The tray I used the most salt on was now holding perfectly smooth ice cream. I’d taken it out of the box many times, stirring it with a spoon to get some air into the mixture along the way. Now I knew that using a lot of salt was the best way to get the ice cream frozen.
I grinned at my finished vats. The kitchen staff came over, looking at my creation with curiosity.
“You’ve arrived at the perfect time, everyone. Would you each like to try some of this ice cream with me?”
“Say, what is that stuff? Frozen candy or something of the sort? If it’s too expensive, maybe it’s not something we should be eating.”
“There’s no need to worry about that. The ingredients aren’t that expensive, and I planned on sharing it with the kitchen staff in the first place.”
“Really? You did?”
“I thought that warm places make the best setting for a cold treat.”
I enjoyed eating ice cream during the winter too, but I usually had it in the spring and summer.
However, spring was only just arriving in Elltoria.
Despite my craving for ice cream, the cold air of the season was inescapable…
Except inside this kitchen.
It was almost time for the workers to begin preparing dinner, so they’d already lit a number of stoves throughout the kitchen. Slowly but surely, the temperature had risen in the room.
The conditions could hardly be more perfect for ice cream.
“Goodness…!”
The head chef took his first bite and froze in shock.
“It’s cold and soft, yet with such a delicate, sweet taste… This is wonderful!”
He stared at the ice cream bowl, spoon still in hand.
I could tell from the intensity of his look that he wasn’t just being polite.
For further proof, I watched him take two more spoonfuls of the ice cream, nodding his head vigorously with each bite.
He likes it. That’s a relief.
I felt a smile spread across my face, then watched as the other cooks in the gallery raised their eyebrows in surprise. It was true that I’d been extremely focused lately, even around the house. Perhaps my smile was an unusual sight.
I felt a bit bad about startling them, but I couldn’t help it.
Having my cooking praised lifted my spirits.
Being able to share tasty food with others was a blessing, and all the more so when it was something I made with my own two hands.
With a spring in my step, I scooped up a bite of ice cream from the tray and brought it to my mouth.
The cold treat was a pleasant contrast to the warm, humid room.
“My lady, this is delicious. The more it melts, the more you can taste the sweet, mild flavor of honey.”
Lucian also seemed pleased with the results.
The ice cream was light in both flavor and texture. I felt like I could practically eat the rest of it all by myself.
I had been nervous about the whole endeavor, what with the lack of stoves and refrigerators like I was used to on Earth, but the project turned out to be a success. I might even be able to combine my own craftiness and magic to create all kinds of other dishes.
Cheesecake. Cookies. Salisbury steak. Cream soup.
The list of foods I craved filled my head. I pondered each meal while savoring the sweet taste of ice cream on my tongue.
After finishing my own serving, I cast a glance at the kitchen workers.
Some of them seemed a bit uncomfortable as they attempted to take bites of the ice cream. They’d never had it before, so it was a novel experience.
It was also my first attempt at making it since my reincarnation, so it wasn’t perfect. The ice cream still had a few spots that were uneven in consistency. Some of the workers seemed to have found the areas that had frozen completely solid.
“If it’s too firm, please pour a little extra honey on top.”
I took out the honey, which I’d kept slightly warmer than room temperature.
There was honey already mixed into the ice cream itself, but I saved enough for us to use as an extra topping if we wanted it. I also wasn’t sure if the honey flavor would be very strong in the finished product, so I wanted a back-up option just in case.
Fine dining in my kingdom generally consists of extremely savory dishes that are doused in spices.
I knew that for our staff, who always prepared such foods for our family, it was possible they might not take to sweet, cold treats.
Hesitantly, the cooks approached the jar of honey and drizzled it over their bowls like I suggested.
The warm honey, golden and glittering, seeped into the surface of the ice cream.
The chefs looked nervous as they took their next bites.
“It’s so smooth…!!”
Satisfied, they quickly plunged their spoons back in, over and over again.
A warm topping on a cold dessert. Faint traces of honey in each scoop of ice cream, with another rich layer of it on top.
It was a clever, tasty combination of flavors and textures.
“Thank you for the treat, my lady. That ‘ice cream’ of yours was delicious.”
The head chef conveyed the thanks of the staff for letting them share my creation.
“I’ve never had any food with that kind of texture before…and it was a bit of a shock at first, if I’m being honest. I’ve had frozen ice sweets, but never ones made with frozen cream. Where did you learn this recipe?”
“It was from a rare cookbook from another kingdom… I read it as part of my education to become the crown princess, for my future dealings with foreign lands.”
I felt bad about lying, but I couldn’t exactly respond with “I made it in a past life!”
The kitchen staff looked surprised but convinced by my explanation.
“I see. Well, that’s very impressive! I wouldn’t have guessed the crown princess would need to study such things…”
They all seemed to agree. The expressions on their faces, however, looked somewhat sympathetic.
I was already the “former” crown princess.
Guilt crept into me for saddening them. At the same time, I watched the lie about the “incredible crown princess education” I received as it started to spread among all the staff.
“My lady, as for the vat of ice cream that didn’t freeze very well, do you think we could eat it if we try freezing it again?”
“Could it perhaps be made into a sauce of some kind instead?” I suggested.
Melting the ice cream down to refreeze it wouldn’t have any effect on the crystallization.
Since we couldn’t regain that light and fluffy texture, I had another idea of my own.
“A sauce?”
“That’s right. It’s a bit sweet, but I think it would go well with a meat dish of some kind. I’d like it if you could refrain from using too many other seasonings, and that way, you can savor the taste of the ice cream on its own.”
“Yes, that sounds like it could come out nicely…”
The head chef’s face looked a little gloomy.
“My lady, can I ask if you’ve grown bored of the savory meals we make for you?”
He was visibly nervous.
Perhaps, as a chef, he’d begun to grow suspicious of the quality of those overseasoned meals he always made for the nobles, while continuing to follow his orders at the same time.
That was probably why he looked so uneasy in his response.
“It’s nothing like that. I suppose I’d just like to try something new every now and then.”
Truthfully, the chef wasn’t wrong at all, but there was a reason I couldn’t admit it.
I’d spent my whole life eating rich, spice-filled foods without complaint. It would be odd if I suddenly started rejecting them now. A demand like that could even end up getting the kitchen staff fired.
Most chefs in my kingdom were commoners in rank. They could not disobey nobles. As a duke’s daughter, if I told the head chef that his food wasn’t satisfactory, it would cast a lot of pressure onto the poor man.
It wouldn’t be long before I left this house for foreign lands.
I decided to keep my nose out of the kitchen staff’s business when it came to the daily menus, since it could spell trouble for them after I was gone. I would stick to making small treats whenever I took to the kitchen.
Hmm.
Still, I really wished it didn’t have to be such a hassle. I was getting impatient.
When I made it to my new home, I needed to be sure that better cooking opportunities would be available.
Unsure of where the future would take me, I sat down with the head chef to discuss how he could use my leftover ice cream.