Squashed Fly Biscuits. Murder Most Unladylike.
Once we had collected our biscuits - only squashed flys on Saturdays, which I think is hardly worth it, though Daisy loves them - Daisy and I shook off the rest of the third form and went in search of Jones...
Murder Most Unladylike, Robin Stevens
My sister Lucy and I grew up with a very large number of grandparents. Our parents are divorced, and both remarried, and some of their parents are too. They all lived in our around Brisbane when we were growing up, and so were a large part of our childhood. My great-grandmother, my granny's mum, lived on her own in a house quite near us. My memories of her almost all revolve around food: like the Christmas puddings that hung from broomsticks around her dining room for six months of the year.
She also always had a packet of squashed fly biscuits in the tea cupboard. Lucy and I were intrigued by them; their name alone was enough to guarantee our interest. But, like Hazel, in the quote above, they never appealed very much when it came to the eating of them. I'd always rather put my hand into the jar that held Iced Vovos instead. But, as I grew up, I came to love them. They remind me a bit of my beloved Eccles cakes, full of spiced currants, and sweet on top.
I read Murder Most Unladylike recently, after it was recommended by a friend. It is full of all of my favourite things: boarding school politics, crimes, clever girls figuring things out, and plenty of food. I was also instantly taken with Hazel, who is struggling to fit in in a new school and a new country, and strikes up a Holmes/Waston friendship with Daisy. It's a true gem of a book - I'm hooked on the series now, and have already sent my nannying charge back to school library in search of the next.
Squashed Fly Biscuits
60g + 1tbsp golden caster sugar
90ml whole milk
125g currants
1tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch granulated sugar
Mixing bowl
Pastry brush
1. To make the biscuit dough, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 60g sugar and the milk, and bring together into a dough. Rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C. Toss the currants with 1tbsp sugar and the cinnamon. Roll the dough out into a rough square, around 30cm wide. Slice it in half, and cover one half with the currants. Flip the other half of the dough over this, and then roll out again until around 7mm thick, trapping the currants between two layers of dough.
3. Trim the edges and score rectangles in the dough, not slicing all the way through. Place the slab of biscuits on a baking tray, brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 minutes. Once golden, allow to cool for a couple of minutes before breaking into finger biscuits and serving with tea.
In 21st Century Fiction, Biscuits, Children's Books Tags England, Biscuit, Biscuits, Currants, Boarding School, Robin Stevens, Mystery
Key Lime Pie. Heartburn.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have made a different pie. The pie I threw at Mark made a terrific mess, but a blueberry pie would have been even better, since it would have permanently ruined his new blazer, the one he bought with Thelma. But Betty said to bring a Key lime pie, so I did.
Heartburn, Nora Ephron, Chapter 13
I've always considered myself a fan of Nora Ephron's writing, despite only ever experiencing it through her sharp, warm and witty films. I recently rectified this, and devoured her novel Heartburn on a particularly long night-bus journey home (it's pretty short). A semi-autobiographical novel inspired by the breakdown of Ephron's marriage, it is a bit of a precursor to her later works, including When Harry Met Sally - the one by which all other romantic comedies are measured.
It turns out that Heartburn is also ideal for this blog - the central character is a food writer, so the book is littered with recipes and conversations about food. Alongside the perfect mashed potato, a 'secret recipe' vinaigrette and her sublime carbonara, this Key lime pie is a particularly memorable moment in the book. My friend Sonia and I managed to time our consumption of it with the moment in the film version when Meryl Streep plants her version squarely into Jack Nicholson's face. Perfect.
A final note here - I had intended to make my own biscuits, and perhaps even attempt something extravagant, inspired by Ryan's famous Key lime pie from the Bake Off a couple of years back. But, as fate would have it, it was one of 'those weeks' at work. So I embraced Ephron's simple instructions (I've included them verbatim below), and made something that truly was 'easy as pie', achievable even at 11.30pm.
Heartburn, Chapter 13 The Key lime pie is very simple to make. First you line a 9-inch pie plate with a graham cracker crust. Then beat 6 egg yolks. Add 1 cup lime juice (even bottled lime juice will do), two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk, and 1 tablespoon grated lime rind. Pour into the pie shell and freeze. Remove from freezer and spread with whipped cream. Let sit five minutes before serving.
Serves 8 generously (or ideal for one pie-in-the-face moment)
300g packet of Hob Nobs (or graham crackers if you're in the States)
Zest of 6 limes
250ml lime juice
2 tins (397g each) condensed milk
Zest of one additional lime
Food processor (or sturdy plastic bag and rolling pin)
Small saucepan
20cm loose-bottomed deep flan dish (mine has 3cm high sides, which provides the optimal crust to filling ratio)
Citrus juicer and zester
Electric hand whisk
1. Preheat your oven to 160C. Melt the butter in the small saucepan and set aside to cool.
2. Blitz (or bash) the Hob Nobs to smithereens, then stir the cooled butter through them. The biscuit dust should clump back together - once it does, press it into the flan dish, pushing it firmly into the corners and up the sides.
3. Place the biscuit crust in the oven for ten minutes until browned, then remove and allow it to cool.
4. While the crust is baking, beat the egg yolks until light and foamy. Beat in the condensed milk, and then the lime juice and zest. The acidity of the lime will react with the condensed milk, causing it to thicken and set without the need for baking. If you're worried about eating raw egg yolks, do put it in the oven for ten minutes. I'm not concerned so, once the mixture had thickened, I poured it straight into the cooled pie crust and transferred it to the freezer.
5. Leave the pie in the freezer for at least 6 hours (or overnight). Once you're ready to serve it, remove from the freezer and slip the pie out of the flan tin. Leave it to sit for five minutes to defrost. Beat the cream to soft peaks. Spoon the cream over the pie and zest a lime over the top. Serve in large slices.
In 20th Century Fiction, Desserts, Pies Tags Baking, Biscuits, Condensed milk, Lime, Meryl Streep, Nora Ephron, Pie, USA, When Harry Met Sally