Chapter Text
Yuzu
…[T]he yuzu originated in China but is most widely cultivated in Japan, where shreds or slivers of its rind are used to accent cooked vegetables, fish and noodles. Its zest and juice enhance soy sauces, miso toppings, ponzu sauces and vinegars. [It] ideally complements matsutake mushrooms, and is harvested in the same season, autumn and early winter. Over this time, the fruit ripens from green to bright yellow, when it is sweetest and most aromatic. - Karp D (2003) The Secrets Behind Many Chefs' Not-So-Secret Ingredient. The New York Times
Erina and Souma look down at the sauce pan and both make a face. Right smack in the middle, the goopy "sauce" - resembling more like a questionable science experiment at this point - forms a bubble and it pops pathetically.
"We're training to be professional chefs, right?" she sighs. There's a headache spreading slowly at the base of her neck. "How can this look so horrible?"
Souma peeks over her shoulder. "I don't think it's us. I think it's the sauce pan." Through his long-sleeved 'Restaurant Yukihira' shirt, he rubs his arms in thought. "The dorm has a couple of kitchenware that hasn't been replaced yet."
By this time, they have been standing at the oven for over 40 minutes, more than what is the average for a velouté sauce. Joichiro had called Souma to catch up with his son, which included a recommendation to try adding yuzu in a type of thick sauce. Ever up for a challenge from his old man, Souma quickly went to the market and bought a few of the in-season fruit in various levels of ripeness and tried his hand.
It wasn't long into his preparation that he was struck by a sudden inspiration to call Erina. Maybe the inspiration wasn't entirely out of nowhere, seeing that the round fruit had a pleasing yellow color – it reminded him of her hair, perhaps? He called her in good spirits, to which Erina loudly explained to him that he shouldn't waste her time and to go bug Megumi instead since she was usually his test subject.
Undeterred, Souma mentioned it was actually his dad that recommended the recipe, followed by a reminder that she was also his taste tester during the Régiment de Cuisine. Erina stuttered in surprise at his reasoning and promised she'd be joining him shortly, minus Hisako who will be in the office while she's gone.
Which brings them back to present moment.
And the sauce still looks really weird. "Maybe if we add one more egg?" he muses. Souma stands closer to Erina as he moves forward, her shoulder grazing his chest.
Erina doesn't notice their increased proximity as she mulls over his suggestion. She shakes her head after a beat. "Not for just the basic velouté sauce anymore. Perhaps, if you mean to make Normande sauce out of it." Under the sauce pan, the gas flame burns lower as she turns the knob. "You'd need something fishy though. Oyster liquid? But that's too extravagant for how poorly this sauce is turning out."
"We may have a substitute somewhere here. Fish sauce? Bonito flakes?" Souma murmurs. He moves to the kitchen pantry and looks for a bottle but finds something else that makes his eyes widen and makes him cackle. "Oy Nakiri, I'll do you one better: how clam juice instead?!"
She shrugs. "We can try. Those flavours may all be too strong for this. And the yuzu's in the sauce, don't forget that." By that time, she has ladled a portion of the goop du jour in a small glass bowl. It looks unappetizing, but the smell is overall quite neutral and she picks up that slight citrusy smell from the yuzu fruit. Perhaps the flavour won't be that bad.
Erina swipes the sauce casually with her finger and this time, she studies the sauce color more closely. Souma joins her and puts down the bottle of clam juice, an addition to the spread of ingredients on the countertop. "Oh, that actually looks okay," he observes in surprise. Souma dips his head down and, after taking the tip of Erina's finger in his mouth, licks off the sauce.
The brush of his soft tongue on her fingertip sends a tingle down her spine and other parts of her that are unmentionable in current company. She flushes a ripe red color, steam coming out of her ears, while Souma maintains his unconcerned composure to her current state. He has already moved on to musing some more about how to salvage his sauce.
"YU. KI. HIRA!" Erina flails her arms. "What are you thinking, putting my finger in YOUR mouth and not even asking if I'm okay with you doing that?!!"
Souma stands in contemplative thought, unaffected by her continued hyperventilation. "The sauce was already there and I wanted to try it before adding the other stuff."
"Still!" she yelps, "Do you go around randomly licking fingers?! How about when you're trying new recipes with PSD?! Do you lick Tadokoro's fingers?! Or Yoshino's?! Or even Marui's fingers?!"
"No I don't, you're right." He rubs his chin. "But you know, that sauce looks bad but doesn't taste bad. It has a slight hint of salt, which is interesting."
"Maybe that's because you sampled it from my finger?!" Erina rubs the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to get back at you for this!"
"Araa, I'm sure you will."