Don’t pray to me!?
"Wonderful...!"
As I mixed the spices in front of the two of them, the Head Chef trembled with excitement every time he tasted the result.
At first, I thought he was shivering from the spiciness, but with tears in his eyes, he was scribbling notes. When I glanced at his notes, it said something like, “The Goddess of Cuisine has graced us with the harmony of heavenly flavors...,” and it was so poetic that I didn’t understand it.
Isn’t that supposed to be a recipe note...?
"To think that the combination of spices could expand the variety and depth of flavors this much! And yet, this is only a passing point, as the possibilities are limitless, depending on the cooking method...! I am grateful for the fortune of witnessing the creation of such exquisite dishes!”
The Head Chef knelt down abruptly and started worshiping me.
Nooo! Stop it!
The trainees were watching from a distance with expressions like they were seeing something unbelievable! It's unbearable!
"Uh, Head Chef. Please stand up; your chef's coat will get dirty. And please, don't worship me."
"Ah! Paying attention to hygiene in this sacred space is a fundamental principle for a chef! Cristea-sama, it seems I still have much to learn! I shall brush up on my apprentice training!"
No, no, if someone who has risen to the position of assistant Head Chef in the Royal kitchen still needs more training, the current trainees will be at a complete loss, so please don't!
"There's no way you still need training, Head Chef. You are an excellent chef. Now, shall we continue?"
"Oh, to receive such generous words from someone like me...! What an honor!"
No, no, that’s a fair assessment!
What do I do? No matter what I say, it’s not being taken seriously!
Shin muttered under his breath, looking somewhat perplexed as he observed the exchange between me and the Head Chef.
"It’s like a prophet and a devotee..."
Stop it! Don’t say ominous things like that!
Somehow, I managed to finish mixing everything, and wrote down each recipe.
Shin glanced at the vast amount of spices used and said, "Glad we didn’t mess up... my stomach..." while holding his hand over his stomach.
Honestly, what a worrywart.
In contrast, the Head Chef, accustomed to handling high-end ingredients, sampled each spice and mumbled to himself while jotting notes, "Hmm, this would go well with meat dishes. This one seems..."
… That’s the same notebook as earlier, right?
Is it okay to mix poetry with recipes?!
I wanted to tear out that poem, but there was no way to do so. All I could do was pray that the notebook wouldn’t be circulated outside.
Afterward, we used the completed spices to make many test dishes.
The trainees diligently prepared the ingredients, so everything went smoothly.
How thankful!
As soon as a dish was done, I had everyone who helped, including the Head Chef, taste it. Their reactions varied from "Delicious!" to "Whoa, so spicy...!" and "What is this?! It’s so complex, but it’s tasty... huh?!"
Though confused, I received a variety of feedback.
Although the cooks in my household don’t mix spices themselves, they do make curry, so I thought they’d be used to spices. However, their idea of curry seemed to be something like "curry is just this kind of food," so when they tasted curry-flavored croquettes, they were shocked, saying, "What? Croquettes that taste like curry? But they’re a different dish! But it’s delicious!"
Hmm, in that case, the man running the grilled skewer stall who challenged himself with mayo-grilled skewers earlier today has a much more flexible mindset...
The only thing they were able to adapt was making the food heavy, as that way they could restore the magic power of high-ranking nobles.
Apparently, there was this trend that being able to make such food was essential for top chefs. I’d like that trend to disappear as soon as possible.
Once we finished making everything, since it was just test dishes, I decided to serve small portions for Otousama and the rest.
In addition, Miria took on the role of a teacher and showed us how to prepare coffee and chai, and in the meantime, I decided to make some dessert.
"Let’s see, the ingredients for coffee jelly... huh? What’s this?"
There was an unfamiliar ingredient left in my inventory.
When I pulled out the bag and looked closely, I realized it was something the young man at the spice stall gave me as a bonus at the end.
"That’s right, he gave this as a bonus."
He did say to serve it to someone special, so it must be some kind of drink, but...
When I opened the bag and checked inside, it was filled with something that looked like almonds.
"Huh? Almonds? … No, roasted... is it? Could this be..."
Cocoa beans! Seriously?
Even almonds are rare!
Speaking of which, I need to check on the almonds we discovered in our territory to see if they’re ready for harvest... No, wait, these are actual cocoa beans?
And they’ve already been fermented and roasted!
All that’s left is to peel them, crush them, mix them with sugar, and knead them until they’re smooth, and then it’ll turn into chocolate, right?!
Oh no, what do I do? This will be my first chocolate since my past life!
I have to bring this back to the dorm and enjoy it with Mariel-chan!
I’m not confident I can make delicious chocolate, so maybe I’ll start with hot chocolate?
Or I could use it as a sauce for pancakes. The possibilities are endless!
Huh? But I feel like I’m forgetting something...
Didn’t he say to give it to someone special...? Oh no!
“Wa-wait, isn’t this an aphrodisiac...!?”
What kind of person gives that to a child!? That guy!
What do you think about this chapter?
