Chapter 18

Thank you for reading.

Regarding the parts that have been published in book form, I have intentionally left the typos, omissions, and additions as they are, hoping that they might serve as reference material in the future.

Please understand.

There are people who use the typo reporting function to proofread.

I am declining requests other than typo and omission reports.

If it becomes too excessive, I will block it.

Please bear with me.

Now, after finishing the daily walk, the next step is to learn the work of the mansion.

Today's lesson is a science experiment in name only, developing a new menu with the head chef.

This world is really different. There are tomatoes, avocados, and a variety of vegetables and fruits just like in my previous life, yet there are so few dishes.

Cutting, boiling, grilling, frying, and steaming are established, but that's it.

For example, there are omelets, but no soufflé omelets. There are crepes, but no mille-feuille.

It seems there are no evolved versions.

So, I'm digging up my knowledge from my previous life and trying to develop dishes that are as close as possible without seeming unnatural.

Because, I want to eat delicious things.

After washing my hands with soap, I put on an apron with Regulus and entered the kitchen, where a bear-like man in a chef's coat with a beard around his mouth was standing.

"Thank you for your help, Head Chef."

"Sure thing. Welcome, young masters."

"I... I will be in your care, Regulus."

"Yes, I can greet you. I'm the younger brother, nice to meet you."

"Ah... I have a lot to talk about."

Regulus bowed, and the head chef smiled wryly.

Of course, thanks to Mr. Rottmayr's thorough training, no one has been saying anything about the events of the past few days.

Now, I'm thinking of trying to develop chawanmushi today.

You see, in this world, there are custards.

If there are custards, it's clear that steamed eggs would be soft and delicious, right?

So why isn't there chawanmushi?

This is a serious issue. Even 'I' said chawanmushi is delicious.

So, today, I'm going to make chawanmushi.

I had already mentioned "how about a non-sweet custard" during the previous kitchen lesson, so the necessary ingredients like eggs were prepared for today.

"But, young master, that's quite a unique idea..."

"Well, I like custards. But eggs are also delicious when boiled and seasoned with salt."

"True, indeed. But custards don't have salt, do they?"

"No... it's because they're sweet, right?"

"A non-sweet custard isn't a custard, is it?"

Indeed, a non-sweet custard isn't a custard.

Now, how can I naturally lead to chawanmushi?

"Let's start by reviewing egg dishes."

"Yes, the orthodox methods are boiling and frying."

"Scrambled eggs, sunny-side up, omelets, and boiled eggs."

"Yes, there's also poached eggs."

Speaking of boiled eggs, the mainstream in this world is hard-boiled. However, since we're making poached eggs, the concept of medium-boiled isn't unknown. Come to think of it, there were no onsen eggs either.

"I like poached eggs that are half-raw."

"Is that so? Then I'll serve poached eggs for breakfast tomorrow."

"Thank you!"

Yay! It's good to speak up... but not really.

I brought my wandering thoughts back and started thinking about how to make chawanmushi.

When eating poached eggs, they are usually placed on something and sprinkled with pepper, while boiled eggs are seasoned with salt. From there, I thought about leading to onsen eggs, which are eaten with dashi.

"Head Chef, usually poached eggs are eaten with bacon or salad, and boiled eggs are seasoned with salt, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Is it because nothing else goes well with them?"

"No, not at all. For example, custards use sugar."

"I see... then what else might go well with them?"

"Other... things?"

The head chef, stroking his rich beard, scratched his head.

It's better to leave the combination of flavors to a professional who knows the compatibility of tastes rather than a novice.

After a while, the head chef seemed to have an idea and started boiling water. He then gave me an egg and a small bowl.

"Let's try making a poached egg. First, young master, crack the egg into the bowl without breaking the yolk."

"Yes!"

I cracked the egg on the flat part of the counter, inserted my fingers into the crack, and slowly opened the shell. It split neatly, and the yolk and white plopped out together.

The yolk landed successfully, round like a sun in the sky.

"Oh, you did it on the first try. Now let's make it a poached egg."

"Yes!"

The boiling water bubbled, and the head chef added a little vinegar to the ladle. He then placed a step stool in front of the magic stone stove for me.

I climbed up with Regulus's hand, and he held the bowl, with the head chef's hand on top of his.

"Carefully lower it into the water without breaking it."

"Okay!"

Regulus slowly slid the egg from the bowl into the boiling water, which made a slight splashing sound. The transparent white quickly solidified and turned white. The head chef shaped it into a round form with chopsticks and a ladle, then scooped it out and placed it in ice water.

We both cheered at the perfectly medium-boiled poached egg.

When the poached egg was placed in a small ceramic bowl and drained, the head chef handed me a spoon.

"Salt is good, but I think soy sauce might also work."

"Soy sauce!"

I cut through the thin white membrane with the spoon and broke the egg open, letting the yolk ooze out. The dark purple soy sauce mixed with it, changing its color.

I scooped up a spoonful of the soy sauce-soaked yolk and tasted it first, then fed it to Regulus, whose face lit up beautifully.

"Delicious!"

"Head Chef, it's delicious!"

"Ah, I see! I see!"

The yolk and soy sauce go well together. This is good. However, I can't be satisfied here.

I need to use my novice's creative ideas.

"Head Chef, if soy sauce works, wouldn't a soy sauce-based dashi work too?"

"Dashi? Dashi... yeah, let's try it."

The head chef quickly made a dashi and poured a little over the remaining poached egg.

I mixed the yolk and dashi together and tasted it. It was a bit strong, but it was close to the taste of onsen eggs I remembered.

I fed the onsen egg (temp) to Regulus, whose face lit up again.

"Delicious!"

"It's good, isn't it?"

"Really?"

We both nodded in response to the head chef's question, and he scooped up a dashi-covered poached egg with a spoon and tasted it.

After thinking for a while, he stroked his beard.

"Young master, a non-sweet custard might be possible."

"Really!? How...?"

"Custards are made by extending eggs with sugar and milk. What if we extend the eggs with dashi? It might become a non-sweet custard."

"Wow! That's amazing!"

True to form, the professional chef took my novice idea and beautifully led to the prototype of chawanmushi.

I'm glad I can finally eat the chawanmushi I've been longing for.

I was so happy that I ruffled Regulus's chick-like hair, and for some reason, the head chef looked sad.

"Young master... are you okay?"

"Huh? The egg is delicious."

"No, that's not it..."

I blinked, and the head chef shook his head.

"It's nothing," he said with a wry smile.

Thank you for reading.