Chapter 33: Sampler Platter

Knock knock

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, it’s the day

“Coming, Jen!” I yell.

I walk to the entrance of my dorm and fling the door open

“JEN!” I scream.

“Wha- Why are you yelling!?” Jen shrieks back before scanning the inside of my dorm.

“Oh, sorry, I’m excited. I have a ton of ingredients from the north continent I want to show you – can you stay for dinner?” I ask with my largest smile.

“Right, you were traveling.. sure, I can stay, the meals here don’t disappoint,” Jen responds with a smirk.

Jen always looks pretty – she has long hair, dark eyes, and subtle curves, not to mention she’s more age-appropriate than my classmates. But today she looks special, maybe it’s pizza vision.

I lead Jen to the kitchen and the spread of goods I have on the counter.

“Left to right, I have rice, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and spicy peppers. Dinner is a sort of sampler with dishes that use each of them, so I hope you’re hungry,” I explain.

Jen nods excitedly while scanning the ingredients before turning to me-

“Which one is the fruit you were looking for?” she asks, and I point.

“That’s the tomato, I have a sauce made with it in the ice box, but it’s quite good as a snack with a touch of salt and white cheese on top if you’d like to try it,” I answer.

“I’d love to try it, but you had to cross a continent for it – do you really want to give it away as snack food?” Jen turns a sympathetic smile towards me, not wanting to waste something that took such effort to obtain.

“You worry too much, I’m happy to share with my wonderful teacher,” I say with a grin spread from ear to ear while slicing and salting a tomato.

“Agh.. it still feels wrong being called teacher by a nobleman,” Jen replies with a slight blush, “but the rice, what exactly is it? Some kind of grain?” she continues, trying to draw attention away from her reddened cheeks.

“Exactly right, you boil it and if you do it right it comes out slightly sticky,” I explain and add a thin layer of cheese to the sliced and salted tomato, “it doesn’t have much flavor, but it can go with sweet or spicy foods, and it’s lovely with sauces.”

“Interesting.. what are you cooking with it?” Jen asks.

“I’ll explain the spread for tonight – I have a spicy roast going in the oven that will be paired with the rice, other sides, and something called a tortilla we’ll work on together. I also shaved some paddle horn steaks thin to eat as a sort of sandwich, topped with onions and the sweet peppers. Lastly, we’ll have the greatest delicacy I’ll ever serve you – pizza, which includes the sauce I mentioned. I rattle off the dinner menu excitedly while motioning to all the ingredients spread about the kitchen.

“That’s a lot, Alfred.. you didn’t have to make everything for me to try,” Jen replies shyly, and I place the tomato snack before her. She picks it up and examines it, then takes an elegant bite, "Mm, it's sweet, and the consistency is different from most fruits," she says.

"It's unique," I reply with satisfaction, "it will taste entirely different in some of what we eat tonight."

"You really didn't have to go through so much trouble, Alfred," Jen says.

“Nonsense, I need my professor’s expertise,” I reply stubbornly.

I do want her help with the pizza dough and tortillas, but Jen has turned into my food buddy. Plus, she’s pretty, so I want to show off.

“I get it, I get it, please stop referring to me like that,” Jen says, and turns her face away from me, “what do you want me to work on with you?” she asks quietly.

“First, the pizza dough. It’s rolled out into a thin circle before it’s topped with sauce and cheese. It needs to be a bit tougher and chewier than soft bread, but also come out of the oven crispy. I reduced the egg and added more flour, but it’s not quite the texture I want..” I reply with half a smile.

I’ve rolled a lot of dough out in the last few weeks, and my pizza is good, but I think Jen can make this pizza literally otherworldly.

“I see..” she says with a hand to her cheek before turning to me, “let’s try a batch with no egg, egg adds a lighter texture. We’ll just add water to replace it and keep the same amount of flour to start,” Jen explains. She looks determined.

If she makes perfect pizza dough on the first try, I’m going to fall in love.

“Hmm, I haven’t tried that, let’s do it!” I respond with enthusiasm. “The other dough is for tortillas, they’re smaller and thinner than pizzas, but instead of being cooked to a full crisp, they’re pan-fried quickly to be soft inside and somewhat elastic,” I explain.

“Elastic? Like stretchy?” Jen asks with a puzzled look.

“Yes, the goal is to wrap or fold food inside of them,” I answer.

“Alright, then we’ll add animal fat or oil to that dough. If it’s so thin we shouldn’t add yeast or let it rise.. and maybe we’ll remove the sugar too..” Jen says while contemplating.

“No sugar..” I murmur.

Argh, my memory is fantastic for my time in this world, but I knew that in my last one and completely forgot.

“We can try it with sugar if you really want to..” Jen says while looking me over curiously.

“No no, you’re probably right, I was just mad at myself for not realizing that on my own,” I answer with a smile.

“Right.. do the people in the north make stuff like this?” Jen asks.

“I’m not really sure. I was rushing between trading towns, trying to get any new ingredient I could find. Most of tonight’s meal is from old books I read,” I answer.

“Ah, your adventurer books from when you were younger, I might need to borrow them if they’re filled with so many recipes,” Jen says with a smile.

I might need to fabricate some adventurer books..

“Aha, don’t worry, I’ll show you everything I’ve learned from them before you’re done teaching me,” I say with my fakest smile, “but let’s get to work on the doughs, everything else I have prepped,” I continue with a clap of my hands.

“Were you able to get more of the fancy oil in the north?” Jen asks as we start combining ingredients for the pizza dough.

“I was, you wouldn’t believe how much cheaper it is there, we have plenty to use,” I answer with a pleased look.

Considering it has to be sold second-hand after it’s exported to the holy city, it makes sense that the school couldn’t afford to use it. But it really was cheap up there.

“Oh great, let’s use that instead of fat,” Jen responds with glimmering eyes.

We follow a similar process for the tortilla, then immediately flatten it out to be pan-fried just before we eat. The pizza dough rises for about an hour while Jen and I chat about our respective winter breaks-

“We roll it out into a thin circle now?” Jen asks, motioning at the risen dough.

“Yep, I can show you how I’ve been doing it,” I answer before taking a wooden rolling pin and shaping the dough.

“It’s even thinner than a flatbread..” Jen notes and looks at the rolled dough with intrigue.

“Because we want this to be crispy, next we’ll add the sauce and strands of cheese to coat the top,” I explain.

I drop a dollop of my premade sauce in the center and spread it into a thin layer just barely covering the top of the dough, then lightly cover that with strands of cheese.

“That’s really all you use of the sauce?” Jen asks with a cocked head.

“It’s flavorful, too much, and it dominates the pizza,” I answer sternly.

“Fair enough, but you went pretty far to barely use your key ingredient,” Jen replies in a teasing tone.

“Just wait, you’ll understand once you try it. Oh, and I have a new oven outside to cook it – I forgot to show you when I lit it, but come look,” I say before leading Jen to my new pizza oven in the garden. Her eyes go wide to their limit while staring at the pizza oven.

“Wh-where did you get an oven like that!?” Jen asks with an exasperated look.

“I made it, it’s just a big piece of carved stone on a stand,” I answer while scratching my cheek.

“But carving that from one piece of stone.. and it must be high quality to be in an outdoor oven,” Jen continues in shock.

She could be right? I tested a ton of different stones when I was making the first one for the portable house. I threw fire at a bunch of rocks and checked how well they held heat by searing the skin off my hand to touch them. Then I threw ice on the winners and kept the one that didn’t crack. Luckily, I recognized the stone I needed for the second pizza oven.

“It’s not that special, Jen, it’s a carved stone that holds heat well, which is exactly what I needed for pizza making,” I reply with a proud smile, and try to draw attention back to the food.

“Right, but how did you carve it? Can you use earth magic? Does earth magic even work on stones like this?” Jen’s eyes are wider than human anatomy should allow.

Hmm she’s not letting this one go..

“Water magic can be used to break up stones, here look,” I say.

I generate a small, but high-pressure stream of water, then blow it at a corner of the stone to round its edge.

“See? It’s nothing special, just a fast stream of water and some patience,” I say eagerly.

Cutting a stone like that would be hell, and I never would've made the inside level, but I don’t think Jen sees much magic..

“Whaat! Water magic can carve stones!?” Jen yells and throws her hands up.

Unlucky, she sees enough magic to know that was weird.

“It’s just like how rivers and waterfalls erode stone over time and change the path they follow. I borrowed that concept,” I explain while looking slightly away.

“I-I guess that makes sense..” Jen responds quietly.

“Anyways, the rice is going, the beans are done, and the roast is done. I’ll fry the onions, peppers, and steak on the side of the smoker. Can you watch the pizza while I do?” I ask.

“Right, sorry..” Jen says before peering into the pizza oven, “How close to the flame do you normally place the pizza?” she asks.

“I place it near the center of the stone and turn it 90 degrees once I see the first bit of smoke come up,” I answer.

“Got it, I can do that,” Jen says seriously.

Jen mans the pizza while I fry the steak, onions, and peppers. I finish first and put most of the fried ingredients into a roll, top them with cheese, and place them in the oven alongside the pizza. The last edge of the pizza yields smoke as the cheesesteaks start to bubble. The tortillas are last, and they spend just a few seconds on each side in the roaring oven before the ideal texture is found.

We bring everything inside to plate each piece-

“Jen, can you slice the steak sandwich into small pieces? I want to try it while I prep the rest..” I ask shyly.

“Aha, can’t wait? I thought the pizza was your favorite?” Jen asks with a chuckle.

“I love pizza, but I’ve been eating a lot of it. I’m really excited for that sandwich,” I reply.

“Alright, alright, there are so many good smells I could use a taste of something too,” she says with a warm smile.

I shred the spicy paddle horn roast and rush to place it with the rice, beans, salsa, and tortillas before pulling my sword from stor-

“Alfred! Where’d the sword come from?” Jen yelps.

Balls, the smells clouded my brain.

“I turn my back for one second, and you try to use a sword as a cooking utensil,” Jen says in disbelief, “as your, ahem, teacher – I insist you use a regular cooking knife!”

Oh, this isn’t what I thought, but she’s really blushing after calling herself teacher.

“Ah, right, sorry Jen, I’ve been using a sword to cut the pizza since it’s wider than the knives I have are long..” I explain.

Note to self: make rolling pizza knife.

“Well, it still doesn’t belong in the kitchen. I’ll cut it, you can try the steak sandwich while I do,” Jen says, then picks up a kitchen knife.

She really is sweet. I couldn’t ask for a better teacher.

“Right, thanks, Jen,” I reply. My smile is genuine, and my eyes are soft from her kindness, but that just makes her blush more.

“Yea just eat already!” Jen yells in a fluster.

I walk to the counter where Jen left the steak sandwich, it’s sliced into four neat pieces, and the cheese is dripping just past the edge of the bread. It’s beautiful.

I raise an end piece and take as large a bite as my mouth can fit.

“Omhuh.. mm” I moan as I chew. The bread has a slight crunch from the pizza oven, and the cheese is gooey perfection. Inside, the steak is tender, and the peppers and onions are the right amount of fried, adding another slight crunch.

“Hahaha, I don’t think I’ve heard someone make that noise before. It’s to your liking, I take it?” Jen asks with a devilish smile.

“Mhm, sorry, it’s really good. Please try a piece,” I reply while gesturing to the three remaining slices.

Jen finishes slicing the pizza and trades places with me. She lifts a piece and takes a much more elegant bite than I managed.

“Oh wow, you were right, these are the sweet peppers, right? The texture is perfect..” Jen gives her review with a beaming face, “It would go really well with a tangy dipping sauce,” she adds.

“The original recipe calls for a sauce, but we’d have to take a class trip to the ocean and find a very special little fish for that,” I explain before turning my attention to the sliced pizza.

“Fish sauce huh.. wait, are you trying the pizza in here too? We should sit and eat,” Jen protests.

I comply and plate some pizza before bringing it, the roast, and the sides to the table. We sit and Jen starts to examine the spread-

“So I take everything and fold it inside the tortilla?” Jen asks, looking between me and the platter.

“Exactly, I’ll show you how I make it,” I answer, and pull a tortilla onto my plate, “I place a line of paddle horn roast, rice, beans, peppers, and onion,s then top with a little cheese and salsa – which is also made from tomato, but it tastes very different from the pizza sauce. Then I fold in the sides of the tortilla over the fillings and roll it up.”

“I see, every bite has a combination of flavors that way,” Jen says enthusiastically.

She copies my method and prepares a burrito of her own while I pick up a slice of pizza.

“crunch.. mhmm.. Jen, you’re incredible,” I mumble with closed eyes as I enjoy the best pizza that’s ever been made in this world.

“Ah, um.. thanks, Alfred..” Jen responds quietly. I’m sure she’s blushing, but I’m savoring this pizza without the distraction of the visual world.

“You should start a restaurant, I’d go all the time,” I muse while still savoring the pizza.

“Aha, I cooked for my parents’ inn back home, so I have some experience.. but you really seem to be enjoying that, I’ll take a bite of mine.” Jen takes a slice of pizza and delicately bites into it.

“mmm..” she moans, “this is worth a trip across the ocean for, I apologize for making light of the tomatoes,” Jen says with a serious tone and similarly closed eyes.

“I told you, just a little bit goes a long way. You’ll be shocked when you try the salsa, it couldn’t taste more different,” I respond with a chuckle.

“Really? It has a strong flavor in the pizza even though there’s so little, and there’s much more in the tortilla..” Jen says dubiously.

Her face changes to one of determination as she places the pizza down and picks up the burrito. It’s too large to take an elegant bite. If she weren’t so focused on the tomatoes, she would be
embarrassed.

I take an equally inelegant bite of my burrito-

“”mmmhm””

“It’s different, right?” I ask.

“Yes, but it’s good.. mm..” Jen replies through slight food moans, “I really could start a restaurant with all these new recipes..”

“mm.. it’d be hard to source some of the ingredients, but if you can find local replacements for some of it, you could offer unique cuisine to the capital. Nobles love their spectacles..” I reply.

“It might not be possible,” Jen says.

“We have the rest of the school year to try new recipes. And I’ve been meaning to experiment with an ale made from oranges, you could have a unique drink to add to the menu if it works out,” I reply with a reassuring smile.

I could probably give Jen everything she needs to get a restaurant off the ground. We spend so much time together that I’m already sad it’ll end this summer, and if she started a restaurant in the capital, I’d still get to see her.

Sigh. I will not be beating the simp allegations in either of my lives.