Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 49

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“Is this the only restaurant Vincent visited that Zeke didn’t investigate?”

Kainchel checked the name on the report again.

It was a restaurant called Epicure, which had become famous for being run by a chef from Galia [ancient Gaul, roughly modern-day France].

Opening the door and stepping inside, he was greeted by a magnificent chandelier and a classically decorated lobby.

‘It’s a very impressive and beautiful restaurant, but there are no customers…’

King Aslan always ate only tasteless food, arguing that fine dining was the cause of gluttony.

As a result, the sales of luxury restaurants in Britannia plummeted.

Spending a few silver coins per meal was only for nobles or wealthy bourgeois [middle-class citizens with significant wealth].

Most of them had to be mindful of Aslan, so they couldn’t openly go to upscale restaurants.

As he entered the restaurant, a man in chef’s whites bowed.

“Bonjour, monsieur. Would you like to sit over here?”

Kainchel was taken aback.

It was clearly a high-end restaurant, but the chef was directly serving customers.

“Are you the head chef of Epicure? But why…”

The man’s face broke into an awkward smile.

“Isn’t this the era of culinary decline? I can’t afford to hire a manager, so I, Bruno, the master of this place, am personally greeting the customers.”

Nevertheless, the interior was spotless, without a speck of dust.

“Maintaining this establishment must cost a fortune…”

“Fortunately, I have a few regulars, so I can barely make ends meet. But that’s only until this winter. Still, I’m confident in the taste of my food, so please don’t worry and place your order.”

As Kainchel sat down at the table, Bruno brought him the menu.

“Today, we have three course meals prepared. For the main course, we have Boeuf Bourguignon [beef stewed in red wine], Duck Confit [duck preserved in its own fat], and Escargot [snails]. Which would you like?”

“Can I have Coq au Vin [chicken braised in red wine] as a single dish?”

“Ah, Coq au Vin? We don’t usually serve that here, but as it happens, I have the ingredients prepared. It will take some time. Is that alright?”

“Yes. But I’m sorry, would it be alright if I watched you make the Coq au Vin?”

“…I’m sorry, monsieur. The kitchen is a space only for chefs, so it’s a bit difficult to open it up… But may I ask why?”

After a moment of consideration, Kainchel decided to tell the truth.

‘Vincent won’t be revisiting a restaurant he’s already been to, so it should be fine to tell him.’

“My colleague’s mother…”

It was quite a long story, but Bruno was an excellent listener.

He shed tears like raindrops at the part where he said he had erased his mother from his heart but could not forget the taste of the food she made.

“I’m so, sorry, monsieur. I lost my wife in the Seven Calamities War. The memories of that time came back to me, and I couldn’t help myself…”

Chef Bruno, wiping away his tears, agreed to help recreate the taste of the Coq au Vin that Rosemary had made.

Kainchel took out a gold coin from his pocket and handed it to Bruno.

“There’s no need for that, monsieur. I also want to recreate the dish filled with my mother’s memories. I’ll only take the cost of the food.”

“You’ll be unable to do business properly for a few hours because of me. Please take it.”

“I don’t have any reservations for this evening anyway, so it’s really alright.”

Chef Bruno refused to take the money Kainchel offered until the end. His eyes were full of passion for cooking.

‘To think that someone like this is having financial difficulties and is going back to Galia…’

He could see why the number of skilled chefs in Britannia was decreasing.

The kitchen of Epicure was as clean as the lobby.

Bruno said,

“Coq au Vin is said to have been enjoyed by Caesar, the conquering king of the Galia Kingdom. First, I’ll show you how to make it, so please see if there are any hints.”

“Yes, thank you. I’m sure my friend will be grateful too.”

Coq au Vin was a simple dish that only required preparing the ingredients and boiling them.

Bruno began to make Coq au Vin while explaining the process.

“First, cut thick bacon into small pieces and soak it in hot water to melt the fat. Then, put it in a pan heated over medium heat and stir-fry until it’s slightly burnt.”

Then, Bruno took out the bacon and set it aside and began to stir-fry the chicken in the pan.

Sizzle-

The chicken was browning nicely in the savory oil that had seeped out of the bacon.

“At the end, add the bacon that you set aside earlier and cook it until it’s crispy, and the meat preparation is complete.”

Now it was time to prepare the wine to boil with the chicken.

“Coq au Vin must be made with Burgundy wine to get the best taste.”

Bruno poured plenty of wine and cognac into the pot.

After adding chicken stock, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, and garlic, he began to simmer it over low heat.

When the chicken was cooked and the broth in the pot began to reduce to some extent, he added roux [a mixture of flour and fat used as a thickening agent] made with flour and small onions with slits and simmered it again.

“…That’s it. As you can see, even someone who is not familiar with cooking can easily make it if they have the ingredients.”

Kainchel decided to taste the finished Coq au Vin first.

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Bruno’s sense in plating the Coq au Vin was considerable.

He first placed grilled mushrooms and onions on the plate and poured the sauce over them until they were submerged.

And finally, he placed bite-sized pieces of chicken on top and sprinkled parsley on top.

‘So this is how they plate it here.’

It looked very neat and appetizing.

“Shall we eat then?”

He picked up a piece of chicken that had been simmered until it was tender with a fork and brought it to his mouth. The chicken, which was full of pork fat and had a savory taste, melted in his mouth.

The onions retained the aroma and taste of the wine.

You can’t get such a deep taste just by grilling it. Kainchel couldn’t say anything for a while and focused on tearing apart the chicken and eating it.

“Hoo…”

It was only after eating two more plates that he could finally let out a satisfied sigh.

[You have tasted the 4-star dish ‘Mother’s Taste Coq au Vin’.]

[Due to the influence of the Gourmet level, you have absorbed some of the experience contained in the dish.]

[Level up!]

“Was the taste alright?”

“Yes, it was so delicious that I leveled up.”

“I don’t know what that means, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Kainchel licked his lips and put the 조마경 [likely a magical item or skill] into his pocket. After diligently eating delicious food, his level had risen to 40.

‘But it was definitely called Mother’s Taste, right?’

“Chef Bruno. Is this Coq au Vin made in the way that is generally eaten in Galia?”

“Yes, that’s right. Of course, since it’s a common dish made at home, there are many variations. But the Coq au Vin you just ate is the most basic taste.”

Kainchel stroked his chin and recalled what he had read in the report.

‘He definitely said the aroma was different.’

How did Mrs. Rosemary cook in a way that the chefs in Britannia could not recreate her taste?

Vincent had gone to eat countless Coq au Vin.

Marinating the chicken in wine in advance. Frying the mushrooms separately and topping them as a garnish.

Using olive oil instead of bacon, or using white wine instead of red wine, he had tried almost every cooking method.

Kainchel asked, just in case.

“If the wine used is very high-end, will the Coq au Vin taste better?”

Bruno scratched the back of his head and said.

“Monsieur. Coq au Vin definitely uses a large amount of wine to leave an aroma. However, if the wine is of a certain quality or higher, it doesn’t have a big impact on the taste of the finished dish.”

“Even if you use the best?”

“Yes. Unless you’re a sommelier [wine expert], it’s hard to distinguish high-end wine from cooking wine just by the aroma. But it’s difficult for wine that has a lot of other ingredients and has been simmered for several hours to greatly change the taste of the meat. And the wine I just used is also too high-end to use for cooking. There won’t be much difference even if you use more expensive wine than this.”

Kainchel quietly nodded. The world of cooking is profound as you learn more about it.

“Then what is it… Everyone’s Coq au Vin was the result of tremendous research to bring out the best taste. But why doesn’t it taste like the Coq au Vin made by Mrs. Rosemary…”

Suddenly, Kainchel’s eyes widened.

The Coq au Vin that Vincent was looking for was a dish made by Mrs. Rosemary herself.

Was she more skilled at cooking than the chefs in Britannia?

Rosemary is a noble lady.

She usually doesn’t even hold a kitchen knife, but she would make Coq au Vin by hand only on special days.

“…Maybe the problem itself was wrong…”

He thought it would be a delicious dish because it was Coq au Vin that was so strongly imprinted in Vincent’s mind.

But what if it was the opposite?

“Coq au Vin made by Mrs. Rosemary… Oh, wait. There’s definitely a spice with the same name!”

The report contained Vincent’s comments after eating Coq au Vin.

Most of them said it wasn’t this aroma.

‘I thought it was the aroma of wine, but what if it came from the difference in spices…’

Among the commonly used spices, there is a herb called Rosemary.

It has such a strong aroma that most people use only a very small amount.

But what if you put a lot of it in and make Coq au Vin?

Surely a dish with a unique aroma would be completed.

“What happens if you put a lot of Rosemary in Coq au Vin?”

“It will be a dish that only smells of Rosemary. But why would you…”

“The name of the lady who made that dish is Rosemary. I was wondering if it might be a clue to solving the mystery…”

Then Bruno’s eyes widened.

“Su, surely the name of the person who made that dish is Rosemary?”

“Yes, I just asked in case because there’s a spice with the same name.”

“Did the lady have a chronic disease or was she weak?”

“…How did you know?”

“Kuhuk…”

Then suddenly Bruno sat down and started to wail. Did it remind him of memories with his dead wife?

Kainchel, flustered, called Bruno’s name.

“B, Chef Bruno! Here’s a towel!”

Bruno, who was shedding tears until the floor was wet, said, panting.

“…Rosemary has properties that improve memory. So it has been a symbol of memory and remembrance since ancient times… Because the aroma lasts for a long time, it is regarded as a symbol of love in Galia.”

“… !”

“If the dish made by Mrs. Rosemary contained a lot of it, it is not a simple dish. It contains a message from the lady to her family…”

Kainchel couldn’t say anything for a while.

“Su, surely. It’s a coincidence.”

“It’s not a coincidence! Do you know the flower meaning of Rosemary?”

“Flower meaning?”

“Yes. The flower meaning of Rosemary contains beautiful memories… and the will to remember me. If the lady had a chronic disease or was sickly… And if the Coq au Vin she made on special days contained a lot of Rosemary… She would have made that dish every time with the intention of not forgetting the memories that remain even if she dies.”

Kainchel felt like he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

He thought it was just a bowl of food.

But Mrs. Rosemary’s heart was contained there.

“…How could Chef Bruno think that far just by hearing the name Rosemary?”

Bruno rubbed his eyes, which had turned as red as a rabbit.

“My wife wanted to eat Coq au Vin with a lot of Rosemary before she died. I didn’t get to eat it in the end. At that time, I found out the flower meaning of Rosemary while looking for why my wife said that.”

Kainchel quietly sighed. Bruno was also a victim of the Seven Calamities War.

“Thank you, Chef Bruno… Thanks to you, I was able to know the heart left by my friend’s mother.”

Kainchel realized why this upscale restaurant had the ingredients to make Coq au Vin.

The regret of not being able to feed his wife food must have made Bruno prepare the ingredients for Coq au Vin.

Bruno scratched his head as if he was embarrassed.

“Are you going to make Coq au Vin with a lot of Rosemary for your friend now?”

“Yes. I’m going to make the most delicious Coq au Vin so that Mrs. Rosemary’s heart can reach him.”

“Then please take the remaining ingredients. It will be difficult to get them all at this time.”

“…Aren’t those the ingredients you prepared for your wife?”

“Surely she would want it to be used like this. Coq au Vin is a dish that takes a long time to make. It will be sunset if you don’t hurry.”

Kainchel smiled.

It made his heart race to know that there were still chefs like this in Britannia.

Kainchel, who received the ingredients, hurried back to the Stanis Knight Academy. The destination was the kitchen.

To melt Vincent’s frozen heart.

And for the Aura Sword.

Kainchel quietly grabbed the kitchen knife.

Aura Sword #4