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If we define a technique as taking longer to prepare and make than to eat, then barbecue can be considered the pinnacle of culinary arts.

To ensure that the seasoned chunk of meat placed on the barbecue grill doesn’t burn while cooking steadily, you must control the temperature and periodically replenish moisture to keep it moist.

Due to the complexity of this task, there exists a specialized profession known as “Pitmaster” in the homeland of barbecue.

Of course, one could use shortcuts like pressure cookers or electric ovens to somewhat mimic the process, but such convenient tools did not exist in Europa.

The best option was a salamander egg warmer that automatically controlled temperature.

Because of this, Alicia, who came to visit Catherine’s borrowed house from the rich farmer, threw a fit upon hearing that the barbecue wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow morning.

“Karem. You got Alicia’s hopes up, and now you’re saying we can’t eat? What the heck does that mean?”

“Lady Alicia, just imagine.”

It was a meat that had a texture like pudding but crumbled like butter, on a dimension entirely different from steak or stew.

A single bite would unleash an addictive burst of smoky flavor inside your body.

While chewing and swallowing, juices and fat constantly flowed out.

Alicia’s eyes glazed over.

“Alicia can wait.”

“Alright then. Problem solved.”

“And so—”

Catherine, sitting silently with Mary, tilted her head slightly.

“So, we eat tomorrow? Then what about now?”

Although not as disappointed as Alicia, Catherine felt a bit let down.

“Hamburger steak and spicy sausage.”

“Hamburger steak? Are you planning to grill the meat patty separately?”

“You can just think of it as a giant meatball… I guess?”

Hamburg steak. Hamburger steak. Salisbury steak.

In my previous life, most were made with cuts like sirloin or tenderloin.

The original form was merely ground meat fashioned into a skewer.

The ground meat that went into Salisbury steak originally referred to scraps that people typically didn’t eat or that were trimmed off and ground into meat products.

In other words, fragments of tasty portions.

The barrel’s scraps obtained from the butcher were exactly that.

The ingredients included ground beef and pork scraps, apart from the brisket and pork shoulder typically used for barbecue, sautéed onions, breadcrumbs, and eggs.

This mixture was then shaped into fist-sized patties.

While Alicia’s eyes sparkled with a desire to try it herself, it was all too predictable, so she shifted her interest to snacks.

Thus, making and shaping the Salisbury steak to grill it alongside spicy sausage was a simple process.

In truth, it was far from simple.

The sausage just needed cooking.

The problem lay with the Salisbury steak.

Karem had to mix and shape enough to satisfy Catherine, who was a bigger eater than expected, Mary, who ate even more than her, and Alicia, the greatest eater in Winterhome.

Thank goodness for Mary.

“First, enjoy your meal.”

“Alicia had been waiting for just that!”

When it was finally said that they could eat, Alicia cheered as if she had never been disappointed.

The table was filled with the fragrant Salisbury steak, spicy sausage, pre-prepared coleslaw, and demi-glace sauce.

Distracted by the spicy, greasy, savory smell, Alicia fidgeted until Poppins pointed it out.

However, Karem couldn’t afford to be distracted.

His attention was captured by the thick, dark brown demi-glace sauce that Mary had magically created.

“…Mary. Just to confirm, is that… and that… demi-glace sauce?”

Mary gazed at the thick, dark-brown stream flowing over Catherine’s Salisbury steak. After pouring the sauce fully, she slyly offered it to Karem.

“If you don’t believe it, you can check again.”

“No…”

Karem couldn’t believe it, hastily snatching the kettle to pour it onto his plate.

The thick, dark brown liquid he had seen earlier now poured onto his plate.

Is this really happening right now?

What kind of sauce is demi-glace anyway? I’m not talking about some big company canned concentrated sauce ruling the sauce ecosystem.

Real demi-glace sauce is made by throwing in various vegetables, tomato paste, beef bones, and wine to steep for a minimum of three days, making a sauce worth several thousand per spoonful.

‘Hmm. It’s demi-glace for Salisbury…’

‘Demi-glace? Never heard of it.’

When he explained how to make it, the ingredients miraculously blended and thickened simultaneously through fairy magic, and it was done in an instant.

“…Karem, no matter how you look at me—”

“Yes. I know. I’m hopeless when it comes to magic, okay?!”

Having tried once to make it in his previous life, he had given up on the wildly different difficulty.

And yet here he was, making homemade demi-glace sauce so easily?

“Kitty. Kitty. Karem’s expression looks like a squished tomato.”

“You’re not calling me Kitty, you’re calling me Catherine! Leave me be; it’ll come back on its own. More importantly, Princess Alicia.”

“Yes?”

Alicia turned her head after popping a large piece of Salisbury steak in her mouth, while Poppins wiped the sauce off her lips.

“You should have gone to dinner with the village chief alongside your lord, right?”

“Mmm— gulp— Alicia likes this one better.”

“Hmm?”

Catherine raised an eyebrow while eating the spicy sausage, but part of the blame lay with Karem.

The old village chief had prepared a fantastic spread given their circumstances.

Various cuts of roast beef, baked vegetables, pies filled with meat and fruits and nuts, and soup made with vegetables and meat juices, along with whole-roasted pigs.

Alicia wasn’t picky at all.

Such things were only for the thin, scrawny Robin.

In Alicia’s mind, she was clearly picturing Karem, who was bringing heaps of scraps to make barbecue.

So she merely devoured a chunk of roast beef and escaped while Poppins stepped away for a moment.

Of course, Poppins promptly chased after her, but Alicia managed to negotiate a quick return after eating.

However, the barbecue she had been looking forward to wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow.

“Sigh. Alicia is disappointed.”

However, there was nothing she could do about what was already past.

It was said she could eat barbecue tomorrow.

So Alicia savored the sweet and sour coleslaw and then crunched on the spicy sausage.

The sausage was so packed with pork fat that each bite was filled with more rich oil than juice.

The greasiness enveloped her mouth and throat, but right behind it, a spicy flavor and aroma cleared the heaviness.

Yet the sticky leftover oil combined with the juices created a rich pork flavor mingled with the demi-glace sauce.

“This, this sauce is really delicious! I want it again tomorrow.”

“The sauce? I can make as much as you want, cough. Anytime. Cough. Mary.”

Karem blindly squeezed his eyes shut.

If he didn’t, he felt curse-worthy jealousy bubbling up.

And he also wished to avoid the situation of Alicia asking, “What the hell are you cursing about?”

*

*

*

Alicia managed to finish off half of the prepared sausage and Salisbury steak, patting her full belly as she left.

Yet again, Alicia’s eating capacity was baffling. Where did all that food go in her tiny frame?

While Karem marveled at the sight of her emptying half the food laid out on the table, Mary approached after finishing the cleanup.

“So, Karem, you said you needed something after finishing the meal, right?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Do you have any apple cider?”

“Apple cider?”

You’re looking for alcohol? Mary tilted her head with a questioning look.

“What’s made you want to drink?”

“No, no. I want it for the barbecue.”

“For the barbecue…?”

Any meat grilled for more than an hour becomes dry and tough.

The moisture evaporates from the heat, which is natural.

To prevent this, you had to replenish moisture, which is why Karem needed the apple cider—adding flavor plus tenderizing bonus.

“Hmm. Is that so? Until when are you planning on doing this?”

“All night.”

“Is that so? Huh? What did you just say?”

“Until tomorrow morning.”

This too was inevitable. The moisture would continue to evaporate until the meat was taken out of the warmer, so Karem needed to replenish it until that time.

“At least the magic tool handles temperature control, so that’s a relief…”

“If you tell me how to do it, I can help.”

“I would want to, but…”

The issue was that Karem didn’t know the exact method.

Like that, the barbecue he had made had always been some shortcut.

All were variations of shortcuts, either using a pressure cooker or an oven.

And the characteristics of shortcuts are that they are convenient to avoid the little annoying tasks of the traditional method.

“So I think I need to watch and do it.”

“Hmm. Is that so.”

Mary, a bit disgruntled, insisted she would do it instead, but in the end, she brought apple cider from the lodge’s storage after a long stare.

“Now, time to apply the liquid.”

While preparing and eating dinner, the brisket and pork shoulder that had been kept warm in the kettle had started to form a crust that looked slightly charred.

But the crust was the essential part.

Bark—the pinnacle of flavor formed by the spices, meat, charcoal aroma, and smoke on the barbecue’s surface.

When he opened the lid, smoke billowed out along with heat.

Karem meticulously brushed the meat with a generously soaked apple cider brush, then closed the lid and sat back down.

The kitchen was well-ventilated, so it was a relief that there was nothing to do outside; while he stared at the smoke dissipating absentmindedly, Karem slapped his forehead.

‘Now that I think about it, there’s nothing to do.’

It would soon be bedtime, and sleepiness was about to hit. Should he boil Alraune’s Tear? Or maybe peel some nuts?

As Karem sat mumbling to himself, Catherine approached him.

“Ah, already such a good smell is wafting.”

“Sir Atanitas?”

“Hmm?”

“No, I mean, Lady Catherine. What brings you here?”

“I heard from Mary. You’re planning to stay up all night?”

“Well, yes. I have to take responsibility since I promised.”

“And what’s on your mind?”

Karem averted his gaze slightly. Catherine chuckled softly.

“If I had just known the proper recipe, I would have unhesitatingly shoved it all on Mary, but I regret not paying more attention in my previous life.”

“At least honesty is refreshing.”

Catherine nodded and handed over a space-expanding pouch.

“Huh?”

“Cola.”

“Uh… isn’t it time for you to sleep?”

“Who said I was going to sleep?”

Shocked by her idea, Catherine dragged a chair over and sat next to him, pulling out a book.

“Quickly bring the cola. I can’t touch the pot of Eranos until you, of all people, do it.”

Feeling bewildered but knowing he had to, Karem immediately got up from his place and took the pot from his pouch to place it down for a moment. Under her impatient gaze, he carefully measured the right amount of cola to prepare and serve.

“Ah, don’t put the pot in. You’ll have to drink it throughout the night.”

“All night? You’ll gain weight.”

“Ha, who? Me?”

“…I’m really envious, you know.”

With a gentle nudge, Catherine urged him to sit down again. Karem complied.

Thud—

‘Hmm?’

A weight on his left arm.

Soft blonde hair brushing against him.

Through the barbecue smell, a cold winter scent lingered softly.

“Cola.”

Following Catherine’s order, Karem obediently poured cola carefully into the glass she had brought.

After taking a few gulps, Catherine quickly returned her gaze to the book. But then she seemed a bit uncomfortable, shifting where her head leaned against his arm.

Karem hesitated a moment before gently pulling Catherine’s head towards him and stroking her hair slowly.

“Ah, this is much more comfortable now.”

“So you will keep this until the next morning?”

“Do you dislike it?”

Given the position, Catherine’s expression was hard to read. However, Karem could easily guess what kind of expression she likely wore. The unvoiced laughter’s vibration traveled through his arm.

“How could I dislike it?”

“In that case, just move your hands quietly.”

“Sure. I can get up when it’s time to pour apple cider on the barbecue, right?”

“Hmm, I’ll think about it.”

Karem slowly ran his fingers through Catherine’s hair.

It seemed she didn’t mind, as she peacefully read her book while occasionally requesting cola.

The sounds of pages turning, barbecue cooking, cola fizzing, and hair brushing filled the kitchen.

“I should start applying it again soon—”

“Hmm.”

“No, I really mean it. I dislike dry meat.”

“There’s nothing I can do about that.”

Catherine grumbled while getting up.

After pouring, she leaned her head against his shoulder again.

[Hmm, what a lovely sight, the two lovers.]

-Wait, what was that sound?

 

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