Volume 3 Chapter 4 Husband and Wife Day IV
The "No Entry" sign was removed from the door, and the usually quiet kitchen after lunch was noisy. Nearly 20 men, wearing triangular headbands and aprons, gathered.
Chef Lloyd clapped his hands and moved to the center of the kitchen.
"Alright, everyone. Are you ready? We don't have much time until dinner, so work efficiently according to my instructions. First, let's have a greeting from our host, Lord Luke. Lord Luke, please."
Luke responded with his usual "Um" and moved next to Chef Lloyd.
"Everyone, you've all gathered well. I'm surprised there are more people than expected, but today, let's do our best for the happiness of each family!"
"Yes!!"
The words alone sound impressive, but seeing them in triangular headbands and aprons brings on laughter.
(Who chose Father's apron? It's too small and looks funny.)
Cain held back his laughter with great effort and made a mental tsukkomi.
"Thank you, Lord Luke. Then, let's split into teams and start working!" "Yes!"
The participants replied with enthusiastic responses and scattered.
"Father, let's start too!" "Um, what should we do first?"
Cain prompted Luke to start working, and Luke went to the designated worktable.
"First, wipe your hands with this towel, then use this round mold to cut out the plain cake."
Chef Lloyd pondered what to name the sponge cake he made this time. After all, there is no sponge in this other world, so it's hard to explain. He and Chef Lloyd decided to call the cakes they will create "decoration cakes."
"This round mold is well-made. Is there a workshop in the territory that can make such things?" "That was made by Barvish. So were the tools we'll use to whip later. Barvish is talented and very helpful."
"Hmm, talented people alone are valuable. Take good care of them,"
"Yes,"
The advice was given seriously, but Cain couldn't help but laugh at the apron and headscarf. Cain answered earnestly, trying to hold back his laughter.
At other workbenches, they used a round cutter about 10 cm in diameter to cut 2 plain cakes, each 2 cm thick.
Even with cutters, it was hard for men unfamiliar with cooking. They struggled and made a mess, cutting poorly and leaving excess.
When most participants finished cutting, a young chef helping with the cakes called out.
"Next, please cut the fruits on the workbench into pieces about the size of a silver coin. Prepare 6 pieces. Choose fruits your wife or the gift recipient likes."
"It'll be more special if you explain, 'I put extra of your favorite fruits' when giving the cake," the chef added.
The men, tempted to pick fruits they liked, were stopped and convinced otherwise.
The fruits prepared today were: syrup-marinated wild berries, honey-soaked dried orange (rehydrated orange), and sugared apples.
Fruits are expensive in the market at this season, and it was hard for participants to prepare them. Luke kindly agreed to help, which everyone appreciated.
"Cain, Lydia likes wild berries and apples. Do you think we should include oranges too?" "I think those two are fine. Cutting them slightly thicker will give better texture."
Cain listened to the advice and used his big hands to carefully cut the fruits.
When the fruit cutting was finished, wooden bowls filled with a white liquid were brought to each workbench.
Everyone, seeing the unfamiliar ingredients, began to wonder how to use them, becoming a little restless.
"Yes, you've finished cutting the fruits. Now, this is a tough job. Use this tool to whip the cream inside each workbench. By the way, this cream is made from milk, which Lydia recently found."
The young chef from before held up a bamboo whisking tool high and explained. This whisking tool was a special product thought up by Cain and made by Barvish. The image was a tea whisk used for matcha. It was just a simple drawing, but he beautifully created it.
(It's very hard to make whipped cream with just a fork.)
"Come on, Dad. Please do your best. The whipped cream's froth is key to its deliciousness, so put your heart into it."
Luke nodded, "Um," and started whisking the cream in a bowl he held in one arm. It was not a hand mixer, so it didn't froth easily, but after 5 minutes, it started to look much better.
"Dad, a little more! Lift the whisking tool, and once the 'point' stands up, you're done! Think of Mother Lydia's smile and do your best."
Whether Luke really thought of Lydia's smile due to Cain's cheering is uncertain, but he diligently whisked the cream.
"Alright, everyone, the cream is whipped enough. Please gather here for the next task."
The young chef, who had been giving instructions from earlier, called out as he walked around the workstations. When the participants gathered at the central workstation, the young chef began explaining.
"Please be as careful as possible with the next task. If it looks messy, it won't seem delicious. Okay? First, place one plain cake on this board, spread whipped cream on the surface, and then place about 3 pieces of cut fruit on top. Place another plain cake on that, spread more whipped cream, and top it with fruit. That's it for assembly, but the arrangement of fruit and cream can show your personality, so do your best."
The participants returned to their workstations and finished their creations. Luke moved his big hands with great effort and finished his as well. He applied a generous amount of whipped cream and placed an apple on the first layer. He placed a wild berry on the second layer.
"Dad, put a small amount of whipped cream between the wild berries with 2 spoons."
Cain advised Luke to use 2 spoons to shape the whipped cream into a round topping.
Luke nodded quietly and skillfully used 2 spoons to place the whipped cream.
The sizes were different, but the decoration looked quite cute.
"Father, it turned out very adorable. Mother Lydia will be happy too."
Cain praised Luke's cake. It was not just a compliment; the cake was really well made.
(Ah, I want to take a picture of Father like this with the cake! I want to show Elder Brother Ben and the others!!)
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