Chapter 73 – A Recipe That Could be Sold
Breakfast in the domus erupted into a bustling joy and praise as each member of the clergy received a unique flower blooming in winter, while Mrs. Whitcombe received five as her gift.
“My goodness, Miss Jade!” Sister Geenia exclaimed as she studied the delicate flower in her palm. “How did you make this? It is so fragile, so intricate in its layers! I have never seen such a treat before!”
“Actually, the one in your hand is not entirely perfect.” Jade pointed at several petals that had clumped together. “See here? The lard mixed into the dough instead of separating into layers. The best five were given to Mrs. Whitcombe – a special request from Miss Whitcombe, as a gift for her mother.”
Tears welled in Mrs. Whitcombe’s eyes as she pulled Clara into a long embrace. “Oh, my Clara, my dearest Clara…”
Everyone took a closer look at their water lilies. Indeed, as Jade had mentioned, each had some form of flaw, and only Father Rochester’s was the finest among them – with merely two petals stuck together. Some had lost half their filling, some had clumped petals, some were discoloured, and some with several missing petals… yet all had to admit that, at first glance, the water lilies had delighted and surprised everyone who received them.
Sister Miriam took a bite.
Crispy. The scent of lard and tallow was mild – Jade’s instructions on the careful rendering process had surely contributed to that. The filling was a kind of paste she could not quite identify, though it felt familiar, and she recognised the malt sugar within. She furrowed her brow slightly and said to Jade in a lower voice, “Would you mind if I offer a suggestion?”
“Yes?” Jade nodded.
“Could it be sweeter?” Before Sister Miriam had taken charge of the bakehouse, she had been one of the nuns assisting Sister Geenia in the kitchen, mainly with pastry-making. Naturally, she gave suggestions based on her experience.
Jade nodded. “Yes, it could be sweeter – it should be sweeter – but that would need white sugar, and not malt sugar.”
Sister Miriam nodded in understanding. Just like the other biscuits and pies made in the domus, Miss Jade had adjusted the ingredients with cheaper substitutes. Yet even this altered version was finer than anything Sister Miriam had seen before.
After a moment of thought, she leaned closer and whispered again, “Miss Jade, do you suppose we could sell these at the stall? We already have an oil pot there, and this water lily can clearly be sold for a higher price, considering the skill required. You might use the opportunity to spread your name and earn a portion of the students’ fund as your wages.”
“Well…” Jade furrowed her brows. “We could, but the problem is, like you said, it requires skilled hands. These are the successful ones, and all of them were made by me. Josh tried yesterday as well, and many of his flowers failed, clumped up together and did not bloom properly. It needs attention to detail, and it has to go into the oil pot quickly, or the lard layer will merge into the dough layer… You just need to understand that the layering will fail if left sitting for too long. And the dough might ferment and rise. We do not want it rising for this kind of treat.”
Unless it was stored in a freezer, which we don’t have, Jade mused. Yes, it’s winter, and yes, it’s cold outside, but that isn’t really a controlled environment. I don’t know how the puff dough would behave in such conditions… and the stall is crowded with people, too chaotic. The oil temperature needed for this is very specific, unlike frying potatoes where you just heat the oil and toss them in. Even if they get a little burnt, it won’t ruin the chips…
Sister Miriam nodded once more. She did not understand how Miss Jade had created the layered effect, but if Josh – who was now skilled in making pies and other treats from his practice in the bakehouse – had failed, then it must truly be a master’s skill requiring exceptional precision. A delicacy fit only for the expert hands.
Before she could continue speaking with Jade, she saw Father Rochester wave at her, then point toward Jade, whose back was turned to the chief clergy. She nudged Jade gently. Jade turned, saw Father Rochester beckoning, and immediately excused herself before approaching him.
“Yes, Father?” Jade bowed slightly so the White Robe could speak directly into her ears amidst the bustling dining hall, where many still chatted about the water lily puffs.
“Miss Jade, what a delightful surprise you have given us.” Father Rochester gave a small laugh before asking, “Do you have more recipes for treats such as these?”
“Not really.” Jade looked embarrassed. Compared to how she remembered cake recipes down to the decimal, she recalled only vague ratios and portions of these Chinese pastries, along with some other Southeast Asian treats. The success of the water lilies had been pure luck; she had a feeling she had gotten some of the ratios wrong, but could not pinpoint which part. “I would need time to experiment if I wanted to come up with a proper recipe. Why do you ask, Father?”
“Well…” Father Rochester smoothed his moustache as he spoke slowly. “The wages you have been saving are not quite sufficient to comfortably support yourself and Josh once you leave the domus. Though we can certainly help connect you with a cheaper place to rent, the conditions would hardly be suitable for keeping a tidy kitchen, let alone a bakehouse. You will need a fair amount of coin, and I have been wondering whether you might consider joining Lord Ashborne’s household. He would be delighted to have you at his estate.”
“Um…” Jade replied hesitantly, “Not my first option, honestly. I know he would be glad to invite me, but seriously, I don’t think I’m suitable for a job in a noble household – dealing with those kinds of people sounds tiring, if I am being honest. So… yeah, he’s my second-to-last option. My desperate option, if I end up very broke or fail to find a good job after a year or so.”
“I thought as much.” Father Rochester nodded. “Which reminds me – you may make use of this recipe.”
“... huh?” Jade blinked in confusion. “Father, you mean…”
“Perhaps you did not notice.” The White Robe pointed at the water lily on his plate. “This is a very rare sort of confection here. I would dare guess it is rare even throughout our kingdom. This recipe alone would be valuable to any noble house’s private kitchen, or to any high-end restaurants, first-class hotel, refined confectionery, or tea room, Miss Jade. I dare say it is worth at least £30.”
“You mean…” Jade stared at him, stunned for a moment. “I can… sell this recipe for that much?”
Father Rochester nodded. “Though it may mean you can never sell it again in the future – depending on how you negotiate with the buyer, they may demand full ownership of the recipe’s rights – but I imagine you would not mind, would you? It would provide you with your first proper sum of living expenses, and allow you to prepare Josh before the two of you enter the workforce together.”
Jade had never thought of selling recipes.
She did not own these recipes. They were not her secret creations – they were public knowledge things anyone could find online so long as they had internet access. Or, like her, attend a pastry institute and learn them.
If she sold those recipes, it would feel like… stealing.
She wasn’t sure from whom, exactly, but it simply did not feel right.
After voicing her concerns, Father Rochester chuckled and gave her head a light pat.
“Miss Jade, are you certain the recipe you use now is the exact one you first remembered?” Father Rochester gave her a wink. “I have watched you test many times with my own eyes, and fail many times as well, simply to find the proper version. The recipe you use now is unique, with knacks only you know how to apply, while others would not unless taught by you. I am quite certain it may be considered your own recipes. Otherwise, every cookbook author would be guilty of sin, for many merely gather and compile recipes through their connections and boldly call them their own.”
Really? Jade wasn’t sure how she ought to feel about that, and merely let out a confused sigh. “Huh.”
“Think on it carefully. I would dislike seeing you live a life no better than the one you had in the domus. You have a half-son you vowed to care for,” Father Rochester said before dismissing her.
Wearing a contemplating expression, Jade returned to her seat near Clara, Miss Arrowot, and the nuns. Clara and Miss Arrowot were sharing their experiences from the previous night in the kitchen with the others.
“The rolling pin moved so smoothly in their hands,” Clara said as she flexed her fingers. “I do not understand. My fingers are good at controlling needles, so why can I not control a rolling pin? The dough simply never comes out the right thickness.”
Miss Arrowot nodded, though her focus had been more on kneading. “I do not understand either. They knead the dough and it turns into such a smooth surface… as smooth as a baby’s cheek! But the dough I kneaded looked dreadful…”
“Oh, that takes time,” Sister Geenia said with a light chuckle, “You are simply not accustomed to kitchen work. Once you grow familiar with the steps and motions, everything comes naturally. Just look at Josh – he knew nothing about dough before staying with Miss Jade, and now look at him!”
Josh scratched his head and blushed at the praise.
Jade patted his head before settling into her seat. The boy turned to her, his eyes beaming. “Sensei, you said we could bake the water lily puffs too, right? Can I try making them in the bakehouse?”
“Sure.” Jade did not object to her pupil’s eagerness to experiment with new skills and pastries. “Any plans in your mind already?”
Josh lowered his head in thought for a moment before lifting it again. “I’ll use drippings instead of lard.”
“And?”
“Focus on the pillowing to make layers.”
Jade nodded. “And? Any shape in mind?”
Josh, slightly confused at first, replied immediately, “Definitely not flowers. Something simple, maybe just circles. And without filling!”
Jade shook her head. “Think about the shape, the presentation. If you just cut them with round cutters and put them in the oven, the puff would not look right.”
“Oh, right!” Josh nodded quickly. “We need to contain it, or support it on something… like how the flowers were fixed with a base… I could decorate the pies with it?”
“Good thinking. Elaborate.” Jade continued guiding him.
“Poke a hole in the top pie crust, and stick a piece of puff into the hole, seal it with water,” Josh spoke while trying to imagine the final result after the pastry puffed up. “Then the pie would be decorated with a fluffy ball, because the puff would bloom sideways and become kind of semi-sphere-like.”
Jade nodded and gave Josh another pat on the head. “Good plan. I was actually expecting you to say you would make the pie crust out of puff pastry for a flakier texture, but your idea makes sense too. Take a few days off from piping practice and focus only on this and pie making, okay?”
“Okay,” Josh grinned and resumed eating.
Miss Arrowot, while Jade was lecturing Josh, turned to Clara and asked in a low voice, “Miss Whitcombe, is Miss Jade always like this? Teaching only this student? But what about the others? Should she not teach them as well?”
“Oh, no, this is different,” Clara whispered back. “Josh is Jade’s apprentice. He will be following Jade wherever she goes, even when she is no longer a teacher.”
“Oh…” Miss Arrowot raised her brows. She had never seen a master and apprentice interact quite the way Jade treated Josh, but wisely decided to remain silent about it.
Just as Miss Arrowot was about to continue her meal, she heard the “okay” from both master and apprentice. She could not help turning to Clara again and whispering, “What does this ‘okay’ mean, Miss Whitcombe? Is it the latest slang around here?”
“No.” Clara shook her head. “I am actually not certain what ‘okay’ means either, but it is a phrase Jade has always used. Perhaps it is from her homeland? She may sound adapted to our accent, but her own cute little accent sometimes slips out whenever she is in a hurry or cannot seem to find a suitable term to express herself.”
While Clara and Miss Arrowot wondered over the meaning of “okay”, Sister Miriam asked Jade, “What did Father Rochester say? I saw him pointing at the water lily puff.”
“No, it was not about selling them at the stall, Sister Miriam,” Jade shook her head slightly before turning to the nun. “Father said I could sell the recipe.”
“A splendid suggestion!” Sister Miriam gave a single, excited clap. “Oh, Father is such a brilliant chief. Here I was thinking you could earn more by selling them at the stall, and he has gone a step further and given you an even better suggestion!”
“You think I should sell this recipe as well?” Jade tilted her head. “But… it is not exactly mine. I mean, I didn’t create it, I learned it from somewhere else…”
“Silly girl,” Sister Miriam gave a light chuckle. “I dare say there is no such thing as a truly self-created recipe in this world. Each recipe is merely a derivation or improvement upon something older. As long as you adjust it according to your understanding and your taste, and it comes out best from your hands, then it is, in truth, your recipe, Miss Jade.”
Really? Still uncertain, Jade nodded anyway, contemplating whether she should truly use the recipe to earn her first bucket of coins.
Then Sister Geenia’s question pulled Jade back to present. “Miss Jade, I moved the dough on the kitchen counter onto the rack and covered it with a plate. It did not rise properly since it was not near the fireplace. Is there a reason the dough was separated into two portions rather than placed in the same bowl?”
“Oh!” Jade scratched her head apologetically. “Sorry, Sister Geenia. I was planning to wash it last night after we finished the water lilies. But after frying the puffs, we were too tired, so we went straight to sleep and forgot all about the dough… I’ll deal with it after dinner, don’t worry.”
Sister Geenia stared at her with a deeply confused frown. “Pardon me, Miss Jade… did you say you were planning to wash it?”
“Um… yes?” Jade blinked, not quite understanding the shock from the nuns around her. “... I’ll make sure not to wet the kitchen counter?”
Sister Lucy gave Sister Geenia a light pat on the arm. “I am certain Miss Jade would not deliberately waste good dough. Why do we not join her this afternoon?”
The quiet nun cast Jade a questioning glance, and Jade – misinterpreting the look – immediately nodded. “Sure, we can discuss what to do with the starch and gluten after washing it. I’m not sure whether fermentation would affect the gluten structure… but it should give the same result since it’s winter, the yeast isn’t really active anyway.”
Curiosity stirred among the nuns. Noticing their expressions, Clara and Miss Arrowot realised this was likely not something ordinary kitchen workers would know, which only deepened their curiosity as to how Jade had learned such things; they didn’t think she was bluffing, as her matter-of-fact tone indicated she knew exactly what she was doing.
Jade, still preoccupied with whether she ought to sell the water lily puff recipe, remained entirely unaware of the intense gazes directed her way.