Solo [The Protea Inn] Providing For The Guests II

[Tazrae]

Timestamp:50th of Spring, 521 A.V.

Continued From: [The Protea Inn] Providing For The Guests I

With the recipe laid out, the big pot of stock ready, Taz took the first pot that she’d originally made the stock in and cleaned it out. She discarded all the waste from the stock and put it back on the stove to heat. She tossed in the butter, melted it and then used her butcher knife to chop up onion and toss it in with the butter. She cooked it gently, moving it around with a flat ended wooden spoon until the onions turned translucent and caramelized. She then pulled it off the heat to rest, turned to the potatoes, and washed them up really quickly. She peeled them with her pairing knife, chopped them into bite sized bits, and tossed them in with the butter and onions.

Taz let them cook for a couple of minutes so the potatoes absorbed the excess butter, and then added in the salt. She then returned the shrimp stock to the big pot, added in the water, and marjoram. She used her mortar and pestle to grind up pepper, added it, and let it simmer for twenty minutes. While the potatoes were cooking, she turned to the seabass and began to butcher it. She inserted her fillet knife behind the gills, cut a shallow slice behind its first rib, and then grasp the skin. With a deft pull, she used the razor sharp knife to cut out the fillet and leave the bones intact. She inverted the fillet on its skin, grasp the skin and made a second cut to remove the skin from the meat. The young Innkeeper cut the filet up into chunks.

Flipping the carcass, she did the same to the other side, leaving a big spine, the fins, and huge tail only. She tossed the tail into the pot that the strained stock had been in, tossed in the skin, and then skinned and chunked the rest of the second fillet. The remains of the fish went into the pot that then was carried over to the icebox and added to the now empty bait bucket she used to catch the shrimp in the first place.

When the potatoes were tender, she added in the chunks of seabass and let it actually cook for another ten chimes. When it was done, she banked the fire in the stove, and left the fish chowder to simmer. When it had simmered for a bell, she added in cream, making sure to carefully whip the soup so the cream didn’t curdle, then added fresh dill. She added a cup of sour cream to the chowder and sniffed in delight. Her guests would eat well tonight.

She looked around, happy to be cooking, and knowing she still had bells before anyone returned looking for something to eat. Taz had time to make some bread bowls, most of which wouldn’t be used until perhaps lunch tomorrow in which she’d serve the remains of the seabass chowder. She quickly opened her recipe book, flipped it to where her father had sprawled out another recipe for the delicious ingenious ways to serve soup, and read over the ingredients. She had them all at hand, and other than lighting the baking oven, all she had to do was throw the ingredients together and let the dough rise.

[Tazrae]

Bread Bowls

• 3 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast (2 packets)
• 2 Tablespoons +1/2 teaspoon sugar , divided
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons butter , melted
• 7 to 9 cups flour , divided
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 egg white

Taz cleaned up her dishes. That was the first thing first. She needed clean bowls to reuse to mix up the dough. Filling the sink with water, she got busy scrubbing, and then took the time to dry all the utensils and measuring devices.

She laid out the ingredients, pulled over a small bowl, and added the warm water, yeast and a half teaspoon of sugar into the bowl. Tazrae stirred the mixture until the yeast was dissolved, then covered the bowl with a towel for five chimes, letting the yeast foam up.

Once the yeast had foamed, she knew the proofing was complete, and she took her large mixing bowl, measured in the salt, remaining sugar, butter, yeast mixture, and three cups of the flour. She mixed it slowly, beginning to add more flour a singular cup at a time until the mix formed a dough and started pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Tazrae then floured her cutting board and turned the dough out onto the gently coated surface. She dug her hands into the dough and began to knead it, taking another five minutes to get the dough to the point where it wasn’t sticky. She added in a little more flour by dusting the dough ball, and kept kneading until it was perfect in its consistency.

When she was satisfied with the texture, she lightly coated the mixing bowl with oil and then transferred the dough to that bowl. She rolled it in the oil, so it was lightly coated and wouldn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. She covered the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise until it doubled. It took a half bell in the heat of Syka’s afternoon.

And while she was waiting, she mixed up a second batch. The Inn required everything to be plentiful and the food to be flowing. Since the recipe only made eight bread bowls, she thought she’d be better off with twice that, enough to feed her guests and the drop ins that often stopped by for meals. When she had two batches rising, she did another quick clean up, took a short walk out on the deck to check the ocean and see what Bree and Creech where up too.

Then she was back and laying out a large baking sheet. She took the first batch of dough, divided it into eight equal pieces, then used her hands to gently fold the dough over and over until she had it in a nice tight ball with no air in it. She repeated making these folded balls seven more times, then made a small X in the top of each dough ball and lined them up on the baking sheet. She repeated the process with the second large risen dough ball, and soon had sixteen bread bowls lined up.

[Tazrae]

She took an egg, neatly cracked it, and beat a tad bit of milk into the whipped egg to make an egg wash. Tazrae brushed each dough ball top with a very thin layer of the egg wash so they’d come out of the oven with a shiny neat crust. The young Innkeeper then covered the rolls with a kitchen towel and allowed them to rise until doubled. This took another bell. And when they were getting close, Taz lit the baking oven up, got the coals going, and made sure it was hot enough to bake the bread. She slid the bread bowls into the oven and baked them at a hot temperature for twenty-five chimes. She let them cool for fifteen minutes when she pulled them out of the oven.

Taz then stored all the bowls save one in the pantry. The one she didn’t place in the breadbox within the pantry, she cut open, carved out the middle and filled with the seabass chowder. Then she dug hungrily into the food, wanting to be fully fed before she had to dart around and feed her guests.

The Innkeeper timed everything just right. It was growing late and she expected her guests back, so she set the table, walked over to the chalk board and write a choice of shrimp tacos or seafood chowder in a bread bowl up on the menu board in neat white chalk. She then headed back to the kitchen, laid out place settings on the tables, diner style, and mixed up fresh juice which she iced from shaving off the block in the ice box.

She pulled a block of cheese from the icebox, began to grate it until she had a pile large enough to load up several dozen tacos or garnish seafood chowder with, and laid out all her carefully pre-cut and washed vegetables. Tazrae then stoked up the coals in the stove, got out the vegetables, and began frying them lightly on the stove. She coated the shrimp with the pre-made seasoning she had, and tossed them in with the vegetables at the last minute.

The first guest wandered in, and as she predicted, they all wanted shrimp tacos. Tazrae was all ready to load up the soft tortillas which she heated really quickly on the grill plate she left heated on the stove. Then was able to pour juice and lay tacos in front of each guest. While they were settling in and eating their dinner, she chopped up fresh fruit, sweetened cream and whipped it into a frothy garnish, and served each guest a chilled fruit bowl with whipped cream for dessert. She also laid out leftover shortbread they could add to the fruit if the guests wanted more of a substantial desert.

Tazrae was happy doing this, bustling around, hearing about her guests’ adventures for the day and feeding the hungry masses. She got more than one compliment and only one guest that wanted the seabass chowder instead of the lighter more warm-weather faire. She didn’t mind providing the gentleman with the chowder then refilling his half-eaten bread bowl at his request.

[Tazrae]

She listened careful to each guest, made a note of which one was enjoying doing each event in Syka, and even arranged to take a young couple paddle boarding the next afternoon. Because she’d done so much food prep work today, she’d be free to get out in the sun and water the next day. Randal, it seemed, had taken one young male guest surfing and the man was hooked on the sport. Tazrae herself had not even attempted to surf… the waves intimidating and her swimming skill not that good. She might try later, but for now she was content with the sedate pace paddle boarding left her. At that speed, she could see everything around her and enjoy life as it was meant to be enjoyed.

When the guests were done and settled for the night, Tazrae filled her enormous sink with water she boiled on the stove and began on the dishes. It took her almost a full bell to clean not only the dishes, the silverware, and wipe down the dinner tables and sweep the floor. She neatly stacked everything away and wished not for the first time that she had some help around the Inn to deal with things like dishes and sweeping the decks off. The Innkeeper was flat out tired when she wandered onto the deck and planted herself in her favorite seat.

The sun was setting behind her, painting the sea before her a brilliant gold. She loved those colors. A warm thump at her feet indicated that Creech had come up and flopped at her feet. She reached out a toe, rubbed the dog on the head, and shifted in her chair. It was still blistering hot, even though the sun was setting, and Tazrae thought a dip in the sea would be refreshing. With all the guests busy with one another, playing cards and talking, she stood up, stripped off her skirt and crochet top and walked down to the beach. Creature joined her, frolicking in the waves as Bree woke in the shade of the deck and slipped down to the ocean and waded in. The warm water was actually cooling on her skin and she waded waste deep out into the near non-existent waves. Tazrae pushed off, her Ixam at her side, and the two swam side by side for a bit, melding into the colors of the sunset. Once she was thoroughly refreshed, Taz walked out of the water and headed straight for the shower, knowing the water would be pleasantly cooled off since the sun had set and she might get completely refreshed before she headed to bed.

The woman took her time in the shower, stripping down to her bare skin and thoroughly washing her person. She washed the salt out of her hair and stood under the streaming cool water for the longest time until everything in her was cooled off and her muscles were relaxed. Then she toweled off, wrapped herself in a light robe that she plucked from the shelf of folded robes, and headed up to the Inn to finally fall asleep.

It had been a long day and she was happy to have gotten it done and everything ready for the next day.

Word Count: 2143

[Tazrae]

Grading

Cooking +5, Chef Knife +3, Endurance +1, Body Building +1, Hostessing +3, Cleaning +3, Swimming +1

Cooking: Cutting Up A Seabass, Cooking: Working On Multiple Dishes At Once, Cooking: Making Bread Bowls, Endurance: Kneading Bread, Body Building: Mixing Ingredients Repeatedly, Cooking: Grating Cheese