Taste Test

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>AuthorElleHartford< is sharing a recipe with you. Log into the app to see the original recipe and >AuthorElleHartford<’s notes, along with a special message just for you!

Aunt Agatha’s Surefire Recipe for Five-Alarm Stump-’Em Mystery Chill(i)

The editor says: Always the favorite recipe in the annual Do it This Way And You’ll Never Be Wrong Literary Cookbook! If followed very carefully, this recipe is sure to impress. Too much stirring and the dish becomes boring; too many details or clues, and the rest of the ingredients fail to shine. The choice of a wrong motive can undermine the entire flavor profile. Approach with caution, and then wow your friends with your culinary prowess!

Ingredients:

• One sleuth, hardboiled
• One sidekick, soft
• One victim (or more to taste)
• Four suspects (at least)
• 1 C alibis, canned
• 2 C clues, fresh
• 3 C details
• A dash of red herring
• 1 motive, stripped and seeded
• Water 

Equipment

• One stainless p(l)ot with lid
• One spoon for stirring with a delicate touch
• One strong blender 

Directions:

1. In the first ten minutes, introduce the sleuth, the sidekick, the victim, and the suspects to the pot with just enough water to stir over medium heat.
2. In the next ten minutes, remove the suspect and blend; return to the pot along with the alibis, details, and half of the clues. Turn heat up to high.
3. Cook at a boil for the next ten minutes, stirring frequently. Add water as necessary.
4. At the forty minute mark, add in the red herring and stir.
5. After another ten minutes, add in the rest of the clues. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for ten minutes more.
6. Remove the lid and throw in the motive. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Serve hot or cold, according to preference.

Notes:

Aug 2022— first attempt. Not sure I got the timing quite right. Had to go back and start all over . .. Several times. Might not have blended up the victim enough? 

Sept 2022— second time, went more smoothly. Added more victims and blended them up very well. Still didn’t have that depth of flavor, I thought, but Erich liked it.

Oct 2022— took to a friend’s house, tried cooking it in a new kitchen. Had to weed out some stale clues. Had bought the wrong motive at first and had to make quick adjustments at the end. Turned out spicy, but good.

Oct 2022— second attempt this month. Think I’m getting the hang of it! One of the suspects had a bitter taste, though. Some very good flavors from the details all the same. Got the rhythm and the timing down!

June 2023— had to remind myself of the recipe. Got off to a slow start, was worried about my timing. Nothing burned though. Didn’t have a full can of alibis on hand, but used two dashes of red herring instead. No one noticed any difference—said it tasted just as good.

December 2023— better this time. Since Oct 2022, I’ve been including an extra romantic interest to give a dash of sweetness. Brings out the heat even better. Didn’t quite cook the victim long enough before blending. Also added a third of the details later, with the red herring. Supposedly not recommended, but thought it turned out just fine. Had a interesting smoky flavor, definitely a good seasonal twist!

July 2024— everyone loved it. Added two motives this time, and it was great! Let the clues simmer for a little longer, too. Not sure if my lid fit exactly as it was supposed to, but everything boiled okay anyway. Big hit at the party, and people loved how it looked.

October 2024— first time serving it cold. Used two victims, but didn’t blend them, just lightly mashed. Also added more sweetness and an extra suspect. Might be my favorite one yet. Turns out, this recipe is pretty adaptable. 

Special Note from Your Friend >AuthorElleHartford<:

I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now. I’ve loved making soup since I could reach the stove, but I was always a little intimidated of this particular dish! When I first started out, I was just as cautious as they tell you to be. I even had a timer on the kitchen counter and prepped all my ingredients ahead of time, including an extra pitcher of water! Somehow, though, I always ended up having to change something on the fly. My first motive would get torn up and mangled while I tried to seed it, or the victim would become a lumpy mess—you know how it goes. They act like this recipe brooks no trial and error, but honestly, I don’t think it’s anything but! 

My advice to you is to take a look at it and see what you think. Even give it a shot—contrary to what the editors might say, it won’t blow up in your face if you do it wrong the first time (though it might not be worth sharing just yet!). It’ll get better over time, I promise. It might not get easier, exactly, but you’ll get a feel for the flavor and how much stirring it needs.

For my part, I do still pull out the timer and the ratios when I start to cook. You’d think I’d have it memorized by now, right? But it does still trip me up from time to time. Even with the prep work done, there’s still a lot to keep track of. (Don’t be afraid to taste as you go along!) And there’s some things I’ve been doing wrong for years—even with the timer, I almost always end up adding the red herring too early, or a suspect too late. It makes me cringe thinking of the first dishes I served at parties. But you know what? Even then, most people loved it. Even if it’s not “as directed,” it can still come out okay. 

If you ask me, all of this just comes down to a matter of taste. ;)