Clue Crew Kitchen!

Hey Clue Crew! Do you love food? Then you've come to the right place! This blog is dedicated to all of the iconic food in the Nancy Drew Universe or, as I like to call it, the Drewniverse. I mainly post recipes pulled from/inspired by the Nancy Drew PC games but you'll find book-related recipes mixed in from time to time. Bon Appétit! Part of the Clue Crew Directory!! ~Click Here to View Recipes Only~

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe #126 - Professor Hotchkiss’ Summer Salsa

I love cilantro so much, I could eat it all day every day. That being said, if you have the "cilantro=soap" gene, maybe just leave that part out.

I'm always skeptical following recipes that are from video games because you never quite know if they're legit or not, but this one was perfect! I mean, it's probably hard to mess up salsa, right? One thing I noticed is that its flavor got better over time after chilling in the fridge. I think letting it sit for awhile mellowed out the spice somewhat too. This salsa would probably taste good with a spritz of lime, but otherwise no notes. I ate it with some cilantro lime tortilla chips and a bowl of Trader Joe's white queso. Awesome weekend night appetizer!

Recipe:

From Hotchkiss herself!

1 can (10 ounce) diced tomatoes and green chilies (undrained)

1 tbsp seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper

1 tbsp chopped red onion

1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

dash salt & pepper

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe 126 - Professor Hotchkiss' Summer Salsa

"Professor Hotchiss' Summer Salsa" is the first recipe I've done based on Professor Beatrice Hotchkiss' official website! A huge shout out to @bessgeorgefrankjoe for bringing it to my attention 💙

I'm always happy to branch out and do non-game-specific recipes and this was just the inspo I needed! I picked this recipe first because I'm in a very summer mood right now and because it was the easiest of the bunch. File this under: absolute beginner for skill level needed because it's really just chopping stuff and mixing it together.

This was my first time making salsa from scratch and it came out pretty much exactly how I like it! The perfect mixture of basic ingredients with a cilantro/garlic kick, so good 😋 The way I made it it came out about medium hot, but you could make easy adjustments to make it mild or extra hot depending on your preferences.

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe #125 - Matcha Brownies

This was my first time baking with matcha! Honestly, I'm surprised it took me this long since I love Japanese food. I was happy to take advantage of my neighborhood's specialty market for this recipe (shout out to Maruichi!)

Although brownies are "easy," I did run into some trouble with this recipe. First, I couldn't seem to get the center to bake no matter how much time I added. I've had this issue with my apartment's oven several times now, so I guess I need to stop following recipes to the T. Fortunately, I still had plenty of decent brownies to work with when I was done. Also, the top of my brownies cracked, but I didn't mind that as much. I'm not trying to win Bake Off here!

Anyways, whether or not this flavor of brownie is for you is gonna be based on your own experience. Matcha seems to be a somewhat divisive flavor. Me, I'll eat anything that involves white chocolate 🤤

Recipe:

Here is my source

½ cup unsalted butter, browned

4 oz white chocolate

2 tbsp matcha powder

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

1 cup all purpose flour

¼ tsp flaky salt, optional

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe 125 - Matcha Brownies

"Matcha Brownies" is the 4th recipe I've done based on Midnight in Salem. These brownies are one of the sweet treats sold at Lauren's shop. You can find my other MID recipes here.

I was looking for my next recipe when I found this screenshot of the menu and said "that's the one!" I've been craving brownies for a long time now but have been too lazy to make them. I've made boxed brownies before, but I've never done them from scratch and never with white chocolate. It was so fun and satisfying!

The end result was just how brownies should be, crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. This is a good beginner's recipe for when you want to feel fancy but you don't want to slave away all day in the kitchen. It might be fun to do with kids too because "woah, green batter, cool!"

[cluecrewcookin]

Bonus Recipe (Redo) - St. Louis Style Pizza

I love regional foods. I want to try all of the pizza/hot dog/etc. variants someday.

I did some research (Reddit lol) and apparently this style of pizza is a bit controversial. The one part that I skipped was the sweet tomato sauce, which I regret because I think that would have really added to the cultural experience. I just always waste so many ingredients when I make pizza sauce from scratch. The provel cheese mix definitely gave it a distinct flavor though, very smoky.

I had trouble getting the crust to bake on the bottom which is why my pepperoni turned crispy from leaving the pizza in pretty long. Maybe not as photogenic, but I like my pepperoni crunchy anyways. I don't own any fancy pizza tools (stone, cutter, etc.) so I made do with basic tools. Also, the first recipe I found for St. Louis style listed about 12 toppings as "authentic" but I like my toppings basic.

Recipe:

Here is my source

Crust:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp light corn syrup

½ cup warm water

Cheese:

1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese shredded

½ cup swiss cheese, shredded

½ cup provolone cheese, shredded

½ tsp liquid smoke

Pizza:

1/3 cup pizza sauce, more or less to taste

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

favorite pizza toppings

[cluecrewcookin]

Bonus Recipe (Redo) - St. Louis Style Pizza

Well...it's finally happened. I accidentally redid a recipe I've already done before 😭 I'm still gonna post it though because I made more of an attempt at authenticity this time!

When I originally made the pizza from The Final Scene I made a basic, mushroom pizza. It turned out decent, but generic. This time, I put a little more research into how to recreate a true St. Louis pizza. It turns out you can make provel cheese via combining shredded cheddar, swiss, and provolone cheese along with some liquid smoke. The crust is meant to be thin and "cracker-like" which...I think I got halfway there at least. It was crunchy but not super thin. I also, of course, cut it in the St. Louis style ;)

Now that I've made two attempts at a FIN pizza I guess my next goal is to actually go to St. Louis so I can actually taste the real deal! I've heard Imo's is the place to go, but if anyone has any other recommendations, let me know.

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe #124 - Blueberry Scones

So I made a (not so) fatal error making these and completely forgot to put the blueberries in my dough before forming it 😐The empty disc (seen above) is the exact moment I thought "well, I'm going to have to scrap this whole recipe, that's it." Instead of mixing the blueberries in I just pushed them into the dough. Also, Trader Joe's only had freakishly huge blueberries so they looked extra silly. But, you know what? These still tasted perfect to me! All's well that ends well?

So yeah, next time I would hopefully follow the instructions correctly and use smaller blueberries. On the bright side, the lack of blueberries in the dough made it really easy to roll out without making a mess. So maybe I just invented a new technique (just kidding 😜). Another new experience with this recipe was using heavy cream to brush the dough before baking. I don't think I've ever used cream like that before but I liked the result.

I got the scone/icing recipe on the same website. The icing was super easy to throw together but pretty hard to spread. I drizzled it on with a spoon when I really should have used a piping bag. Whoopsies!

Recipe for blueberry scones:

Here is my source

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, frozen

1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 2 Tbsp for brushing)

1 large egg

1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries

Recipe for vanilla icing:

Here is my source

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2–3 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

optional: pinch of salt

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe 124 - Blueberry Scones

"Blueberry Scones" is the third recipe I've done from Danger on Deception Island based on The Hot Kettle Cafe menu. The other two recipes can be found here.

I thought I'd go with blueberry scones since the muffins in the game are blueberry and I imagine it would be economical to use the same fruit in multiple pastries. The recipe I used was easy to follow and produced just the right "crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside" texture. The cinnamon ended up being the surprise MVP flavor-wise. Now that I know how easy it is to make scones, I'd love to experiment with more adventurous flavors next time.

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe #123 - Pork Tenderloin with Collards

This recipe wasn't technically difficult, but it did take me 4 hours from start to finish. I imagine it would be a great choice if you own a slow cooker, but I just used a regular old pot. My big, adventurous moment was buying ham hocks for the first time. They looked kinda scary when I bought them, not gonna lie, but the process of cooking them until the meat slid off the bone was super easy.

The pork was the easiest part of this, so easy I could probably throw it together on a weeknight. It's just a matter of oiling, seasoning, and popping it in the oven. I'm excited to reuse the leftovers to make katsudon 🤓 The meat is juicy (tender, one could say 😏) and versatile in terms of stuff you could pair it with. In addition to the greens, I ate mine with some barbecue sauce.

Recipe for Pork Tenderloin:

Here is my source

1 or 2 half-pound pork tenderloins

1 tablespoon oil

2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Recipe for Collard Greens:

Here is my source

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup chopped white onions

3 garlic cloves minced

1 bunch fresh collard greens

3/4-1 pound smoked ham hock

1 1/2-2 cups chicken broth You can also use water.

1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning

Who knew that Ghosts of Thornton Hall would be such a good food game? You wouldn't know it at a glance...Looking forward to playing it again 👻

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe 123 - Pork Tenderloin with Collards

"Pork Tenderloin with Collards" is the 11th recipe I’ve done from Ghost of Thornton Hall and the 7th I’ve pulled from Charlotte’s masquerade invitation. The other 10 recipes I've done from this game can be found here.

Not my first time making pork tenderloin, but I've never bought collards before and wasn't even positive my grocery store would carry them (shows how little I know lol). I do enjoy them at BBQ restaurants from time to time, but I feel like I have a newfound appreciation for them now that I know how to make them. Even though they're a "side dish" they were so flavorful and spicy that they upstaged the main for sure. This is one of those "would impress at a dinner party" kind of meals.

[cluecrewcookin]

Thanks guys, you all made me want to come back with your kind words! I love this little fandom (not so little these days!) so much 💖

I'll probably have long gaps again, not gonna lie, but I'll never abandon this blog completely! I'm already mentally prepping for my next big recipe. Also, I haven't even played KEY yet, so I need to get on that.

The world has been a scary place lately, so I think we gotta throw ourselves into our passions and spread the love even harder.

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe #122 - Craft Services (Bagels)

I really psyched myself up for this one because I've had really bad experiences with bread recipes in the past. I think knowing that I'll be posting it online upped the stakes too. I was very relieved when I had my first bite and it tasted normal.

Not to brag, but these tasted like a bagel you would buy from a bagel shop. Which means...I don't need to ever make bagels from scratch again 😅 I don't know what I expected, but you know how homemade stuff just hits different? This was so similar to store bought that I'm probably better off just buying bagels next time. To be fair, I do live in bagel heaven. If I didn't have any bagel shops nearby, I'd definitely revisit this recipe.

I was really excited to boil dough for the first time. I can confirm that it was fun and easy (and not nearly as messy as frying stuff). The hardest part was definitely kneading and shaping the dough. Most of my bagels had an "ugly side" (like a Christmas tree haha) because I couldn't seem to form a smooth sphere. On the bright side, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the holes kept shape through boiling and baking, I thought for sure they would close up completely. I guess bagels don't expand much during the baking process.

Recipe:

Here is my source

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

4 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups warm water

3 ½ cups

1 ½ teaspoons

I actually ended up only needing to bake my bagels for 15 minutes instead of the 20 that the recipe suggests. Glad I didn't burn them! Also, I picked sesame seeds for my topping because that's my favorite kind of bagel :) It would be fun to make everything bagels too!

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe 122 - Craft Services (Bagels)

Craft Services is a recipe inspired by the table with bagels and orange juice/water on the set of Light of our Love in Stay Tuned for Danger. I've only made one other recipe which you can find here.

I actually thought the chocolates were the only food in this game until I replayed it last month. To my surprise, there was a spot in the game I had completely overlooked! I'm actually replaying all the games in order right now, so hopefully I'll be able to find more things I missed along the way.

I was super nervous going into this "technical challenge" (GBBO anyone?) but am proud to say I came out the other end (mostly) unscathed! I followed the recipe very closely and made sure to not substitute any ingredients. I think my efforts paid off; these tasted like the real deal!

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe #121 - Cowabubble

The ice cream in the game is actually white and not bubble-gum flavored, but that's boring so whatever lol.

This was so satisfying to make! Very simple ingredients and when you fold them into each other you get this sort of pastel, tie-dye effect. Felt like I was doing arts and crafts rather than baking (is ice cream baking?) It's also fun to eat because the rainbow from the gumballs melts into the light blue ice cream. The bubble gum flavor wasn't overwhelming but wasn't overpowered by other ingredients either, as with most flavor extracts, a little bit goes a long way.

I feel like this gave me more gelato vibes vs. ice cream. Very soft and extremely sugary. The condensed milk brought on the sweetness and creaminess, while the whipping cream kept things fluffy and light. I gotta say, the gumballs, while cute, are rock hard out of the freezer, so I mostly just ate around them. Then again, I'm not a gum person to begin with.

Recipe:

Here is my source

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Blue food coloring

1 tsp bubble gum flavoring

6 oz. gumballs

This ice cream has major "kid's birthday party" vibes, but this 30 year old enjoyed it just fine ;)

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe 121 - Cowabubble

"Cowabubble" is the eighth recipe I’ve made based on the ice cream/milkshake flavors at Scoop in Alibi in Ashes. If you’d like to see the other seven you can find them here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

I know this is definitely more of a summer recipe than a fall one, but it took me a long time to gather the obscure ingredients involved. I've actually never had bubble gum ice cream, so I was excited to give it a shot. I was so relieved when it turned out really well because I've had some flop experiences with homemade ice cream in the past. The texture and flavor were everything I'd hoped for and no ice cream maker was involved! This gives me hope for future ice cream recipes.

[cluecrewcookin]

Happy Weekend, Sleuths! I hope you all have had an incredible Summer! I know I have (I am sorry for being a bit MIA the last couple of weeks… I was traveling and catching up with work like crazy as soon as I got back!) It is safe to say this Summer has been filled […]

((I just wanted to say “Congrats!” to all of the winners/runner ups of the 2022 Cook-Off that Her Interactive did. I kinda wish I had participated, but I was too crazy busy. Maybe next time! It’s always awesome to get evidence that the ND fandom is alive and kicking like this.)) 

[cluecrewcookin]

Recipe #120 - Strawberry Tartlet

I really love itty bitty desserts. Perfectly portioned, adorable, and fun to share with friends. 

What I don’t get about this recipe and a lot of other recipes I’ve made is how off the yield prediction was. It told me I would get 30 tarts and I got 9. On the one hand, what a relief, but on the other, what the heck? I followed the instructions to a T! This seems to happen to me a lot with sweets. Like the back of the pancakes box will be like “yields 15″ and I get 3. The mysteries of life. 

Anywho, the strawberry curd that fills the little tart shells was a fun new experience for me. I’ve definitely eaten lemon curd in the past and it tastes very similar to that. I was surprised to see how many egg yolks go into it (six!) The amount of things you can transform eggs into in baking is pretty crazy. These tartlets are tart and pretty healthy tasting for what they are. The filling actually reminds me of greek yogurt a little bit. Would recommend if you need something light and fruity.

Recipe:

Here is my source

-1 1/4 cup flour

-1/3 cup sugar + 1/2 cup for curd

-Pinch of salt

-2 stick of butter

-7 egg yolks

-2 Tbsp water

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 lb of strawberries (plus extra for garnish)

-2 Tbsp lemon juice

-1 oz dehydrated strawberries