Breakfast & Experiment No.4
The next morning.
I woke up early and headed to the kitchen with Miria and the others, where I took out several loaves of bread that I had stored in my inventory.
This soft, naturally leavened bread was baked in a special mold crafted by Galvano, a dwarf who runs a shop in the artisan district of my territory.
If anyone familiar with Galvano Ojisama heard about this, they would probably say, "How could you ask a legendary blacksmith to make something like that!" But to me, Galvano Ojisama is like a sweet grandfather with magical hands who can make anything, so there's no problem.
… Right?
Anyway, the bread I baked in that mold was stored fresh in my inventory, so as soon as I took it out, the fragrant smell of freshly baked bread filled the air.
Ah, what a wonderful scent.
The smell of freshly baked bread is the scent of happiness.
I cut the bread into three-centimeter-thick slices, like the four-cut slices from my previous life, and spread plenty of tomato sauce on them.
Then, before placing thinly sliced onions, peppers, and tomatoes on top, I took out the spices I had prepared yesterday from my inventory.
"Oh my, that’s the spice you didn't use yesterday, right?"
Miria, who was slicing cucumbers for the salad, noticed it immediately and spoke up.
Kurogane and Mashiro, who were also preparing salad, looked over as well.
"Yes. I thought I’d try using it for another experiment."
I opened the jar, scooped out a spoonful of the spice, and transferred it to a small dish before spreading an appropriate amount over the tomato sauce.
Next, I added the thinly sliced vegetables, some bacon from the Ellisfeed family, and finally sprinkled cheese on top before placing the slices into the magic oven.
As I monitored the cooking process, I prepared scrambled eggs and reheated the consommé soup I had made earlier.
Just then, Mariel-chan and Ruby entered the kitchen.
"Good morning… Oh, what a lovely smell."
"Good morning, Mariel-san. Since you all made dinner last night, I decided to prepare a simple breakfast this morning."
As everyone else started to gather, the first batch of toast was ready, so I took it out of the oven.
Mariel-chan’s eyes lit up as she saw it.
"Wow, pizza toast! It looks yummy."
Yes, today's breakfast was pizza toast.
I arranged scrambled eggs and salad on a large platter for everyone to help themselves, and I placed the soup pot and bowls on the table for self-service as well.
I continued baking the pizza toast and distributed it to everyone, and made sure to store the extra slices in my inventory to keep them hot.
Once everyone had taken their portions, I sat down to join them.
"Well then, let's eat!"
"Let’s eat!"
With that cue, everyone dove into their pizza toast.
"... Mmm! Yum!"
Mariel-chan mumbled as she barely managed to swallow her first bite, her mouth still full.
Now, now, Mariel-san? You really shouldn’t eat like that; it’s not very ladylike.
"Mhm, this is delicious. I can taste the softness of the bread, the tomato sauce, the vegetables, and the cheese… but the tomato sauce seems to have a different flavor today. What did you add?"
Sei asked as he savored the toast and examined the layers closely.
"I’m glad you asked! I mixed this into the usual tomato sauce."
With that, I placed the spice jar from earlier on the table.
"This is… the spice from yesterday?"
"Yes. For this morning’s breakfast, I used harissa to make the pizza toast. It adds a bit of a spicy kick, don't you think?"
Yes, the secret ingredient this time was harissa.
I personally find it pairs well with tomatoes, so I often use it in dishes like chicken in tomato sauce, sautéed dishes, tomato-based pasta, and even to change up the flavor of tomato hotpot.
It’s especially great when you add rice and sprinkle some grated cheese on top to make risotto at the end of a tomato hotpot.
However, serving a tomato hotpot to royalty might be a bit too casual, so I could consider a chicken in tomato sauce or even a hamburger steak in tomato sauce.
But if I serve bang bang chicken, the chicken dishes might overlap.
For now, I’ll have them try this pizza toast.
If the flavor is well-received, I might bake a full pizza, but if it doesn’t go over well, I’ll switch to a meat dish or propose it as one of several options.
The problem with stewed dishes is that there’s a risk of them turning into heavy, rich meals.
Since stewing is a familiar cooking method, it’s easy to get creative with it, which could lead to that dreaded rich flavor.
It might be safer to stick to recipes they’re less familiar with to avoid this.
"Umu. I’ve had pizza toast back in the fief before, but this one has a spicy kick that makes it addictive."
"It’s spicy but tasty, Cristea."
It seems like Kurogane and Mashiro enjoyed it.
Ruby tasted a small piece from Mariel-chan before focusing on his salad.
Ruby doesn’t dislike it, but he seems to prefer eating vegetables.
He was also enjoying the consommé soup, probably because of the vegetable flavors.
"Yum! But it’s not enough. I need seconds!"
Byakko-sama, did you finish it in just three bites? W
hen I took out more pizza toast from my inventory, the others also asked for seconds.
It was surprising that even Sei wanted more.
"I’m planning to join Adry and the knight trainees for their training today, so I need to eat well. I feel like I get stronger after eating your food, Miss Cristea."
Oh, Sei, you say the nicest things.
… Come to think of it, Byakko-sama once said that my cooking tastes good because it’s infused with my magic power.
Could that be having an effect?
I-I think I’ll stop overthinking this.
Suzaku-sama, on the other hand, said, "It’s very delicious… but…" and trailed off.
"Is something wrong? Does it not suit your taste?"
I hurriedly asked Suzaku-sama, who was now looking at me with teary eyes. What?
"It’s lacking in… wobbliness! I need pudding! If not, then please make me some chawanmushi! I miss that sensuous texture so much!"
Yikes!
In my mind, I stumbled over her unexpected outburst. "O-Of course, I’ll make it for you," I replied.
Come to think of it, I haven’t made pudding or chawanmushi recently.
The last time must have been that pumpkin pudding for the tea party.
Given that, it’s no wonder Suzaku-sama is having withdrawal symptoms… I think?
As we were wrapping up breakfast, the time to leave for school was approaching, so I left the cleanup to Miria and the others while the rest of us returned to our rooms to prepare for the day.
What do you think about this chapter?
