Good day there crime readers and meals lovers! Proper this second’s Consuming With The Dame dives into “Taken At The Flood” (normally normally usually known as “There Is A Tide”). This will more and more very correctly be a critical Agatha Christie thriller filled with dying and dastardly doings nevertheless furthermore considerably a thriller is our chosen dish – Vienna Steak!
Now, at first look, this dish might have had you considering schnitzel, a extra acquainted Austrian providing. However proper right correct proper right here’s the twist: Vienna Steak is actually extra akin to a bunless hamburger. Historically, it’s served alongside fried onions and potatoes, a hearty, comforting nonetheless economical, mixture. Nonetheless, I couldn’t resist inserting my very personal spin on this wartime dish. Who can resist peppercorn sauce, correct? So I jazzed up my model with a wealthy, flavorful sauce that provides just a bit little little bit of little little little little bit of glamour to the Vienna Steak.
Talking of twists, a lightbulb second merely struck! Given the title of the e-book, wouldn’t “Vienna S-Taken On the Flood” be an essential pun? (Okay, that one’s a stretch…) However you understand how a complete lot we love a bit food-related wordplay proper right correct proper right here at Retro Meals For Trendy Occasions!
Taken at The Flood – The Plot
There have been waves all through the air of feeling – a powerful electrical present of – what was it? Hate? Might it actually be hate? One problem at any value – damaging.
Lynn thought suddently, “However that’s what the matter far and large. Ive seen it ever since I bought residence. it’s the aftermath the battle has left. Ailing will. Ailing feeling. It’s far and large. On railways and buses and in retailers and amongst employees and clerks and even agricultural labourers. And I suppose worse in mines and factories. Ailing will. However hereit’s bigger than that. Proper right correct proper right here it’s specific. It’s meant!
Agatha Christie – Taken at The Flood
It’s autumn 1944, and an air raid rattles the Coronation Membership in London. Proper right correct proper right here, amidst the chaos, we meet Foremost Porter, the membership bore. He regales Hercule Poirot with the tragic data of Gordon Cloade’s dying. A German bomb has not too methodology as soon as extra obliterated Cloade’s London residence, taking his life all through the course of.
Nonetheless, a twist emerges. Cloade died intestate, which implies he hadn’t up to date his will after his current marriage. This leaves his full property to his second affiliate, Rosaleen. However Rosaleen’s earlier holds a attainable complication. Earlier to marrying Cloade, she was the affiliate of a person named Robert Underhay. Underhay’s future stays shrouded in thriller – appearently he died years before now in Africa, nonetheless concrete proof is absent.
Foremost Porter has merely revealed that Underhay had spoken about faking his dying and assuming a mannequin new id as Enoch Arden when, he realises, a complete lot to his embarrassment that Jeremy Cloade, Gordon’s brother has overheard his dialog.
The narrative then leaps ahead in time. Spring 1946 sees Mrs. Lionel Cloade, one totally utterly completely different member of the Cloade household, searching for out Poirot. Glad by a gift ouija board session, she pleads with him to look out Robert Underhay. Discovering Underhay alive would invalidate Rosaleen’s marriage to Gordon, thereby jeopardizing her inheritance of the Cloade fortune. Poirot, nonetheless, stays unimpressed by this reliance on the spirit world and politely dismisses Mrs. Cloade.
However future, it appears, has totally totally utterly completely different plans. Just some days later, data arrives that a person named Enoch Arden has been discovered lifeless…
I included the above quote on sick will on function as Taken with the Flood is filled with crimes and misddemeamours. My copy is solely 192 pages nevertheless in that we now have (In no specific order)
- Homicide
- Tried Homicide
- Demise by misadventure
- Demise by Bomb blast
- Unintentional Demise
- Demise by Suicide
- Demise by overdose
- Eavesdropping
- Bribery
- Embezzlement
- Perjury
- Impersonation of individuals dwelling or lifeless
- Drug dependancy
- Informal racism
- Widespread cattiness
- A extraordinarily pink flag elevating romance
And to lighten the tone a bit little little little little little bit of cross dressing!
Good draw back we now have Poirot accessible to unravel all the threads and resolve what’s going on on on with the Cloade household!
Taken at The Flood – The Covers
As frequent there are some superb covers proper right correct proper right here and fairly the fluctuate That is fairly a flowery story and as many choices of it are in these covers. The ouija board, the objects present in Enoch’s lodge room, Enoch’s physique on the underside with the assassin seen absconding out the window, a really egg common head on Poirot, the blitz.
And because it’s Consuming With the Dame we even have a wacky cowl from Sweden displaying a home sinking proper into a toilet and a few grassland all through the type of a lady’s face. The Swedish translation is “Excessive Water” which could clarify the quilt! Every methodology, I choose it!
The Recipe: Vienna Steak
“And yearly parts worsen and worse No Service! Meals uneatable! Vienna Steak really! A steak’s every Rump or Fillet – not chopped up horse!”
Agatha Christie – Taken on the Flood
Vienna Steak with Mashed Potatoes, Fried Onions and Peppercorn Sauce
A tasty throwback to a pub meal from 1940’s Britain as described in Taken at The Flood.
For The Vienna Steak:
- 500g minced Beef
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 slice of white bread, crusts eradicated and torn into small items
- 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 massive onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper, flooring
- 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 mannequin
For The Peppercorn Sauce:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 50ml brandy
- 150ml Beef inventory
- 100ml cream
- 2 tbsp inexperienced peppercorns from a tin or jar, barely crush these with the as shortly as extra of your knife
For The Fried Onions
- Place the onions in a shallow bowl and canopy with the buttermilk.
- Cowl and place all through the fridge for about an hour.
- Place the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in a ziplock bag and stir to mix.
- After the hour, warmth the oil to 180C in a deep saucepan.
- Take a handful of onions from the bowl and shake off the surplus buttermilk. Add them to the ziplock bag and shake. Take away the onions from the bag and shake to take away any extra flour.
- Place all through the oil and fry till they appear like a deep golden brown (2-3 minutes).
- Take away from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain the onions on paper towel.
- Repeat with the remainder of the onions till they’re all used up.
- Serve sprinkled on prime of the Vienna Steaks.
For The Vienna Steaks:
- Warmth the oil and saute the onions till golden brown. Put aside to sit down down as soon as extra.
- When cool, add to the remainder of the native climate and blend appropriately.
- Choice into 4 burger patties.
- Place all through the fridge for spherical an hour.
- Warmth the oil in a frying pan over excessive warmth. Add the patties. Sear for a minute on all sides then decrease the warmth to medium and and permit to rearrange dinner dinner by means of, turning as shortly as all by cooking. Put collectively dinner to your hottest state of doneness
- Take away from pan and defend heat everytime you make the peppercorn sauce.
For The Mashed Potatoes:
- Place the potatoes proper right correct proper right into a saucepan and canopy with water. Add salt.
- Put collectively dinner for approx quarter-hour or till the potatoes are tender.
- Drain the potatoes. Go away to dry for a minute or two the pop as shortly as extra into the pan. Mash appropriately guaranteeing there’s not going to be any lumps of potato left.
- Add the butter and milk and mash as quickly as extra.
- Season to mannequin with salt and pepper.
For The Peppercorn Sauce:
- Soften the butter over medium warmth in a small pan.
- Add the chopped shallot. Put collectively dinner for spherical 5 minutes till softened, stirring each jiffy.
- Add the peppercorns and stir for 1 minute.
- Improve the warmth to medium excessive. Add the brandy and put collectively dinner dinner till that is amost utterly lowered.
- Add the inventory and simmer till lowered to about half (3-5 ) minutes
- In the reduction of the warmth to medium low, Add the cream and warmth to your required consistency. Don’t permit to boil.
To serve, place an infinite spoonful of mashed potatoes on a plate. Place a Vienna Steak on prime of the mash. Pour the sauce all through the mash. Sprinkle the onions on prime of the “Steaks”.
He stood for a second all through the corridor making an attempt from the glass -enclosed empty workplace to the door labelled in company earlier mannequin model COFFEE ROOM. By expertise of nation lodging Poirot knew appropriately that the one time espresso was served there was considerably grudgingly for breakfast and that even thena full lot of watery scorching milk was its principal half/ Small cups of a treacly and muddy liquid normally usually known as black espresso have been served not all through the COFFEE ROOM nonetheless all through the lounge. The Windsor Soup, Vienna Steak and Potatoes and Steamed Pudding which comprised dinner could also be obtainable all through the COFFEE ROOM at seven sharp.
Agatha Christie – Taken on the Flood
Hyperlinks To The Christieverse
Superintendent Spence says to Poirot “After which your nameless A B C lunatic killed….(no spoilers proper right correct proper right here”). This may take a look at with the killer all through the sooner Poirot thriller The A.B.C Murders.
Our August evaluation could also be Crooked Dwelling.
Have an essential week!
