Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Brown Sugar and White Sugar

I arrived at the kitchen of the Duke of Lenaril’s residence.

It was a private room. Even though it was temporary, I was treated specially as the head chef.

Here, as assistants, there were Tina, a fox-eared beauty, and Chloe, a beautiful elf.

Tina could delicately manipulate heat, and Chloe’s water was suitable for cooking.

Today, I came to the kitchen to make white sugar from brown sugar.

Of course, it wasn’t made from sugarcane. It was about refining the brown sugar on hand into white sugar.

“Alright, Tina, Chloe. Let’s get started. I’ll show you how to turn this deep brown sugar into white.”

“White sugar? I didn’t know such a thing existed.”

Tina asked with keen interest.

“Yeah, sugar is brown because brown syrup is mixed in and solidified inside. Removing the brown syrup makes it white.”

That’s right, brown sugar was essentially just concentrated sugarcane juice cooled and solidified.

White sugar is made by removing the brown syrup, leaving only sucrose.

“Is there a difference in taste between brown sugar and white sugar?”

“Completely different. brown sugar has a slight bitterness and astringency in its taste. But white sugar becomes smooth and elegant in sweetness.”

“Why does everyone only make brown sugar then?”

“Because it’s troublesome to remove the brown syrup, and it reduces the quantity. Also, the brown syrup is rich in nutrients, so unless it’s a luxury for nobles, there’s no need to bother making white sugar.”

That’s right, sugar is already a precious commodity.

Sugarcane can only be grown in warm climates and doesn’t grow on our continent. Therefore, it has to be transported across continents by ship. That’s why it’s incredibly expensive.

Such expensive sugar, and nobody bothers with refining it to half the quantity.

“Using such precious white sugar would make incredibly luxurious sweets, wouldn’t it?”

Tina’s observation was quite right.

“Even buying sugar itself is something I hesitate to do with our territory’s income. And cocoa, our other main ingredient, is also very expensive. These are the kinds of sweets that we can’t handle unless it’s such an occasion. Let’s fully enjoy them.”

I chuckled and began soaking the brown sugar little by little with lukewarm water.

As it soaked, it became gooey and clay-like.

I poured it onto a box made of stone and layered with cotton cloth.

Then, I wrapped the clay-like brown sugar with cotton and covered it with a stone lid. The bottom of the stone box was subtly slanted, with numerous small holes in the bottom right for water drainage.

This box was handmade by me using my earth attribute magic.

I hope it goes well.

“Now, let’s squeeze out the syrup.”

I enhanced my entire body with magic.

Normally, I would use a lever tool specifically for this purpose, but this time I was going to rely on brute force.

I pressed down with all my strength on the stone lid. brown syrup began to flow out from the clay-like brown sugar wrapped in cotton, trickling down from the bottom of the stone box.

This process was quite laborious.

My arms felt heavy. As they grew tired, I continued the work while healing them with [Heal].

Once all the syrup was drained, I opened the lid and removed the cotton-wrapped brown sugar.

What was once pitch brown had now become considerably lighter, almost white.

“Wow, Kurt-sama, it’s really turning white!”

“It’s still a long way to go.”

No matter how much pressure I apply, no more brown syrup will come out. So, I add a refining process.

I wet my hands and knead the whitish clay-like lump.

By doing this, it absorbs moisture again, allowing the brown syrup to be extracted under pressure.

Normally, the amount of water, temperature, humidity, and refining time—all require skilled techniques. However, thanks to my culinary skills, I can execute them to a certain extent based on intuition.

Once it’s nicely kneaded again into a clay-like consistency, I wrap it in cotton, put it back into the stone box, cover it with the stone lid, and press down with all my strength to extract the brown syrup.

“Kurt, is it going well?”

This time, Chloe, the elf, asked with concern.

The water used this time was created by Chloe’s magic. That’s why there are parts that are going well.

“It seems to be going well somehow. If we repeat the previous steps, it will gradually get closer to white.”

I’m breathing heavily. It’s surprising how tiring it is even with my body enhanced by magic.

Ideally, I never want to do this task again.

This sugar refining technique is based on the method of making the finest sugar in Japan, called “Wasanbon”.

Once, in my research on incorporating Japanese essence into Western confectionery, I went to the local area to obtain Wasanbon, the highest-grade sugar, and learned it through observation.

I never thought that experience would come in handy in a situation like this.

“Kurt-sama, how many times should we repeat this?”

“At least five times.”

“Making white sugar seems really tough.”

“Yeah, but it’s worth the effort. It’s the lifeblood of pastry chefs.”

The strong and distinctive flavor of brown sugar isn’t bad, but white sugar, which can produce delicate sweetness, is more versatile.

This time, I had a budget to buy as much brown sugar as I liked, so I stocked up quite a bit. I intend to change as much of it to white sugar as possible on this occasion and take home the surplus.

It’s necessary for when special sweets are required.

I want to keep some on hand… This much privilege should be fine, right?

“Let’s continue until it’s pure white.”

And so, I continued to make white sugar with all my might.

◇

Five repetitions later. Finally, the sugar was complete.

Pure white sugar. This is what I wanted.

The white lump had almost completely drained of moisture.

Normally, it would be dried to remove all the moisture, but Chloe’s water magic separated the moisture in an instant.

I crushed the hardened white lump and sifted it. With this, the white sugar was complete.

It was quite a struggle, but the sense of accomplishment was pleasant.

“Kurt-sama, it’s really pure white now.”

“Surprising, isn’t it? It’s a shame it’s less than half the quantity.”

Tina and Chloe peeked at the white sugar with keen interest.

“It’s worth the effort. Tina, Chloe, since we’ve come this far, why don’t we try comparing it to brown sugar?”

I first put a lump of brown sugar into their mouths.

“It’s sweet and delicious.”

“I’ve never had sugar before, but even the brown one is quite tasty.”

Both of them were delighted with the brown sugar.

Given that it’s a luxury item and they’re craving sweets, it’s no wonder they were pleased with the brown sugar. But if they were surprised by the brown sugar, I wonder how much more surprised they’ll be with the white sugar?

“So, here’s the white sugar.”

I put the white sugar into their mouths as well. Both of them widened their eyes.

“The sugar earlier was delicious, but this one is even better. It’s so smooth and melts in your mouth, it’s lovely.”

“Yeah, compared to this, the brown one was sticky and had a strange taste. I prefer this one.”

That’s why people go through the trouble and reduce the quantity to refine sugar.

Introducing sweets made with white sugar in a world unfamiliar with brown sugar is almost like cheating.

And on top of that, chocolate.

Using these two trump cards and employing the best techniques to make sweets.

It will become a wonderful sweet treat unknown to anyone else.

It will easily meet the conditions set by Duke Lenaril.

The biggest concern, white sugar, has been successfully produced.

Now, let’s fill in the rest of the menu.