Chapter 405: Christmas Turkey with Two Stuffings!
6:00 PM, Hokkaido, Stardew Valley Ranch.
Goose feather-like snow drifted slowly from the dark gray sky, silently covering the roofs, fences, and the silhouettes of distant mountains.
The windows of the second-floor restaurant in the complex building emitted warm and bright light, making the snowflakes falling into this area appear crystal clear.
Inside the restaurant—
Ryohei stood in front of a dining table, his gaze curiously sweeping over everyone's Christmas outfits—
Overall, they were much the same, evolved from "Santa Claus outfits" and "Reindeer outfits."
The red and white "Santa Claus outfits" and the furry "Reindeer outfits" made all the girls look very cute or sexy, and Koji was also ugly-cute.
Jashin-chan was truly amazing!
More than a dozen outfits were done in one afternoon, including the time to buy materials. Her skill in making clothes was truly strong!
Thinking in his heart, Ryohei raised the wine glass in his hand and said in a high-spirited tone: "So... Merry Christmas! Let's have a toast together!"
"Oh oh—!"
"Cheers—!"
People at the same table raised their glasses cheerfully.
Crisp clinking sounds also rang out from the neighboring table, everyone drinking happily together.
What to eat first?
Minos was a beef lover; her favorite food was beef.
Now there was a very tender and delicious-looking roasted steak on the table, but her gaze was involuntarily attracted to the plump and oily Christmas turkey in the middle.
(´﹃｀)
The whole turkey lay on a plain white porcelain plate, covered with a layer of golden translucent amber crispy skin, as if glazed with honey, glowing with an enticing luster under the light.
Flecks of rosemary and thyme were embedded in the sizzling grease.
Steam rose in curls, carrying the fragrance of butter and the complex aroma of spices, constantly spreading out.
Grease slowly slid down the bulging chest, accumulating into a pool of crystal clear oily juice at the bottom of the plate, each drop locking in the most plump flavor of the Christmas turkey...
Might as well try this first...
She had eaten roasted steak more than once, but Christmas turkey was a first, involuntarily sparking the desire to try something new.
Moreover, the Christmas turkey was placed in the center of the dining table, showing its status in tonight's banquet.
Just as Minos's thought arose, she saw Ryohei holding a table knife, leaning forward, and making a cut on the turkey's plump belly.
In an instant, the full stuffing wrapped in steaming heat and pungent rich fragrance surged out!
"Eh? There's stuffing inside?"
Wearing an antler headband and bell choker, Jashin-chan stretched her neck, looking at the Christmas turkey curiously, forming a beautiful curve between her exposed slender back and the chair.
She spent the whole afternoon rushing to make clothes and didn't participate in cooking at all.
"Mn." Ryohei responded softly, slicing the Christmas turkey into bite-sized pieces with fluid movements.
He put down the knife and said casually:
"This one of ours is stuffed with stir-fried sticky rice, paired with sausage, shiitake mushrooms, corn, carrots, and diced apples."
"The one at the next table is mainly breadcrumbs, paired with bacon, Italian sausage, parsley, onions, and diced apples."
Jashin-chan subconsciously wanted to ask "Why have two stuffings," then thought of Kyon-Kyon and Ran-Ran—these two jiangshi girls couldn't eat sticky rice, so she swallowed her words.
At the same time, at the next table—
Tohru cleanly chopped the turkey at their table into suitable sizes for eating.
Elma couldn't wait to pick up a piece of chicken, swished it in the brown dipping sauce dish, and put it into her mouth expectantly.
This taste...
First touching the tip of the tongue was naturally the soul dipping sauce specially prepared with chicken bone broth as the base.
A salty and fresh taste spread rapidly on the tip of the tongue, knocking open the taste buds.
Teeth closed involuntarily, a slight "crunch" sound rang at the tip of the teeth. When cutting into the chicken, Elma could feel a flexible resistance, followed by plentiful meat juices surging out!
It wasn't just the moisture of grease, but also the refreshing sweetness of onions, the slight sourness of lemon, and the complex salty freshness interwoven from various spices, filling the mouth at once!
(๑＞ᴗ＜๑)
"Delicious!"
"Under the crispy chicken skin, the meat is fresh, tender, and juicy. Every fiber is soaked with mellow flavor... too delicious!" Elma couldn't help clenching her fist and speaking excitedly.
Out of ten, she could give it a hundred!
"Mmm... this Cheese Baked Lobster is so delicious! The lobster meat is baked just right, bouncy, tender, and refreshing. The burnt aroma of minced garlic melts into the rich milky cheese... one bite fills the mouth with mellow fragrance!"
"Ah... super awesome!"
"Incredible!"
"Christmas turkey without sticky rice..."
Kyon-Kyon got up from her chair, leaned forward, and picked herself a piece of chicken coated in sauce. She didn't rush to taste it but sat down and looked at her sister, speaking cheerfully:
"Speaking of which, Christmas turkey wouldn't have sticky rice originally, right?"
"Mn, that's the traditional way." Ran-Ran was eating Snow Lotus Seed and White Fungus Soup in small bites, turned her head upon hearing this, and responded softly.
Having said that, both sisters felt a little touched in their hearts.
"..."
On the other side, Ryohei's table—
Minos tasted the chicken meat of the Christmas turkey, got up, scooped herself a spoonful of steaming stuffing with a spoon, and put it into her mouth expectantly—
The lines on her face instantly became softer!
"Truly... too delicious!"
The sticky rice had soaked up the essence juices and rich grease from the turkey's abdominal cavity. Each grain was oily and shiny, dense and glutinous upon entry, gently lingering between the lips and teeth, bringing a solid sense of satisfaction.
The chopped sausage released salty and fresh meat fragrance, moist with grease, distinct grains when chewing, getting more fragrant the more chewed.
Diced shiitake mushrooms were bouncy, tender, and delicious, oozing mellow and profound mushroom umami.
Corn kernels were sweet, crisp, and tender, bursting with fine juice with a "pop" the moment bitten open. Diced carrots had long been simmered soft, leaving only a touch of sweetness, almost merging into the sticky rice.
And the most wonderful was the fully cooked diced apple!
Warm and soft like honey, quietly rippling out a wisp of fresh and gentle fruity acidity and sweetness after the salty, fragrant, and rich flavor.
Like a breeze passing through the hall, it brushed away the greasiness of the stuffing just right...
"..."
Minos felt as if she had traveled through time and space to a strange world full of fantasy gourmet food.
And she became a Gourmet Hunter pursuing ultimate deliciousness!
This day—
Wearing a battle skirt convenient for movement and holding a giant sword, she stepped alone into a fertile forest filled with the burnt aroma of roasted food and the fragrance of spices.
Not far in, a colossal giant bird close to three meters in size, with an enticing golden-brown crispy skin all over, lustrous and seemingly perfectly roasted, appeared before her eyes!
"Oh ho—! It's a Christmas Turkey!" Minos looked at the giant bird in front of her with shining eyes.
This was a rare poultry that naturally achieved "perfect aging" without extra cooking.
During its growth process, a portion of "secret recipe sticky rice" soaking up its essence and with unparalleled flavor would naturally be bred in its body, a delicacy dreamed of by countless Gourmet Hunters!
"Cluck cluck da—!"
Seeming disturbed by the intruder, the Christmas Turkey let out a muffled and warning cry.
It lowered its body covered with crispy skin slightly, sharp claws digging deep into the soil, plowing out several deep grooves—assuming an attacking posture!
"This needs a quick battle..."
Because once it got emotional, the delicious meat juices in its body would boil, causing the meat to shrink and become tough...
The moment the thought flashed, Minos's figure shot out like an arrow leaving the string.
The battle skirt fluttered in the gust. She suddenly cut into the giant bird's blind spot. The giant sword in her hand carried the momentum of breaking through the air, swinging out a simple and chilling arc of light.
The Christmas Turkey only had time to widen its obsidian-like eyes, the last cold glint reflected in its pupils.
The next moment—
Its huge head flew high up!
There was no scene of blood splashing.
From the cross-section of the neck, what spewed out was scalding, rich composite aroma almost condensing into substance—
The aroma of skin and fat roasted to crispy burnt perfection, the scalding meat juices soaked with herbal essence, and the intoxicating fragrance emitted by the sticky rice stewed to thorough doneness in the belly...
Heat rose in curls, as if offering a grand praise for this one-hit-kill hunt!
~~~
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