For You, Chef Van Rouge! Part 2~ [SOLO]

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With the sorbet complete, it was time to move onto the next recipe. This one she was highly skilled at as she often created it back in the other world. It was time for the sushi! She was excited about this part as she hadn't made any sushi in a while, but it was her favorite! She could live off of good sushi and this time around, it was extra fun. After having to fight and kill the creatures she needed, it would probably taste better because she put an extra amount of work into it. First, she would create her vegetarian sushi. She wanted to make sure everyone got a taste of it after all! In her first set of sushi, she would use cucumber. It was perfect for a veggie dish and really good for matters of health. She started off by washing and slicing up the cucumber, making sure that the strips were long enough to reach from one end of the sushi to the other. Next, she would boil some water, waiting for it to bubble to begin cooking the sushi rice. She had to make sure that the rice was sticky, for obvious reasons. While she waited for the water to boil, she set up everything that she would need. This process would be much quicker than the sorbet and she was looking forward to it. It wasn't that she hadn't had fun making them, because she had, it was simply because her arm was killing her and if she had to whisk another thing, she might have cried!

Words: 264
Progress: 21%

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As the water boiled, the water bubbling harshly in the steel of the pot, Ame turned down the amount of heat to low and poured in the rice. She stirred it once and then waited for the bubbling to decease slightly before putting a lid over top of it. This would keep the steam in and cook the rice until it was fluffy and ready to be prepared. While the rice was cooking, she laid out a flat bamboo sushi roller. She aside a bowl of hot water and took the seaweed strips, placing them to the side. She took out five square plates and got the ready, placing the already prepared wasabi just off to the side of the the five plates, a little on each. She checked the rice, which was perfectly formed and took the pot to her station. She dipped the seaweed strips in the water and placed them down on the rolling sheet. She took a large spoonful of rice and spread it out with a flat edged spatula. Then she took a second spoonful and did the same to the other side so that the rice covered all of the green areas. Then she took the cucumber and laid out the long strips across the bed of rice and seaweed. Once she was happy with the amount of ingredients on the rolling sheet, she began the rolling process, folding over the egde and beginning to roll the rice and seaweed over and around the cucumber.

Words: 251
Progress: 22%

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She rolled and pulled the sushi tight together, making a nice, glistening sushi roll. She rolled away the rolling sheet and made sure the sushi was tight together. Once she was happy with it, she cut it into slices on six and placed a whole roll onto the first plate. Then she laid the rolling sheet back out and took the seaweed again, soaking it lightly in the water, then placing it on the rolling sheet. She did the same, using two spoonfuls of rice to completely cover the seaweed wrap and then placed the long stems of cucumber down. She took the rolling sheet and folded it over the cucumber, humming a small tune as she did. Oh how she loved making sushi. It had been far too long for her, and she would have to make an extra and set it aside for herself, she was really hungry, especially now that she could see the lined up pieces, but she wouldn't take on of these ones, no, she wanted something with a little meat to it. She continuously rolled and tightened, rolled and tightened until she was happy with the tightness of the roll. Then, just like before, she pulled the rolling sheet away and pinched the roll lightly, making sure it was holding. After she was happy with her findings, she cut the roll into six pieces again and placed them on the plate. The first piece to be laid was flat and then, for presentation purposes, she angled the rest of the pieces out, just to make it look pretty.

Words: 264
Progress: 23%

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She stretched out and rolled her shoulders. She was beginning to feel stress build up in her back, even though she wasn't stressed at all. She tilted her head from side to side and then nodded, placing the rolling sheet back down. She only had three more rolls to make. She was impressed with just how little these took to make, then again, she was actually skilled at it to begin with so that was probably why. Wetting the seaweed, she placed it down, laid out two spoonfuls of rice to cover the green then laid out the cucumber. It was certainly a lot quicker than the sorbet, mainly because there was no waiting, no time to think, just do do do. She rolled the roll, tightened and rolled again until the cucumber was nicely wrapped. Too the sheet away, felt the tightness and then sliced it and laid it out on the plate. She took the rolling sheet again, wet and put the seaweed down, followed by the rice and then the cucumber. She rolled it and tightened and continued the process until the roll was complete. She took away the rolling sheet, checked it and cut it, placing it on the plate with a slight angle. She was nearly done and it felt like she had only been at it for a minute, even though it was closer to fifteen, but no matter, it was a smooth process from here on out and it would be less time consuming if she kept at this pace.

Words: 257
Progress: 24%

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It was time for the last cucumber sushi roll. She did as she had done before and soaked the seaweed wrap lightly, placing it on the rolling sheet and then laid the rice over top of it. She placed the cucumber strips on the bed of rice and began to roll and tuck it in together tightly. She rolled and tucked until it was bound together and then squeezed it to make sure it was the right tightness. She cut it the same as before and laid it out on the plate, first one flat and the others overlapping on an angle. Once all five were complete, she took some soya sauce and drizzled it over each of the five plates, making sure not to over do it, but also making sure that it was evenly dispersed and looked nicely garnished. Sushi garnish was always so easy, but she normally liked to add some ginger to the plate. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough time to pickle it and couldn't find pickled ginger in any of the shops. She would have to remember to make some for herself to add to future sushi dishes. She put the completed plates into her inventory and began to wash the dishes she had used. She would use all of these dishes again for a while, but she wasn't about to cross contaminate any of the dishes either. She didn't believe in such a thing and wanted to make sure that veggie dishes remained separate from that of the fish dishes and vice versa.

Words: 259
Progress: 25%

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For the next set of five sushi rolls, Ame decided on daikon turnip and carrot. It was one of her absolute favorites but she had to make sure to pair the daikon turnip with the carrot because of it's slightly spicy taste. She needed some sort of vegetable to take from the heat and add something sweet, and carrots were perfect for that! She started off as she did with the cucumber roll and measured out enough water for the rice and then set it to boil. While she waited for that, she washed the carrots and the turnips and set the turnip aside. She peeled off the skin of the carrot and then took it to the grater. She made sure to make the carrot strings as long as possible, to allow them to better cover the length of the rice and seaweed bed. She grated and grated and grated until the water was bubbling nicely. She set the carrot down and went to the pot, pouring the rice into it and setting the cooking temperature to low. She stirred the rice a small bit to allow the rice paste to form all around the water and then she covered it and continued peeling. She only needed to peel one more carrot before the could get started on the daikon turnip. She peeled the last carrot and then grated it, adding it to the giant pile of carrot strings. Now that that was finished, it was on to the next step!

Words: 252
Progress: 26%

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The next step was to grate the turnip. The turnip was about the same size as the carrots, maybe a little smaller, but even still, their lengths were great for her purpose. She wasn't to make another crunchy vegetable dish and the sweet and hot tastes would be perfect to add that little bit extra. She had already washed them and they were dried and ready to go. First, she did as she had done with the carrots and peeled away the skin, then she continued with grating them, making sure that they were as close to the size and thickness of the carrots. She had one grated before she stopped, taking the lid off of the pot and checking the rice. It was cooked perfectly, but she still had a few more turnips to peel and grate, so she put the lid back on and turned the heat off, setting the pot away from it. This was, the rice would stay hot, but it wouldn't over cook itself. The last thing she wanted to put in a dish was overcooked rice. Especially with this rice because of the paste it could get slimy really quickly, but she wouldn't let that happen. She peeled the rest of the daikon turnips and grated them as quickly as she could but still paying attention to what she was doing. With the turnip and carrots grated and the rice cooked, she grabbed a bowl of water for the seaweed. It was time to start the rolling process!

Words: 254
Progress: 27%

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Ame dipped the seaweed in the water and laid it down on the clean bamboo rolling sheet. She covered the seaweed with a bed of rice and then laid down the carrot strands first. She made sure that they were laid out flat and there was enough that, with the daikon turnip, it would be a full roll. Once the carrot was on, she put the turnip beside it, doing the same as the carrot and checking to make sure there was enough to fill the roll. After she was happy with what she had done, she rolled the rice and seaweed bed over on top of the carrots and turnip and pushed it back to tighten it. She rolled and tightened until the roll was complete. She took the rolling sheet away and squeezed lightly, checking the edges to make sure it was thorough with her standards. After smiling happily, she did as she had with the cucumber roll. She sliced it into six pieces and laid the first piece down flat, angling the others over top of it. Then her eyes popped. She had forgotten to prepare something, but she could do it now. She laid out the other four plates and put a spoonful of wasabi on all five of the plates. She wouldn't have forgotten, but for time efficiency, she preferred to have this step completed as quickly as possible. The less time it took, the more time she had for other things and other dishes.

Words: 250
Progress: 28%

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With one dish complete, it was time to make the second. She dipped the seaweed in the water, laid the bed of rice, laid down the carrot and turnip, checked to make sure it was a thick consistency, rolled it, tightened it and checked it. Then she cut it into slices and laid it out on the plate. She did the same process again with the third roll. It was a pretty repetitive process, but it was much faster than the sorbet had been. The waiting period for them had been excruciatingly long and she could barely hold herself together. With the sushi being so simple to prepare, she barely had time to think because she was working so hard. She could do it all day and not let a thought pass through her mind other than what she was doing at that exact time. She wasn't much of a multitasker, not when it came to being completely focused on a goal. It wasn't that she couldn't do it, she just preferred to set her mind to one thing, rather than lose focus by paying attention to something else. That was her logic behind it anyways and sometimes she thought that more people should be like that. A lot more could get done in the world if people just stopped to focus on one thing. Then again, she supposed that if you were good at multitasking and were able to stay focused on many tasks at once, then that would probably be better than just doing the one thing.

Words: 259
Progress: 29%

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Ame let out a soft giggle and pushed her thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time to be thinking of such trivial things, she had work to do! She continued on her process, laying down the seaweed after soaking it and then laid down the rice. She put the carrot and turnip strands onto and then rolled and tightened as usual. She checked the finished product and sliced it, laying it down on the plate. Only one more to go. Using her step by step process, she completed the last dish and like the cucumber roll, she lightly poured soya sauce over the top of each of the five rolls and a little around the plate. With the carrot and turnip rolls complete, she placed them in her inventory and began washing the dishes. She was finished with the vegetable dishes and now it would be time to start with the seafood dishes. She still had a long way to go, but she would work hard and complete her goal, as she had put into her mind. She wouldn't stop and she would remain focused until the end! She finished up washing the dishes and set to drying them. Once they were dried, she could go on to the next set of rolls, but until then, she dried and set the dishes aside. She would have to keep using the set of dishes she had out for ten more rolls. It seemed like a lot, but to her, it wasn't so much that she couldn't handle, or she hoped anyways.

Words: 259
Progress: 30%

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Now that the vegetarian sushi rolls were finished, it was time for Ame to start on the seafood rolls. These were a tad bit more complex than the veggie ones, only for the fact that you had to prepare the fish that were used. Ame started off by putting water in a pot and turning it on high. While she waited for it to boil, she got out five plates and put a spoonful of wasabi on each plate. Next, she took out the two Thunder Eels she had killed the day before. She had planned out each dish prior and had all of the ingredients ready to be prepared and cooked. She started off but slicing the first eel open. She pulled out all of the insides and discarded them in the garbage. She sliced open the second eel and also discarded the insides. She quickly washed her hands and went to the boiling pot. She turned the heat on low, put the rice in and stirred it. She then covered the pot with its lid and went back to the eels. She skinned both of them and then opened the first to make sure she got all of the insides out. She wiped any excess clean with a cloth and did the same for the other. She then slice the first in half, and then those halves in half. She did the same with the second and then put them on a baking tray. She popped them in the oven, and would wait for them to brown slightly.

Words: 260
Progress: 31%

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This sushi would be the only sushi that was necessary to cook, only because eel was slightly poisonous, or at least, it was in the other world. She wasn't sure whether it was or not here, but she wasn't about to take any chances. She watched the time carefully and checked the rice. It was just about ready. She looked in the oven, seeing the eel begin to brown. While she waited, she prepared the bowl and the seaweed and set down the rolling sheet. She took the rice off of the heat and turned off the stove top, then she took the eel from the oven, checking to make sure it was thoroughly cooked all the way through. She cut into it and studied the meat. It was finished. She set it in the fridge for a few minutes and chacked again after to make sure it was slightly cooled. When she was happy with the results, she took the eel out and set it down. Each part was long enough to fit the rice bed, but she knew she would have lots left over. She had caught and killed two of the creatures because she didn't think one would be enough and she had been right. There were eight cuts of the meat, but she only needed five. The one eel would have only given her four. She probably still could have made it work, but the portions would have been smaller. She shook her head. Thoughts away. She cut each quarter in half, now she was ready to create.

Words: 262
Progress: 32%

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Now that the eel was cut, skinned and cooked, it was time to roll them. She spooned out the rice and flattened it across the seaweed that she had dipped in water. She laid out one quarter cut in half of the eel out on the bed. She took the rice and seaweed over it and rolled it, tightening it firmly together and continued on as such. Once the roll was firm and the edges were stuck together, she sliced it into six pieces as she had done with the others. She was glad to have used the two halves because the roll looked thick. If she had to use the one, it would be too small and she wouldn't have been comfortable with serving it, let alone making people eat it. If you couldn't taste all of the ingredients, you shouldn't be a cook. That's what she thought. There was nothing worse than having a beautiful dish but having it have no flavor at all. Food was her passion and she had never really had a problem, but she had eaten a few times at restaurants and their food was dry and had nothing to it. She wasn't big on spices, or a lot of them anyways, but she knew she had to use them, just to bring out flavors and over the years she had learned which spices did what for which dishes. She obviously didn't know everything, but she knew enough. Not one person who had tasted her food had given her a bad word yet, and she planned to keep it that way!

Words: 267
Progress: 33%

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Ame stretched out her arms and squatted to stretch out her legs. She huffed out a breath and wiggled her body. She still had four more eel rolls to go and then she still had another sushi dish to complete, but she was on a roll, literally. She giggled and shook her head at herself and prepared the next seaweed. She laid the rice down over top of it and then took two halves on the eel and placed them on top of that. She rolled out the sushi roll and tightened it, checking it and then slicing it. She placed it on the plate and went right for the next one. She wet and laid the seaweed, then the rice and the eel. Then she rolled and tightened, rolled and tightened. Repetitive indeed. She checked it, making sure it was firm, then sliced it and laid it out. Three down, two more to go! She loved cooking. No matter how many times she made something over and over, her love for it never seemed to dwindle at all! She had said it before, but now she was truly thinking that if, if they made it back to the other world, instead of computers she might become a chef. She loved technology, seaweed, and liked to play around with computers, rice, but she really didn't get much feed back, eel, and she wouldn't be really helping anyone in the way that food could, roll. She knew that it had helped her out in her times of need, check, and she knew that it was something she was good at, slice. She nodded her head and placed the second last roll on the plate. She would be a chef! World renowned!

Words: 290
Progress: 34%

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She wet and laid down the last bit of seaweed for this particular roll. She spooned out the rice, flattened it and then laid down the eel. She rolled and tightened, rolled and tightened and checked it when it was finished. When she was happy with it, she sliced it and then laid it out on the plate. She topped it with soya sauce and placed it in her inventory. She had gotten a lot done so far and it was an accomplishment that really made her happy. She truly loved to cook and found herself not getting to enough. It was good that she fought and ran around so much because if she hadn't, she would have been a literal cow, not a fox tail. The thought made her giggle as she washed the dishes. She was almost on her last sushi roll. It was coming up far too quick. She would be done soon if she kept this pace up. Maybe she would go see Saber, or Lavi afterwards. She hadn't seen them in a while as she had been busy doing what she was doing now. She loved taking on mission and quests. It gave her no greater joy than helping out people. This quest was proving to be her favorite yet though! Who didn't love food? Really! She finished washing the dishes and began to dry them. She said them aside, except for the baking tray. She put that away in it's cupboard as she really didn't need it right now.

Words: 255
Progress: 35%

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Ame had made a cucumber roll, a daikon turnip and carrot roll and a Thunder Eel roll. Now, she would try her hand at something a little harder. It was time for the Tidal Shark roll! She only needed one of these creatures to complete the five and she would have a lot left over. She wasn't sure what she would do with the rest of the beast, but now that she had it in her fridge, she would try her hand at doing something different, but not now. Now it was time to finish off the last of the lunar sushi rolls. The process for this role would be a little different from the others, as the Tidal shark was humongous and would take a lot to prepare it. She poured the water she needed into the pot, but she wouldn't turn the heat on. She couldn't have the water boil yet, not until the massive beast was ready to be chopped up into bits. She started off by washing the shark. It was tough in her medium sized sink, but she somehow managed. Her next step, like the eel, was to cut it open. She started at the top of the belly and slice deep all the way down. From there, she pulled out the beasts innards and discarded them in the trash. She was sure that some people might eat that part, but she wasn't about to cook it and find out. This part was the worst for her, but she would continue on without delay.

Words: 259
Progress: 36%

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Once the innards were thrown out, she was ready to skin the massive beast. The skin was extremely tough to pull off so she had to cut large portions away. The eel had been much simpler to skin, but it was also a smaller creature so that might have been why. Regardless of how tough the creatures skin was to remove, she did so anyways. Once the skin was gone, she opened the beasts belly and pulled out the bones attached to the meat. This would take a while as she had to make sure every single bone, from the largest to the smallest, was removed. She really couldn't afford to have Chef Van Rouge's guests choking on their appetizers. She didn't realize how hard it was to completely debone a shark. Every time she pulled out one, several smaller ones would arise. It took her nearly an hour to take all of the bones out, and she wasn't even sure she got them all. She would pay careful attention as she cut to make sure any bones still hidden were removed. It was a tough process and she was having slight doubts about it, because of how large the beast actually was, but she wouldn't stop. She couldn't after killing it to make this meal. It would be disrespectful to the creature. The worst part about the whole thing was that this beast, it was one of the smallest ones she had seen. The most of them were extremely large.

Words: 251
Progress: 37%

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It had taken her literally half a day to catch the beast, only because she had to lure the beast away from the other big ones and she still managed to catch a giant. Now that it was ready to cut, she took the knife to it. She cut out three long strips, a thicker cut than the eel, and placed them in a steaming pot. As she did that, she turned the heat on the water and waited for it to boil. While she waited, she set up the seaweed she would need and the bowl of water she would dip the seaweed in. She waited a little more and took out the shark which was steamed nicely, it's meat a lovely white color. She squeezed the strips of the meat, feeling around for any bones. After finding a few and going back to check again, twice more, she was happy with the results that there were no more hidden bones. She sliced the long strips in half and set it back in the steamer for another few minutes. The water was boiling now, so she added the rice, stirred it and covered it with the lid. She took the remaining shark meat and tossed it into the fridge after cutting it into steak cuts. Once she had done that, she took the shark strips out of the steamer and turned it off, setting the strips on the table. She checked the rice, but covered it again. It still needed a few minutes.

Words: 254
Progress: 38%

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The rice was ready, as was everything else. It was time to begin the rolling process. She laid out her bamboo rolling sheet and wet the seaweed, laying the strips ontop. She made a bed of rice over the seaweed and laid down the first, half strip of the shark meat. She rolled the rice and seaweed around it as she had done so many times before and tightened it. When she was finished rolling it, she checked it and her eyes widened as she realized something. She had forgotten about the plates! She took down five more plates, laying them each out, and put a spoonful of wasabi on each. Once she had completed that, she took the completed roll and sliced it into six pieces, laying the first down flat and the rest angled over one another. She nodded and took a deep breath. She really hoped the chef would like them! She nodded again and continued. Wet seaweed, rice, shark, roll, tighten, check, slice and plate. Not that she didn't like doing it, but she was excited to move onto the next thing, especially after making so many sushi rolls. Her stomach gargled at her, begging her to try some, but she shook her head. These were special, made for guests at a banquet, she knew she couldn't, but she could make some for herself later! it would be pretty easy, and she even had one extra piece of the already steamed shark, so she knew it would take no time to whip one up for herself!

Words: 260
Progress: 39%

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She shook her shoulder and continued to roll and tighten and check and slice and seaweed and rice and shark until finally, all five of the shark rolls were completed! She clapped her hands happily and took the soya sauce in them. She poured it over the top and around the plate as she had done with all of the other. Though they were all different dishes, she wanted to keep the garnish the same, besides, you could tell which was which by the look of them. The cucumber was green, the daikon turnip and carrot, beige and orange, the eel was a dark brown, and the shark was an off white color. They all looked so delicious and she couldn't wait for everyone to try them! Once the shark rolls were topped with the soya sauce, she stuck them in her inventory and began to wash the dishes. She washed and dried them all and then put them away. She had to figure out what she would need for the next dish, so once the counters were wiped and everything was clean, she began to prepare her station for her next set of recipes. It was hard work, but she wouldn't allow anyone to go hungry, not on her watch! Sure, it may have been too much for one person to handle, but she often found that other people got in her way when it came to cooking, thus the reason she decided to take it all on by herself.

Words: 251
Progress: 40%