Agatha Christie: A Caribbean Mystery, how Jason Statham has a lot to answer for and many fruity goings on

The latest episode of the Whodunnit Dinners podcast takes Miss Marple right out of her country comfort zone and into the wild west of the Caribbean for the appropriately titled ‘A Caribbean Mystery’.  It’s a lesser-known Agatha Christie novel and the second of our third series, which is All About Agatha!

What’s the plot of A Caribbean Mystery?

In our latest podcast, Helen introduces Katie to A Caribbean Mystery. It’s the 9th book in the Miss Marple series and was published in 1964. We are all so used to picturing the iconic amateur sleuth in a classic English country setting, that it’s a curious proposition and Helen was keen to see how it played out. As always, the Agatha Christie set-up is uniquely intriguing:  Miss. Marple, recovering from ill health, is sent on a holiday to the Golden Palm Hotel on the Caribbean island of St. Honoré by her nephew. She meets Major Palgrave, an eccentric older guest who hints at knowing a serial killer among the resort’s visitors. Before he can show her a photo of the killer, he spots someone over her shoulder and hides the picture away in a hurry. When Palgrave dies suddenly, apparently from natural causes, Miss Marple rightly suspects foul play. The corpses pile up before she can identify the serial killer. Unusually, Helen also managed to identify the murderer before Marple got to the big reveal as well, which put her in a very good mood. Helen, that is. 

What was the food challenge?

Helen had asked Katie to prepare to talk about food recipes related to pawpaw, which is served up to the guests at the Golden Palm hotel in the story. 

What is a pawpaw? 

First of all, Katie realised that there are actually two answers to that question. The American pawpaw grows on a small deciduous tree and is the largest edible fruit native to the United States. Botanically, it is closet o tropical custard apples. It tastes rich and custardy, often compared with banana, mango, pineapple and vanilla. It likes temperate climates and tolerates cold winters. What we in the UK, and in other English-speaking regions, call a papaya grows on a tropical, palm-like plant and can also be called pawpaw, which creates the confusion. With a juicy melon-like consistency, it likes tropical or sub- tropical climes.

Katie decided to go for the classic fruit dessert called a fool. For this dish, you want the orange-fleshed tropical Carica papaya. An American pawpaw would also make an excellent fool, but it would taste richer and more like banana custard. We realise it’s a trifle confusing. (Apologies for the pudding joke.)

How to make a Papaya Fool

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe papaya

• 300 ml double cream

• 2–3 tbsp icing sugar

• 1 tsp lime juice

• Finely grated zest of ½ lime

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• A pinch of salt

• Optional: toasted coconut, crushed biscuits or fresh mint

Method

1. Peel the papaya, remove the seeds and chop the flesh.

2. Blend the papaya with the lime juice, lime zest and 1 tbsp icing sugar until smooth.

3. Whip the cream with the vanilla, salt and remaining icing sugar until it forms soft peaks.

4. Gently fold about two-thirds of the papaya purée into the cream, leaving visible swirls rather than fully mixing it.

5. Spoon into glasses and top with the remaining purée.

6. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

7. Finish with toasted coconut, crushed biscuits or mint.

For a lighter version, replace half the cream with thick Greek yoghurt.

Listen to the Whodunnit Dinners podcast

If you want to hear more about Agatha Christie, Miss Marple or if you just want to pass the time by listening to two old friends chat about murder mysteries, food, the curse of Jason Statham and a host of other randomness, check out Whodunnit Dinners podcast #21!