks. I have added a garnish of an orange wedge and a maraschino cherry to make it look prettier!

“You see, I thought the first gong had gone, so I hurried up with my dressing, came dashing out of my room, heard, as I thought, the second gong and fairly raced down the stairs. I’d been one minute late for dinner the first night I was here and Hugo told me it had about wrecked our chances with the Old Man, so K fairly hared down. Hugo was just ahead of me and then there was a queer kind of pop-bang and Hugo said it was a champagne cork but Snell said “No”to that.

Dead Man’s Mirror – Agatha Christie

Links to The Christieverse

Mr Satterthwaite, who we last met in Three Act Tragedy makes an appearance in this story. He not only mentions that case but also that he has seen Mary Lytton Gore recently.

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Dead Man’s Mirror

None

If you are wondering why this post is unusually early, it is because later today we are going to see The Arctic Monkeys, then tomorrow we are flying to Darwin for a week to celebrate the Fussiest Eater in The World’s birthday. Neither of us has been there before so it will be an exciting trip for us. It is by far the farthest north in Australia we have ever been! Also, just to put the distance in perspective, Darwin is about 400km closer to Singapore than it is to Melbourne! I am expecting some delicious seafood, tropical fruit, and some spectacular scenery

I may have to delay next week’s post due to the holiday. However, we have all the more time now to get stuck into February’s read – Appointment with Death.