9th Cylus
"Hey guys, come look at this recipe." Aris exclaimed excitedly.
The bouncy woman gestured for them to hurry, and Kirei grinned as she walked over. It was amusing to see the way Aris could get so excited over the simplest of things at times. In some ways, she was like a small child, seeing a world full of hidden wonders just waiting to be found. The recipe in question was for a delicious looking moist blueberry lemon bread with a lemon glaze. It was the perfect thing to serve as a sweet breakfast side dish, or as part of a platter of dessert breads.
"It looks easy enough to make...why don't we try it? I bet that Elyari would be proud of us if we presented her with a successfully made loaf of this bread!"
The idea did have merit. While she didn't go out of her way to seek Elyari's approval the way Aris and Andiron did, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when she did earn it. Andiron snorted, but he also seemed interested in the idea.
"Only if you don't set fire to the oven and burn the whole place down in the process." he said pointedly.
Aris stuck her tongue out at him, but she was too excited to let his words affect her for long.
"It does seem easy enough to make. I'd love to give it a try." Kirei said with the hopes of ending the potential fight between her fellow apprentices before it really began.
Aris beamed at her, and they got to work. Taking a closer look at the recipe told them exactly what ingredients they would need. Kirei and Andiron split up the ingredient list, with her heading off to get the dry ingredients while he handled the rest. That left the ingredients they needed to make the lemon glaze for Aris to take care of. Andiron took charge of preheating the oven to 350 degrees, and greasing a a 9x5 loaf pan with butter before setting it aside. While he was doing this, Kirei put a cup of blueberries in a small bowl along with a tablespoon of the flour; according to the recipe, this would help prevent the blueberries from sinking. When she was finished with that, she set it aside, and began getting a large bowl and whisking together two cups of flour, two teaspoons of baking powder, and half a teaspoon of salt. This too was set aside when she was finished. Aris helped by using a third bowl to mix the half a cup of canola oil, two teaspoons of vanilla, two eggs, one cup of sugar, one cup of sour cream, and the zest and juice of one lemon together.
Consulting the recipe again told them that they needed to combine the wet and dry ingredients carefully. They wanted the mixture to be smooth, but the recipe cautioned that over mixing the ingredients would the bread to come out tough. Each of the three apprentices took a turn lightly folding the blueberries into the batter. When that was done, they poured the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and placed it into the oven to bake. It needed to bake for somewhere between fifty bits, and one break, so they used the time to clean up after themselves. After fifty bits, they pulled the bread out of the oven, and tested it with a toothpick. Bits of the bread clung to the toothpick, and the recipe told them that the bread would be done when they tested it with a toothpick and had it come out clean. Because of this, they put the bread back into the oven for ten more bits.
While they waited, they studied the recipe again, this time learning how to make the lemon glaze. Aris and Andiron gathered the ingredients they would need while Kirei waited until the bread was done before taking it out of the oven and placing it on a wire rack to cool.
"What's next?" Kirei asked.
"Making the glaze." Aris replied as she got the bowl they'd need.
Kirei glanced at the confectioners sugar, and noticed that it was powdery, and fluffy, not like the grains of sugar they had used to make the bread. She wondered what the difference between the two types of sugar was, and made a mental note to ask Elyari about it at some time. For now though, they combined the three quarters of a cup of confectioners sugar with a tablespoon of lemon juice as the instructions directed them to. They each took a turn whisking the mixture before checking it. The recipe called for the glaze to be thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to set up on the bread. Their glaze seemed a little thick, so they added the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice. By the time the bread was cool, the glaze was done as well. Kirei used a spoon to drizzle the glaze on top of the bread.
"It says that the glaze will harden in fifteen to twenty bits." Aris told them.
"Having fun?"
The three apprentices jumped as they turned to face their mentor.
"We, uh..." Aris began sheepishly.
"We were..." Kirei tried.
Elyari grinned at them.
"You were taking the initiative and trying recipes that looked interesting to you...just as my apprentices should be doing. But I have a job for the three of you now, so please hurry up and clean up so we can get to work."
"A job?" Andiron asked curiously as he hurriedly washed the dish they had just used while the girls cleaned the counters.
"That's right. A man by the name of Hart has hired us to cater an event of his."
Kirei and the other apprentices exchanged confused looks.
"An event? In Cylus?" Kirei questioned.
That was...unusual to say the least.
"Isn't the weather awfully unpredictable for that?" Aris wanted to know.
"I mean...if there's a blizzard, no one's going to want to come..."
"That's the client's problem, not ours. One thing that you will learn quickly when it comes to catering is that the client is always right...even when they aren't. Questioning their choices is a good way to lose business."
"What does this Hart guy want us to make for the event?" Andiron asked briskly.
Elyari chuckled.
"We decided on a number of different types of soup."
"'We' decided?" Kirei asked.
"Yes, well...Hart was in charge of the event itself, but he hadn't really planned much when it came to the food end of things. So I...helped him with a few suggestions. Soup is a hot meal that will come as a welcome relief to the chill of Cylus."
The three apprentices nodded in agreement.
"Now the event itself is to be held on the 13th through the 15th, so they will need a lot of food. You will need to make several different kinds of stock to take with you so you can make the soup itself at the event."
"Let's get to work then." Kirei said at last.
Elyari led them over to an unused stove where several large pots were waiting for them.
"As I've explained before, making soup stock essentially comes down to simmering various ingredient in water. The ingredients vary from one type of stock to the next, but the process itself remains mostly the same. So once you know how to make one kind of stock, you are well on your way to knowing how to make others. Can any of you name the main types of soup stock?"
"Chicken, beef and vegetable?" Kirei offered after thinking about it for a few trills.
"That's a good start." Elyari said with a smile.
"Veal, ham, and fish stock." Andiron added.
"What about shellfish, and turkey? Cream? Tomato?" Aris suggested.
Elyari nodded.
"That just about covers it. Chicken and turkey stock are made using mostly the same ingredients, so we will start with those. There are a couple of different methods you can use, so I will show you one for chicken, and another for turkey, but both can be used to make either type. The first method is the easiest, but takes the most time. It requires the leftover bones and skin from a chicken or turkey carcass, and since I need the chicken meat for one of the main dishes we will be serving for dinner this trial, we will use this method to make the chicken stock. One of you should begin by removing the bones from your chicken while the rest of you gather up the rest of your ingredients. Here's the recipe you will be using."
Aris was quick to volunteer to debone the chicken, leaving Kirei and Andiron to deal with the vegetables. Kirei checked the recipe and saw that celery, celery tops, onions, and carrots were required, so she went to get them while Andiron gathered up the parsley, salt, and pepper. By the time they returned with the ingredients, Aris had finished with deboning the chicken, and breaking the carcass down into more manageable pieces.
"What do we do next?" Kirei asked.
"Put everything into one of the pots I have set up for you over there."
The three apprentices stared at her blankly for a long trill.
"Just...put everything into the pot? We don't need to peel and cut the vegetables first?" Aris asked, seeking confirmation.
Elyari nodded.
"That's right. As long as the vegetables have been washed, just put everything into the pot as is."
When they had done as they were told, Elyari told them to cover the ingredients with water, and add a teaspoon of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of pepper.
"You'll need to bring that to a boil now. As soon as it starts boiling, you will need to reduce the heat until it is barely simmering. Then it needs to simmer while partially covered for at least four breaks. You will need to check on it from time to time as it simmers and skim the foam that rises to the surface. But you will be able to work on other things in the meantime. When it is finished simmering, you will want to remove the bones, and vegetables, and strain the stock through a fine sieve. And that's it. Easy, right? Oh, and one more thing. Since this stock is going to be used later, it can be simmered for five or even six breaks instead of four. That will make it more concentrated, and easier to store as a result."
The three apprentices nodded as one. Once the chicken stock was simmering, they turned back to her.
"You said there was a second method for making chicken stock that we would be using to make some turkey stock?" Aris asked eagerly.
Elyari nodded, and handed them the recipe. The three apprentices studied it carefully, then gathered the ingredients they would need. While Aris used a cleaver to cut five pounds of turkey backs, wings, and legs into two inch pieces, and trimmed the fat off of them. Andiron cut the celery tops and celery rib into two inch segments. Kirei coated the bottom of a twelve quart stock pot with a tablespoon of olive oil, then moved on to helping Aris with the turkey. When they were done with that, half of the chicken was placed into the pot and allowed to brown. Once it had, they added the rest of the chicken pieces.
While it was cooking, they stirred it occasionally, checking to see if the poultry was still pink. In between stirrings, they quartered the large yellow onion and cut the large carrot they needed for their stock into 2 inch pieces. After the turkey no longer had any pink remaining, they added their carrot, onion, celery tops, celery rib, parsley, green onion greens, and a bay leaf into the pot. Finally, they filled the pot with six quarts of water, and added a tablespoon of salt.
"You'll want to bring that to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, and allow it to simmer uncovered for four to six breaks. Scum may rise to the surface of the pot within the first thirty bits or so of simmering, and if it does, you will want to remove it. Once the stock is done simmering, you will need to remove the turkey and vegetables. After cooking for so long, all of the nutrients they once had will be gone, and they won't taste very good. Then you will need to strain the stock using a large sieve lined with a dampened cheesecloth. Once that is done, the stock is ready for use. If you want, you can boil it on high heat for a break to reduce the stock. That will concentrate it, and make it easier to store if you don't have an immediate use for it. Finally, you will pour it into jars to be stored in the ice box until needed. It can be stored for up to a week in that manner."
"And both methods can be used for both chicken and turkey?" Kirei asked to confirm.
"Yes." Elyari replied simply.
Kirei checked the chicken stock they had made, and skimmed off some scum that had risen to the top. Then she turned back to the others.
"Shall we make some beef stock next?" Elyari suggested.
The three apprentices nodded eagerly, and gathered around the recipe that their mentor provided for them. Most of the ingredients were the same as the ones they had worked with for the first two stocks they had made, but garlic and peppercorns had been added to the ingredient list, and stew beef and meaty stock bones had replaced the poultry needed for the chicken and turkey stocks. Andiron preheated the oven to four hundred degrees while Aris began working with the vegetables they needed. Two onions had to be peeled and quartered, and two large carrots needed to be cut into two inch segments. The recipe also called for a handful of celery tops, or one large celery rib cut into one inch segments; they decided to use the celery tops since Elyari was working on another recipe that called for celery. They also needed three unpeeled cloves of garlic, ten peppercorns, two bay leaves, and a handful of parsley, stems and leaves. While Aris was taking care of those, Kirei cut a pound of stew meat into two inch chunks, and cut into five pounds of meaty stock bones to expose the marrow at their center. The recipe called for bones that had a lot of marrow, and suggested that some of them be knuckle bones. Elyari gave her a few veal bones as well, explaining that the gelatin they had would add a lot to their stock.
Once the ingredients had been prepared, Elyari showed them how to rub some olive oil into the meat, onions, and carrots. They were then placed into a large, shallow roasting pan along with the bones.
"The first step is to roast these ingredients for forty five bits. You will need to turn the meat and bones halfway through the cooking process. When it's done, everything should be nicely browned. You'll want to keep an eye on things so you can turn the heat down if the bones start to char; it's important that the bones are browned, not burned."
At Ari's confused, unspoken question, Elyari realized what had confused her, and elaborated.
"Roasting is a dry cooking method, and is one of the easiest cooking methods of cooking. It involves cooking food in an uncovered pan in the oven. Food cooked using this method is cooked evenly on all sides. Roasting uses indirect, diffused heat, and can enhance flavor through caramelization, and browning the surface of the food being roasted."
Once everything was nicely browned, Elyari directed them to put the meat, bones, onions, and carrots into a sixteen quart stock pot. They were then set aside as she taught them how to add a half cup of hot water to the roasting pan and use a metal spatula to scrape up the browned bits left in the pan so they too could be added to the stock for flavor. Then it was time for the celery tops, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns to be added to the stock pot. The pot was then filled with cold water until the bones were completely submerged with two inches over the top.
"Unlike the the other two types of stock you've made this trial, this one doesn't have to be brought to a boil before simmering. You want to cover the pot, and allow it to simmer at a bare simmer until it is done."
"How long will that take?" Andiron asked.
"Well, it can simmer for as little as three breaks if it needs to be done in a hurry. But six to eight breaks is best. And you can't still the stock while it is simmering. Stirring will mix the fats in with the stock, clouding up the stock. As the stock cooks, fat will be released from the bone marrow and stew meat and rise to the top. From time to time, you will need to check in on the stock and use a large metal spoon to scoop away the fat and any scum that rises to the surface. The fat that is removed can be discarded, or used for cooking something else. When it's done, you'll use tongs or a slotted spoon to gently remove the bones and vegetables from the pot. If you see a chunk of marrow, you should taste it; they're delicious. After removing the bones and vegetables, you will need to strain the stock, and allow it to cool to room temperature before using it or storing it in the ice box. Once stored, any fat remaining will rise to the top and solidify. This will form a protective layer against bacteria while the stock is in the ice box."
"Can we learn how to make fish stock next?" Aris asked hopefully.
"It is actually shellfish stock, not fish stock. But yes. Can you guess why it is called shellfish stock instead of fish stock?"
Kirei thought about the question carefully for several bits. She remembered that in two of the types of stock they had made, bones had been used as a main ingredient.
"Is it the shells?" she asked cautiously.
Elyari grinned at her, and nodded.
"Shellfish stock requires four to six cups of shellfish shells in the same way that poultry stock can be made out of a chicken or turkey carcass, and beef stock is made out of meaty stock bones in addition to stew beef."
"What kind of shells are we supposed to use?" Kirei asked before Andiron could.
"You can use shells from shrimp, lobster, or crab. And you can use all of one kind, or a mixture of different kinds. Here, let me get you the recipe for shellfish stock that my mentor taught me when I was your age."
Elyari left the kitchen briefly, and when she returned, she had the recipe in hand. The three apprentices studied it carefully before splitting up to gather and prepare the ingredients that they would need. When they returned, they consulted it again to see what had to be done first. They each began breaking up the larger shells. At their mentor's suggestion, Kirei and Aris used rolling pins to crush them, while Andiron used a meat hammer. Once they had finished with the harder crab and lobster shells, Elyari showed them how to cut the thinner shrimp shells with a knife to break them apart.
The recipe they were using said that roasting the shells was optional, but when Elyari said that she always did it, and explained that doing so would greatly enhance the flavor, their decision was made. The shells immediately went into a roasting pan, and Andiron set the oven they were using to 400 degrees. It took ten bits to roast the shells.When they were done, they were placed in a large stock pot with enough water to cover them completely. At first, the heat was set on high, but as soon as the first bubbles began to rise, it was lowered to medium because the recipe warned them not to actually boil the shells; instead, it called for them to be cooked at the edge of a simmer, with bubbles just occasionally rising to the surface of the water. It also told them not to stir them while they were simmering, and when Aris asked, Elyari explained that stirring the shells would muddy their stock. This stage of the cooking took a break, with them paying close attention to their pot, and skimming off the foam that appeared every few bits or so.
Once the stock had stopped foaming, it was time to add the half a cup of dry white wine, chopped yellow onion, carrot, and celery stock, two tablespoons of tomato paste, two sprigs of thyme, several sprigs of parsley, a bay leaf, and fifteen whole peppercorns. Then it needed to simmer for thirty bits more. The recipe said that more foam might appear, and if so, they would need to skim it off. At the end of the half a break, it was time to add the two teaspoons of salt, and remove the stock from the heat. Checking the recipe once more told them that they needed to remove the solid bits, and strain the liquid.
"And that is how you make shellfish stock. Easy enough, right? The last thing I am going to teach you this trial is how to make a good vegetable stock. Vegetable stock is one of those things that has a basic method to make, but the ingredients can be changed as needed. Seasonal vegetables can be used when in season, and so on. The basic recipe includes carrots, onions, celery, garlic, parsley, tomato paste, and mushrooms. Dried mushrooms are best, but fresh ones can be used instead. If you do use fresh ones, you will need five or six ounces of them instead of the one ounce of dried mushrooms you would need. They would need to be sliced thickly, and you would need to dry sauté them first in a separate pan, until they are lightly browned and have given up some of their moisture. You can also include parsnips, fennel, turnips, rutabagas, corn cobs, or leeks. I often replace some of the carrots with parsnips when I have them because it enhances the flavor. Ginger is also good to use. And if you leave the skins on the onions you use, they will give the stock a nice caramel color."
Elyari handed Kirei a recipe, and the three apprentices studied it carefully before gathering and preparing the necessary ingredients. The recipe called for three cups of chopped carrots, but at Elayri's suggestion, they replaced half of them with chopped parsnips to add extra flavor. Once the ingredients were prepared, it was time to begin. The ounce of dried mushrooms were placed in a large bowl. A quart of water was put on the stove to boil, and once it was boiling, the water was poured over the mushrooms. The bowl was then set aside.
Kirei and the other apprentices heated four tablespoons of olive oil in a large stock pot before adding four cups of chopped onion, two cups of chopped celery, one and a half cups of chopped carrot, an equal amount of chopped parsnips, and one cup of chopped fennel bulb. They were then stirred together until coated with the olive oil. Kirei sprinkled some salt into the pot, and placed it onto the stove. Then they took turns cooking the vegetables over high heat and stirring them occasionally until they began to brown.
While Kirei was doing that, Aris checked the recipe, and told them it was time to add the two tablespoons of tomato paste, and the two large cloves of garlic they had smashed earlier, and stir everything together. Andiron timed them while they allowed the mixture to cook until the tomato paste began to turn a rusty color. Consulting the recipe again told them that it was time to add the mushrooms and the water they had been soaking in along with the tablespoon of fresh rosemary, two teaspoons of dried thyme, onion skins, one teaspoon of black peppercorns, four bay leaves, half a cup of chopped parsley and four more quarts of water. Then they adjusted the heat to bring everything to a simmer before lowering the heat once more until it was just barely simmering.
"The stock will need to simmer for a break and a half. Then you will need to remove all of the big pieces of vegetable and mushroom and strain the liquid. This final stage is pretty much the same regardless of what type of stock you are making. I think that if I try to teach you anything else now, your brains will overload from exhaustion. So store the stocks you just made, clean up this mess, and go home."
Kirei and the other apprentices were quick to obey.
13th Cylus
Kirei found herself looking forward to the catering event that she and the other apprentices were going to help with this trial. Aris and Andiron would be arriving in a break or so so they could carry the stocks they would need over to the Theater, where the catering event would be held. But Elyari had hinted to Kirei that she would be willing to teach her how to make one more type of stock if she came early. Kirei was quick to jump at the chance.
"What kind of stock are we going to make?" she asked curiously.
All of the types she and the other apprentices had learned to make two trials before had taken many breaks of simmering before they were done. They had to be at the Theater to meet their client in two breaks, so anything they made now would have to be something that could be cooked quickly.
"I have a simple recipe that I would like to teach you that will allow you to make any kind of cream based soup. It's kind of like that basic soup recipe I taught you last season.
Kirei's eyes lit up with interest as she grinned. She loved recipes like the one Elyari had taught her last season. Simple ones that were easy to learn, but at the same time would open the door to making a wide variety of dishes.
"Let's get started, then."
Elyari grinned at Kirei's enthusiasm.
"The first thing you need to do is make a roux."
"What's that?" Kirei asked curiously.
"A roux is a component in cooking used to thicken sauces, gravies, soups, and so on. It can transform a pot of thin liquid into something smooth and rich."
"How do you make one?"
"A roux is composed of just two ingredients; butter and flour. You use equal portions of each ingredient; so if you’re using two tablespoons of butter,you would also use two tablespoons of flour. White flour is what should be used, but whole wheat flour can be used instead if need be. Your end result won't be as smooth, though. Also, you can substitute any type of fat for the butter...but butter simply tastes better. At least I think it does."
"That sounds easy enough."
"Since most creamy soups require a quarter cup each of butter and flour, why don't we go with that?"
Kirei nodded, and gathered up the supplies she would need.
"The first step in making a roux is to melt your butter over medium low heat. Once that is done, it will be time to add the flour."
Kirei was quick to obey. She put the butter in a frying pan, and adjusted the heat as her mentor had told her. Once the butter was completely melted, she added the flour.
"Now you need to whisk the mixture until it is smooth. You can either use a whisk for this like I usually do, or you can stir it constantly with a wooden spoon until you get the same effect. If you do use a spoon, you want to stir in a figure eight pattern because that will allow the flour to cook more evenly. There are two reasons we cook the flour like this. Raw flour doesn’t taste good, so if you simply whisk flour into the liquid you want to thicken, the flavor won’t be as good. Also, coating the flour in butter helps to prevent the flour from clumping together and making a lumpy sauce."
Kirei nodded, paying close attention to her mentor's words as she whisked the mixture of flour and butter.
"You'll need to cook your flour and butter mixture over medium low heat while whisking it frequently for three to five bits, or until it becomes bubbly and fragrant. This is what we call a white roux. It has very little flavor, and is used mainly for making certain kinds of sauces. That isn't what we want right now, though. Turn the heat down to low, please."
Kirei was quick to obey.
"If you keep cooking your roux for three to five more bits while whisking it constantly, it will start to will smell a little nutty and turn a light brown color. This is what we call a blond roux. It has a nutty, almost butterscotch like flavor, and is used for thickening stock based soups and sauces."
Kirei leaned over her pan, and inhaled deeply. She was happy to smell the nutty scent Elyari had told her about.
"If you continue to cook your roux for five more bits while still whisking it constantly, it will turn a deep brown color. This is what we call a brown roux. It has a deep toasted flavor, and is often used to make the perfect gravy. One thing to keep in mind is that the thickening properties of a roux decrease the longer you cook it. So you’ll need to either use more roux or cook your sauce down longer if you’re using one of the darker types of roux as opposed to a white roux. The flavor is affected as well; the darker the roux, the deeper, and richer the flavor will be. It is also important to keep in mind that the longer you cook a roux, the more careful you need to be. A white or blond roux is easy to make. But a brown one can be tricky because it is much easier for a slip of concentration to allow the flour to burn at this stage. And as you know, burnt flour tastes horribly bitter, and can't be used for anything."
Kirei nodded.
"Finally, if you keep cooking your roux for another five bits, you will get what is called a chocolate or brick roux. It is used mostly to make gumbo. This final stage of a roux can be very difficult to make, and requires constant stirring or whisking. Even a fraction of a trill's distraction will ruin it, leaving you with...well...that."
Kirei stared at the brown mess in her pan in dismay. Her family had taught her that it was okay to make mistakes. But that didn't stop the wave of insecurity, uncertainty, self ridicule, and near self hatred from nearly overwhelming her. Especially since her mentor was an unknown in this matter. Sure she had made mistakes in the kitchen before. Every chef did, no matter how skilled they were. Even Elyari had made mistakes as she tried to teach them something new. But until now, none of the mistakes she had made had ruined a dish this completely, and this spectacularly. Would she be punished for it? Fired even? Elyari must have sensed something of her anxiety because she offered Kirei a simple smile, and a sympathetic look.
"Don't worry about it, Kirei. It could have happened to anyone. Especially when you were paying so much attention to me as I was teaching you how to make the different types of roux. Just dump it out, and try again, okay? We still have time before the others get here."
Kirei sighed in relief as she did as she was told. This time, her attempt produced a much better result since she already had a little experience with it, and was focused solely on her task rather than on listening to her mentor.
"Perfect." Elyari said with a grin.
Kirei grinned back.
"What's the next step in making cream based soups?"
Elyari chuckled at her apprentice's tenacity.
"Well, once you make the roux, you want to cook it for a minute to get rid of the raw flour taste. Then it's time to add some milk, broth, and seasonings. The type of broth and seasonings you need will depend on which cream based soup you want to make. Once that is done, you can proceed with whatever recipe you are making. If you were making a soup, it's finished aside from cooking it. If you plan to use it as a sauce in a casserole, that can be done as well. See? Simple."
Kirei nodded.
"Do you want to try making a cream based soup now? It doesn't take long, so we should still have time."
Kirei nodded again, her eyes lighting up with interest.
"Then let's get started."
"I'll teach you one of my favorites; cream of cheddar cheese soup. You'll need a quarter cup each of butter and flour, half a cup each of milk and chicken stock, a teaspoon each of salt and black pepper, and finally two cups of shredded cheddar cheese. If you wanted, you could substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock, and other types of cheese for the cheddar cheese, but this is the way I like it best."
Kirei thought it would taste good, judging by the ingredients, but she pushed that thought aside in favor of getting the ingredients she needed.
"The first thing you need to do is to heat the butter over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the flour and cook for a bit. Then stir in the half a cup of cup milk and chicken stock. You'll need to blend it well and then bring it to a boil while whisking it the entire time. Add the cheese and season it with your salt and pepper as soon as it starts boiling. Once the mixture comes to a boil again, whisk it until the mixture is thickened and the cheese is melted. That will take roughly about two to five bits. And if you're interested, you can make cream of chicken soup the same way. The only difference is that you can't substitute the chicken stock for anything else, and you don't add the cheese."
So once again, I get to learn how to make two things with what is essentially the same recipe. I love the way Elyari teaches us. Kirei thought as she followed each step in order that Elyari gave it to her.
Kirei also liked Elyari's hands on method of teaching. "Learning by doing" was the best way to learn as far as Kirei was concerned; especially for practical things like cooking. By the time that she was finished cleaning up after herself, Aris and Andiron had arrived, and it was time to gather up the soup stocks they would need, and head over to the Theater and meet their client. Kirei also packaged up the cream of cheddar cheese soup she had just made. It would only serve a couple of people, but it would be something that Hart could sample, and it would give him an idea of what they could make for him. Elyari had mentioned that the man ad been somewhat vague on exactly what kind of soup he wanted, so a sample might come in handy.
The walk to the Theater was made slow by the lingering snow, and the heavy containers of soup stock they were carrying. When they finally arrived, Kirei and Aris both stared in wide eyed shock at the ornate doors that greeted them while Andiron shot them a look of annoyance. The inside of the Theater was just as luxurious. A man that Kirei guessed must be their client asked them if they had ever been to the Theater before. Kirei and Aris shook their heads, but Andiron nodded, and said "Of course." in a tone that suggested that only the most crude and hopeless of individuals wouldn't appreciate the Theater.
"It's...something, all right." was all that Kirei could think of to say in response to Hart's next question.
"But I can't help but think that you could probably feed ten people for an entire arc on what must have been spent to make those doors alone." she added in bemusement.
"It is beautiful, though." Aris added.
Kirei nodded in agreement. There was no arguing that. Their client led them into the kitchen, and once again, Kirei found herself wide eyed in bemusement. Gold trimmed dishes and utensils? Really? And did they buy all of the pots and pans they would be using this trial just for this event? If so, what had happened to the ones that had been here before? Had they been thrown out? Rich people confused Kirei to no end. But she wasn't going to complain; this kitchen was a chef's dream, and she was going to be given free rein here.
Their client put Kirei in charge, and neither Aris nor Andiron protested his decision, so Kirei simply nodded her agreement. Hart seemed eager to help them, so Kirei smiled.
"I can show you a couple of easy recipes if you want." she offered.
Kirei hesitated before continuing.
"I guess the first question is...what kind of soup do you want? Elyari didn't know what you wanted, so she had us bring over several different types of stock to work with. We can make just about anything you might want with these. But we are still apprentices. So if you want anything too fancy, we'll need to ask Elyari to come over and show us what to do."
