The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

As I entered the kitchen, I once again checked the ingredients.

Coconut milk from the palm goat.

Wild three-legged fowl eggs.

Freshly picked predatory water fruit.

And various other ingredients purchased from the market, along with that item from the Coconut Company.

With this, I should be able to make almost any dessert.

Just as I was lost in happy contemplation…

“Hey!”

Liche entered the kitchen and called out to me in an anxious voice.

“What’s up? If it’s cooking, I can handle it.”

“Don’t tell me you’re really going to use that suspicious drug to cook… No, that’s not it. This dessert is a special dish we prepared from scratch to cheer up Arisa! Did you think we’d just leave such an important dish to you and watch from the sidelines?”

“We?”

At her words, I glanced beside Liche and saw Yuri staring at me blankly with a clueless expression.

Hmm…

I see. They must want to serve the dish themselves.

Personally, I don’t believe that putting more effort into cooking makes it taste better.

But I do believe that putting more heart into it can make the person eating it feel it’s more delicious.

I readily nodded at Liche’s suggestion.

“Alright, fine. Cooking together will save time.”

“Great. I must make the dessert for Arisa with my own hands. And I’ll also keep an eye on whether you really add that thing…”

“Keep an eye?”

“Ah, no. So, what dish are you planning to make?”

At Liche’s question, I fell into thought for a moment.

I had already picked a few candidates when gathering the ingredients, but I hadn’t decided which dessert to make.

For a special dessert, not only the taste but the visual appeal is crucial.

The overwhelming extravagance in appearance could be considered a form of violence in itself.

Then, perhaps a parfait with layers of various desserts.

Or a pudding à la mode, with a large pudding as the centerpiece, surrounded by ice cream, whipped cream, and fresh fruits…

No, it shouldn’t just be a flashy dessert; Arisa’s preferences are also important.

So, the factors to consider are: young woman, dessert, energizing dish, preference for dairy products, ingredients we gathered together, palm goat milk, predatory water fruit, and that item…

I’ve decided.

“I have one dessert in mind…”

I then told Liche the name and recipe of the dessert I had in mind. Hearing it, Liche seemed pleased and agreed with my idea, and we began cooking.

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This time, we’re making crêpes.

Crêpes originate from the word meaning ‘to roll up,’ and true to their name, they are made by wrapping various foods in a batter made from flour and other grains.

There are types that use buckwheat flour for a savory version or include meat and grains for a meal rather than a dessert, but today we’re strictly making the dessert version.

First, we need to make the crêpe batter.

“Liche, the ingredients we need are flour, wild three-legged fowl eggs, palm goat milk, sugar, salt, and butter.”

“It’s the same as the ingredients for pancakes. Simple. Do we follow the same mixing and cooking order?”

Of course.

The crêpe batter is essentially a thin pancake.

“Good, you’re quick. That’s correct.”

Hearing the recipe, Liche began measuring the ingredients for the batter with precise movements.

Once the measuring was done, it was time to make the dough.

First, put the exact amount of flour into a bowl, then add the exact amount of wild three-legged fowl eggs and palm goat milk.

Stir well until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and no lumps remain.

This is the basics of any dough.

Then, add the butter, melted in a double boiler, to the crêpe batter to deepen the flavor and aroma.

The important thing here is to add the melted butter gradually to the cold batter to prevent thermal shock, which could cause the batter to curdle.

By mixing slowly, we prevent thermal shock and ensure the butter’s aroma spreads evenly.

Finally, strain the batter through a sieve to remove any remaining egg strands or lumps.

With that, the crêpe batter is complete.

Unlike other baked goods, crêpes don’t need to rise, so there’s no need to let the batter rest.

Having help certainly speeds things up compared to doing it alone.

“Alright, I’ll leave the next step of cooking the crêpes to you. Just be careful, as the batter is thin, and it’s easy to overcook if you don’t control the heat or timing.”

“Hmph. Who do you think I am? That’s easy.”

I then asked Liche to cook the finished batter into thin, wide sheets like paper.

Now, what’s next…

“Ah, Kurt. What should I do?”

At that moment, Yuri, who had been watching the dough-making process blankly, approached with sparkling eyes.

Ah, right. Yuri was here.

“Yuri, you…”

“Me?”

But unlike Liche, Yuri is a complete novice at cooking.

Her intentions are good, but what can I entrust her with…

“…First, wash the predatory water fruit and other fresh fruits we bought from the market, then cut them into bite-sized pieces.”

“Got it!”

Having assigned Yuri a task, I continued with the necessary preparations for the crêpes.

With the batter and fruit preparation done, next is the star of the dessert—whipped cream.

While I intended to make whipped cream, it’s impossible to make it from scratch.

Because, if you really start from zero, it would take at least 12 hours just to ferment the cream.

So, we’ll use the cream bought from the market to make whipped cream.

It might sound strange to make whipped cream from cream, but in this world, whipped cream isn’t the fluffy kind used in desserts but a thick liquid cream made by mixing milk with melted butter.

It’s mainly used for cooking but can also be used for beauty or other purposes.

So, my task is to transform that thick liquid cream into the fluffy whipped cream we all know.

Though it sounds grand, the process is simple.

First, place the bowl of cream over cold water to lower its temperature and prevent the fat and water from separating.

Then, add sugar to sweeten the liquid cream and whip it vigorously.

Of course, in this world, there’s no electric whisk like in my past life, so we substitute with manual labor.

In other words, we whip it by hand.

After about 10 minutes of continuous whipping, the liquid cream, which was once just thick milk, starts to puff up and take on a firm shape.

“Wow… Being a warrior, you don’t even get tired from making whipped cream.”

“Actually, I was a hunter, not a warrior.”

As I finished the whipped cream, Liche exclaimed in admiration.

“So, are all the preparations done now?”

“No, there’s still one important part left.”

“An important part?”

“Yes. We haven’t used this yet.”

In response to Liche’s question, I pulled out the high-quality medicinal powder purchased from the Coconut Company.

“Y-you’re really going to add that suspicious black powder to the dessert? Are you out of your mind!?”

Yes.

What I pulled out was a black powder with a bitter aroma, used more for medicinal purposes than culinary in medieval times.

It was cocoa powder.

“Of course. Just wait and see.”

Leaving the shocked Liche behind, I added a handful of cocoa powder to the remaining liquid cream.

Then, after adding sugar, I stirred slowly to mix the ingredients well.

Once everything was mixed, it was time to whip.

Whip until the cream becomes fluffy, just like the first batch of whipped cream, and voilà—chocolate whipped cream is complete.

“Ahhh! You really made it!”

“No, it’s not over yet.”

Seizing the momentum, I used cocoa powder, sugar, and water to create a thick syrup at high heat.

“Chocolate syrup is done!”

“Good heavens! Such a suspiciously dark color!”

Alongside the chocolate syrup, I also made palm goat condensed milk by simmering palm goat milk with sugar.

And the various jams I had made earlier for long-term preservation, including strawberry jam.

Plus, the honey bought from the market.

“Kurt! I’ve cut all the fruits into pretty, bite-sized pieces! Praise me!”

Finally, Yuri, who had been tasked with fruit preparation, announced her completion with a sparkling expression.

“H-hey! Are you really going to feed that suspicious drug to Arisa!?”

“Huh? Liche, what’s wrong? Did something not work out?”

“Alright. With this, all preparations are complete.”

Having helpers sure makes things easier.

With that, I left the kitchen with the completed crêpe batter and ingredients, along with the restless Liche and the proud Yuri, who had beautifully cut the fruits.

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“Sniff… Sob… I’m so sad…”

As we stepped out of the kitchen, the first thing that caught my eye was Arisa, still listlessly drinking milk.

But her low spirits won’t last long.

With the special medicinal powder bought from the market’s goblin, I’ll cheer her up in no time.

Hehehe.

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