Chapter 16: Raspberry Tart of Blessings and Bonds
I decided to bake a raspberry tart in order to celebrate and welcome Faruno and the children.
It’s just the right time for raspberry harvest. Yesterday, I got the children to pick them. Most of them are preserved in honey, the rest of them are split into today’s use and distributed supply for the villagers.
As a preservation method, honey preservation is certainly superior. With a strong sterilization effect, fruits can be preserved in honey for more than a year.
In other words, even in winter when no fruit can be harvested, we can still enjoy the juicy raspberry’s flavor. Moreover, there’s a different delicacy compared to the fruit when eaten fresh.
“I should sample the taste.”
I bite into raspberries that I’ve cut into small pieces. Refreshing sourness rushes about in my mouth. Then there’s a faintly sweet taste. There’s not enough sweetness when they’re eaten fresh, but after being tossed and heated, the sweetness should be just about right.
I fetch the tart crust dough that I made yesterday from the shelf. The tart dough was kneaded by adding eggs and walnut oil to wheat flour. I press the dough, shaping it into a circular shape, not forgetting to make the thinness uniform. Then, I puncture the dough, make the rim of the crust, remove the air by adding stone weight, and complete the pre-cooking stage.
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After the crust is done, it’s now the cream’s turn to be made. This time, I use pistachio foraged from the mountain to add to the tart cream. Pistachio is a wonderful nut which contains a lot of oil. After going through some preparation, mix the pistachio that has been ground into paste with newly made fresh cream. Then, don’t forget to add honey and egg yolk gradually here.
The fresh cream has been dyed with a beautiful emerald hue, signaling that the pistachio cream is done.
With this pistachio cream, I’ll be able to build up the sweetness that the raspberry lacks, while smoothing the sour edge as well.
I sample the taste. “Yeah, tastes good.”
I spread the pistachio cream on top of the finished tart’s crust evenly. The umami of pistachio will only grow after being heated.
“It’s the baking’s turn next.”
I put the tart crust that has been filled with pistachio cream into the oven. Due to the heating, the alluring smell of the pistachio wafts across the kitchen.
☘
The tart is only baked for a short while. The shape is good, the surface of pistachio cream is also smooth. Afterwards, it needs to be cooled down for a moment.
In the mean time, I make custard cream from egg yolk, honey, and fresh cream. This tastes better without going through the fire. After the tart is cooled, I spread the custard cream on top of the tart’s surface. I’m sure this will add a nice accent to the pistachio cream.
I sprinkle chopped pistachio to add more accent to the texture. Then, it’s the main actor’s showtime. I cover all the custard cream generously with raspberries. Juicy and vibrant red fruits are as dazzling as precious rubies.
“With this, it’s completed.”
Faruno and the kids will surely be overjoyed.
☘
I take advantage of Faruno’s favor by borrowing a room in Faruno’s mansion to hold a welcome party for Faruno and the children. When I arrive in front of the room, I can already hear their chattering voices.
“Kurt-aniki is a slave driver to his workers!”
Johann exaggerates mundane things to Faruno. He’s complaining with a bright tone, though, making it sound like he enjoyed it.
“But Kurt-sama is so kind. He teaches us politely.”
“Besides, if you work earnestly, you can finish up properly.”
The other children playfully refute him.
“Oi, you’re spoiling it.”
As Johann says with a chuckle, Faruno smiles bitterly.
“Are you happy that you came to this village?”
Upon Faruno’s question, the children look at each other.
“”Un.”” They nod in unison.
“As I thought, it feels good to do a decent job. We don’t feel guilty or get beaten up over it...... besides, we can eat a lot here.”
“Yeah, after a lot of work, the food will surely be there too. This is the ultimate happiness.”
The children get highly excited.
They work earnestly without pretense. Tina is training them; they absorb everything so quickly that they have remembered almost everything in just a week. And if a single one of them remembers, he/she will properly explain to the company, lessening Tina’s burden significantly. Recruiting them into this village has been a huge boon.
Feeling the joyful atmosphere from this room, a smile naturally comes to my face too. Then I enter the room.
☘
“Everyone, I’ve brought the pastry to the celebration party.”
The moment I entered the room, the children let out high pitched noises.
“Uwaa, it smells so good!”
“So pretty!”
“Those are the raspberries that we picked yesterday, right?”
“I took a tiny bite, but it just tasted sour.”
There are intriguing comments, but in general, the response is positive.
“Everyone, Kurt-sama’s pastries are so wonderful that even nobles will give them high praises. I couldn’t even count how many nobles said that they wanted to eat another one, but they couldn’t. Being able to eat such a pastry is truly a blessing.”
When Faruno says so, the children’s expectations turn higher.
“The pastry that nobles can’t even eat!!”
“Awesomeee.”
“I’m glad we came to this village~”
The children lean forward impatiently, they can’t wait anymore. In that case, I should let them eat it soon, right?
“Tina, please prepare the plates.”
“Yes, Kurt-sama.”
With a gleeful look, Tina comes back with small plates. I take out the cake knife from my upper clothes, then I cut the tart. As the cake knife goes through the pie, it makes delicious crunching sounds.
The sweet smell from the raspberry, the savory smell from baked pistachio cream, and with all those fragrances wafting through the air, there’s that crisp sound.
With the barrage of sound and smell tempting them, the children start drooling.
“Tina, line up the sliced tart, please.”
“As you wish.”
Tina sets the sliced tart into the tray and places them. There are children who look like they can’t hold back to take the tart that’s lying right in front of them, but their hand is slapped by the child next to them.
All the portions of the tart are set in this way.
“Let’s get to the troublesome talk first. Everyone, I really thank you for coming to my village. Today, I made a pastry to convey my gratitude to all of you. And I want you to know how much you’re part of this wonderful creation, so I made this one. You helped in making it, from the honey and the raspberry. I want you to know just how wonderful that is.”
Short as it is, my speech is over. I think the children can’t stand to wait any longer.
“Let’s give our prayer. There are probably some of you who don’t know it yet, so I’ll say it first. After repeating the prayer that I’m about to say, you should eat right away.”
I clap once.
“For the food that we have today, we thank the forest and god.”
“””For the food that we have today, we thank the forest and god.”””
Everyone speaks in unison, then starts to eat the raspberry tart.
☘
Inside the room, the sound of chomps resounds as teeth bite into the tart’s crust. What a pleasing sound. I can’t hold back either and start eating my portion.
The base crust gives a crunchy response as I chomp into it, then the smoothness of pistachio cream envelops the feel for the longest time, while the custard cream gives a fluffy feeling to it.
When I chew, the chopped nuts reveal themselves, the raspberry juice spreads in the mouth, the sweet and rich cream blends together with the sour raspberry. A fascinating world that can’t be achieved by a single one of them now harmoniously spreads in my mouth.
It’s a great flavor. I did a good job.
When I look next to me, Tina’s tail is shaking in a buzz. Tina seems to be lost in putting the remaining tart into her mouth.
I can say the same for the children. They’ve forgotten how to talk as their teeth keep sinking into the tart. Obviously, eating that way will make the tart finish up in a second... And the next second, the children who were enraptured with the deliciousness recover themselves...
“Aah, I’ve eaten it all!”
“It’s, it’s gone!”
“This pastry, for the first time in my life...”
“Uuuu, I still want to eat it~”
They cry words of regret one after another. There are children who lick their plates in a bad manner, flick their finger to steal the cream from the corner of the lips of the child next to them.
“Kurt-sama’s pastry is as wonderful as always. Even in Marquis Fernandes’ territory, no one can eat pastries as good as this.”
Faruno, the only one who eats with a knife and fork instead of bare hands, gives me praise.
“Praising me to that extent truly makes me glad.”
“I’ve confirmed it from eating this pastry. Kurt-sama’s pastries are profound. The delicious taste is layered one upon another while attaining a sense of harmony. It’s different to any other cook in the world.”
Faruno’s unintentional words describes the fundamental principle of pastries in the modern world. On top of multiple layers of delicious flavor, it needs to achieve balance as well. That exact sense is what showcases a pâtissier’s skill.
“Receiving that kind of praise means that I have to make even more wonderful pastries, don’t I?”
Since I’ve built those expectations, it makes me wish to answer those feelings.
“Kurt-aniki, are there any seconds?”
“Ou, I want to eat it too.”
“Me too, me too!”
The food doesn’t seem to be enough for growing children. It’s a good thing that I’ve put it into consideration.
“To be honest with you, I’ve indeed prepared something.”
Opening the door and carrying over the tart from the kitchen, Volg appears.
“My apologies for the wait. Young lady, Kurt-sama, everyone.”
Everyone stands up lively, not expecting a second batch at all.
“If you want seconds, raise your hand.”
The children, as well as Tina with her ears pointing straight up, raise their hands. Then...
“Me as well, I wish for another slice as well.”
While looking extremely embarrassed, Faruno also raises her hand timidly.
It looks so strange that everyone laughs.
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