A Story About a Blonde Gal Angel Who Excessively Praises My Cooking. After Asking Me to Teach Her How to Cook, Feelings of Mutual Love Began to Grow - Chapter 92-93

Chapter 92: Cooking With Miaki Sisters (1)

Since it was Amatsuka-san’s birthday party, I was unusually enthusiastic.

I was told about it last night, and today, I’m already preparing.

Amatsuka-san’s birthday is tomorrow, August 18.

With a full day, I could make something that requires a fair amount of prep.

“Kei-chan, I’ll help too.”

“Thanks, Motobu. Is there something that even Miko can help with?”

“Yes, of course. Let’s have Miko-san help out properly.”

“I’ll do my best!”

Miko-san expressed her enthusiasm by clenching her small fists.

Originally, Miko-san and Amatsuka-san were close friends.

Miaki-san and Amatsuka-san had known each other since middle school, so they were quite attached to each other.

“But what are we cooking the day before?”

“We’re making roast beef.”

“Roast beef, you say?!”

“Roast…beef…?”

I placed a huge, meaty block of beef right in front of the two of them.

A massive chunk of meat.

“It already looks delicious…”

“Miaki-san, that sounds surprisingly wild of you to say.”

“Well, not raw though…”

It does look like one of those delicious gift options you see in catalogs.

When I go shopping, I sometimes see something like this in the supermarket and can’t help but stare at it.

“It’s really big…”

Miko-san was also staring intently at the block of meat, which was about the size of her face.

It’s not often you get to see meat of this size.

Even in supermarkets, you wouldn’t normally see something this large, especially in a pack.

This time, we sourced the meat from a butcher shop run by Naoto-san’s former subordinate.

“Roast beef requires some preparation and needs to rest in the fridge for a day, so I don’t usually make it, but since it’s for a birthday party, I’m going all out.”

Up until now, I’ve only prepared birthday treats for Chika and Manoka-san.

That’s why I’m putting in extra effort this time.

“Well, even though it’s roast beef, it’s not that difficult to make.”

“I’ve never made it before, so it seems really hard to me.”

“There are plenty of simple methods on video sites, so don’t worry.”

With that, I pulled out my secret weapon.

It was a kitchen appliance that Manoka-san had won at a wedding reception.

“This time, we’ll make things easier with this.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a sous-vide machine.”

At first glance, it looks like a thermos.

But with this, you can make roast beef or chicken salad.

There’s no need to worry about managing the water temperature, so it’s incredibly convenient.

“First, let’s cut the large piece of meat we got into a manageable size.”

I cut the huge chunk of meat on the cutting board into pieces that were easier to handle.

Since it’s a birthday party with many people attending, I ordered a large piece of meat, but this is my first time handling something of this size.

“I want to help…”

“I’ll need your help after I cut the meat, Miko-san.”

“Okay!”

It’s a bit scary to let a first-grader use a knife.

We don’t have any child-friendly knives at home either.

If something happened to Miko-san, Miaki-san would kill me…

“So, Miko-san, we’re going to cast a spell on the meat. Will you help me?”

“Yes!”

I handed some salt to Miko-san and had her sprinkle it evenly over the meat.

According to what I found online, you should use 0.5% of the meat’s weight in salt, but it’s fine to eyeball it.

Once the surface was covered, we flipped it over, and I had Miko-san sprinkle the salt on the other side as well.

Miko-san was surprisingly skilled, which was a big help.

“Now, please put the meat into this bag.”

I handed a zippered storage bag to Miko-san and had her put the meat inside.

After she finished, I took the meat from her, submerged just the meat in a pot filled with water, squeezed out the air from the bag, and sealed it, making it as close to vacuum-sealed as possible.

Then, I attached the sous-vide machine to the pot and set the temperature and timer.

“The great thing about sous-vide is that it doesn’t require an open flame, so it’s safe and easy.”

“Is the water flowing?”

“The gentle water flow helps the heat distribute more evenly.”

There’s a theory that says it’s easier to warm up with running water like a shower than by soaking in a bath, or something like that.

“That’s really convenient. I want one at home.”

“I heard they’re expensive though.”

“Guh…”

That was the first time I heard Miaki-san groan like that.

—

Chapter 93: Cooking With Miaki Sisters (2)

After finishing most of the roast beef preparation, I moved on to the next dish. Roast beef is easy with a sous vide cooker. Just sear it and let it rest in the fridge, and it’s practically done.

“Is that it?”

“We’re making terrine next.”

“Terrine?”

“Yes, it’s a bit of work, but it’s fun.”

Terrine is a dish that makes vegetables taste delicious, and it looks pretty too. I got the recipe from Tomitsugu-senpai. When I asked for the cutest terrine recipe, he sent me an incredibly long message with obvious excitement.

“Terrine sounds fancy. It’s not the kind of dish we usually make at home.”

“Kei-chan, what’s terrine?”

“Terrine is…probably a French home-style dish.”

The word “terrine” refers to the mold used for the dish. Ingredients are placed in this mold and either baked or chilled. At least, that’s what I vaguely remember.

I asked Tomitsugu-senpai, but I didn’t really understand his explanation. He was so happy talking about it, though, that I just went along with it.

“Miaki-san, can you boil some water in the pot?”

“Sure.”

Miko was standing by, eagerly waiting for my next instruction, looking adorable.

I peeled off a few lettuce leaves and handed them to Miaki-san. The lettuce would serve as the outer layer of the terrine, so I tried to use the largest pieces.

“The stars of this dish are vegetables.”

“Vegetables…”

“This dish might just make you like vegetables, Miko-san.”

The vegetables I prepared included carrots, tomatoes, okra, yellow bell peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower. I also added mushrooms because I personally like them, even though they aren’t technically vegetables.

Making terrine is a hassle, especially when it comes to the preparation. I focused on adding vibrant colors, which meant using root vegetables that required a lot of boiling and trimming.

While you don’t have to use vegetables for terrine, the colors make it look so much better. Normally, I make terrine to use up meat and vegetables that are about to expire, but since this is a birthday celebration, as a dedicated househusband, I’m going all out.

“The water’s boiling.”

“Please add some salt to it, then we’ll blanch the lettuce.”

The blanching not only softens the vegetables but also adds flavor, so I was generous with the salt.

Most online recipes suggest about 3% salt in proportion to the water. That’s the perfect amount for seasoning.

“Miko-san, can you peel the tomato skins?”

“Sure!”

I showed her how to peel the skins off the tomatoes that I had boiled and then cooled in cold water.

With a vegetable terrine, texture is just as important. That’s why I blanch the tomatoes to make the skin easy to peel. I also roast the bell peppers before peeling them, but they aren’t done yet, so we’ll wait a bit.

As for the carrots, I’m taking a shortcut by microwaving them. Terrine takes a lot of time and effort, so I’m trying to save time where I can.

“How’s the lettuce coming along?”

“Good. Please put it over here.”

I placed the blanched lettuce leaves one by one on a surface lined with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap would serve as a base, so I sanitized the area with alcohol and removed as much air as possible.

“Miko-san, next, we’ll remove the moisture from the lettuce.”

“Okay.”

We covered the lettuce with paper towels to absorb the moisture. To ensure it was completely dry, we pressed on it several times with the paper towels. I even rolled over it with a rolling pin to squeeze out more water.

While the lettuce was drying, I blanched the prepared vegetables. I almost forgot to prep the okra. I gave it a good rub with salt.

Cutting the carrots and bell peppers into uniform shapes makes the final dish look very neat.

“What’s in this pot?”

“That’s gelatin. It’s to bind the ingredients together.”

“This is so much work.”

“That’s what cooking is.”

While the vegetables were cooking, I took out the terrine mold and lined it with plastic wrap.

“The most important part of making terrine is this step.”

“Do you really have to be that careful, even with the corners?”

“The result will be completely different.”

“I see.”

I used a damp paper towel to smooth the plastic wrap against the terrine mold, making sure it adhered tightly, especially in the corners.

Then, I laid out the lettuce that Miko-san had dried. Some of the lettuce hung over the edges, but that’s fine since I’d be rolling it up like cabbage rolls later.

“Miko-san, now we’ll layer the vegetables inside.”

“Okay.”

Since color is key to this dish, layering is very important. If you want a rainbow effect, you create color layers or scatter the colors around.

For this one, I tried to make it as colorful as possible by not placing similar colors next to each other.

“It’s done.”

“Now, we’ll pour in the gelatin.”

Terrine was originally a preserved food. The gelatin helps extend the shelf life of ingredients that are about to expire. When you use meat, the gelatin naturally comes from the meat and fat.

While modern preservation methods are better, terrine can still extend the shelf life by about a week.

“Next, we’ll fold the lettuce over, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and press it down.”

I wrapped the terrine tightly in plastic, pressing down until gelatin oozed out of the gaps. This meant almost all the air was removed.

“Once it’s wrapped, we’ll place a weight on it and put it in the fridge.”

The ingredients were tightly packed, nearly suffocated in a sea of gelatin, then pressed down from above. It reminded me of overworked employees, crushed by the weight of their jobs.

Now, you’ll become our nourishment. Poor workers, take a short break in the fridge, chilled to the bone, fearing the next call from your boss. Mwahaha!

“After this, we’ll just make the sauce, and today’s work is done.”

“Is it finished yet?”

“Nope. Please look forward to it tomorrow.”

I instructed Miko-san to wash her hands and began cleaning up.

“You know, you seem like you’d make a great dad.”

As I cleaned, Miaki-san joined in and said that softly.

“Being a good dad is one thing, but there’s also the question of whether I’ll even get married.”

These days, having a happy family through marriage seems like a luxury. They say marriage is the graveyard of life, and to be a good dad, you need a decent salary at least.

“You seem to enjoy taking care of Miko-san. I think you’d make a great wife yourself.”

“Th-thank you…”

Watching Miaki-san, her cheeks slightly red as she washed the dishes, I suddenly felt embarrassed. I really should be careful about saying thoughtless things like that.