Tag: Short Story

Gin And Ginger Beer – Triangle at Rhodes

Hello crime readers and cocktail lovers!  Today we are reading (and drinking ) our way through a short story from the Murder in The Mews collection, Triangle at Rhodes.  And what better way to sit back and watch the shenanigans taking place on this gorgeous Greek island than with a cocktail in hand?  A gin and ginger beer happens to be one of my favourite  cocktails so I was delighted to find it mentioned in my favourite story in this collection!    I will also point out that the gin and ginger beer is not the most commonly named cocktail in Triangle at Rhodes, pink gin is mentioned multiple times and may have been a better choice.  However, as I am largely reading / rereading the Christie books as I blog about them, I have already used Pink Gin as the recipe for Three Act Tragedy! If you are reading along and would prefer to have that as your tipple, click the link above!

Gin and Ginger Beer1

 

Triangle at Rhodes- The Plot

.Poirot is on holiday at the Greek Island of Rhodes.  The story opens as follows

“Hercule Poirot sat on the white sand and looked out across the sparkling blue water.  He was carefully dressed in a dandified fashion in white flannels, and a large panama hat protected his head.”

It makes me laugh a little bit to imagine the fastidious Poirot sitting on sand.  I feel that he would absolutely loathe it.  Almost as much as we can tell he hates rubbing sun tan oil on someone, which happens in the very next paragraph!  So much for enjoying his break!

The Poirot episode of Triangle at Rhodes, has him seated on a chair which seems far more his style!

Staying at the same hotel ias Poirot s the very glamourous Valentine Chantry and her fifth husband, a naval Commander who is described as a brute and somewhat apelike.

Valentine Chantry

Newly arrived at the hotel are the very handsome but not too bright Douglas Gold and his frumpy wife Marjorie. And with that, all aspects of the triangle are in place!

We have

  • An illicit affair
  • A marriage on the rocks
  • Poirot warning Marjorie Gold to leave the island.  Do not pass go, do not collect £200.  Just go.  Now!
  • Valentine Chantry killed by poison in her pink gin
  • A packet of poison found in a husband’s pocket

The case seems pretty clear cut.  But of course it isn’t because this is an Agatha Christie story so, things of course are not entirely as they seem!  It’s up to Poirot to see the innocent spared and the guilty punished.

Gin and Gingerbeer2

Triangle at Rhodes- The Covers

I could only find one cover for Triangle At Rhodes.

Very beautiful – it makes me want to go to Rhodes!

But while digging about the internet, I was also able to find this from the Strand Magazine version of the story!  Isn’t it glorious?

As we are not spending too much time on the covers, I thought we might look at some of the fashion.  The women are beautifully dressed.

And whoever thought we would see Poirot in shades!

Triangle at Rhodes Fashion 2

 

The Recipe

Print

Gin And Ginger Beer – Triangle at Rhodes

Spice up your life with this mix of gin, ginger beer and lime.  A lovely refreshing cocktail.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 30ml London Dry Gin
  • 10ml lime juice
  • Ginger beer
  • Ice cubes
  • Mint leaves, lime slices and crystallised ginger to serve

Instructions

  • Mix the gin and lime juice together and pour into your glass.
  • Add the ice cubes and top with the ginger beer.  Stir.
  • Garish with lime slices, mint leaves and a piece of crystallised ginger.

Gin and Ginger Beer3

 

“Tony, darling it was too divine, ” cried Valentine as she dropped into a chair by his side.  “The most marvellous idea of Mrs Gold’s.  You all ought to have come!”

Her husband said:  “What about a drink?”

He looked inquiringly at the others.

“Pink gin for me darling,” said Valentine

“Gin and ginger beer, ” said Pamela

– Agatha Christie, Triangle at Rhodes

Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Triangle at Rhodes

 

November’s read will be the titular story from the Murder in The Mews collection.  The setting is Guy Fawkes niight so get ready for fireworks and murder!

Happy reading!

Signature2

Lemon Soufflé – The Incredible Theft

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.

Lemon Soufflé1

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!

Pefect Poolside Reading
Perfect Poolside Reading!

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:

Incredible Theft coversInstead, 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 Soufflé3

 

Print

Lemon Soufflé – The Incredible Theft

A lovely light dessert, given a retro twist by serving it in the lemons.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 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.

Lemon Souffle 4

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!

Signature2