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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, per. 2

Hannibal smiled at the students as they settled in. The Danger Shop today had been arranged into separate cooking stations for each student. "Hello. This is how I will typically have the place arranged when we are cooking. Since some of you may not be familiar with the sorts of equipment in use in this time and place, please feel free to ask if you have questions. For today, we will start with the stove."

He turned on the one at the front of the room. "You may find electrical ones as well, but I prefer gas, like this. It means more immediate heat, a finer control over the degree of heat, and more even heating." He smiled. "And fire translates better to other times and places than electricity, I find."

He held up a pot. “To begin the class's theme of simple yet complex tasks, we'll start with something deceptively complex. Boiling water.” He motioned them toward his cooking station. “Gather around, please. First, you should always begin with cold water. It will take longer, but it will taste less like pipes and water heater. Filtered is best, if you can get it, both for taste and for exactness of temperature." He filled it from the filtered faucet nearby. "Now, there are several types of cooking you may see referred to, and it's important you know the difference: a simmer, a slow boil, and a rolling boil. The best way to achieve and maintain each depends upon your tools and what you are using them for.”

He explained the differences, plus the relative sizes of pot that should be used, how to adequately work a gas stove (and how to make do with electric if necessary), and the benefits of boiling before simmering versus not.

“Today we will be making pasta. It’s a simple food that can be made more complex depending upon what you do with it. And how you boil it does make a difference.” He showed them overcooked, doughy pasta; undercooked, crunchy pasta; pasta that had been stuck together from not enough room in the pot; and pasta cooked correctly. “I prefer fresh myself, but dried is easier to find these days for most people, so that's what you're most likely to use and what you’ll find at your stations." He nodded to them.

"You will also find a number of simple recipes to try, or you may invent your own. Please ask for help if you like. When you’ve all finished, we’ll discuss what you've learned.” He smiled and waved them toward their individual setups. "Whatever you make, you may take with you. Meanwhile, you may eat what I've made using these same techniques. Please do concentrate on your cooking, however."

He raised a hand. "Also, I have no teaching assistant, so if you would be interested, please let me know."

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Boiling.

Summer Smith

Alluka Zoldyck

Ringo Noyamano

Wonder how boiling water is so complex.

Summer might have bounced a little on her feet where she stood in front of the stove. This was something she'd done in a class before with rousing success, so she was pretty sure she could pull it off again. As she had a ton of times before that, too. Sure, it was just boiling water, but it was nice to have a chance to really show off and prove herself.

The boiling part Ringo was already decent enough at. She'd made plenty of soups and things back home to figure all of that out. But she hadn't ever really considered varying the source of her water. She just always, you know, put some water in the pot? Now she was going to have to try a few different things to see how they changed things!

Try not to burn the water.

Macaroni and cheese was one of Summer's specialties, remember. So cooking pasta was pretty much a walk in the park, especially if it was the dry stuff she was already mostly familiar with.

She didn't know what Dr. Lecter's thoughts on the Throw-Spaghetti-at-the-Ceiling-to-See-if-it's-Done Technique were, but she supposed she'd find out. Because that's exactly what she did.

"Alley-oop!" Up went the pasta and up it stayed, and Summer threw up her arms. "Perfect-o!"

Hannibal looked up at it.

"It should probably fall sooner than that. Although a smooth wall is a better test; ceilings tend to be textured."

What about ceilings textured with years of flung-up pasta?

Summer grinned a little and shrugged. "I guess I didn't take ceiling texture into account. See? Still so much to learn."

Hannibal chuckled. "Not only that, but if it should be overcooked, it's easier to extract from the wall."

Nobody just left the pasta up there, Summer. Nobody.

Alluka looked up at it with big eyes.

"Is the ceiling hungry?" she wondered.

She'd never thought to ask if the floor and walls and ceilings got hungry too before.

"It might be!" Summer offered, because around here, who knew? But she smiled and shrugged again, explaining, "This is just something we do back home, or at least something my dad always did. Throw the pasta at the ceiling to see if it sticks, and if it did, your pasta's probably ready soon."

Alluka tried to picture any of her parents flinging pasta at the ceiling.

It... didn't really work.

"Do you eat the pasta that was on the ceiling?" she asked. "Or, or do you just trust that that pasta is the same as all the other pasta in the pot?"

Okay! Okay, so, the thing was--Alluka was actually really good at water temperatures.

It came from making all that tea. Teas were finicky if you wanted to do them right.

So that much? That much she got.

As she watched her noodles carefully, though, she tried not to worry. Sure, Papa Hannibal had shown her what undercooked and overcooked and all the noodles in between looked like but how was she supposed to know while they were under water?

Was she supposed to fish out the odd noodle with a spoon to check?

"Is something wrong?" Hannibal asked, looking down at her noodles. They seemed fine to him.

"I, I don't think so...?" Alluka said, though it was half a question. "But, um, how do I know if they're done when the water makes them look different than the ones you showed us?"

Hannibal nodded. "A good question. With things that come in packages, the packages themselves will often tell you. This sort will usually take from seven to ten minutes. When it starts getting near time," he picked up a fork, "you can fish one out of the water." He demonstrated, though these were still somewhat stiff.

"If you want to, you can wait a moment for it to cool, and then taste it. It should be a little chewy, but not much. Al dente, it's called." He grinned. "Or if you prefer, you can throw it at the wall." Not the ceiling, Summer. "If it doesn't stick," which this one didn't, "it isn't done yet. If it sticks and stays, it is overdone. If it sticks for a moment and then falls off, it's good."

"You threw food at the wall!"

Full marks for observation, Alluka.

"Do, do we have to do that? Won't it make a mess?"

Alluka didn't really like messes...

Hannibal chuckled. "It may leave a small mark, but that is easily wiped away. You don't have to though, no; you can taste it instead. But some people enjoy the freedom to throw food at things."

She giggled. "I bet those people have never made a tea party in a room full of toys, though."

Because, really. Making a mess there was ugly.

"Probably not," Hannibal agreed. "That could make quite a mess."

He has made Strozzapreti with Oxtail Ragù and Horseradish Crumbs, Winter Squash Carbonara with Pancetta and Sage, and Crispy brown butter sweet potato gnocchi with balsamic caramelized mushrooms and goat cheese.

To go with them is a good red wine for those so inclined.

If you have questions or want to be his TA.

"Um, Dr. Lecter?" Summer approached him when there was a good pasta-free moment. "I can be your TA if you'd like."

It was probably her last chance at something like that, so she figured she'd better seize it, especially with a teacher and class she liked.

Hannibal beamed at her. "Wonderful; thank you. I don't imagine it will entail much this semester, but I'm pleased to have the help."

And more pleased if he'd known her diet while he taught her robot counterpart, but that was beside the point.

"Cool," said Summer. "Not entailing much is completely fine by me!" Surprising no one. She threw in a thumbs-up. "But you just let me know if you need anything, and I got your back."

And it was also very unlikely she'd actually burn anything down, too, which had to be a bonus.

That was a decided bonus, yes.

"I will let you know," he promised.

Alluka was not here to be his TA. (She was pretty sure she had to know how to cook for that.)

But she did wait until the end of the class and after most of the other students were gone before bouncing over hopefully for a hug.

Hannibal smiled and held out his arms. "How have you been?"

Hugging came first! She flung her arms around him.

"I've been doing well," she said earnestly. "I've been reading books on sewing, lately, and I got a new bag, but it's not very useful for weather this cold."

But it had been super, super cute.

"That simply means you need another bag for colder weather," Hannibal said seriously. "Would you like to go shopping some time?"

Ooooh, Papa Hannibal was going to steal Papa Jono's title of best papa ever if he kept that up.

She beamed up at him. "I'd love to go shopping sometime! It's important to accessorize well."

"It is," Hannibal agreed. These were the things that her other papa simply didn't understand. "I know some lovely places we can look."

"I'd like that," Alluka admitted. "If, if it wouldn't be a bother."

She thought about that for a moment.

"Is there anything you need to look for as well?"

"My dear," Hannibal said, "I always enjoy finding new things for my wardrobe. And spending time with you is hardly a bother - I enjoy that, too."

"I know," Alluka said, bouncing on her feet just a little. "But, I just..."

She didn't really know. Maybe they'd get tired of her eventually.

It could happen, right?

Hannibal smiled again and tugged on the ends of her hair. "I appreciate you asking, but you are not a bother. I promise, if you ever are, I will let you know. So, when would you like to shop?"

"Oh!" Um. Hm. Alluka thought about that. "I'm only really busy on Mondays?"

So... any day really worked. Even Monday! Sparkle would understand ditching work for shopping.

Hannibal thought about it. "Would you prefer something later this week, such as Friday, or next week - Tuesday perhaps?"

Now I want pasta.

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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, per. 2

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OOC!