I’ve loved the BBC show Father Brown for years, but I only recently got a chance to read the collection of short stories on which it’s based. Like many adaptations, the show diverges from the source material in key ways, but I think it stays true in the ways that matter most.
Arguably the biggest difference is that the literary Father Brown is always traveling. I don’t think you ever actually visit his own parish, which means recurring characters like Mrs. McCarthy, Lady Felicia, and Sid exist solely in the show. But don’t worry—Hercule Flambeau, master thief and Father Brown’s nemesis, is still around to stir up trouble! 😉
When one of my readers requested a Father Brown recipe specifically inspired by the stories, I was intrigued to say the least. To fans of the show, the iconic food is Mrs. McCarthy’s strawberry scones. But no Mrs. McCarthy in the stories means no scones. I was going to have to get creative. And I LOVE getting creative! ^.^
The stories mostly only mention food in passing, but one reference stands out. In “The Flying Stars,” Father Brown has to turn out his pockets, and among a few coins and priestly paraphernalia is a stick of chocolate, heavily implying that he always likes to keep some on hand. After reading that, I knew my recipe was going to be a rich, chocolatey dessert.
Then after reading “The Sign of the Broken Sword,” which is set in a graveyard at night, I fell in love with the idea of doing a death by chocolate dessert. This would be especially fitting because it would reference the murder mystery aspect of the stories, yet in a lighthearted way that wasn’t too gruesome. It was very important to me to respect the tone of the stories and Father Brown’s role as a priest, and that meant avoiding anything that glorified murder or gore.
Now that I had a creative vision, I was ready to begin! I started with my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe, which I paired it with something I’ve never tried before: chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream! I was SO nervous because I know it can be finicky, but I used this recipe from Baked by an Introvert without any problems. I specifically wanted meringue buttercream so I could toast it as a nod to Flambeau (because his name sounds like flambé and I’m a sucker for wordplay). If you don’t have a chef’s torch, don’t worry. The buttercream is still amazing un-toasted.
To play into the “death by chocolate” theme, I made some chocolate rice krispies treats and turned them into “Rest in Chocolate” tombstones to go on top. But what makes these cupcakes super special is the rich, red “mystery filling.” It’s a super versatile fruit filling you can make a variety of ways. If you want, you can make strawberry filling as a nod to Mrs. McCarthy. I personally prefer raspberry; it’s so richly flavored and intensely red, and the tartness balances the sweetness in the cake and frosting. Or—and this is where the “mystery” aspect comes in—you can make it with both strawberries AND raspberries and have people try to guess the flavor! Blackberries and blueberries should work too, though I haven’t tried them.
These were a big hit at our house. The moist cupcakes, sweet-tart filling, and intensely chocolatey yet not-too-sweet buttercream all came together to create a well-balanced bite. If you torch the buttercream, you also get a hint of smokiness reminiscent of s’mores. I’m DEFINITELY adding the raspberry filling and meringue buttercream to my arsenal of go-to recipes!
“Nothing of the sort shall be suggested,” said Colonel Adams…“I only ask you to give me the assistance that any gentleman might give.”
“Which is turning out [my] pockets,” said Father Brown, and proceeded to do so, displaying seven and sixpence, a return ticket, a small silver crucifix, a small breviary, and a stick of chocolate.
— “The Flying Stars,” The Wisdom of Father Brown
INGREDIENTS:
- For the Tombstones
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 5 oz marshmallows (approx. half a bag)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups Cocoa Krispies or Cocoa Pebbles
- 14 oz white almond bark
- 4-5 drops black gel food coloring
- Special Tool: Tombstone cookie cutter (maximum 2″)
- For the Filling
- 6 oz frozen raspberries or sliced strawberries (or 50/50 of each)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp water
- For the Cupcakes
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg, room temp
- 1 heaping Tbsp sour cream
- 1/4 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- For the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites (or 8 Tbsp liquid egg whites)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into pieces, softened (Not SUPER soft. Soft enough that you can easily make an impression with your thumb, but not greasy or melting. About 60°F internal temp.)
- 10 oz high quality 72% cocoa chocolate bar, melted and cooled (Must be a bar, not chocolate buttons or chocolate chips)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Special Tool: Chef’s torch, optional
Makes 6 cupcakes
INSTRUCTIONS:
- For the Tombstones: Coat a 7″x11″ pan with cooking spray and set aside. Place the butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the butter has just melted, swirl it around the bottom of the pot and add the marshmallows and vanilla. Stir continuously with a non-metal spatula until the marshmallows are melted. Quickly stir in the cereal until well-coated. Spread out the mix in the prepared pan in an even layer. Set aside until cool. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set side.
- Cut 6 tombstones from the rice krispies treats with the cookie cutter and set aside. Melt the almond bark according to package instructions. Transfer to a small bowl or large mug if needed. Stir in the food coloring to make it light gray. Using a fork, submerge a tombstone in the almond bark, then lift it out and tap it several times on the side of the bowl to dispel drips. Place on the wax paper to set.
- Repeat Step 2 with remaining tombstones. Transfer remaining almond bark to a piping bag and cut out a very small hole in one corner to make a tiny piping tip. Pipe 8 crosses about 1″ high on the wax paper. You’ll only need 6, but it’s good to have extra in case they break.
- Once tombstones and crosses are set, trim excess candy coating from the edges of the tombstones with a sharp knife if necessary. Using a toothpick, poke a hole about 1/2″ inch down into the top of each tombstone, rotating the toothpick to widen the hole to about 1/4″ wide. Gently place a cross in each hole. Store in a single layer in a sealed container until ready to pipe on the words.
- For the Fruit Filling: Combine all the ingredients in a medium pan over medium high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Bring mix to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Press through a wire mesh strainer into a sealable container to remove seeds, making sure to scrape the bottom of the strainer. Allow to come to room temp, uncovered. Cover and chill until ready to fill cupcakes.
- For the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°. Fill a cupcake tin with liners and set aside. Whisk together all the dry ingredients except the sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter on medium speed in a medium bowl. Beat in the sugar and vanilla until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the sour cream and vinegar. Alternate beating in the dry mix and buttermilk.
- Fill the liners half full and bake for 15-17 minutes for until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when firmly tapped with a finger. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- For the Buttercream: Fill a saucepan 1″ full with water and bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Add the sugar, egg whites, and salt to the bowl of a standing mixer. Place the bowl on top of the saucepan. Whisk gently and continuously until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture reaches 150°F on an instant-read thermometer. A regular candy thermometer won’t work here, since the mixture isn’t deep enough for an accurate read (and the thermometer would get in the way of whisking anyway).
- Transfer the bowl to the mixer and beat on medium speed with a whisk attachment 1-2 minutes, until the mix has cooled slightly and has a texture similar to shaving cream. You want the meringue cool enough that it won’t melt the butter.
- Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, only adding the next tablespoon when the one before it has been fully incorporated. It can be a little hard to see at first, so you might want to go by sound. I noticed my mixer sounded like it was working a bit harder for 10-15 seconds after adding each tablespoon. I wound up adding a new tablespoon every 20 seconds or so, which worked well for me. The mixture will become smooth and creamy. It may start to look a tiny bit separated/curdled as you get further along, but that’s normal and should resolve itself by the time the buttercream is completed.
- When all the butter is fully incorporated, turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides. Mix on medium-high for 30 seconds. Turn off the mixer again and add the melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until the chocolate is fully incorporated and the buttercream is light and fluffy. If your buttercream looks soupy, curdled, or has other consistency issues, check out Baked by an Introvert’s recipe for troubleshooting tips (I’m waaay too new to meringue buttercream to give detailed advice yet).
- To Assemble:Scoop approx. 1/2 Tbsp of cake from the center of each cupcake and fill with raspberry filling. Set aside.
- Transfer about 1/2 cup buttercream frosting to a piping bag fitted with the smallest round tip you have (mine is a Wilton #2, but a #1 would have been better). Use a toothpick to trace the words “Rest in Chocolate” on the tombstones and pipe frosting over the words. Swiss meringue buttercream is very soft, so work gently—you’ll barely need to squeeze the bag at all.
- Transfer remaining frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (such as a Wilton 1M). You probably won’t be able to fit it all in the bag at once, so just refill when you need to. Pipe a spiral of frosting on top of each cupcake, then pipe another on top (this gives your frosting added height and stability, which you’ll need if you toast it).
- If toasting the frosting, place the frosted cupcakes in the freezer for at least 15 minutes until frosting is firm. Set the flame on your chef’s torch to medium. Safely and briefly scorch the frosting of each cupcake.
- Top cupcakes with tombstones. If not toasted, add some chocolate sprinkles. Chill, covered, for up to 2 days. Allow to come to room temp for 30 minutes before serving. If you don’t have a tall enough lidded container for storing, allow the cupcakes to chill for about 20 minutes on a plate until frosting firms up, then cover with plastic wrap, removing the wrap immediately when you take them out to serve.
- Serve to your favorite amateur detective/Catholic priest after he solves his latest mystery.
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I haven’t created a new tea in a while and just couldn’t resist
paying tribute to the iconic food from the show!
So say hello to my Father Brown custom tea blend: Mrs. M’s Strawberry Scones! 😀
