Class-F Girl

Admit, Repent, Bake II

THIRD PERSON'S POV

Dinala ni Mike sina Xyra sa likod ng shop kung saan matatagpuan ang kitchen. "What dessert was assigned to you?" sagot ni Mike habang binubuksan ang pantry. Lumapit sina Xyra and Leon malapit sa pintuan, "Cranberry Blueberry Pie" sagot ni Xyra. Kumuha si Mike ng woven basket mula sa stack na makikita sa right side of the pantry. Inilagay niya ang flour, sugar, salt, lemon, cornstarch, and heavy cream. Inabot niya ito kay Xyra, "Here you go, I am going to get the butter, frozen cranberries and blueberries in the freezer," saad ni Mike at tumungo na sa refrigerator malapit sa kitchen table top.

Inilagay ni Xyra ang ingredients sa granite table na pinapaligiran ng dalawang upuan. Hindi maiwasan mag-alala ni Leon sapagkat naaalala niya ang luto ni Xyra noong kaarawan ni Erin at nilamig ang katawan niya ng ilang segundo. "X-xyra, I think I am not capable of tasting your pie. I don't know how to cook so it might be great if Mike is the only one who will taste it," saad niya at napakamot ng ulo. Tumingin lang si Xyra habang nakangiti na nagsasaad na hindi makakatakas si Leon.

(ಥ﹏ಥ)

"Sabi ko nga titikman ko eh hahaha...ha..ha" tugon ni Leon at umupo na lamang at ipinatong ang ulo at braso sa mesa. Hindi napigilan ni Xyra na tumawa, "Leo, alam mo naman na allergic ako sa cranberries, so I need your to help. Please taste it in order to make sure that it is okay". Napabuntong hininga si Leon, "Sige na nga". Bumalik na si Mike sa table at inilagay ang frozen cranberries at blueberries sa harap nila kasama ang ibang ingredients.

Napansin ni Mike na parang hindi mapakali si Leon, "Bro, you look like you are more nervous than Xyra in this competition. Are you good?" tanong niya. Lumapit si Leon kay Mike at bumulong, "Yes I am! You never tasted her dish before щ（ﾟДﾟщ）". Mike chuckled, "Relax, I'll make sure we won't die of food poisoning," sagot niya. Kinuha niya mula sa cabinet ang tools and materials, "Xyra, let's wash our hands and start with the dough. We can worry about the filling later on. You can wear this apron by the way," saad at ibinigay ang materials kay Xyra.

"I want you to follow my lead. I will provide some tips for you to keep in mind," saad niya at kinuha ang food processor. "Alright, I will try my best," tugon ni Xyra. Nag simula sila sa paglalagay ng flour, sugar, salt sa food processor. "Now we have to add butter. Remember to use a very cold stick of butter in order for the dough to be flaky. The pockets of air will create the flakiness. Make sure to leave some chunks when you mix it. By the way, we have to limit the ice water in order to avoid a tender crust. " paliwanag ni Mike habang hinahati ang butter gamit ang knife.

Xyra's POV

"Here you go, I want you to pinch the dough. Check if it sticks together," he said. I am so nervous right now because I am so scared that I will mess this up. I followed his instructions and I put my finger on the dough. Noong ginawa niya iyon, I can see what he was talking about. Tumingin naman si Leon sa gawa namin pareho. Lumapit siya sa akin, "Hey, did yours work?" tanong niya. Sadly, hindi siya dumikit. "Oh no, uhm, it didn't stick together," sagot ko. Lumapit na rin si Mike at tiningnan ang nagawa ko, "Don't worry it just needs some water.  Add a couple of teaspoons," he explained while smiling.

After a while, nagawa na namin ang dough. Wala talaga akong talent sa ganito. I can't help but sigh. "Nice job Xyra! Now, let's move on to the filling. I can give you the basic measurements but the taste needs to be unique so we need to do some trials where Leon and I can taste it," saad niya at kumuha ng pan. "Since you can't taste it because of your allergy, I want you to follow the measurements and provide us some different batches where you tweak some of it. Also, remember the consistency, color and smell," sabi niya. I nodded and read the recipe he gave me.