After sorting out all the dishes the group could finally begin cooking. Dark Hammer and Red Sparkle were responsible for preparing the ingredients while Serena and Riala would cook the dishes.
The three girls had done this before. When Serena was making some dishes, Dark Hammer and Red Sparkle would assist. The same was true when Dark Hammer was forging equipment in the smithy or Red Sparkle produced magic scrolls. The other two friends would also help out often. Thus, they were already familiar with the process.
However, now that Riala was with them they would mostly follow the adult's instructions. Riala couldn't help but smile as the three girls looked at her with expectant eyes.
"Ok, let's see what we need… Red Sparkle, how about you prepare the Coseres for the chips? Dark Hammer, you start with cutting the carrots. Serena, you prepare everything for the cookies. Meanwhile I will take care of the citrus sauce."
"Yes!"
The three little girls quickly went to work. They rushed towards the chests, searching for ingredients. In the world of Crunaboul there were ingredients which also existed in the real world while others did not. For example, Red Sparkle held a fruit resembling a coconut in her hand. It was called a Coseres and could be used in place of potatoes. This didn't mean that potatoes didn't exist in Crunaboul, but how could the fine high elves eat something as simple as a potato?
Red Sparkle placed the Coseres on the counter and grabbed a heavy knife. Riala watched worriedly from the side. However, this was unfounded as Red Sparkle showed her meticulous nature, carefully cutting a circle around the Coseres. With a sudden pull the shell split into two parts, revealing a red fruit within.
Next, Red Sparkle began to cut the fruit. According to the recipe the slices had to be as thin as possible.
"Wait, wait!"
Suddenly Serena interrupted her friends from the side.
"Here, you need to use a thin knife or else the slices will only end up all crooked."
"Oh, ok."
Red Sparkle readily accepted Serena's advice. When it came to cooking Serena was one of the most knowledgeable people Red Sparkle knew. Especially in the game. Even most adults couldn't compete with her.
Handing another knife to Red Sparkle, Serena also glanced towards Dark Hammer. The latter was cutting dark carrots right now. However, she had watched too many celebrity cooks and was thus hacking wildly, trying to imitate them. Luckily Riala was already stepping in, telling Dark Hammer to slow down and explaining why it was important that each piece had the same size.
Thus, Serena could focus on her own job. She was supposed to prepare the other ingredients for the cookies. In front of her stood a large scale with two plates attached to it. Serena first placed an empty bowl on one side. As the scale tilted, she grabbed a few small weights and placed them on the other side. The scale began to move and after a brief forth and back both plates were back on one level.
Next, Serena looked at the recipe again, checking the amount of flour needed. It was one pound. Thus, she placed an additional one pound of weights on one side before filling the bowl with flour until the scale was balanced.
"One pound of flour prepared…"
Serena murmured to herself as she put the flour aside and repeated the process with sugar and butter. However, at this point she began to ponder. As she planned to add some Revitalizing Water, there was a high possibility of the dough being too wet. She could only add some more flour and hope that the small amount of Revitalizing Water didn't cause too much trouble.
In this manner the group prepared the ingredients one by one. Riala heated a big pot of oil for the chips and two pans for the mutton and the sauce. Serena made sure the old-school stove didn't become too hot for the cookies. When she turned around Red Sparkle presented her a plate full of Coseres slices. Serena sorted through them, taking away all the slices which were too thick or uneven. It was more than half.
Red Sparkle sighed but she had already expected it. After all, the quest demanded that all their dishes had to have a quality of 3,5 stars or higher. However, as Serena was about to throw the discarded slices away, she was intercepted by Dark Hammer waving her hands frantically.
"Stop, stop. What are you doing?"
"Hm? We can't use them. They would lower the quality of the dish."
"Serena, you are so wasteful! Mother always says we mustn't throw away food. If those are not good enough to make chips for the elves I will reluctantly lower myself to eat them, alright?"
"Oh, so that's what you are after!"
Red Sparkle and Serena couldn't help but laugh. However, they still agreed with Dark Hammer. Making a few more chips for themselves wouldn't be that much of a waste of time. Thus, Serena put the discarded slices aside for now.
Red Sparkle grabbed another Coseres and carefully produced more slices. This time they were mostly to Serena's satisfaction. Gradually all the ingredients were prepared. Finally, the group could start to actually cook them. There were varying opinions about the cooking process in Crunaboul. Since it was shortened greatly some people considered it too easy while others thought it was too difficult.
Serena belonged to the people who considered cooking in the game rather easy. After a few months her internal clock had become incredibly accurate, and she could estimate the time extremely well.
Red Sparkle and Dark Hammer could only watch as Serena placed equal portions of the cookie dough on a baking tray. A few pieces of a dark vegetable could be seen mixed into the dough, which was the dark carrot prepared by Dark Hammer. Satisfied with her portions Serena finally placed the baking tray into the stove. She didn't pull her hands wrapped in heavy woolen gloves away. According to the recipe the cookies only needed to bake for twenty seconds. Serena started to count down loudly:
"...Three, two, one, now!"
Suddenly Serena pulled back the baking tray. A sweet smell wafted towards her nose. Red Sparle and Dark Hammer stared at the cookies and felt saliva gathering in their mouth, gulping heavily.
Serena placed the baking trey down and scanned the cookies. Seeing their colour with just the right amount of brown she nodded in satisfaction. She grabbed four cookies and distributed them among the group.
"For us?", asked Dark Hammer happily.
"Yes. I made some extra."
Earlier, after the group began cooking their quest also updated showing the required amount of each dish. According to the quest they needed only ten cookies but following the recipe Serena had enough dough for twenty. After being reminded by Dark Hammer she decided that it was just right for them to eat the additional cookies.
Red Sparkle and Dark Hammer didn't hold back and quickly took big bites with relish.
"So delicious!"
"Great taste!"
The two young girls exclaimed happily. Meanwhile Serena was still staring at the cookie in her hand, waiting for a certain announcement. Finally, a notification popped up before her.
[Congratulations on improving on an existing dish.
You are free to choose a different name or go with the suggestion.
Reward: 750 EXP; 1.500 EXP for profession chef]
Serena didn't think much about this achievement. She had seen this notification a few times already. Almost every time she added Revitalizing Water to an existing dish it would be seen as improvement. What Serena was looking forward to was the following notification.
[Produced: Revitalising Dark Carrot Cookies
Quality: 4 Stars
Effect 1: Recover 3% of your max HP and 1% of your max Mana every five seconds. (duration: 300 seconds)
Effect 2: Increase your resistance against earth damage by 5%. (duration: 180 seconds)
Reward: 800 EXP; 200 EXP for profession chef]
Finally, Serena could let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't disappointed by the 4-star evaluation. She knew that the dough had been a bit too wet and the carrots were not perfectly cut. 4 stars were already rather generous.
A happy smile bloomed on Serena's face as she finally took a bite as well. Indeed, the cookie didn't crumble as much as it should but the this was quickly forgotten by Serena when the sweet taste spread in her mouth.
"It really tastes great!"
"Of course!", agreed Red Sparkle.
"This is so awesome. I could eat cookies all day!"
Dark Hammer had already devoured the entire cookie. Really, being restricted by her parents at home she only became even more gluttonous in the game.
Next to the three girls Riala nibbled on her cookie while watching the three young ones laughing brightly and had a sweet smile on her face.
After everyone ate their first cookie they decided to save the rest for later. Instead, they took care of the other two dishes. With one success under their belt, they were confident and in high spirits. Serena and Ralia worked together to cook the citrus sauce, fry the chips, and sear the mutton. They proved their great skills, producing dishes of exceptional quality. In the end the mutton even reached the 5-star mark. Everyone was salivating just from its smell. Unfortunately, the mutton was the single dish of which they hadn't made any extra portions.