Corned Beef and Carnage

Murder, She Wrote S3:E5

Jun 12, 2024

Tonight, on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica's niece Victoria is in a bit of a pickle. She works for a swanky advertising agency that is struggling to keep the account for Corned Beef Castle.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the client will only renew their contract if Victoria succumbs to the advances of the boss.

Corned beef is a guilty pleasure of mine, and it is one of the reasons I wish I lived in the USA. We just don't get enough of it over here in the UK. The idea that there might be a chain of mom-and-pop delicatessens in Boston specialising in corned beef dishes just makes me want to jump on a plane and relocate there!

I can't think of anything more appropriate to eat while enjoying this episode than a corned beef on rye sandwich. The delivery of one of these from a New York deli provides an essential clue for Jessica. Will you have yours with mustard? With sauerkraut? Horseradish?

It's totally up to you, but if followed by Susan Anton's Apple Crisp; I think you would feel thoroughly spoiled and contented! Martinis get a mention, and of course, this is the favourite tipple of the Madison Avenue advertising crowd, so why not precede your dinner with a cocktail?! If you are in the mood for something fancier than a sandwich, why not split a chateaubriand as the sleazy owner of the Corned Beef Castle is planning to do with Victoria?

I don’t usually include test cook verdicts in these Substack posts, but here’s the one that appeared in the book as Sherrie offers some very valuable info.

By the way, KUDOS to the props department, I really, really hope that I spot one of these Corned Beef Castle mugs on eBay one day!

Oh my! Sherrie Graham in beautiful Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, tested this one for me and sent lots of suggestions for making the original recipe clearer, which I put into practice. She noted that the topping was supposed to be ‘crumbled’ over the apples, but it was more like a dough - not ‘crumbleable’ at all. “It kind of needed to be spread over.” Sherrie felt that the sugar probably could have been halved as the dessert was very sweet, but added, “My two boys loved it and kept sneaking bites of it on their way past in the kitchen!”

Susan Anton's Apple Crisp

1 scant cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Dash of cinnamon

8 tart green apples

1 stick of butter,* melted

1 scant cup of flour

Preheat oven to 375℉.

Mix together the sugar, salt and cinnamon. Wash, peel, core and slice the apples. Sprinkle the apples lightly with 1 or 2 tablespoons of hot water and a few tablespoons of the sugar mixture. Arrange the apple mixture in the bottom of a large, greased baking pan. Place the melted butter in a mixing bowl, then gradually add the remaining sugar mixture and flour to form a crumbly mixture, working it with a fork. Sprinkle the butter-flour mixture evenly over the sliced apples. Bake for 35 minutes or until the apples are tender and the crumb topping is golden brown. Serve warm, alone or with whipped cream or softened vanilla ice cream. Makes a wonderful dessert.

Serves 8-10

* 1 stick of butter weighs 110g.

Next month on Murder, She Cooked - the first and ONLY recipe from the actor who played much beloved Dr Seth Hazlitt

Dinner and a Movie

This month’s Dinner and a Movie suggestion is A Place in the Sun with one of my favourites in the lead role, Elizabeth Taylor alongside the equally beautiful Montgomery Clift. I’ll be sharing some of their favourite recipes.

Skip over here to my other Substack for all the details.

Test cooking for volume 2 of Murder, She Cooked

My apologies to some lovely people I missed mentioning in my round-up of test cooks.

Bruce McMahon is a test cook I have actually met in person! A fellow member of the Guild of Food Writers, Bruce writes the excellent

The Lemon Grove

here on Substack, so naturally, when he volunteered to test, I chose him something featuring lemons! Lisa Darr’s Spicy Lemon Chicken Caper.

Julia G tested Sam Anderson’s Grilled Salmon and wrote, “That salmon was so good, I've made it multiple times since then!” which naturally makes me extremely happy.

How could I have forgotten the lovely Amy C, who sent great photos of Jane Withers’ Party Cake

Mariette Hartley’s Chicken Wonderful

Susan Clark’s Peach Salad

and Vera Miles’ Hot Cakes.

The aforementioned Brian of The Infinite Feast sent lovely photos of Tippi Hedren’s Lobster Mirin.

Woodie A made Leon Singer’s Milanese con Papas. My apologies, Woodie; I captured your feedback, but if you sent me photos, I cannot for the life of me find them. If, like me, you have approximately 4 million photos on your phone and you are good at finding specific ones, send ‘em on over, and I’ll pop into a forthcoming newsletter.

I cannot deny that anyone who sends photos that include “little helpers” absolutely makes my day, so thanks to Jen M, who sent this darling photo of her Sam Anderson’s Grilled Salmon test cook.

OK, I THINK that is everyone now, but again, if you haven’t spotted yourself either in this post or the previous round-up, do let me know.

I am going to have a recipe amnesty soon to see if there are any extras that need testing, so keep your eyes peeled if you missed the first callout for testers.