The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Walnut Biscuits and Simple Stew

Melfina, though leading a reasonably busy life, makes sure to take a proper rest on her day of repose.

Work isn’t something that improves by just pushing oneself relentlessly. A moderate amount of refreshment boosts efficiency and adds zest to daily life.

This is partially an excuse. The main reason is that if Melfina didn’t take a break, Marie and Cedric would continue working as a matter of course.

Even when she told them to take a day off because she would be holed up in her study, they never agreed to it.

— But even if it’s a day off, it’s not like they would spend it as they please.

After finishing a slightly later breakfast than usual, Melfina stood in the kitchen. She wore a white apron over her favorite cotton dress.

The other day, the children from the former serfs’ settlement brought her a basket full of walnuts.

When she asked them about it, they said it was the harvest season in Moltre Forest. This was the first autumn they had banned the free-roaming of pigs, so they were having a varied harvest.

“There were so many acorns that we couldn’t pick them all!”

Just like in her previous life, acorns were great toys for children, who competed over their shape, size, and whether they still had their caps.

The children eagerly showed her their favorite acorns, each placed in their tiny palms. Some were round with fluffy caps, some sleek and shiny.

“You mustn’t bother Lady Melfina at her work.”

“Yeees!”

“Aww, Lady Melfina, will you come visit the village again?”

Eli’s call made the children reluctantly disperse, though they did so with a hint of disappointment.

“Of course, I’ll definitely come to visit. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer. Be careful on your way back before it gets dark.”

“We will!”

“See you later, Lady Melfina!”

Even after making promises to meet again, the children kept turning back, waving their hands vigorously.

“Recently, Lady Melfina hasn’t been visiting the settlement, so they’ve been feeling lonely.”

Eli, the wife of Nid, often visits from the former serfs’ settlement, so Melfina mostly hears about the current situation from her. Melfina probably kept the information about the children to herself out of consideration, so as not to worry her.

“I see. It would be nice if I could move around a bit more freely…”

Melfina tried not to stray too far from the lord’s mansion because of various communications that needed her attention, but it seems the children had been missing her.

Continuing to call it the former serfs’ settlement doesn’t sit well, so it should be established as a new village with a proper name. The residents probably have their own preferences, so Melfina plans to discuss it with Nid again.

Anyway, since she received them, she decided to make enjoying these walnuts the way to spend her holiday.

They were neatly shelled, typical-looking walnuts. They were slightly smaller than those in her memories from her previous life, and occasionally bore marks as if nibbled by squirrels, which added to their charm.

“By the way, how do you crack walnuts?”

“Even you, Lady Melfina, don’t know some things, it seems.”

Marie asked with curiosity, and Melfina couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Well, there are some things even I don’t know. It’s quite normal.”

Melfina’s knowledge is mostly focused on noble education, and in her previous life, walnuts were already shelled and processed.

— I remember those being in chocolates or cakes. Maybe I can’t do chocolates, but I should be able to make caramel eventually, so recreating that squirrel-marked treat with caramel might be fun to try.

Lost in these thoughts, Cedric took out a knife and inserted it into the crevice of the walnut, then twisted his wrist with a snap! The shell cracked open, and inside was a small kernel.

“Isn’t that rough handling going to damage the knife?”

“It’s fine for something like a walnut. It’s originally meant for rough use.”

The blade of the knife, which seemed to be cast, was thick, and indeed looked sturdy. It was more likely the type of knife used for pushing and tearing rather than one with a sharp edge that could cut upon touch.

After Cedric had cracked open several walnuts, Melfina carefully washed them once most of the nut meat was out. Then, she put a frying pan on the magic stone stove and dry-roasted them. The sweet and nutty aroma of the nuts filled the air.

They looked delicious as they were, but since they had some time, Melfina decided to get a bit creative.

“What are you making?”

“For now, walnut biscuits. Shall we also prepare something for lunch while we’re at it?”

He placed chicken bones in a pot, added leek greens and ginger, brought it to a simmer, and let it simmer gently after skimming off the scum.

The ingredients for the biscuits were wheat flour, butter, lard, and finely chopped walnuts. You could add spices if you wanted, but this time, they were going for the simplest version.

They used whole wheat flour, ground together with the bran.

The wheat grown around here was mainly hard wheat, high in gluten, commonly known as strong flour. The more you kneaded it, the more it developed a sticky texture, suitable for making bread with a firm texture.

— It’s filling, but not ideal for making biscuits or tempura-like crispy foods.

Soft wheat, which was the raw material for cake flour, increased in cultivation as you went further south. Even in the southern reaches ruled by Melfina’s family, the Crawford family, there should have been some soft wheat harvested around the southern tip.

But contacting the Crawford family was out of the question. While it didn’t seem like they were keeping tabs on Melfina’s movements, if they found out she had left the ducal mansion and was acting as a lord at the northern edge, who knows what they might say or do.

— If only I had more connections, like with the Spanish Empire or the Roman Republic for trade, things might have been easier. But I don’t.

But there’s no point in wishing for things I don’t have. Since my memories from my past life returned, I’ve managed with what I have, and I’ll continue to do so.

“Put the flour in a coarse cloth and pound it, then sift half of it. Toast it in a frying pan until it turns a light brown, then mix it with the remaining flour, and add the crushed walnuts. Mix in the butter and lard, being careful not to knead too much.”

“Why shouldn’t we knead it? We knead bread dough quite a bit, don’t we?”

“Kneading creates stickiness, which helps bread bake evenly, but it makes pastries too tough after baking.”

Although this time, since there’s bran included and to deactivate the gluten by toasting, it shouldn’t become too sticky. They’ve added plenty of fat to improve the texture, but just to be sure, they’ll mix it lightly.

— I wish I had baking powder, or at least bicarbonate of soda, or some rice flour.

Truly, in this world, it’s always a struggle to make anything.

— I thought Maria made macarons in the game just because it was a typical girly thing, but maybe there was a reason for it.

In the game, the heroine Maria used colorful macarons as items to raise the favorability of her targets. Particularly if she gave them macarons matching the color of the target’s eyes, it significantly increased their favorability.

The ingredients for macarons are just eggs, almond powder, and sugar, although sugar is quite a luxury item, it’s not something unattainable at the palace.

— I wonder how they got those colorful pigments on them.

Once the dough comes together, roll it out with a rolling pin, fold it over a few times, then cut it into bite-sized pieces with a knife. It would be nice to put some cute designs on them, but for now, they’ll just poke holes in them with a fork.

Once the toasted and crushed walnuts are placed on top, all that’s left is to put them on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven. They made half with walnuts and half without.

The magic oven is almost as convenient as modern appliances from my past life. After baking for about fifteen minutes, a fragrant, delicious smell fills the air.

“You can do whatever you want until they’re done baking, alright?”

“No, I’m here as your guard.”

“I actually want to see them bake.”

No one seems to be leaving, and even Ed and Cliff popped their heads into the kitchen after catching a whiff of the aroma.

Since they have some free time anyway, they’ll prepare lunch.

They put vegetables and meat into the pot where they’ve been simmering chicken bones, along with the white parts of the leeks.

Leeks are a type of green onion commonly found in this area. They look like thick, short green onions I often saw in my past life, but they’re sweeter and become soft and tender when cooked, making them a great ingredient for soups.

While the soup simmers, the biscuits finish baking, and they take them out of the oven to cool. They were worried they wouldn’t brown much since there’s no sugar in them, but the extra fat they added seemed to help, giving them a light brown color.

“I think they’ll taste better after they’ve cooled down a bit, so let’s let them cool for a while.”

They take the lid off the pot and turn off the heat, as the thick cast iron pot should continue cooking with the residual heat.

While cookies and biscuits in this world look different from those in my past life, they’re still relatively popular. Sweet biscuits with sugar are mostly sold by monasteries, with various variations available. Like the temple’s ale, they’re mostly bought by nearby nobles and wealthy merchants.

Although the church and temple coexist, serving as a deterrent against religious wars between territories and countries, they traditionally have a strained relationship. The temple heals injuries and relies on daily small donations, while the church charges high prices for healing illnesses and presides over weddings, knighthoods, and funerals, asking for alms each time. Although the church is generally less well-regarded, people can’t completely distance themselves from it, as they have no choice but to rely on it for marriages, knightly appointments, and funeral services.

Once the baking sheet has cooled down, Marie brews some corn tea, and they all gather around the table to taste the biscuits.

As they bite into the biscuits, they make a crisp sound. Since there’s no sugar in them, they have a very simple taste.

The texture is somewhere between pie and biscuits, maybe leaning slightly towards the biscuit side? They wanted them to be a bit crunchier, but these are not bad at all.

“These are delicious.”

“I like them too. The walnuts are fragrant and go well with them.”

“They have a nice crunch. They’d be good for a snack or breakfast.”

Overall, the feedback seems to be positive. When chewed thoroughly, a subtle sweetness from the wheat and the aroma of the walnuts linger in the mouth.

“They’re even tastier with sugar added, but these have their own unique charm.”

After lifting the lid off the pot of vegetables, Marie pours in some milk.

“Is this stew? We’re not making white sauce today?”

“That’s right. Instead, we’ll do this. Crush the biscuits.”

“Huh?”

Marie crushes the biscuits with a rolling pin and adds the finely broken pieces into the pot. After stirring for a while, it’s ready.

“Give it a taste.”

Marie eagerly takes a small plate and tries it first. She takes a sip from the small plate, and her face lights up with delight.

“It’s delicious.”

“Since the biscuits are made from butter and flour, when you’re too lazy to make white sauce every time, you can just crush up the leftover biscuits and add them to milk.”

The soup made with chicken broth is tasty with just a bit of salt added, and by adding milk and biscuits, you can easily enjoy a stew.

It’s a great way to have something warm and comforting during the cold season.

“It’s perfect for turning breakfast soup into stew.”

“Yes, with the weather getting colder, and since bread keeps well for a while, I think baking plenty and using the leftovers for stew is a good idea.”

A thick soup like this warms you up from the inside out. Snacking on biscuits for breakfast and turning them into stew for lunch sounds like a great idea.

Furthermore, although Melfina ends up baking biscuits several times later on, they seem to be quite popular as a light snack during the day, so there aren’t enough leftovers to add to the stew.