Reincarnated in Another World at the Age of 82!? - Chapter 24, Chapter 25, Chapter 26

Making Dinner (2)
"Tonight's dinner will be tonkatsu, jagato salad, and shrimp soup. So, Young lady, could you teach us how to prepare them?"

"Yes, first, for tonkatsu, we'll need breadcrumbs, so you'll grate them like cheese with a grater. As for the shrimp soup, don't throw away the shrimp shells and heads; we'll use them. And for the salad, we'll make mayonnaise."

"”””Mayonnaise?”””"

"Yes, it's made with egg, vinegar, and oil. Let me demonstrate.

First, separate the egg yolk, add a pinch of salt and pepper along with vinegar, and mix. Then, slowly add oil while continuously mixing. Keep adding and mixing until it thickens, and you're done."

With a task too hard for a 5-year-old, I had Ben help mix it.

"Why only the yolk? Can't you use the whole egg?"

"You can, but it takes more effort. It’s easier this way unless you have a hand mixer."

"What's a hand mixer?"

"Umm, it’s a machine that automatically stirs—kind of like an automatic whisk?"

"That sounds so convenient! Where can we get one?"

"I have no idea..."

"Aah, well, we'll just have to manage without one."

And with that, the mayonnaise was done.

"Alright, you can taste it using these cucumber sticks."

Crunch. "This is amazing!"

"It's addicting."

"So good! I can’t stop eating this!"

"Young lady, this is way too delicious!"

Thank goodness. It’s been a while since I made homemade mayo, and I was nervous it might not turn out well. Personally, I think cucumber sticks with miso mayo are the best, but since we don’t have miso... maybe I can find some somewhere?

"Now that the mayonnaise is ready, let’s start making the tonkatsu. In the meantime, please boil the jagato."

"I’ll handle the jagato salad then and start boiling the jagatoes."

"Oh, assigning tasks sounds good. Then, Mr. Abe and Annie will handle the tonkatsu, the salad will be Master’s responsibility, and Mr. Arthur will make the shrimp soup. Once the shrimp is peeled, the meat will also be fried like the tonkatsu, so pass it over to Mr. Abe."

"Understood."

"Let’s begin with the tonkatsu. First, slice the pork into 5mm cuts and tenderize it. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then coat it lightly in flour, dip it in beaten egg, and cover it in breadcrumbs."

"Young lady, I’ve already prepared the breadcrumbs."

"Thank you, Annie..."

"Hm? What’s wrong, Young lady?"

"Well, um, the way you call me 'Young lady' feels a bit distant... Since we're cooking together, could you just call me by my name?"

"Ah, I don’t know if I could..."

"Would it be okay if I got Father’s permission??"

"Well, if your father is fine with it, then maybe..."

"Alright, I’ll ask him later. Anyway, back to cooking.

For the shrimp, we'll bread it the same way, but first, we’ll clean it by rubbing it with salt and starch. This removes any dirt. Then, make small incisions along the belly side and lightly season with salt and pepper."

"Young lady, why make cuts in the shrimp?"

"If you don’t, it’ll curl up when fried."

"You sure know a lot, Young lady."

"Ah, um, I read it in a book."

"Huh, a book, huh?"

Uh-oh, they might be catching on that my knowledge isn’t just from books. Still, if I’m going to reveal my past life memories, it should be to Father first. I’ll deal with it when the time comes.

"Also, no shrimp fry is complete without tartar sauce, so let’s make that too."

"”””Tartar sauce?”””"

"Yes, it’s an 'devil sauce' made from boiled eggs, pickles, and mayonnaise."

"Devil? And that’s essential?"

"Yes, it’s absolutely indispensable. Annie, could you boil the eggs, please?"

I request with a salute.

"Understood!" Annie salutes back.

"Hehe."

We laugh together again.

"You two seem to be having fun."

Arthur comes over with the peeled shrimp.

"Thank you, Mr. Arthur. Mr. Abe and Annie, I’ll leave the tonkatsu and shrimp fry to you."

"Got it."

Leaving the frying to them, I move on to preparing the shrimp soup—a creamy bisque.

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Making Dinner (3)
"Alright, let's start the soup. First, slice the tamaon (onion) and garnikku (garlic) thinly, please."

While they do that, I toss the shrimp heads and shells into the pan and start sautéing them.

"It's done, Young lady."

"Thank you. Now, add the tamaons and garnikku here. Season with salt and pepper... oh, and could you prepare some white wine and finely chop the tomatoes?"

"Understood."

Once the tamaons are soft, I pour in the white wine and let it cook over high heat until the liquid evaporates.
Then, I add water and the finely chopped tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium, and wait for it to boil.
As it starts bubbling, I skim off the foam, cover the pot, and simmer on low heat for ten minutes. Once the liquid reduces to about half, I take it off the heat.

After it cools a bit, I strain the soup to separate the shells.
I crush the shells with a bit of the soup using a pestle and mortar, then strain it again.

Phew, explaining while cooking is exhausting.

I'll leave the rest to Arthur.

Next up is the potato salad.

"Master, how's it coming along?"

"Ah, Young lady, perfect timing. The jagato just finished boiling."

"Alright, let's mash them. While I’m doing this, could you slice the tamaons and cucumbers very thinly, sprinkle them with salt, and let them sit? Once they release water, wring them out. Oh, and cut the ham into strips, please."

"Got it."

Once the jagatoes cool slightly, I’ll mix everything—the prepared ingredients and mayonnaise.

My grandchildren loved potato salad with added apples... nostalgic.

"Oh, Young lady~ I've finished peeling the boiled eggs."

"Thank you, Annie. Could you finely chop the eggs and pickles for me?"

"On it!"

For the tartar sauce, it's as simple as mixing the chopped ingredients with mayonnaise. It's devilishly delicious... but so calorie-heavy.

If only I had soy sauce, I could make chicken nanban—it’d be perfect. I'll have Gray search for soy sauce and miso later.

Since I’ve explained everything, I’ll take a little break while everyone else works. A 5-year-old's body really lacks stamina...

Maybe I’ll check the liquor cabinet later and mix a cocktail for Father and the others. Not that I can drink... though I’d love to.

"Ahh~ looks like the young lady is tired now."

"Well, it’s usually her nap time, isn’t it?"

"Young lady is adorable when she’s smiling, but her sleeping face is just as cute."

"Should I carry her for now?"

Whack. "Ow!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to hug her so easily? Wait a minute... are you perhaps a lolicon?"

"Wh-what?! No, absolutely not~~~!"

"Mr. Arthur, shh! If you’re too loud, you’ll wake the young lady!"

"Oh, sorry… but I swear, it’s only her."

"””!!!”””

"… You’re definitely getting scolded by Mr. Gray later."

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I Want to Make a Cocktail
When I suddenly woke up, I saw that everyone had finished their tasks and was sitting around me, enjoying tea.

Oh no, I must have fallen asleep without realizing it. How embarrassing.

"S-sorry..."

"Don’t worry about it. Isn’t this usually your nap time?"

"Oh, now that you mention it..."

"Huh? Young lady, did you forget about that?"

"Ehehe, I was having so much fun cooking."

"Are you sure you’re okay now? If you’d like, I can—"

Whack! For some reason, Arthur, who had opened his arms wide, got smacked by Abe.

For now, we fried one piece each of the tonkatsu and shrimp fry as a taste test before dinner. The tonkatsu, lacking sauce, was seasoned with salt, while the shrimp fry was paired with tartar sauce. We also sampled small portions of the potato salad and the shrimp bisque-style soup.

Crunch. "Delicious! Just breading and frying it keeps all the meat juices inside."

"The shrimp fry is amazing too. It’s so plump! With this tartar sauce, I could eat an infinite amount. Truly worthy of the name Devil’s Sauce!"

"Young lady~ This jagato salad is my first time trying it, but the texture of the onions and cucumbers is great. The mayonnaise is so addictive, too."

"Young lady, the soup is incredible. I can’t believe how much flavor comes from the heads and shells we usually toss. What a waste it was until now."

Yes, everything turned out delicious.

It’s been so long since I last made a bisque. I was worried because I usually use a blender or food processor for this.

"Did it turn out well?"

I asked cautiously.

"Of course! It’s a big success."

"Thank goodness~ That means dinner is ready. Now, there’s something I’d like to make..."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I want to prepare a cocktail for Father and Mother to enjoy with their after-dinner tea."

"Huh? What’s a cocktail?"

"Uhh, it’s a mix of alcohol and other alcoholic beverages or juice?"

"Mixing alcohol, huh?"

"Yes. I was also thinking of making a few appetizers to go with it."

"That doesn’t sound like a 5-year-old’s knowledge."

"Ehehe."

Of course, I can’t say it’s the knowledge of an 82-year-old. At times like this, it’s best to just laugh it off.

"Alright, let’s see you make one. First, let’s head to the cellar. Here we go."

Whoosh.

Abe picked me up with just one arm. As an 82-year-old internally, this was mortifying.

"I-I’m not heavy?"

"Young lady, you’re light as a feather. Before working here, I used to go monster hunting with the Master and Mr. Gray. So, this is no problem at all."

"Really? Even Gray?"

Abe seemed like the type, but Gray too? People sure aren’t always what they seem.

"Yeah, that’s right. Didn’t you know? There are others in the private guard and even among the staff who were former members."

"No way~!? I had no idea."

Wow~ so we have a private guard~ Well, it makes sense, being the house of a count and all.

I’ll have to ask who else used to be in the monster-hunting squad next time.

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