Straight-Up Not Having A Good Time At Night Raven College: Chapter 1

Chapter 11: Secret In The Oysters

Kat sighed heavily, putting down the whisk and stepping back from the counter as she took her glasses off.
The steam from the cooling pot of chestnuts, milk and sugar had fogged them up something fierce...

Well, she was done, anyway. The pot of chestnuts was now a smooth, light brown puree.

Cleaning her glasses on her hoodie, she put them back on, looking around at the others.

"Ugh!"
Wiping his brow on his forearm, Ace threw down his whisk.
"There! We just pureed every last stupid chestnut!"

Deuce groaned, leaning against the counter and rotating his arm at the shoulder.
"My arm is killing me..."

With a chuckle, Trey walked over, wiping his hands on a dish towel.
"Nice job, you two," he smiled, giving them both a friendly slap on the back. "I'm sure it'll taste even better thanks to all your hard work!"

"Mwaah..."
Grim approached one of the bowls of chestnut paste, like a cartoon character floating on the scent of pie.
"Man, just the smell already seems like it'd be enough to fill my stomach..."

"HEY," Kat scolded, jumping over and grabbing him. "Don't get your fire-cat drool in the puree!"

"Awww..."
Grim's ears drooped, and he grumbled.
"You're no fun..."

Trey laughed again, draping the dish cloth over his shoulder and picking up his own pot. "Hey, it's not even done yet," he scolded lightly.

Grabbing a spatula, he moved across the kitchen, where a clean mixing bowl and a few packages of ingredients lay waiting.
"How 'bout I let you have a taste once we're done adding the rest of the ingredients, okay?"

"Myah?!"
Grim perked up eagerly.
"Really?!"

"The vice-housewarden beamed.
"Of course! And you three, too, of course... But only a spoonful each, and you all have to use different spoons. And wash your hands again afterwards."
With that, he started transferring the puree to the bowl, scraping the sides of the pot with the spatula.

Ace perked up as well, picking up his own pot and moving over to Trey.
"Hey, sure thing!" He said, looking around at the ingredients. "So, what ARE the final ingredients, anyway?"

"Just butter," Trey replied, busying himself with retrieving the correct packages.
"Oh, and I can't forget my secret ingredient-- oyster sauce."

With a flourish, he put a thin glass bottle down on the counter with a clank.

Ace and Deuce jumped in unison, looking shocked.
"Oyster sauce?!" They demanded, drawing back.

Trey nodded.
"Yep, that's right-- see, the umami of the oysters give the cream a really rich, savory flavor."
He picked up the bottle again.
"My personal favorite is this one here-- Walrus Brand's Young Oyster Sauce!"

He gestured to the bottle like a beauty guru showing off a product.
"All the famous patissieres use it in their tarts, too. You didn't know that?"

"R-Really?" Deuce mused, putting a hand to his chin. "I didn't... But, wouldn't it come out way too salty? Since the sauce is so salty, I mean..."

Ace frowned, rubbing his head.
"But-- I mean... People put chocolate in curry an' stuff, right? Maybe it works the other way around, too?"

Kat frowned as well.
She was actually a bit of a hobby baker herself-- nowhere near Trey's level, though. She mostly just stuck to modifying store-bought mixes and dough, but...
That didn't sound correct. Like, at all.