Chapter 14: Luke Shows His Skills, Erina Learns What a Genius Chef Is!
Kamishirasawa Keine was a gentle person.
Although usually somewhat stubborn, she bore no ill will.
However, if a student failed to complete their homework, they would often be punished by her.
A few days ago, Luke had seen a student whose head had been knocked come to the restaurant to buy pastries, saying they bought them to eat while copying the textbook...
Luke himself supported everything Keine did.
Perhaps it was precisely for this reason that the two had a good relationship.
Keine's private school occasionally received pastries provided by Luke;
And Luke, in turn, grew closer to Keine.
Last night was the same.
Now, Luke, having left the second-floor guest room of the private school, stretched lazily.
Having woken up early, he originally thought of inviting Keine, who had shared his bed, to the restaurant for breakfast, but after opening his eyes, he found she had already left.
On the cabinet to the side lay a letter with the words 'Handling teaching materials' written on it.
Luke, looking forward to their next meeting, lamented Keine's diligence, then headed straight towards his own restaurant.
Familiar process, familiar operation.
And the familiar parrot's cry.
[Didn't come back last night! Didn't come back last night!]
"Go eat snacks on the second floor, they're inside the cabinet."
[Snacks in the morning! Snacks in the morning!]
The parrot shouted loudly and flew back to the second floor.
After shooing away the noisy fellow, Luke turned on the necessary appliances in the kitchen.
Preheating the oven, kneading the dough, while simultaneously checking if the ingredients were sufficient using the menu.
Luke, having prepared everything, soon heard the bell signifying the arrival of a customer.
Appearing at the door this time was a blonde girl drenched from head to toe.
Nakiri Erina, Luke recognized her identity immediately.
"Welcome."
Even though he recognized her, Luke still followed the procedure and greeted her.
After a brief exchange, Luke let Erina go to the second floor to take a bath and change out of her soaked clothes.
He certainly didn't want his guest to catch a cold.
Nakiri Erina was quite straightforward, didn't refuse, and followed Luke to the second floor.
"I'll go run a hot bath in the tub. Nakiri-san can dry off with a towel first."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. If you really caught a cold, causing you to be unable to taste properly, I, as a chef, would also feel troubled."
Smiling, Luke went to the bathroom and filled the tub with hot water.
"I'll place the clothes in the washroom, they are all clean."
"Why is Luke-san so well-prepared...?"
"Because occasionally, a few guests pop up here who need taking care of."
Especially the youkai who often caused conflicts.
Many among them would run to the restaurant to rest and eat.
Erina didn't know the specific reason for this, and walked towards the bathroom with some doubt.
Seeing the girl enter the bathroom, Luke asked from outside the door,
"Is there anything you want to eat? I can make some hot dishes."
"Was there someone named Kobayashi Rindo here before? Luke-san should remember, right?"
"That's right."
"She bought pastries here, shared them with me, and they tasted extremely delicious, so..."
"What does Nakiri-san want to say?"
"I hope that after I come out, Luke-san will be cooking. I want to watch."
"Of course."
Luke did not refuse.
The process of making dishes wasn't a secret. Having someone watch while cooking actually added some fun.
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Luke waited in the kitchen for a while.
Erina, having taken a quick rinse, changed into a set of light clothes and came down to the main hall.
The style design of the clothes leaned towards a hotel yukata, but was more casual overall, suitable for anyone to wear.
"Luke-san, thank you for letting me borrow the second-floor bathroom."
"You're welcome. Is there anything you want to eat?"
"Could Luke-san recommend something?"
Nakiri Erina sat on the stool by the counter, intending to hear Luke's suggestions.
"Then how about a bowl of hot congee? Having just been caught in the rain and finished bathing, it can warm you up again."
"A very simple dish... Please make it, Luke-san. Thank you for the trouble."
"Okay."
Time to show off some skills.
Thinking this, Luke turned towards the kitchen equipped with all sorts of utensils.
Luke took out three yanagiba knives with different curvatures from the right drawer, then brought out a clay pot for simmering the congee.
Next was washing the raw rice.
Luke began rinsing the bamboo sieve full of rice with cold water, stirring at a rhythm of one hundred times per minute, while simultaneously rubbing the starch film off the surface of each grain with his fingertips.
When the sound of the rice grains colliding changed from muffled to crisp, Luke flicked his wrist lightly.
After draining the water, the distinct grains of rice were poured into the clay pot by Luke.
Completing this step, Luke sliced the tender ginger on the other side into cicada-wing-thin pieces, then stacked them into sixteen layers and finely chopped them.
When they fell into clean water, one could see each strand distinct like golden threads.
Erina, watching him prepare the dish, admired the chef's knife skills before her.
But Luke didn't stop.
He turned and took out the legs of a snow crab, dismantled them completely, and placed the transparent crab meat on ice cubes for later use.
"Simmering congee in a clay pot, the taste must be very good."
"Yes, I've done it several times. Clay pots are most suitable for simmering dishes."
Luke agreed with Erina while placing the clay pot on the charcoal stove.
Before long, a fragrance was released.
"Wait for the Maillard reaction to occur, then stir slowly."
Luke finished speaking.
At the instant the rice grains took on a satin-like luster, he slid the crab leg meat directly from its iced state into the congee pot.
The sudden cold and heat caused the muscle fibers to instantly contract, locking in the sweetness.
Thus, the delicious rice congee was finished simmering.
Having watched the entire process, Erina had only one evaluation in her heart: 'perfect and rigorous'.
The handling of the dish wasn't complex, but Luke grasped all the key points.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the desserts he made were so delicious~
This cooking technique was undoubtedly excellent!
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