Homemade toffee apples inspired by Agatha Christie’s novel, The Secret Adversary
For the penultimate episode of the third season, Katie picked Agatha Christie’s second novel, ‘The Secret Adversary’ to share in the Whodunnit Dinners podcast. The story’s central mystery focuses on a secret wartime treaty that may have been carried from a ship called the Lusitania, which took passengers from Europe across to America until it was sunk by the Germans in 1915. A key character in the novel is an American millionaire and these American connections inspired Katie to request a period dish from the American east coast.
What makes The Secret Adversary such a great novel?
As Katie shares on the latest podcast episode, despite only being her second published work, this book is a real highlight amongst Agatha Christie’s 75+ stories.
In post‑World War I London, unemployed ex-soldier Tommy Beresford and his spirited friend Prudence “Tuppence” Cowley, set up The Young Adventurers Ltd. to take on any job that comes their way. Their first client, Mr. Whittington, offers Tuppence a lucrative role in Paris to help him recover a woman linked to the vanished secret treaty carried from the Lusitania. As their own relationship deepens, Tuppence and Tommy become entangled in a dangerous conspiracy led by the shadowy “Mr. Brown,” who manipulates spies, the press, and even terrorist plots. With the help of Jane’s American millionaire cousin and British intelligence, the pair navigate kidnappings and close calls, ultimately unmasking Mr. Brown, recovering the treaty, and saving England’s post‑war stability.
Katie thoroughly enjoyed the plotting, the mystery and the relationship between the two amateur sleuths and gave it an impressive rating of 5 magnifying glasses out of 5.
Why is this toffee apple recipe culturally significant?
Katie challenged Helen on the previous podcast to research a traditional American dish from the 1920s or the 1930s to pair with the novel she was planning to discuss. Helen wasn’t sure what she meant by traditional American, so suggested a native American dish called Three Sisters Stew Maple Syrup glazed squash for one a possible recipe options. However, Katie felt this was wide of the mark and selected another of Helen's ideas - making toffee apples for a Halloween party - as she decided it was more in keeping with the story.
The recipe Helen uncovered came from the 1923 Dennison company’s Bogie Book. The story of the book/magizine itself is a lovely insight into the period in American cultural history. You can find out more by clicking here
Launched in 1909 by the Dennison paper products company, which specialized in crepe paper, the Bogie Books became hugely popular for their ideas for parties, costumes, and menus. The popularity of Halloween parties exploded in the 1920s. Long established among young adults looking for romance, postwar they shifted to include children and adults as well.
The 1923 book has been preserved and you can see it by clicking on this link.
The full recipe is listed on a website called Recipe Rewind - check it out here.
Recipe Rewind says: “Step back in time with these authentic 1923-style brown sugar taffy apples – a sweet piece of Halloween history that brings the flavors of yesteryear straight to your kitchen. Unlike today’s caramel apples, these vintage toffee apples showcase the natural amber glow of brown sugar, creating a glossy, translucent coating that lets each apple’s natural beauty shine through.”
Yum!
How long do 1923 Hallloween Brown Sugar Toffee Apples take to make?
These very simple treats only take 30-35 minutes to make. Crucially, the only ingredients you will need are: apples, light brown sugar and lemon juice. You also need baking paper to stop them sticking to the baking tray and lollipop sticks or wooden skewers to stick through the apples.
Bring the mystery to your table
Pair this sweet treat with a murder mystery of your own: it could go nicely with our Halloween game ‘Spectre at the Feast’ if you’re playing it on a chilly autumnal night. For a similar flavour of espionage, check out our Spy Thriller ‘The Spy who came in with a Cold’, or browse our full collection for more.
Listen to the podcast
If you’ve found this American Halloween recipe idea suitably tantalising, you should take a listen to the full Whodunnit Dinners podcast, which will take you through the plot, background and themes of Agatha Christie's ‘The Secret Adversary’. Helen also shares some other ideas for how you might interpret ‘traditional American cuisine’. To hear the full Whodunnit Dinners podcast, listen here.