Chapter 454 – Magical Cuisine and Tasting Event

Well then. After receiving the mammoth soldier meat, we decided to hold a tasting session—so I called out to those present and contacted others via communication device, asking them to come to the house.

Since aspects like flavor and compatibility with various dishes were still unknown, we needed to experiment extensively. If the taste proved good, it would likely influence the market price of mammoth meat as well.

And so, after purchasing other ingredients at the market and promptly bringing them home, we began preparations for the tasting session by boiling, roasting, and smoking the meat.

With many people to feed—including Labyrinth Village residents and invited guests—we organized teams for each dish to ensure sufficient quantities. Stew, roast meat, smoked meat, grilled meat… The various cooking teams divided the tasks.

“Theodore-kun, I saw you buying all sorts of things at the market… What are you planning to make?”

Irmhild, who had joined my team, tilted her head and asked. Sheila and Seraphina were also in my group.

“Hmm. Well, there’s something I wanted to try out. I’ll show you the steps first, then I’d appreciate your help with the prep work.”

“Understood.”

“Got it. I’m looking forward to Theodore’s cooking.”

“Okay~”

Three distinct replies came back. Well then, let’s see if this works out.

The mammoth meat… well, as a creature adapted to cold climates, it was well-marbled with fat, and the texture seemed promising. Since the tasting session was about finding dishes that paired well with it, I thought I’d try making something that didn’t exist before.

What I bought at the market was bread, flour, eggs… and so on. The direction was already clear.

Using water and wind magic, I stripped the moisture from the bread, crumbling it until it was powdery, thus creating breadcrumbs. After spreading the breadcrumbs on a tray and whisking eggs in a bowl, the preparations were complete.

“Now, from here, we’ll prep the meat.”

I made incisions in the mammoth meat, then pounded both sides with the back of a knife. After seasoning it with salt and spices, I coated it in flour, dipped it in the egg, and then covered it in breadcrumbs.

“Are the steps up to this point clear?”

“Um. So after prepping the meat, coat it in flour…”

“Then dip it in the whisked egg and cover it with breadcrumbs.”

“Yeah. Got it.”

Hmm. Now, here comes the tricky part… Since cooking oil is quite expensive, attempting to make deep-fried dishes from Kagehisa’s perspective would inevitably make it a luxury item. So, a little ingenuity was necessary.

I placed the breaded meat on a wire rack supported by a small magic shield, securing it in place. Then, combining wind and fire magic, I trapped heat around the rack, circulating hot air within a confined space.

In essence… I was magically recreating the principle of an air fryer. I reckoned that with its well-marbled fat, the meat could fry in its own grease.

“Whoa… Magic cooking…”

Sheila murmured in admiration, her eyes wide. Members of the other teams seemed to have paused their work to watch us.

As everyone watched with bated breath, I finished preparing the mammoth cutlet.

Since the frying process was visible on the levitating wire rack, real-time temperature adjustments were perhaps easier.

Though the trapped air prevented smells and sounds from escaping, the appearance gradually resembled the cutlets I knew. Dripping fat… it looked utterly delicious.

Once it turned golden brown, I stopped the hot air and released the magic, simultaneously unleashing the trapped aroma. The characteristic savory scent of cutlets spread through the air. The sizzle of freshly fried oil was quite pleasing.

“…How about this much?”

I hope it turned out well. I lowered the cutlet onto a cutting board and sliced into it.

A crisp resistance. The cooked meat oozed juices.

Ohh. Since it was a magical recreation of an air fryer, I had been unsure how well it would turn out… but this might be better than expected?

The coating, the cross-section of the meat… I felt a sense of satisfaction seeing it just as I remembered. Well, it’s mammoth cutlet, not tonkatsu or chicken katsu, so there were still unknowns.

“Let’s try a taste, shall we? It’s an experiment, so I hope it turned out well.”

Sheila and the others were watching with expectant eyes. As I said this, Sheila nodded with a solemn expression.

I gave everyone a piece, and we promptly took a bite.

…Ah. This texture is nostalgic. The unique, crisp bite is indescribable. Since no cooking oil was used, it’s naturally lower in calories too.

“Ohh…?”

And it pairs quite well with mammoth meat… or rather, I had expected it to be gamier.

A tender texture and abundant juices spread in my mouth. The flavor was delicate and surprisingly mild. Next, I tried it with sauce used at Termwills’ stalls, poured over the top. This is… delicious. Though the taste differs slightly from the sauce I know, I thought it would go well with cutlets.

At this point, I started craving the seasonings I’m accustomed to—like sauce and soy sauce—and then white rice. I’ll have to push forward with developing rice paddies.

“Mmm. Delicious.”

“Indeed… It’s fragrant and has a mysterious texture.”

They seemed to be chewing slowly, savoring the taste.

“This is… delicious. It’s so crispy.”

“The meat juices are trapped by the outer breadcrumbs and egg, right?”

“Theodore, you come up with such unusual dishes…”

“But it’s tasty. It’s only possible because you’re so skilled at fine-tuning magic.”

After Grace, Ashley, Rosemary, and Claudia slowly savored it, they each shared their impressions. Marlene also took a bite-sized piece, tasted it with a serious expression, then turned a smile my way.

…Hmm. It seems to be well-received. Yeah, freshly fried is truly the best.

Now then… what about slicing the meat thinner, sandwiching cheese between layers, then coating and frying it? Since the plain version is already popular, I decided to make both—the regular one and the cheese-stuffed version.

“Alright. Then let’s keep going at this pace. I’ll handle the final step.”

As I said this, Sheila and the others nodded with considerable enthusiasm.

Mammoth meat is excellent as an ingredient. It has little gaminess, so it should pair well with stews and roasts, shouldn’t it? I’m looking forward to how the other dishes turn out too.

As everyone’s cooking progressed and the sun set… around the time savory aromas began wafting from every corner of the house… people gathered from various places for the tasting session.

From the Adventurer Guild: Auria, Oswald, Heather, Justia, Dominique. The Forestbird escorts.

Tephra also showed up. She seemed worried since we had headed to the new area created through our contract with her, but she was relieved to hear no one was hurt.

From the Royal Castle: Prince Josiah, Princess Stephania, Princess Adriana, Princess Elham. Corulis, Flamia, and Ramriya are with them too. …It seems King Melvin couldn’t make it this time. Well, I’d like to arrange for mammoth dishes to be delivered to him later.

Then the Grand Duke and members of the Duke’s household. Leslie is accompanying them today.

From the workshop: Alfred, Ophelia, Viola, Talcott, and Cindy. Also, regarding the Demon-Slaying Knight Order, I had also invited Elliot and Camilla.

With the household members, plus party members, Old Sigmund and his group, Floria, Forset and his companions, and Labyrinth Village residents, it’s quite a crowd… Well, it’s become very lively.

By the way, I plan to discuss magitool development for the air fryer with Alfred, since the experiment was successful. And with Elliot, I intend to consult about labyrinth training for the Demon-Slaying Knight Order.

“—And so, we obtained new ingredients from the new area that appeared in the labyrinth. Today is a tasting session, and I hope you all enjoy it.”

It would be a shame if the food got cold. Cutting my greetings short, applause erupted from everyone. Returning to the tables, the tasting session began.

Steaming soup simmered slowly with vegetables. Roast meat, carefully seared on the outside to lock in juices. Steak seasoned with spices and roasted, along with the cutlets I made, etc… It’s quite meat-heavy. But having only meat dishes would be too heavy, so we also prepared plenty of salads and fruits.

Starting with the soup… This is… yeah. The sweetness of vegetables melds with the umami of the meat… spices mask any gaminess… and the meat, simmered for a long time, is extremely tender.

This is delicious too. It was led by Rosemary, Claudia, Marlene, and Cecilia.

Next, the bone-in roast meat. This one was led by Grace, Ashley, Mihaela, and Forset. Their use of spices is indeed skillful. No gaminess is detectable, and the mouth is filled with abundant juices and umami. The refined result showcases a delicacy that, frankly, my cooking lacks.

“Ah… This is… delicious.”

“Rivaling, if not surpassing, the palace chefs…”

“The seasoning is delicate and wonderful. And the meat itself is exquisite.”

Princess Stephania and the others each expressed their delight.

“Hmm. This is a dish I’ve never seen before… but it’s delicious…”

“Indeed. It’s a new dish. The outside is crispy, yet the inside is packed with juices…”

“This one has cheese sandwiched between the meat layers. Hmm. This is also… exquisite.”

Those were the impressions from Auria, the Duke, and the Grand Duke. Princess Stephania and the others followed, each breaking into smiles. The mammoth cutlets also seemed well-received, which was a relief.

“This is good.”

Oswald and the Forestbirds seemed to have taken a liking to the mammoth cutlets. Elliot, Sion, and the other two also seemed to be enjoying them.

“Is this, by any chance, Theo-kun’s doing?”

After tasting everything, Alfred asked.

“Yeah. I tried a new cooking method using magic. I was thinking if it worked, maybe we could turn it into a magic tool.”

“Sounds great. Can you demonstrate it for me later?”

“Understood.”

When I broached the topic of magitool conversion with Alfred… he seemed quite enthusiastic.

To convert it into a magic tool, we’d need to consider the shape and such. I’ll demonstrate it in front of everyone as part of the entertainment.

Well, although there would be costs involved in creating the magic tool, being able to enjoy fried food easily without cooking oil is quite appealing, isn’t it?