[Open/Crafting] Puny Pocket Pies

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Important Note!

This thread will be "solo" for the first few posts because this is the first time that I will craft a food item with additional effect. Once the crafting is successful in-character, Caerbannog will accept requests for different kinds of pocket pies that will have an effect as requested by her fellow adventurers (or maybe some landers who like pie?). While "Solo" is in the thread title, please do not post. Once I put "Open" instead of Solo, you may post and request a pocket pie. ONE request per post (and ONE item per request) please because the item has to be standard-crafted.

Recipe to be Used:

Ordinary Food
Materials Required: 2 Food Ingredients, any additional choice of Food Ingredient, Seasoning, or Oil
Posts Required: 2
Requirement: Level 1 Chef or Level 5 Brewer
Players who have taken the Chef crafting subclass are able to create food that actually retain their taste. Doing so requires that the Chef rely not on the system menu, but on their real-life cooking skills. As such, pretty much any foods in real life can be made as long as the proper ingredients are provided. Eating this food provides a slight HP restoration. The Chef that crafts this item may rewrite its name and description. Drinks may be made by Chefs, but they will usually lack any special effects that a Brewer may otherwise be able to add.

Skill to be Used:

Level 21 Skill

Aroma Analysis: Toggle Skill. As a Chef, it is important to control the flavor. Not too strong, yet not too weak. By smelling any food or ingredient, a window appears, showing 5 gauges representing the quality of the food in the 5 flavor types: Bitter, Spicy, Sweet, Dry and Sour. This information automatically updates for meals being cooked. Due to the useful information provided by this ability, a Chef may customize the effects of their dish without much trouble. When performing a craft for Ordinary Food in a craft thread (cannot be a speed craft), the Chef may add any one of the following effects to the finished item: small HP regeneration, small MP regeneration, cancels poison effects, cancels sickness effects, raises movement speed by 10%, raises attack speed by 10%, raises physical damage by 10%, raises magic damage by 10%, raises defense by 10%, raises accuracy by 10%, reduces the current cooldown of any skill by 5 seconds. Except for instant effects and cooldown, the duration of most of these effects is 10 seconds by default.

505 words		Pocket Preparations
After a bit of work to level up her chef subclass, Caerbannog had finally obtained some new skills. Actually, she had the appropriate levels since a while back but due to, maybe, lag, it had not been added to her skills list. To put them to good use, the samurai switched her crafting subclass to Chef once again and reserved a whole day just for cooking. In the kitchen of her cafe Kalliste which was a small part of Westminster Abbey, the wolf-hair gathered all of the ingredients for a food item that she wanted to work on: pocket pie. Speaking of pies, she remembered the druid Scoria who loved pies so much that he seemed to always have a piece with him. Did he bake those pies or did he buy them from some adventurer or an experienced lander chef? She would have to ask some other time for at the moment, Caer had to focus on arranging the tools and ingredients that she needed to craft. The oven was ready, as were the measuring tools and the containers. Because she was going to make pocket pies, the wolf-hair brought out pastry cutters instead of pie pans. Although pocket pies could be fried, the chef wanted to avoid putting unnecessary oils and fats into her recipes. Since Elder Tale was close to resembling real life, she wanted to avoid things that could make people feel ill. As noted in the Fried Meal recipe, it was considered unhealthy and a fried item itself could make the user vulnerable to sickness debuffs. Even if she used the Ordinary Food recipe, there was no telling what excess oils and fats could do to the product so she just avoided that altogether. Having decided to bake the pocket pies, Caerbannog preheated the oven to make sure that she could just pop the pies in once they were assembled and then she turned to the counter where the ingredients were laid out. The usual flour, milk, butter, baking powder, salt, eggs and water were there and were to be used for the pie crust. They were all put together in one group so that they were segregated away from the rest of the ingredients which would be used for the fillings. The filling ingredients included baking apples, broccoli, cheese, ham, sugar, fresh milk, cream, eggs and a lot more. She was not going to combine those, of course, but instead use them for different kinds of pies. The meat pies would have to be baked together because they would require slightly longer baking time, while fruit pies would have to be in the oven for a shorter period. Caer wore her usual schoolgirl outfit and just placed a plain white apron over it. She washed her hands, the ingredients and her utensils, and then the chef was almost ready to get to work. The door of the kitchen was closed for the mean time because it was her first attempt, but she did not intend to close it for long.

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500 words		Little Pieces of Dough
As soon as all her ingredients and utensils were in order, Caerbannog began to work on the pocket pie's dough. She measured a few cups of flour onto a sifter inside a mixing bowl and added baking powder and salt to it. Caer then used a wooden spoon to break apart any clumps of flour so that the powdery ingredients fell through the tiny holes of the sifter and were combined in the mixing bowl. The wolf-hair put the sifter aside and then, using the wooden spoon, she made a small crater in the middle of the mixture of flour. Within that crater, Caer put the beaten eggs and water and mixed them into the dry ingredients. Lastly, she combined the flour mixture with some melted butter. The result was a manageable dough which did not seem to be too tough nor too runny. Because a pocket pie had to be cooked to a manageable size, the wolf-hair could not use the traditional pie pans. Using a rolling pin with flour loosely sprinkled on it, Caerbannog began to roll out the dough after she laid it on a flour-covered surface. It reminded her of those times when she made her own pizza and the idea was slightly similar. Instead of putting fresh ingredients on top of this dough however, she would have to fold up the dough and place the other ingredients as its filling. The dough was soon rolled out to a thickness which the chef found acceptable; not thin enough to create a crisp crust, but not thick enough to made puffed pastry. With a pastry cutter, the wolf-hair began to cut the dough into rectangular pieces. She set each piece aside neatly so that she could just spoon any filling into them later. The baking pan which would be used for the pocket pies was also ready and curiously enough, she had found some parchment paper which was suitable for her purpose. She wondered if that paper was created by some adventurers, an invention from the real world seeing as it was different from actual parchment, but that was a discussion reserved for another time. Caerbannog's attention went back to the dough that she was working on, and she found that she was about halfway through preparing the pocket pie dough. After a few more minutes, that part of the process was done and the pieces of dough were lined up to one side. The wolf-hair then began to pick the ingredients for the pie filling. Because her dear husband had requested it, Caerbannog opted to make a ham, cheese and broccoli pocket pit first. She had never eaten ham and broccoli in the same dish before, but she figured that cheese would make anything taste great so she was not too worried. If she remembered correctly, broccoli could easily be overcooked at which point it would become yellowish and bitter, so Caer only picked the freshest parts of the produce that she had on the table.

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510 words		Ham and Broccoli and Cheese!
The last challenge for assembling her first pocket pie was the filling. If she stuffed the ham, broccoli and cheese by themselves into the little pockets of dough, they would just dry out in the heat of the oven. To make sure that the pie would be moist and edible, Caer beat two eggs thoroughly in a small bowl. She then put a saucepan over the stove and heated it just enough to melt cheese or butter. The portion of cheese which she had prepared for the pocket pie went into the heated saucepan and with a wooden spoon, the chef stirred the softened dairy product carefully until it was almost completely melted but still managed to stick to the spoon. It was the consistency that she wanted and just the right amount of moisture too. After turning off the stove, the wolf-hair allowed the mixture to cool for a few minutes while she picked at the broccoli and cut up the ham into small cubes. The wolf-hair worked quickly so that the egg and cheese mix would not cool down completely. Once the broccoli pieces and the ham ready, she combined it with the cheese mixture. The idea was to make a semi-solid filling for the pie, something that would hold its shape until the crust was sufficiently baked. To make the actual pocket pies, Caer took a piece of dough and folded it in half; the edges were then stuck together with beaten egg yolks. A mixture of cornstarch and water might have been a less expensive adhesive for the edges of the pocket pies, but that tended to create tough, nearly inedible pie edges. Before proceeding, the chef toggled her skill Aroma Analysis to check the readiness of the dish. She also added the 10% movement speed bonus to the food item, something that Kumori requested. After a few pockets of dough had been created by hand, Caerbannog scooped up some of the ham, broccoli and cheese mixture and put it in the dough. The pocket pies were then sealed by, once again, having their edges stuck together with egg yolk. A few pieces of the pie were then placed on the baking pan and the pan was placed in the oven for around twenty minutes at which point they turned golden brown. Time passed by quickly for the chef who waited excitedly for the freshly-baked goods. She let the pies sit in the oven for another five minutes, after which she pricked one with a fork to see if it was firm and ready. If she had removed it from the oven too early, the cheese might have been too runny or the broccoli might not have been thoroughly cooked. The pocket pies seemed to have turned out just fine and when she tucked into one just to check, she could swear that it turned out better than she expected. The crust was slightly flaky and crunchy on the outside but soft and moist on the inside. The cheese and egg mix went together and the broccoli was not overcooked. Caerbannog deemed her first pocket pie a 'success' and moved on to the next item on her list.

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520 words		Pocket Pie Batch 2
Caerbannog washed the baking pan and let some air circulate in the oven for a few moments. It would remove any cheesy smell that was left inside so as not to ruin her next batch of pocket pies. There were still some pieces of sliced dough left from her earlier crafting so all Caer had to do was pat the baking pan dry, line it again with a cookie sheet and then she placed some more slices of dough on it. She spaced them well enough so that they would not stick to each other. Although she would individually fold and seal each pocket pie later, the chef thought it best to just estimate the amount of pies that she could make already. After the dough slices were lined up neatly on the baking pan, Caerbannog turned to the remaining ingredients. A chocolate and marshmallow pie would be nice, but she wanted something that was more filling. The pocket pie which she made for Kumori would do well for a small meal while on the go. The wolf-hair then opted to make a dessert item that would be easy to eat as well. Fruits always did well as pie filling and so Caerbannog looked over the bounty of fresh fruits that she had on her pile of ingredients. Apples were common and although she liked them, Caer thought to use them later. Apricots, cherries... they were okay. Melons were a no-go; too watery. The wolf-hair continued to check the different fruits until she settled on two similar-looking ones. "Peaches and mangoes!" the chef finally decided. The blue-eyed samurai took a few peaches and mangoes from the pile, those which were just barely ripe and still firm. The baking process would soften the fruits' flesh so choosing ripe ones might make them too mushy in the end. Caerbannog wanted to retain the texture and difference between the two fruits even if she combined them in one pocket pie. To start her preparations, Caer cleaned the chopping board and her other utensils before she sliced the peaches open and removed their stones. With a small spoon, the wolf-hair then scooped out the peach's flesh. As for the mangoes, each one had a bigger 'seed' in the middle if compared to the peaches, so Caerbannog sliced off the fleshy sides of the mangoes and separately them from the thick middle part. With the small spoon, she also scooped out the mango flesh and made sure to keep it from being smooshed to separate pieces. Using one of her smaller knives, the chef then cut the peaches and mangoes into cubes and put them all together in a bowl. The combined fruit cubes were then allowed to stand for a few minutes so that their excess juices would trickle to the bottom of the bowl. It wouldn't do well for the dough if they soaked too much fruit juice and Caerbannog might end up with ruined pies. As for the oven, the chef put its flames down to the lowest intensity so that this batch of pocket pies would not be overcooked or burned.

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510 words		Pocket Pie Batch 2 - Done
As she allowed the mixed fruits to stand for a few moments, Caerbannog began to clean up the utensils that she already used and had to keep away. It wouldn't do well to just stand around and be idle when time was a resource that could not be regained once lost. While it's true that the chef was bound to slack off or doze away whenever she was crafting, that only applied to instances when she was very tired or when she did not like what she was crafting... mostly all those smithy things. But enough about that! The point is that Caer liked cooking and she did not want to waste her time. If all her used items were washed before the pocket pies were ready, she would be able to focus on tasting the pies later. A few clean items later, the fruit mix was also ready. Using a spoon, the wolf-hair mixed the mangoes and peaches a few times and then she scooped them into the pockets of dough. Using Aroma Analysis, Caerbannog added the effect to Raise Physical Damage by 10% to the peach-mango pocket pies that she was crafting. The food items were then lined up neatly on the cookie sheet upon the baking pan, and the whole container was slid into the pre-heated oven. Once secured, Caer closed the oven door and turned back to the rest of the work area. The bowl which contained the mangoes and peaches, the spoon which she used to scoop the mixture and a few more items still had to be cleaned up. Caerbannog tended to that quickly and she made sure to wipe the work table clean. With a few minutes left to wait for the pocket pies, the chef sat down to review the skills that she recently acquired. The wolf-hair also checked the recipes that she was able to craft and noted that a research or two probably would not hurt. And she still had to craft something called Rien's Ice Cream Cake. It appeared in her inventory a while back due to some quest, but the wolf-hair never did learn how to craft it. Based on what it looked like, the food item seemed to require baking and freezing but that was an issue for some other time. A sweet smell emanated from the oven and it meant that the pocket pies were almost ready. Caerbannog turned off the fire and let the pies sit in the oven for another five minutes, and then she took the tray out and set it on the work table. Using a fork, she checked one of the pies to see if it was thoroughly cooked. Without fail, her crafting worked out nicely. It was just Ordinary Food anyway so making the pies was not difficult, but it was more complicated that just using the Elder Tale system to craft. The chef dug into one pie and she pocketed the rest. The oven was cleaned up and then Caerbannog laid her head down on the work table to take a short nap.