"I like that one a whole lot about them German kids going out in the forest and coming to this house made out of all different kinds of candy and the witch. I like a story with something to eat in it."
"I’ll look for one," said Mick."But I’m getting kinda tired of candy," Bubber said. "See if you can’t bring me a story with something like a barbeque sandwich in it."
-Carson McCullers, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Cormoran Strike books pose a bit of a challenge, given that our heroes dine out so much. I don't have much confidence in my ability to make good fish 'n chips, Singapore noodles or lamb bhuna in my own kitchen.
Still, there are some examples of home-cooked good in the series, so I am going to try a couple of new recipes in honor of The Running Grave publication this Tuesday.
Cynthia Phipps' Coffee and Walnut Cake. I have never been particularly fond of nuts in cake, and I never managed to find any on a menu in last summer's UK trip but since this was Anna's favorite as a child, I figured I'd give it a try. I'm going to try this recipe, and trust the characterization as a "British classic." I purchased "caster sugar" and stopped by a local coffeehouse for a double shot of expresso, so I hope this will be authentic. I also got some coffee ice cream to go with it in case it turns out a but dry. And, I've got authentic Betty's tea to wash it down with.
As for drinks, I don't care for beer (even if Doom Bar was available here, which it isn't) or triple measures of neat whisky, which Strike and Robin seem to be downing quite a bit of over the last couple of books, so I will probably stick with coffee or creosote-colored tea.
Update: I don't plan to make these anytime soon, since the coffee-walnut cake is enough for the week, but eventually I should try the DPFH desserts.
Max's Cheesecake: I love cheesecake, especially with sour cream topping. I like the idea of trying a "digestive biscuit" crust instead of the American graham cracker version. Max, as a BBC drama star, would probably seek out a recipe like this.
Vegan (?) Lemon tart: We never did get a definitive answer to Courtney's query about whether the lemon tart was vegan. Understandably, satisfying that particular guest's dietary needs wasn't a high priority for Robin under the circumstances. Still, if Courtney did get a bite of dessert that fateful night, it might have been something like this.
Update 2:
Lucy's Banana Bread Cake: As my good friend Lana Whited pointed out, the confection Lucy serves her brother, sons and husband is alternately called banana bread or banana cake. Is it an actual gaffe (such as the hot beverage Cynthia Phipps serves with her famous coffee-walnut cake magically transfiguring between coffee and tea) or something that bridges the gap? I'm going to go with the latter and try this recipe.
Baba Graves' Victoria sponge cake: I'm in Chapter 42 of The Running Grave, which has, so far, been pretty devoid of good food. I don't think the UHC will be raising funds by cookbook sales anytime soon. But Strike got some good cake at Garvestone House and I think I'll try this recipe once my coffee-walnut cake is done.
Mrs. Heaton's lemon drizzle cake: Strike was pretty annoyed at the circus-like atmosphere ifor his interview at Casa Heaton, but the cake he got out of it at least soounded good. I'll assume it is something like this recipe from Mary Berry.
Are there any other Strike-inspired recipes you have made or are interested in making? If so, please share!
I am going to try this but, I am going to put the potatoes in the casserole (beef stew) but I am going to put the potatoes in the dish with the carrots
ReplyDeleteI’m not much of a cook, so I haven’t tried to make anything from Strike. But we do have an English pub in a city near me (I’m in the US), so I always enjoy having either fish and chips with mushy peas made very much the British way (if my forays into such food while in the UK are any indication), or a Cornish pasty with very tender beef and suede inside, as well as peas and carrots and mashed potatoes with a lovely brown sauce on the side. It’s always a difficult choice as to which one I will order. I would very much like to learn to make pasties, but that will have to wait until retirement!
ReplyDeleteNot sure why I know this but, I was under the impression that Max's "stew" was Julia Child's Boeuf Bourbuignon. As someone who makes her recipe fairly often, I can say it may look like a stew, but it's so much more. There's most of a bottle of very rich red burgundy wine in there with fun things like pearl onions, bacon lardons, mushrooms and fresh herbs; it cooks for 3.5 hours in a Dutch oven and comes out like heaven. Jus' sayin. Thanks for the Walnut Cake recipe!
ReplyDeleteLooking through the book, it is described as having beef and red wine in it and Max was "poring over a cookbook" to decide whar to make, but nothing specific to Julia Child that I could find. I assume the dish had veggies as well, since there was no mention of any side dishes. I picked this recipe specifically for the red wine.
DeleteLinda orders a Fat Rascal at Betty’s in CC. It is like a rock cake or rock bun. Easy to make.
ReplyDeleteYes, I found a recipe for them: https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2015/02/home-away-from-home-bettys-fat-rascals-recipe.html. I didn't get to try one when I visited Betty's in York this summer; the high tea I had came with a couple of different types of scones. But I should add the recipe, for sure.
DeleteThis page is proving one of my more popular, which leads me to wonder if I should re-organize it, and if so, how? By book? By recipe type? Cake would have a rather disproportionately sized section....
The best fruitcake in the USA comes from Corsicana TX. They sell it year round. It's from Collin Street Bakery. Fabulous. Chill it and cut the pieces paper thin, or not. Dried fruit and pecans with just enough batter to hold it together. Get the original. Freezes great!
ReplyDelete