Classical Film Reviews · Film Reviews

Classical Film Review: Torn Curtain [1966]

Torn CurtainHello and welcome to the Classical Review… otherwise known as the Alfred Hitchcock Review… because yes, this week it’s another Hitchcock film: Torn Curtain! An American physicist, Michael Armstrong, shocks his friends and family by defecting to East Germany at the height of the Cold War! [VT- Shock!] Even his fiancée, Sarah, is surprised by the move. But! When she follows him behind the Iron Curtain she discovers… that her husband to be isn’t actually a Communist… he’s a double agent! Michael’s job is to discover Soviet nuclear secrets but, as they plot a way back to America, his cover is blown!

Is it the best film you’ve ever seen? Startlingly brilliant? Is it full of mystery and intrigue?!?!

Well, it’s not a total disaster.

Whilst there are some undeniably tense moments (almost all involving Wolfgang Keiling’s KGB agent Hermann Gromek), this is Hitchcock on autopilot and really quite unrewarding.

The 1966 spy thriller has one of the lowest reputations of his late works. But Hitchcock was incapable of making a completely uninteresting film- even when lumbered with the utterly unsympathetic Paul Newman and Julie Andrews (don’t give me that look- you know they are!) He’s a screen legend, one of the best cowboys of all time and his wry humour is fantastic… yet an academic he is not.

Much criticism at the time was aimed at Julie Andrews- whose performance is perfectly acceptable. No. Really. It’s fine. She’s… fine.

She’ll do.
Whatever.

But she doesn’t sing! Fresh from the hugely successful Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, she was in danger of becoming type cast… because she is really ruddy good at that one thing! Make her do that one thing over and over please!

Never mind. It’s an okay film. There is even a murder scene that subverts the film convention of a quick and painless death… Film convention of the time, obviously. I don’t think Saw exactly follows those rules.

This is one of those frustrating films of two halves: In the first half of the film, there is an interesting, off-centred moral tone as Michael is an opportunistic missile scientist, trying to worm his way into East Berlin so he can pick the brain of a leading communist researcher. The second half is more of a straightforward chase that manages to loose the momentum and trust it has gained. One wonders whether there was, perhaps, a better film left on the cutting room floor.

‘It tears you apart with suspense’, reads the tag line. ‘It tears you apart with mildly frustrated boredom’, might be a more accurate title.

Food · Grain Free Recipes · Sugar Free Recipes

Peanut Flour Donuts Recipe

My lovely wife does not in any way have a sweet tooth- other than for donuts! Every time we’re given boxes of biscuits or chocolate they are either re-gifted or she takes a tiny nibble from one corner of one biscuit… and then the whole box gets thrown away once it inevitably goes stale. Clearly my inability to eat sugar doesn’t help but even as a child I wasn’t a great fan of sweet things.

Cake-y things on the other hand: sign me up!

I’ll be there with ribbon on top! (I don’t know why that’s special, I’m normally keeping my hair back with some form of ribbon anyway)

But Claudia also doesn’t like cake and I can’t have sugar or flour… As much as I love baking there doesn’t feel much point unless we can both eat what I’ve made. Cue the quest for the perfect donut!

Deep fat frying is out of the question because there is no way in hell I’m dealing with a boiling vat of liquid pain and I’m not allowed to buy a ‘healthy fryer’ or air fryer until space can be made in our ridiculously small kitchen. Which leaves me turning to baking and the world’s cutest mini-donut pan. Fortunately this also means they’re gloriously un-greasy- which should definitely be a word. Hitting other checkboxes, they are also low carb, sugar free and gluten free, since I’m going to be using my new favourite baking ingredient: Sukrin’s peanut flour!

This most excellent of flours ensures the donuts are moist but still light and yeasty… without any actual yeast to bother my stomach (a resounding groan all round for the annoyance that is my stomach)

These mini donuts are so more-ish you’ll want to eat them all but they do keep well in the fridge.

Ingredients

 

60g (1/2 cup) peanut flour
30g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar substitute
110g (1/2 cup) melted unsalted butter
3 eggs
55g (1/4 cup) coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

topping
2 tbsp coconut oil
30g cream cheese

  • Preheat the oven to 180C degrees
  • Mix peanut flour, sugar substitute, baking powder and salt
  • Add the eggs, coconut milk, butter vanilla extract.
  • Blend together until there are no lumps!
  • Grease the donut tin with butter before pouring in the mixture
  • Bake for 20 minutes until firm
  • Allow to cool and remove from the tin
  • Mix coconut oil and cream cheese together then spread over the top of the cooled donuts.
Notes

If you’re unfortunately peanut-averse or allergic then try substituting rice flour or even sesame flour (although the second will give you a runnier mixture and closer texture in the finished product).

This mixture makes 12 mini donuts or 5-6 regular sized ones, depending on how high you fill each pan.

Food · Grain Free Recipes

Malaysian Style Fishcakes Recipe Video

Like most foodies with ‘flour problems’ (why do you hate me so, wheat, why…?!?!) I’m always on the hunt for interesting new flours made from different ingredients that my stomach won’t reject. As you know I’m also a big fan of Malaysian flavours and foods, which is where I took inspiration for this recipe. Sukrin’s peanut flour was one I had never come across before but I very much enjoy the nutty flavour found in many Asian dishes. By blending it with red curry paste- as seen in my Chinese Shop video- and fish sauce this fishcakes recipe brings back memories of lovely meals I had in Malaysia!

I used cod for this recipe as I know it’s good at carrying flavours and holds together well when blended but other robust fish will also do. Mackerel, a huge favourite of mine, would be a great swap but would risk drowning the other ingredients out.

It’s a fabulously easy recipe to make: just chop everything up and pop it into a blender then into hot oil! Since you can also use up any fish you have in the freezer it’s a great ‘end of the week’s food shop’ dish BUT it’s also fabulous as a starter at dinner parties when served with just a little salad.

 

300g roughly chopped fish fillets

1 egg white

2 teaspoons red curry paste

1 tbsp peanut flour

1 tsp fish sauce

3 green beans

Steps
  •      Mix all ingredients except the green beans together in a small blender/NutriBullet
  •      Chop the green beans into small slices and fold into the mixture
  •      Using damp hands shape tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls.
  •      Heat vegetable oil in a large wok over a medium- high heat
  •      Add 6 fishcakes at a time and cook for 3 minutes until golden
  •      Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel
  •      Serve with lime wedges and salad

Fishcakes