With a firm crunch, I brought the edge of my knife down, cutting through the lobster's head, killing it instantly before it could register the pain. The crustaceon's legs spasmed and twitched, but I knew it was nothing more than a reflex. I repeated the same procedure with the lobster's twin.
[Ingredient: Maine Lobster]
Cost: $40
Count: 2
Category: Protein
Quality: Normal
Effect(s): None
By far, it was the most expensive ingredient I cooked with, meaning that I couldn't afford to fuck up the dish, which also just happened to be the most complex and technically advanced.
Still, my hands were steady and my mind was clear as I grabbed the two lobsters and threw them into a boiling pot of heavily salted water. I put the cover on and set a timer for five minutes, not enough to fully cook the shellfish, but parboiling would help with processing the meat later on, which would finish cooking when I poached them in the butter sauce.
In the meantime, I powerwalked my way over to the fridge, taking out a large baking tray that was laden with stacks of wax paper.
Setting the baking tray down, I peeled off the first piece of wax paper, revealing a sheet of pastry dough that I had set to firm and chill after laminating, a process where cold butter was flattened into sheets and gradually folded and pressed into the dough, creating literally thousands of layers that would result in a flaky end product.
[Recipe: Pastry Dough]
Base Price: $ 23
Quality: ✦✧
Final Price: $ 27
Ingredients: Cup of Flour [x3] Stick of Butter [x4]
[Ingredient: Bag of Flour]
Cost: $ 10
Count: 10
Category: Startch
Quality: Normal
Effect(s): None
Most of the afternoon prep had gone to making several of the pastry sheets, as they all needed to chill and could be stored in the fridge for several days without a drop in quality.
Taking the top-most sheet, I placed it on a baking sheet I had already lined with wax paper before throwing the entire tray into the preheated oven.
With how thin the dough was, the pastry would be ready in less than twenty minutes, but that left me enough time to get started on the third and final component.
In a flash, two large leeks were lined up on my cutting board, and I quickly trimmed and halved the close onion relative before grabbing each half with a pair of tongs and placing them face down on the hottest part of the grill.
It didn't take long before the smell was floating through the air on whisps of grey smoke as the scorching temperatures made short work of the leek's sugars and oils into more palatable compounds.
[Ingredient: Bundle of Leeks]
Cost: $ 12
Count: 6
Category: Vegetable
Quality: Normal
Effect(s): None
Once the faces were blackened, the leeks made their way into my latest appliance, which I had bought after nearly losing my mind trying to chop up the leeks with a knife alone.
[Appliance: Food Processor]
Cost: $712
Maintenance: $135
Slot [Kitchen]: 1/5
Effect(s):
+5% to Cooking Speed
Along with the leeks, I added some butter and held down the button until I was left with a smooth, vibrant green purée.
When the food processor stopped roaring, the timer for the lobster went off, and I quickly moved to take the shellfish out of the water, not wanting to risk the slightest chance that they would be overcooked.
Their shells had turned a stark red after poaching, and inside, I knew the meat had shrunk, meaning separating it from the shell would be a breeze compared to doing it raw.
Still, it wasn't an easy process. I started by cutting off the limbs, the claws, and legs, separating them from the body before cutting through the shell and pulling out the large meaty chunks.
Then came the tails that popped off the bodies with a firm pull and twist, and yielded nice, whole chunks. While there was no doubt more meat I could scavange and scrape from the carapace, I was on a limited timeline.
Gathering the lobster meat in a small pile, I gave it a quick dice with my knife before scraping the board's contents into a saucepan, and ladling in a thick buttery cream sauce, just enough to cover all the chunks. I tossed the pan a few times with a gentle roll of my wrist before setting down the pan as my second timer went off, signaling that the pastry was done baking.
Grabbing an oven mitt, I pulled it over my hand as I opened the oven. Buttery vapors steamed up into my face as I pulled out the sheet of puffed golden pastry, 'Perfection.'
Setting down the tray, I grabbed some salt and a lemon that I had zested and sprinkled over the pastry, seasoning it before it could cool.
Immediately switching tasks, I went back to the lobster and killed the stove, trusting the residual heat to finish the cooking process. Taking the pan, I walked over to the food processor and steadily poured the lobster and the butter sauce into the leek purée. I hit the blend button a few times in quick succession, just enough to incorporate everything together and finish the filling.
[Recipe: Charred Leek and Buttered Lobster Filling]
Base Price: $49
Quality: ✦✦✧
Final Price: $61
Ingredients: Leek[x2] Lobster [x2] Butter [x3]
'Alright, onto the last piece of the puzzle,' I psyched myself up as the finish line came into view.
I moved the filling into a separate container so I could clean out the food processor as I would need it shortly. But first, I needed to process the main component.
[Ingredient: Pouch of Fennel]
Cost: $12
Count: 4
Category: Vegetable
Quality: Normal
Effect(s): None
With a quick flourish of my knife, I chopped off the long bushy stalks, leaving me with just the bulb that I threw on the grill to char. With my hands free, I grabbed a saucepan with one and a bottle of white wine with the other.
[Ingredient: Crate of White Wine]
Cost: $ 60
Count: 6
Category: Alcohol
Quality: Normal
Effect(s): None
Pouring in the wine, I then turned on the stone before gingerly tipping the pan towards the fire until the wine suddenly ignited as the alcohol vapors combusted.
The flames roared into the air with a flash of heat, but I didn't panic, instead letting the fire run its course and cook off the harsher notes of the spirit.
When the flames died down, a quick blow snuffed them out, and I eagerly moved over to the food processor, where I poured in the reduction, followed by the charred fennel and the juice of a lemon.
I held down the button until everything was one smooth consistency, but instead of stopping, I kept the machine running. I then carefully took off the top while grabbing a bottle of oil that I slowly poured in, making sure that everything was combining as it should.
The cooking gods must have been smiling down on me as everything held together, and I was left with a glossy garnish for my dish.
[Recipe: White Wine and Charred Fennel Emmulsion]
Base Price: $15
Quality: ✦✦✧
Final Price: $19
Ingredients: Fennel [x1] White Wine [x1] Lemon [x1]
'Assembly time.'
I started by cutting the pastry into even rectangular sheets before grabbing a plate from the rack. First came the pastry sheet, followed by a generous layer of the cooled and thickened filling, then another pastry sheet, a layer of filling, and then one last sheet.
Then with a spoon, a delicate hand, and an eye for detail, I drizzled the emulsion over the Mille-Feuille and added a decorative smear along the edge.
I then stepped back and admired my masterpiece.
[Dish: Charred Leek and Buttered Lobster Mille-Feuille with a White Wine and Fennel Emmulsion]
Base Price: $ 107
Quality: ✦✦✧
Final Price: $ 134
Components: Charred White Wine and Fennel Emmulsion, Pastry Dough, Charred Leek and Buttered Lobster Filling
In that moment, all the tireless effort and nonstop movement were worth it as I took in the result of my hard labor.
Just then, Megan burst through the kitchen door, waving a ticket in her hand, "Heads up, need another five Mille-Feuilles pronto!"
And just like that, the magic of the moment was gone, and I was back on the grind, 'I really need to get some help in the kitchen.'