Author's Note: Here's why I think Pearl likes pie.
Pearl stared at the book that was on the counter before her.
It was a thick, hard covered book, weighing approximately 2 pounds. Manila colored pages. A color very close to black but not exact in order to seem 'festive' and fun' stylized font filled the pages, along with accompanying pictures. Tabs stuck out of the pages, separating the pages into different sections. She noted all of this as she stared at the 'Cookbook'.
Greg, Steven's father, had bought it for the Gems when it was first determined Steven would come live with them and construction of the house was underway. Well, it was understood that it was for Pearl.
Amethyst is more likely than not to make something toxic for a human. Garnet… well, Garnet would not make something toxic but was more likely to give Steven whatever he asked for. And part of the reason Greg got the cookbook was so that Steven wasn't always going to the Big Donut, a dominant human establishment that sold pastries in Beach City, to eat. Or the Pizza joint. Humans needed a balanced diet.
It was generally accepted that Pearl was in charge of Steven's basic human needs. But, for a little bit, she had been fine with letting Steven be in charge of the food aspect of his care. It wasn't that she was avoiding the cookbook… well, maybe she was. It was just that she never liked that aspect of humans. While Amethyst delighted in it, she found it unhygienic and disgusting. But she knows she can't just let Steven eat junk food.
So here she was, staring down the cookbook. She doesn't even know where to start, if she was being honest with herself. She knows the basic food groups, but not how to actually go about cooking. In preparation, she had bought kitchen equipment. Looking at it all, she might have gone overboard. She should be more than prepared for anything the cookbook might throw at her.
Just as she is about to read through it, the noise of the door opening draws her attention. Steven enters. "Hey Pearl!"
"Hello Steven," she says turning to him, grasping for any help he might give her. "I was just about to read through this 'cookbook' Greg got me. Would you like to go through it with me?"
He nods eagerly and heads over. "Does this mean I'm the sous chef?" He asks enthusiastically.
Pearl looks at him blankly. "The what?"
"Jenny told me it was a fancy term for assistant chef!"
"Uh, sure." She turns back to the cookbook. "Now, where should we start-"
A ruckus causes her to spin around, realizing Steven is no longer beside her. He's scavenging under the stairs, looking for something. There's already a sizable pile behind him, which she knows she'll have to clean up later, when he makes a triumphant sound and turns around, holding out some items. She eyes them curiously.
"What are those for Steven?"
"They're for us! You can't cook without the proper attire!"
Steven holds them out to her.
"Ah. It's alright Steven. I don't need those. Why don't you wear them? You are my sous chef."
His eyes star over, and he eagerly puts on the apron and poofy hat thing. "Hey Pearl! Maybe if you become good at this cooking thing, we can open a restaurant! Everyone from Beach city would be clamoring to try Pearl and Steven's famous food! But we're an exclusive restaurant. Only two tables available at a time! We would be booked!"
Pearl looks at him, surprised at that strangely vivid image. "Sorry Steven but let's just try to make something before you talk about transforming our home into a restaurant, ok? And I doubt that would ever happen anyways."
He looks a little disappointed, and she pats him on the head. "Alright, where should we start?"
Steven seems to think about that question seriously for a second, before lighting up and eagerly taking the book from Pearl. He flips through the book quickly, only stopping near the end.
"How about baking? You might like that!"
She takes the book from him and looks at the page he had stopped on. On one side was the recipe and on the other side was an accompanying picture of the circular dish, a pie, the title claimed.
"Why this recipe Steven?" She asks, noticing the copious amount of sugary items needed.
"Because Dad always said that baking is like chemistry! Different reactions working together to make a delicious confectionary. Everything has to be precise, or you won't get the desired result!" He beams at her. She looks at him doubtfully. "And you like precise, right?"
She looks back at the recipe. "… Sure. I guess we can start with this recipe. But we're missing some of these items. Could you run into town and pick them up for me?"
Rocking back on his feet his nods enthusiastically. She goes and writes up a list for him, and as soon as she hands it to him, he's off, running out the door, his hat flying off in his wake.
Pearl chuckles affectionately, and waits for him to come back. She briefly debates whether or not she should have come with him, but he can handle himself. She takes the time to familiarize herself with the recipe.
Steven comes back quickly, toting a bag of groceries. She takes them off his hands before they can collapse. "Thank you Steven, I am sure this is more than enough. Some of these things aren't even in the ingredients."
He looks a little sheepish, rubbing the tip of his foot against the floor in what she recognizes as a bashful manner. "Well, yeah, but I got so excited I just couldn't contain myself! I… also lost the list, so had to make sure to get more than enough. But now we can get started!" Pearl hands him his hat. "Indeed we can."
Baking turns out to be messier than she anticipated. Sometimes the instructions were a little vague as well.
"Um, Pearl, I don't think you're supposed to include the egg shells…"
She turns back to look at the instructions. "If that were the case, wouldn't the recipe fall for just the egg whites and yolk? It says crack three eggs into the bowl." Steven looks at the three eggs she had tossed into the bowl, splattering them both. "Hmm. I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right."
As sous chef, Steven insisted on stirring, which he did rather vigorously. While the coloration isn't quite what the recipe calls for, Steven declares that it's good enough, and pours it into the crust Pearl had also prepared. Together, they place the strips onto it, and place I think into the oven.
Pearl busies herself cleaning up the kitchen while Steven stares at the oven, waiting. The timer goes off just as she finishes putting the last dish in the sink to soak. Steven gasps. "The pie is ready!"
She takes out the pie as Steven rocks on his feet, biting his bottom lip in anticipation. It's a bit disappointing she has to admit. The pie doesn't really look like the picture next to the recipe. The crust looks a little burnt, despite being in the oven for the exact time the recipe called for. She cuts a slice, and checks the insides. It's lumpy, and the core is cold. There's pieces of eggshells and other bits.
Pearl sighs, and slumps against the kitchen counter, burying her face in her hands. "Ugh, I'm no good at this. I don't even know why I bothered, I don't even like eating! Why did I think I could do this."
There's a crunch, and Pearl looks to see Steven forcing done some food. "It's not so," he gulps down his mouthful, "bad."
"Steven, you look green!"
He coughs, and Pearl rubs his back. "Yep, it's pretty bad, sorry. But at least you tried! And that's what matters!"
Slowly, she meets his unwavering smile with a smile of her own. "Thank you Steven, for your kind words."
"You're welcome!" He grimaces and puts the pie slice down. "But I'm not going to eat anything for a bit until my stomach settles."
Pearl chuckles. "I'll avoid pies for a while. Maybe try my hand at something simpler." Steven nods. "We'll work our ways up to pies." He flips through the cookbook again, stopping on another page. "How about we try this instead?"
She looks over the recipe he's picked. "Good choice Steven. And it looks like you got all the necessary ingredients for this as well."
"Yeah!" Steven cheers. "Let's make waffles!"