I recently tried a French vegetarian meal from the 1930s, which led me to want to try more old-fashioned recipes. Also, I have been a big fan of the Nancy Drew PC games and have read some of the original books. I thought it would be great to try some recipes from the 1970s version of The Nancy Drew Cookbook.
What is The Nancy Drew Cookbook?
The Nancy Drew Cookbook was published in 1973 by Carolyn Keene, the pseudonym for the authors of the Nancy Drew books. The cookbook includes over 100 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, picnics, holidays, international dishes, and treats for fans of the Nancy Drew book series. In 2005, The Nancy Drew Cookbook was republished, and the revised version removed and renamed some of the recipes. I have the original 1973 version of the cookbook, and I wanted to try making a savory dish, a sweet dish, and a drink recipe.
The Nancy Drew Cookbook Recipes
Effie’s Pumpkin Soup
For the savory dish, I decided on Effie’s Pumpkin Soup, which is one of the Thanksgiving recipes. For the recipe, I blended cooked rice with pumpkin, cream, vegetable stock, lemon juice, and sugar. The ingredients list chicken stock, but I substituted it with vegetable stock to make it vegetarian. What intrigued me most about the soup is that it is intended to be served cold.
I tried the soup cold, and it does have a good savory flavor with a nice pumpkin taste. I actually did not mind the soup cold, but I decided to warm some up in a pot. After tasting the warm soup, I much prefer it warm because it was comforting and still had that delicious pumpkin flavor. I would make the soup again without adding any other ingredients, but I would serve it warm from now on.
Versailles au chocolat
Next, for the sweet recipe, I decided on Versailles au chocolat, which is in the international section. For the recipe, I combined melted chocolate with sugar. I then beat egg yolks with vanilla, then combined the melted chocolate with the egg yolks. Afterward, I poured the chocolate mixture into ramekins and chilled it in the fridge.
What interested me in this recipe is that I was unsure what it was supposed to make. The recipe is not for a chocolate mousse because a mousse is made with whipped egg whites to give it a light, airy texture. The recipe is also not for a chocolate pudding, which typically combines chocolate or cocoa powder with milk that is cooked on the stove. Furthermore, Versailles au chocolat does not seem to be an actual French recipe but one made for the cookbook.
Once the Versailles au chocolat was chilled, it became quite thick. The dish was a bit grainy because the sugar was mixed directly into the melted chocolate, and not all of it dissolved, even though I tried mixing it well. As far as the flavor, it is rich, and I could only take a few bites before I had to stop eating it. I would not make the Versailles au chocolat again, and instead I would make Mousse au chocolat.
Imposter Tea
The last recipe I tried is for the drink Imposter Tea, which was in the picnic section. For the recipe, I warmed one quart of apple juice with cloves and cinnamon sticks. After 20 minutes, I removed the cinnamon sticks and cloves and added one quart of orange juice and one quart of pineapple juice. The drink is served warm.
I like that the drink is served warm because it reminds me a bit of apple cider with fewer spices. However, I think that the equal parts of apple, orange, and pineapple juices make it feel like the flavors are competing. Also, I did not taste much cinnamon and clove. I would make the Imposter Tea again with some changes. I would prefer the drink to have a more apple-forward flavor. Next time, I would use half of the orange and pineapple juices the recipe requires. By having less of these juices, it would hopefully make the flavor more balanced, and I would be able to notice the cinnamon and clove.
Overall Thoughts
I liked trying the recipes from The Nancy Drew Cookbook, but they had mixed results. I enjoyed the flavor of Effie’s Pumpkin Soup, but I would not serve it cold again. The Versailles au chocolat seems to be a recipe created just for the cookbook. However, the texture and richness made it a dessert I would not want to have again. Lastly, the Imposter Tea had three different juices competing in flavor, and I would adjust the amounts used if I were to make it again.
Since the cookbook is from the 1970s, the ingredient combinations and methods reflect the era. For example, there is the notorious Keene Soup, which combines milk and peanut butter with either celery salt or cinnamon. That said, I would be curious to try more recipes from the cookbook.
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