Author's Note: Hello again everyone. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. Busy, busy life and all that. Anyway, I do have some more chapters for you and will be updating all through the weekend. So please enjoy and review. And before anyone ask, yes I was cooking when I was writing this. I basically wrote the recipe as I was cooking it. I'm goofy that way. I do not own the Lords of the Underworld series or any of it's characters.
Chapter 4 Chef Demon Whisperer
Isolde had to wonder about Paris.
She had been in the kitchen sweeping and washing down counter top surfaces when Paris had come home from grocery shopping and...playmate shopping. When he had sat down the bags, she had instantly gone through them to see what he had bought. She stared down at the counter top where they had laid out the food and put her hands on her hips.
"Let me get this straight. You expect me to make you what you make yourself all the time. Sandwiches?" Isolde asked looking from the lunch meat, bread, lettuce, tomatoes, and other sandwich toppings.
There were bags of grapes and chips, and a few other snack foods too, which made Isolde's nose wrinkle up. As an actual former chef, this was an insult to her. Paris looked up at her as he sorted through things. The girl had one side of her mouth pulled back as she eyed the food.
"It's what we usually eat." Paris told her.
Isolde shook her head. No way was she going to except this. She was going to have to eat this stuff too and she wasn't going to do it.
"No wonder the six of you can eat enough to feed a whole town in the course of a week." she remarked. "And what is this?"
Isolde pulled a box out of the bag that was wrapped with a big red bow. She raised an eyebrow at Paris, who grinned back at her.
"Open it." he told her.
Having a bad feeling in her gut, Isolde sat the box on the counter and opened it. Out of it she pulled a black apron with a set of red lips printed on the front and the slogan Kiss The Cook printed in white letter alongside those lips. Isolde rolled her eyes but she couldn't help the smile on her face as she looked at Paris.
"You are a silly man." she told him.
Paris shrugged his shoulders. At least he wasn't vain enough to deny it.
"If you are going to cook, you might as well have the right attire." he told her.
That earned him another eye roll from Isolde.
"Speaking of which."
Isolde started shifting through drawers until she found a notepad and a pen. She started writing things down on the paper as Paris watched, amused by just how distressed she was at the thought that all they ate was sandwiches and snack food.
"Alright. I know you just got back from town but take this and go buy what's on it. I might actually be able to make a proper meal with it." she said when she was done, ripping the paper free and holding it out to Paris.
The warrior took the paper and read the things listed on it. His eyebrow quirked up when he reached the bottom of the list.
"You need chocolate to cook?" he asked.
"Some recipes actually require chocolate, thank you very much!" Isolde told him.
"Like what?" Paris asked.
"Curry."
Paris chuckled but waved it off. Isolde seemed so serious about it that he just couldn't help but laugh at her a little. Isolde just shook her head at him.
"Are you going to make dessert too?" he asked.
"Not if you're going to continue to hang around." she replied.
Paris chuckled as he left, leaving her to put away what he had already bought. Isolde shook her head. Maybe one of these days they would trust her enough to let her go with Paris. Then she wouldn't have to write a list and could actually get enough for a few days rather than a day at a time. Then again Paris went to town every day, so it wasn't like it was an unnecessary trip.
Isolde started putting away the food and looked through what they did have in fridge. They had yellow onions, russet potatoes, and roma tomatoes. Paris would be bringing back another type of tomato that she would need, but for now she would start on the chopping. She put a bowl in the fridge to chill before she washed her hands and put on the apron Paris had bought her.
Isolde glanced down at the apron and made a face. Paris and his kinks. But an apron was an apron.
She found olive oil and butter and started melting the butter in a stockpot on the stove. While it melted she chopped the roma tomatoes, which she added to the melted butter along with olive oil. She let that sauté while she turned to the potatoes.
She peeled and cut the potatoes into small cubes, which she put into a pot of salted water to boil. Searching the cabinets she found the sugar, black pepper, and eggs she would need. She sat them out, adding sugar, salt and pepper to the tomatoes, and checked on her potatoes. She was separating egg whites when Paris came back into the kitchen, Reyes behind him, helping him to carry the bags.
"Just sit them on the counter, please." Isolde said over her shoulder as she removed the potatoes from the stove and drained them.
The two sat the bags on the counter, both deciding to claim a seat at the table to watch as Isolde put the potatoes in a large bowl. She turned to the bags, digging out the garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried thyme she had put on the list. She stirred in all three. She stood over that, stirring it until it was thick enough.
Taking a small spoon she tasted a bit of it, rolling the taste over her tongue before adding just a bit more salt. Tasting it again, she deemed it perfect and sat that aside with a lid on the pan.
She put another pot of water on the stove to boil. While that boiled, she fried bacon which she then cut into small pieces. She added that and the potatoes to a skillet, cooking it to a crisp. While that cook, she turned to her dessert. She preheated the oven and let that heat while she mixed two and one-fourth cups of flour, a fourth a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, a teaspoon of baking soda, and salt together.
In a separate bowl she mixed sugar, honey, eggs, and vanilla, adding olive oil and half of the dry mixture. She stirred in buttermilk and the remaining dry mixture and poured into two, round cake pans. That went into the oven.
Removing the bowl she had chilled in the fridge, she combined cream, honey, and sour cream and whipped with an electric beater. That got sat in the fridge. She checked her bacon and potatoes before pulling out another saucepan in which she placed baking chocolate, whipping cream, and honey. She stirred it until it was smooth and adding in powdered sugar, blending until that too was smooth. That too went into the fridge.
By this point her water was boiling. She dropped the three cheese ravioli she had asked Paris to get into the water and let that cook while she combined salt, pepper, vinegar, sour cream, and Miracle Whip in a bowl. She added the potatoes, onions, and bacon, blending it all together. That went into a baking dish and into the oven.
That got left to cook while she removed the now cooked ravioli from the stove. She drained the water and pat the ravioli dry. Combining cheese, onion salt, and garlic salt into a bowl, she dipped each ravioli into the egg whites she had separated and then into the mixture. That went into a skillet to fry until crisp. She sat out seven plates on the counter, covering each in the tomato sauce she had made earlier. On top of that went the ravioli.
Ignoring the crowd she had gained as she cooked, Isolde sliced cherry tomatoes in half, adding basil and mozzarella balls. That went on top of the ravioli. That done she checked her the cake and potatoes. The cake was finished so she pulled it out. She wrapped both in plastic wrap and chilled in the fridge while returning to potatoes. They were hot and bubbly so she switched the heat to broil and waited until the cheese was browned. That done she sat it on the counter to cool.
She switched the oven back to bake, turning the heat up to 400. She rinsed mushrooms and removed the stems. She placed the mushrooms tops in a buttered baking dish and diced the remaining four mushrooms, stems and all. She melted butter in a heavy skillet to which she added the diced mushrooms to sauté, adding chopped onion, salt, and pepper. She kept a close eye on the mix, giving the pan a fancy flip, flipping the mixture in a flare that she had learned as a chef.
She let that sit while she diced green onions and mixed with pine nuts, bread crumbs, and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. She took that, and the sautéed mushrooms and stuffed the other mushrooms with the mixture. She put that in the baking dish, covered it and baked it.
Never stopping, she pulled the cakes out of the fridge. She placed one on a cake plate and topped it with the honey cream filling she had made. She put the second cake on top and lightly pressed the two together. She topped that off with the chocolate honey glaze and pat sliced almonds onto the sides for garnish. Right on time, the mushrooms finished. Setting out seven more, smaller plates, she put some of the potatoes and the mushrooms on them.
Done, and happy with what she had done she turned, opening her mouth, only for what she was about to say to die on her tongue when she spotted all six warriors sitting at the table, Torin as far from the others as he could get.
"How long have the six of you been there?" she asked.
"For the majority of the time. You are amusing to watch." Paris told her.
Isolde thought back, trying to pin point if she had seen them enter the kitchen or not. She hadn't noticed. Shrugging she turned to the plates.
"Well it saves me from having to track you down." she said, more to herself as she started picking up plates, expertly balancing six plates.
She brought the ravioli to them first and then the second plate. Still moving quickly, she sat out glasses for each of them, pour wine into all of them, except her own, which she filled with ice apple juice.
"You move like you have done this before." Reyes remarked.
"I worked various jobs in the food business for several years." she replied.
Isolde removed the apron, washed her hands, grabbed her own plates and joined them. The men looked down at the food before them.
"What is this?" Reyes asked.
"Caprese Ravioli, Hot German Potato Salad, Stuffed Italian Mushrooms, with a Chocolate Honey Cake for dessert." Isolde replied, picking up her glass to take a drink.
"Actual food that can't be carted around in a napkin or a foil bag." she added before taking a drink of her apple juice.
Each of the men took a bite, trying out the food and were surprised to find it tasted better then it sounded.
"This is good." Maddox said.
"Thank you. I guess my years wasting away in that restaurant paid off." Isolde remarked.
"You were a chef, right?" Paris asked.
"I was."
"What happened with the job?" Paris asked.
"I quit."
"Why?" Reyes asked.
"My boss was a sleaze bag with wandering hands. I'm not a pleasant person when I'm being touched in places that would make a nun faint." Isolde replied. "The pay was good, but that's something I won't put up with. So I quit...after I broke one of his hands with a cast iron skillet."
"A skillet?" Aeron asked, looking up at the girl.
"Never underestimate the damage an enraged female can cause with a cast iron skillet. Especially one who knows how to handle one. Considering what he had done to one of the waitresses, he got off easy. I could have hit him with one that had hot grease in it." Isolde told him, as she finally started eating.
She had realized how hungry she was until that first bite hit her tongue. It took all her self-control not to inhale her food. She made sure to eat slowly and to take drinks of her apple juice.
"Do you not drink?" Paris asked.
"For one, I'm underage. At least in the States I am. I don't know about here in Hungry. For two, I do, but you spike your liquor with ambrosia. I'm not willing to find out how that would affect me when my body seems to be changing up on me." she replied.
"What do you mean?" Lucien asked.
"Well technically speaking, I'm supposed to be human but as you pointed out, humans don't heal like I did. And it wasn't a fluke either. I cut myself pretty badly with a knife earlier when I was washing dishes and it healed in the matter of seconds. I'm not quite sure I'm human now, but I know how ambrosia effects humans and those are effects I'm not willing to deal with." Isolde replied.
"What kind of effects?" Maddox asked.
"You'll find out. Very soon." was all Isolde said.
Isolde would say no more on the subject that much they knew.
"This is strange. She could be Bait and yet here she sits." Aeron growled.
Isolde grinned at that.
"Think about it for just a moment, Aeron. Knowing what I know, don't you think the Hunters would have found you and done a lot more damage before I ever showed up? Not to mention that I haven't tried to seduce you like Bait do. I've just always been able to get along with people. Perhaps it's because I'm so straight forward most of the time." Isolde remarked.
"She does have a point." Torin conceded.
"Color me shocked. I actually make sense." Isolde muttered.
Torin turned his eyes on Isolde who was busy chewing and looking down at her plate like she hadn't just said something. The edges of her mouth were twitching in the beginnings of a smile.
"Perhaps it is your sparkling modesty that attracts others." Torin remarked.
"Hmm, that too. You know, Torin, not many people would recognize your sarcastic wit for what it is." Isolde replied.
"And what is that?" Torin asked.
"A desperate plea for people not to see the unicorn loving, pretty princess you keep below the surface."
Paris and Maddox snorted, Aeron and Reyes coughing as they either accidentally inhaled food or a drink. Even Lucien had to cover a sudden smile that lit his face. Isolde offered a brilliant smile to Torin who had lost his smile if not the wicked gleam to his eyes. It was obvious that the girl was joking, just poking at Torin as he had at her. With a wink at the white haired man, Isolde got to her feet, taking her empty plates with her. Stacking the plates, she collect theirs as well.
"Just know, no matter what sarcastic or witty comment you throw my way, I have a more biting one to toss back." Isolde told them before retreating to the sink with the plates.
Carefully she placed the plate in the sink and then cut seven pieces from the cake and put them on small plates. She served that to warriors and sat back down to eat her own piece.
"Was it a lot of practice that made you good at throwing them back or was it all natural?" Paris asked.
"A mix of both. I've learned that a well-placed sarcastic retort can win you any argument. It also insures that the other person cracks before you. Nobody stays patient around me if I want to be stubborn and sarcastic at the same time. Not my best trait, I admit." Isolde answered with a shrug.
"What is your best trait then?" Torin asked.
"That's easy...I don't have one." Isolde replied.
All six males looked at her as she ate her cake. She didn't seem upset by that, but she wasn't joking either. She was perfectly serious about believing that there was nothing good about her.
"There is nothing redeeming about my personality. I'm stubborn and sarcastic, straight forward and blunt, horribly self-absorbed, and I have an awful temper when stroked. I have a nasty habit of pushing people too far, I don't particularly care about others' opinions, I lack the finer emotions that make up a normal person, and I have no filter on my mouth. I'll lie to your face if I must, though I'm not fond of lying. It's a waste of time to try to remember the lie later on. I'm a disaster walking, horribly accident prone, I draw trouble like a light draws moths, which is probably how I ended up here to begin with. I've heard that I'm hater's dream. No class, white trash, and I kind of agree. So let's add low self-esteem to that as well."
Isolde shrugged as if everything she had just listed off wasn't completely awful. It made them wonder if she had told herself that, or if she had grown up being told that. Either way it was horribly self-destructive, and Isolde didn't seem to care.
"No wait, there is one good thing about me." Isolde said, as if in second thought. "I take care of myself. I don't need anyone else's help. Never have. So I'm self-sufficient. Then again that could always lead back to self-absorbed and selfish. So that turns around into a bad trait."
"I am sure there is something good about your personality." Lucien said.
Isolde gave it a little thought but shook her head.
"No, not really." she said, leaning back in her seat. "But please, don't bother trying to find something. I wouldn't believe you anyhow. At least I'm not jaded."
With that she got to her feet, taking empty plates. She cleared one side of the double sided sink and filled it with warm, soapy water, instantly getting to work on the dishes.
"But while we're on the subject, I'm not the only person in this room who thinks lowly of themselves." she said over her shoulder. "I can list at least five positive traits for each of you, which all of you would deny."
"Are you really going to offer us comfort after you just insisted that there is nothing good about you and that anything we say to the wiser is wrong?" Paris asked.
"Yeah, it's a bitch how that works, isn't it?" Isolde replied.
"A young woman like you should watch her mouth." Paris chided.
Isolde turned around to look at him, soap suds dripping from her hands.
"Shit, fuck, damn, ass, go to fucking hell, bitch. Better?" she asked.
Chuckles and grins came from the men as she turned back around to continue with dishes. She didn't seem the least bit ashamed for talking like that adding more to the sassy, sarcastic personality they were starting to associate with her.
"You know the last person who told me to watch my mouth was a Catholic nun." Isolde said over her shoulder.
"And how did she take that?" Paris asked.
"She fainted. And when she came to, she made it a point to tell me that I was going to hell." Isolde replied. "She didn't take it too well when I told her that, standing there listening to her lecture, I was already in hell."
"I suppose you were not allowed back in that church." Torin remarked.
"Considering I'm not Catholic to begin with...what do you think?"
