Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Arnoldt’s Madeleines

The kitchen was crowded with dishes lined up.

It seemed they had prepared offerings brought in from various villages that morning.

Most of the dishes for the festival were already finished and being taken to the village square for the festival.

The stoves and counters were now empty, ready for us to work without hindrance.

“Kurt-sama, we’ve brought the ingredients!”

Tina and the villagers arrived carrying large bundles.

In their hands were jars containing wheat flour, yams, honey, walnut oil, and small green sacks of kiwi fruit seeds, the original form of the kiwi fruit called “sarunashi.”

Additionally, a large board wrapped in cloth was also brought over.

“Thank you, everyone. This helps a lot. Tina, can you stay behind to help with the pastry making?”

“Is it okay!? Sure thing!”

Tina beamed with excitement, making a fist.

Until now, I had been handling pastry making on my own without her help.

But from now on, I wanted to aim for the best pastries together with Tina.

Right now, I’m relying solely on fire magic, but I plan to gradually teach her various things.

“Of course, Kurt-sama!”

Tina replied with determination.

The people around us chuckled and looked at us with warm eyes.

“Boy, we’re heading to the square first. Staying here feels like getting heartburn before eating sweet treats.”

Tina blushed and puffed up her cheeks upon hearing the villagers’ banter.

“My pastries may cause heartburn, but they’re still delicious. See you later!”

I waved goodbye to the villagers.

Then, Tina stood beside me.

“I’ll do my best to help with your pastry making, Kurt-sama!”

“I’m counting on you. Tina, your help is invaluable.”

Once I got used to the convenience of Tina’s fire magic, I couldn’t go back to adjusting fire with firewood.

“My help is needed…”

“Tina, you’re my best partner. Please lend me your strength.”

“I’ll give it my all! I’ll do anything for you, Kurt-sama! …Partner, the best partner.”

Tina’s tail has been wagging vigorously since a while ago.

She seemed to be fully motivated.

Now, let’s start cooking.

First, sift the flour we’re going to use and grate the yams.

I borrowed two bowls from the kitchen.

Then, I cracked eggs, separating the egg whites and yolks. I put the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in the other.

The egg yolks were plump, and the egg whites were clear without any cloudiness. They were good eggs.

“Wow, Kurt-sama, cracking eggs one after another with just one hand, and separating the yolks and whites so cleanly, it’s like magic.”

“It’s just practice. Tina, you can do it too with practice.”

Probably, the effect of cooking skill level III was also at play. When I imagined movements from my past life, my body followed suit.

Thanks to this skill, I can replicate all the movements I knew from my past life.

While weapon skills only enhance speed and weight, the cooking skill seems to increase precision and sharpen the senses.

In no time, I separated all the eggs I received from Count Fernande.

“Let’s get started.”

I took the bowl with the egg whites and inserted my homemade whisk, stirring it.

I’m making meringue. When you whip egg whites vigorously, it produces pure white foam.

As I continued to whisk, the fluffy white meringue expanded and swelled.

“Wow, the egg whites expand so much, it’s like magic.”

Tina’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Then, I added a small amount of honey, little by little, and stirred. Adding honey gradually is the key.

“Alright, perfect meringue.”

I removed the whisk, and it formed stiff peaks. I had made a firm, fluffy meringue. This is the foundation. If I mess up here, it’ll be a disaster.

“Amazing, just that amount of eggs, and it becomes so big and fluffy.”

“It’s because it’s filled with a lot of air. Mixing this into the batter will make it fluffy when baked.”

Normally, the batter would turn out hard when baked. But adding meringue makes it fluffy by incorporating lots of air.

“Now, let’s keep going.”

I beat the egg yolks that I set aside earlier and added about two-thirds of the total to the meringue.

Using two-thirds of the egg yolks balances the recipe for this time. The remaining one-third will be used later.

As I added the egg yolks little by little, mixing them in, the white meringue turned yellowish.

Furthermore, I added sifted flour and grated yam to the mixture.

With a large amount of air incorporated, the fluffy batter tends to become dry. Mixing in grated yam improves the texture and adds sweetness to the batter.

Finally, walnut oil.

Since I reduced the amount of eggs, I added more oil. This, combined with the yam, makes the texture moister. It’s acceptable to use extra walnut oil in this case. If I made the same thing with butter, it would be too heavy to eat. But with walnut oil, which has a refreshing aftertaste and richness, I could afford to use more.

After thoroughly mixing everything, the batter was complete.

Even though it hasn’t been baked yet, a sweet aroma wafted through the air.

“It looks so yellow, fluffy, and creamy. It seems delicious even as it is.”

“Well, you could eat it as is, but it’s much tastier when baked.”

I chuckled and took out the board wrapped in cloth.

It’s a special board made with magic. Oval-shaped hollows were evenly spaced on it.

I began to spread walnut oil on them.

“There are some carvings in these oval hollows. Is this…?”

“You noticed it. It’s the Arnoldt family crest.”

I poured the batter I made earlier into the oval hollows one by one. With this method, I could bake a large quantity at once.

Baking takes about twenty minutes, and if I bake five times, I’ll have enough sweets for two hundred people.

Hopefully, I can prepare enough for everyone in less than two hours.

I’m making Meringue Madeleines.

After pouring the batter into all the oval hollows, I placed the board into the stove.

“Tina, I’ll leave the fire to you. Please use high heat.”

“Yes, Kurt-sama.”

“I’m gradually reducing the heat… Yes, a little more… Okay, that’s it. Maintain that heat. Can you do it?”

“Of course, Kurt-sama.”

Tina sweated as she baked the madeleines.

When the time comes, we’ll have fluffy and moist madeleines made with the best eggs and wonderful ingredients like walnuts and yams from the forest.

But this isn’t enough. Today, it’s a special treat, not just regular madeleines.

◇

After baking a total of five batches, we had enough madeleines for two hundred people.

Now, it’s time to elevate the madeleines to the next level of deliciousness.

“Kurt-sama, the aroma is so sweet and enticing that I can’t resist. Please let me taste just one.”

Tina looked at the fox-colored madeleines with dreamy eyes.

The special madeleines made with walnut oil and yams are delicious on their own.

“Yeah, Tina, you worked hard, so you can taste them. But they’re not finished yet. Let’s do the finishing touches first.”

“Can they get even more delicious from here!?”

“This is where it gets serious. Look, do you see the Arnoldt family crest carved into these baked madeleines?”

“Yes, the Arnoldt family crest is beautifully engraved.”

“But don’t you think the crest part looks a bit empty? I’m going to fill it with something to complete my sweets.”

I designed the mold to carve the family crest.

But if you’re concerned about appearances, you’ll do the finishing touches.

There’s a reason why I didn’t do it.

I worked on the remaining two-thirds of the egg yolks.

Mixing walnut oil, a pinch of salt, plenty of Sarunashi fruit juice, and honey into the egg yolks.

What I’m making is a sweet egg yolk sauce.

I modified it from Hollandaise sauce, one of the five basic sauces in French haute cuisine, to be used in desserts.

The intense flavor of egg yolks is unmatched. Just like how a soft-boiled egg yolk has a stronger umami flavor than scrambled eggs. I wanted to create a sauce that maximizes that flavor.

And the best way to bring out the flavor of the egg yolks is…

“Tina, can you warm up this sauce for me? Take your time as usual.”

“I’ll proceed with caution.”

Tina warmed up the egg sauce.

The temperature is crucial for enjoying egg yolks.

At around 60°C, just before the eggs solidify, is when the umami flavor of the egg yolks is most activated. It’s what you’d call a soft-boiled egg. The egg sauce turns into a beautiful golden color.

While custard cream could have been an option to enhance the flavor of the egg yolks, this method brings out a stronger umami flavor.

I signaled Tina to stop heating once it reached the optimal temperature.

I poured the semi-cooked egg sauce into the depressions of the madeleines.

Yes, those depressions were made for pouring the sauce.

The golden Arnoldt family crest emerged on the madeleines.

Now, they’re complete. Golden madeleines.

“Wow, it’s beautiful. A pastry with a golden family crest, how romantic.”

Tina’s eyes sparkled as she peered at the pastry.
The appearance of pastries is as important as their taste, especially for an event like today’s festival. Madeleines with a golden family crest are perfect for the occasion.

“Now, give it a try. It’s the best pastry I can make right now. It’s an original creation based on madeleines with various enhancements. So, I’ve decided to name this pastry ‘Arnoldt’s Madeleines.'”

“A pastry with the Arnoldt name… How wonderful!”

It’s a pastry that brings out the full flavor of eggs while utilizing ingredients from this village and the bounties of the forest. That’s why the name Arnoldt suits it perfectly. It’s something that can only be made in this territory, the special Madeleine.

“Well then, Kurt-sama, may I have a taste now?”

“Please, go ahead and try it.”

“Thank you, then I’ll have it.”

Tina grabbed the Arnoldt’s Madeleine with trembling hands and took a bite.