Peppermill sat in the small kitchen of the Golden Oaks Library, awaiting the arrival of his ‘student’. It had taken a bit of work to come up with his lesson plan-slash-recipe, but he felt strongly that the lavender mare’s strict attention to detail could be taken advantage of. Even so, the colt didn’t want to take too many chances as he nudged the small timer he had placed on the table before him. I hope…she likes mushrooms…
“Ok, I think I am ready!” With that announcement, Twilight Sparkle entered the kitchen.
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“Twilight, what…in the world are…you wearing?” the colt gasped, his dark eyes growing wide and a sudden heat flaring on his cheeks.
“It’s an apron of course. My books are very clear that new cooks should wear one of these to minimize messes.”
That…is an apron?! thought the colt furiously. It was true, the clothing was the correct shape for an apron. But there was a considerable amount of frills, and it seemed to be rather…clingy. In fact, it seemed to be more like a second skin that a protective piece of clothing. It didn’t hide the fact that as brainy as she was, Twilight Sparkle was a reasonably attractive mare.
“I admit; it seems a little showy. But this was something I got from Rarity. She told me that it would be useful one day should I ever get a coltfriend, though why a stallion outside of a chef would be interested in this is beyond me…”
Should I…tell her? A vivid memory of peeking into his late parent’s bedroom one night when he was restless, seeing the ponies partaking in a moment of intimacy and his mother wearing a similar apron much to his father’s apparent delight burned bright in his mind. As young as he was, the colt was quite a bit more knowledgeable than the other colt’s his age about…adult things. But just because he understood the real intent of Rarity’s ‘gift’ didn’t mean he wasn’t affected by it.
“Peppermill, is everything alright?” The colt jumped in surprise, finding the mare standing rather close to him. She looked down at him with a concerned look, and the colt had to wrench his eyes upwards to meet her gaze and not that of the rather…plunging neckline of the apron.
“Yes, yes…I am just…surprised you were so…prepared.”
“Oh thank you! I really want to do well at this. I want to show Spike that I am not as helpless in the kitchen as he says I am.” The mare’s beaming smile and excitement proved to be enough of a distraction to snap Peppermill out of his initial panic. Composing himself, he led the mare to the kitchen counter where he had placed all of the ingredients he had brought.
“This should prove…to be a simple but tasty dish.” explained the young chef. “I’ve decided that…the preparation of a risotto…should appeal to you.”
“A risotto? I remember having that back in Canterlot when I was invited to dine with Princess Celestia. They were very nice rice dishes, but it sounded like they were kind of…tricky.”
“Hmm, I wouldn’t say…tricky as time-consuming. This is…not the kind of dish for…the impatient. I don’t…think that Rainbow Dash or…Pinkie Pie would…be able to make without…some help. But I think you…should do fine. Even so, I brought along…a bit of extra help.”
“Are you referring to that kitchen timer I see on the table?”
“Yes. You see Twilight…the important part about…making a risotto is…absorption.” As he had expected, the mare’s face took on a thoughtful cast.
“Absorption huh? Well, that depends on factors like heat, the medium…”
“Soup stock and…Arborio rice…”
“Arborio rice…I remember Spike mentioning that before…”
“It is a special…type of rice that…works best with a dish…like this.” The colt motioned to a small bag on the counter, full of pearly grains.
“I really feel like I should be writing this down…”
“Don’t worry Twilight…I have already…printed out a…recipe card for you. Soon you will…have a whole boxful of meal ideas.”
“Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you. Wait…” The mare’s gaze suddenly fell upon two large glass bottles. “I know that is olive oil, but is that…wine?”
“That’s right.” Peppermill frowned slightly at the sudden anxiousness coming off of the unicorn.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, it’s alcohol…”
“Twilight, a smart pony…like you should know that…the alcohol part of the wine…will evaporate away, leaving…just the taste behind.” The mare squirmed further, then she hung her head with a sigh.
“Peppermill, I don’t know how to tell you this but…I don’t really care for wine.”
“I imagine that…is because you have…never had it before…”
“Hmm, no. I have had a few glasses in the past. Remember, dinners at the palace? I politely took the glasses but I never drank more than a few sips. I never cared for it…”
“I understand your…concern Twilight. But I…promise you that…using wine…in cooking is…a lot different than…drinking it straight up.” The mare gave the colt a lop-sided smile at this.
“I guess I figured you wouldn’t be all that impressed if I told you I didn’t like wine. I mean, I know you have drunk it…”
“Oh, you heard…about that huh?” sighed the colt. “Somepony needs…to explain to Applejack that…you can be honest and…not tell everypony…everything that happens to them.”
“That’s just AJ’s way. The truth be told; I was quite impressed at how mature it made you sound.” If the mare had left it at that, things might have worked out a bit better. But Twilight, as was her own nature, had to reach over and give the colt a warm hug. The sudden sensation of the silky apron against his chest was a vivid reminder of just how…alluring she looked in it. To the colt’s utter horror, he felt his face grow bright red just in time for the mare to release him and peer down at him in surprise.
“Peppermill, why are you blushing?”
“Hrrgg...I’m…fine. Let’s get…started.”
***
“Okay, now have reached…the part of the recipe that…I think you will…be able to perform quite well.” Once the colt had thoroughly forced the memory of the shapely mare and her wholly inappropriate clothing from his mind, and mentally reminding himself to sooner or later explain the situation to her, the two had begun preparation for the dish. Everything had gone smoothly from that point, but now the real trick to a good risotto was about to be performed.
“The last thing…you want to have is…watery risotto. It is important that…all of the stock…has been absorbed by…the rice before adding…more.”
“All of the stock…has to be absorbed.” recited Twilight as she wrote on a spare piece of parchment she had grabbed earlier. Even though Peppermill felt it was unnecessary, the mare had insisted on taking notes in her own writing as they cooked. As a result, there had been more than one occasion when the colt had to drag her away from her note-taking to keep an eye on her dish.
“Depending on your…skill level and…experience you…can go about this one of two ways. Experience chefs and…those who make risotto…a lot will learn just by sight alone…when it is time to add more brother. But for somepony who…is just starting or have…never made it before…it can be useful to use…a timer.”
“The timer…” The mare glanced briefly at the timepiece, and used her magic to momentarily put her quill down so she could lift and hold it in front of her.
“It can take…a bit of trial and error…to determine just…how much time you need…between applications of stock. Given the circumstances I think…45 seconds to a minute should be a good starting point. If we need to adjust…the time for the next…half cup, then…we will do so.”
“Okay, I can do this…” murmured the mare as she twisted the dial of the timer. She then used her forehoof to take the previously prepared measuring cup of soup stock and poured it into the hot pot of rice and mushrooms.
“Remember, as much…as you might like…to use your magic, it is…not a good idea. It’s still a mystery…why using magic seems to affect food…preparation so adversely.” The mare gave a small nod as she reached for the nearby wooden spoon and began to very carefully and precisely stir the mixture. Peppermill watched and marveled at the look of intense concentration on the mare’s face as she did so. The moment the timer’s bell went off, Twilight repeated the process with as much care and attention as the first time.
This sort of thing…appeals to her…meticulous nature thought the colt. And so does…that apron…
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Oh crumbs! And I had…been doing so well too…
Twilight Sparkle Mushroom Risotto
Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com
Ingredients
6 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
Sea salt/ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat
2 Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid and set aside
3 Add one tablespoon to a skillet, and add shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil for two minutes. When rice has taken a pale, golden color pour in wine and stir until fully absorbed. Add ½ cup of broth to rice, and stir until absorbed. Continue to add broth ½ cup at a time until fully absorbed, stirring continuously until rice is al dente. This should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
4 Remove from heat, stir in mushrooms and their liquid, butter, chives and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 6