Finn was absolutely fired up. He swore to make the best food possible considering the limited ingredients that he had!
Fortunately, the kitchen was relatively complete— in terms of tools and equipment, anyway. There were even small kilns that could serve as ovens or toasters, he just had to adjust the temperature well. Speaking of this, thanks to the utilities of the inn, he didn’t even have to manually open fire or add fire wood!
It was literally like it was run on electricity, except everything had a quaint look, like modern appliances had rustic skins or something.
After some thought, he also rubbed the experimental ’sapped’ meat with the spices and placed them there, making some simple markings to indicate which meat was sapped meat.
Sizzle, Sizzle
He took the belly fat and slow-roasted it in the pan. When it turned crispy gold, he flipped it, and he was already starting to smell the savory aroma that seductively kneaded his stomach.
"Calm down, stomach, we don’t know if it is even chewable yet." Sure, it was edible, but would it be one of those meats that he couldn’t chew and only swallow? Uegh.
He did a similar process with the beef, separating different plates according to treatment. However, the beef didn’t need to be brined, so he prepared it first.
For the beef cubes, he decided to do beef skewers. He cubed the meat pieces and salted them lightly, and then he skewered them with the citrusy ivana vine, some bitter leaves, and a few fruits. He arranged it so that each taste and texture could be included in each bite, so that there was a balance of the savory and the freshness.
While the pork cooked, he grilled the beef over high heat, letting the outside caramelize and blacken slightly.
He could hear the Panda gulping next to him, and he dutifully ignored him.
He rotated the skewers evenly, taking them off to rest for a bit, doing similar with the pork. He added more of the leaves and herbs to add the desired herbaceousness.
Since Syl was a different species, he had to prepare himself in case the food didn’t actually fit her taste. The important part would be to provide her with several options and learn from whichever one worked.
The VVIP customer deserved the VVIP treatment!
That said, while he waited for the meat to finish, he prepared the salad. He used the leftover greens and fruits, as well as the excess tiny bits of meat from the other experiments to garnish this salad.
For the dressing, he used the sunberry-pear jam that he had. It would add sweetness, fruitiness, and viscosity to the salad. He diluted it first, added crushed citrusy fruit oil to create a lovely vinaigrette-like dressing that would balance out the umami of the meat dishes.
For starch, he only had thornroots, and he decided to mash them again. It was the safest bet, and frying them would feel a bit too oily considering how he handled the meat.
He also started squeezing a bit of fruit and mixed them with herbs and water. These would be refreshments to wash down the oily meat.
Finally, he took the skewers off their cooking areas. They looked savory and lustrous, which made him (and Pang) gulp.
For the pork, he squeezed fresh vine citrus into it, watching it sizzle into the fat. This would lighten this dish. Before plating, he used his skill [Dish Analysis] to see their effects.
[Sunberry-Pear Salad (Unranked). Refreshing leaves drizzled with the sweet sunberry and pear vinaigrette.]
[Citrus-Pepper Roast with Crisped Brindlejaw Fat (F). Delicious slab of roasted brindlejaw belly. Increases HP recovery by 5% for 2 minutes.]
[Citrus-Pepper Roast with Crisped Brindlejaw Fat (E). Delicious slab of roasted brindlejaw belly softened by sapsurge sap. Increases HP recovery by 10% for 5 minutes.]
[Charred Citrus Hoovensore Beef Skewers (F). Tough strips of hoovensore flank with ivara vine and sunberry leaf. Increased stamina recovery by 5% for 2 minutes.]
[Charred Citrus Hoovensore Beef Skewers (E). Tough strips of hoovensore flank with ivara vine and sunberry leaf. Increased stamina recovery by 10% for 5 minutes.]
[Bonus: Creation of First F-Class Essence Food]
[Received! Permanent +1 STR]
[Bonus: Creation of First E-Class Essence Food]
[Received! Permanent +3 STR]
Legitimate essence food!
And... he had a hundred percent success rate, too!
While he was distracted by the new notifications, the Panda climbed up the counter. However, Finn was fast enough and held him away. "Don’t be unhygienic! Guests are eating these!"
"But!"
"I’ll serve you your own food later," he said, tone full of contempt. "Are you going to repay our first customer—one who had done so much for us—with betrayal?"
Betrayal = messing with someone else’s food.
The Panda pouted, looking away.
He placed the panda back on the sofa and washed his hands. He started cooking several more of the same meals. He planned to use the sapped meat, and he fortunately marinated quite a bit.
By this time, the smell of the food being prepared had long spread through the dining and living room. The bedrooms were insulated so it was safe, but Syl, with the amount of thoughts and troubles she was facing, could only rest an hour before heading out.
The savory smell hit her nostrils, and she almost gulped. She sat straight at the dining table.
Pang jumped on the nearest chair to the living room, which happened to be next to Syl’s. The elf couldn’t help but knead him. The Panda blinked at first, but then he started enjoying the free massage.
"Fuuu~"
Syl’s lips twitched, also enjoying herself.
While the two bonded, Finn set up the table, and then revealed the three dishes.
Gulp
"This looks good, la~"
Syl nodded and looked at the food. Her eyebrows rose. "Is it essence food?"
"You can tell?"
"Yes, there is the aura of essence embedded into the dish."
Oh...
Could everyone see it so straightforwardly, he wondered. So he asked.
Syl shook her head. "Elves’ eyes are more attuned to essence than others. Most humans would need to use the appraisal tool."
This meant that people might still be cynical if he told them that, so far, he had a 100% success rate of making essence food.
But what about him, a chef? Sure, he was human, but didn’t he get special eyes related to these things?
Meh, he’d deal with that later.