His Lovable Klutz (Completed)

Segment Twenty.

♥ Bon Appétit ♥

      Coby stood in the kitchen, her determination tangible. This time, she was going to prepare something fancy—something so exquisite that Stefan couldn't possibly criticize her. She had decided on Coq au Vin, a classic French dish that she'd only ever heard about in cooking shows but had never dared to attempt. But today, she was feeling bold, fueled by the need to redeem herself after yesterday's fiasco.

      Standing behind the countertop, Coby opened her phone and began to Google the ingredients and procedures. Her finger hovered over the screen as she scrolled through various recipes. Biting her nail, she squinted at the small print on her phone, mumbling to herself as she tried to make sense of the steps. The screen was crowded with ads and pop-ups, making it difficult for her to focus on the actual recipe. She huffed in frustration, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face as she finally landed on a straightforward recipe.

      "Okay, Coby, you've got this," she whispered to herself, trying to boost her confidence. "Just follow the steps, and don't burn anything."

      Ingredients:

One whole chicken, cut into parts
Salt and pepper (to taste)
¼ cup of flour
6 ounces of bacon (diced)
12 small pearl onions (peeled)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 cups of red wine (preferably Burgundy)
1 cup of chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
8 ounces of mushrooms (sliced)
2 tablespoons of butter
Chopped parsley (for garnish)

      With the ingredients list memorized—or at least mostly memorized—Coby set to work. She pulled the chicken from the fridge, laying it out on the cutting board with the knife poised in her hand. She took a deep breath, recalling the cooking videos she'd watched.

      "Cutting up a chicken can't be that hard, right?" she muttered to herself, gripping the knife a bit too tightly.

      She sliced through the chicken with tentative motions, her face twisted in concentration as she tried to recall where all the joints were. The knife occasionally got stuck, but she managed to wrestle it through, silently hoping Stefan wasn't secretly a vegetarian. Once the chicken was cut into parts, she seasoned it generously with salt and pepper, patting the seasoning into the skin with more confidence than she felt.

      Next, she grabbed a large skillet, setting it on the stove with the heat cranked up a little too high. She added the diced bacon, listening to the sizzle as it hit the hot pan. The smell of frying bacon filled the kitchen, and for a moment, Coby felt like a real chef. She stirred the bacon bits with a wooden spoon, trying to get them as crispy as the recipe described. Once they were browned to perfection, she used a slotted spoon to transfer them onto a plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.

      "Bacon, done," she murmured, wiping her brow dramatically, even though she wasn't sweating yet.

      With the bacon out of the way, it was time for the chicken. She dredged each piece in flour, careful to coat them evenly. When she added the chicken to the hot pan, it hissed and sizzled in the bacon fat, the skin quickly turning a golden brown. Coby flipped the pieces with tongs, doing her best to make sure they cooked evenly. The pan was a little crowded, but she figured that was normal.

      Once the chicken was nicely browned, she added the pearl onions and garlic to the pan, stirring them around until they became fragrant. The kitchen was filled with the smell of garlic, and Coby couldn't help but feel proud of herself. This was going smoothly—almost too smoothly.

      She poured in the red wine with a dramatic flourish, feeling a bit like a TV chef herself. The wine bubbled up in the pan, the deep red liquid swirling around the chicken. Coby stirred in the chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, and tomato paste, giving the mixture a few confident stirs before lowering the heat to let it simmer.