hotmtlnovel Chapter 4130 When the Pumpkin Ripens (2)
Chapter 4130 When the Pumpkin Ripens (2)
Chapter 4130 When the Pumpkins Ripen (Part 12)
Around noon, the wind picked up again outside. This time, the strong wind couldn't disperse the dark clouds, and soon a torrential downpour began. However, the stronger the wind and rain outside, the warmer and more comfortable it felt inside.
The preliminary preparations for the dessert are almost complete: the white chocolate shells are kept warm in the freezer, the sauce and wafers are ready, and the chestnut puree has been made. All that's left is to assemble it before leaving tonight.
Then they started preparing lunch together. Main universe Batman and Barry went into the woods to chop some more firewood, while Greed took out the free-range chicken he had brought from Marvel, put it in a pot to stew with chestnuts, and added some potatoes and peppers. The whole house was filled with the rich aroma of meat.
While Greed was making the stew, Pride cut off a piece of pumpkin. He then discovered that the pumpkin was indeed as good as others had said—just leaving it in the yard, although the cut area had darkened a bit, once a small portion was peeled off, the flesh inside was still tender and looked completely fresh, without any signs of spoilage.
Cook millet and rice into porridge, then scoop out the pumpkin flesh with a spoon and put it in. Mash it in the pot until the whole pumpkin dissolves into the porridge. Slowly cook until it becomes very thick. No sugar needs to be added; it has a slightly sweet aroma.
Next, cut the pumpkin into triangular pieces, top with fish fillets, shrimp, and green peppers, drizzle with white sauce and hot sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and bake in the oven. This is a Gotham specialty snack often found in dockside restaurants: large chunks of pumpkin are filling, the seafood is delicious, and the cheese provides ample energy, making it very popular with manual laborers.
Then there's the refreshing arugula. Just add some sauce and mix it up, and you have a refreshing and palatable arugula salad.
After the meal was prepared, the group gathered around the fireplace to eat. The main dish was a large pot of stewed chicken with chestnuts, the staple food was baked pumpkin with seafood and porridge, and the vegetable dish was arugula.
Don't be fooled by Batman's apparent aversion to spicy food; he can eat chili peppers without batting an eye, it's unclear whether he's genuinely resistant to spice or just putting on a brave face. Barry, on the other hand, is incredibly good at handling spice, clearly having eaten plenty of dockside snacks growing up.
Because of its coastal location and relatively damp and cold climate, Gotham's cuisine is similar to strongly flavored Spanish food, with various spicy sauces paired with seafood. Also, due to the presence of Italian immigrants, they quite enjoy tomatoes and cheese. Perhaps hardship breeds art; even a madman like the Joker, after defeating Batman, still goes grocery shopping and cooks at home. Therefore, compared to the East Coast, Gotham can be considered a culinary capital, especially the area around the former East Wharf, which was truly a vibrant and diverse food scene.
“When I was a kid, I loved running to the docks,” Barry said as he ate. “At home, my parents didn’t like me eating hot sauce because it would make them red-faced and cough. They also said that eating too much chili would cause hair loss—how could that be!”
"When I was in school, my classmate and I would run to the docks. His dad worked in a warehouse there. After we finished our homework, we'd go to the food street next door to eat. There was a place there that grilled octopus, and it was absolutely delicious. Jason recommended it to me. The octopus wasn't dry at all; it felt like it was still alive when you bit into it, so tender it made you want to kick your legs. Their sauce was Mexican-style. The first time I ate it, it was so spicy I almost jumped into the sea, but I fell in love with the taste afterward..."
Arrogance had actually eaten at some dockside restaurants. These restaurants offered large portions at reasonable prices, and almost every restaurant had its own specialty dish, with a wide variety of ingredients; unlike some upscale restaurants in the West or South, where all the menus were pretty much the same, either small ribs or various kinds of fish, and even the desserts were very formulaic, basically just layers of small cakes with different flavors, offering no surprises.
Of all the dishes on this table today, besides the braised chicken with chestnuts, the most popular was the baked seafood with pumpkin. As for cheese, I don't know who invented it, but it's delicious no matter how you eat it, and it goes well with everything; if you don't like one kind, just try another—there's always a cheese that's good.
Gotham didn't have many natural plants before, let alone chestnut trees, so people here basically didn't eat chestnuts. Batman hadn't eaten many either; most of the chestnuts he'd had before were in desserts, and they were all mashed up so finely that you couldn't taste the original texture at all.
The chestnuts in the chestnut stewed chicken were simply peeled and tossed in, giving them a powdery texture with a slight chewiness. The main universe's Batman clearly loved the taste, even taking a bag of chestnuts with him when he left. Barry also took some, saying he wanted to bring them home for his parents to try.
There was about half a box of chestnuts left. Arrogance did the math and figured he could give some to acquaintances, especially Pamela, who might be able to eat fist-sized chestnuts next year.
Because of the storm and the inability to go out, Arrogant simply divided the chestnuts up, planning to bring them to the performance that evening.
As the theater doors were about to open, Pride and Greed began assembling the dessert. This dessert was essentially a white chocolate shell filled with various sauces and fillings: first a base of chestnut puree, then a layer of crisp wafers, a drizzle of sauce, another layer of crushed wafers, and finally a sprinkle of lemon zest. A squeeze of lemon juice was also added to balance the sweetness.
After assembling, close the gaps with chocolate, spread some chocolate sauce on the outside, and sprinkle with coconut flakes. This makes it somewhat like Ferrero Rocher, but without the same intense chocolate flavor—the main flavor is a sweet lemon scent, while the chestnut puree adds a satisfying texture, and the crispy wafer is fun to chew. Considering it's for children, Greed also sprinkled a layer of popping candy on the outside.
After they are done, they are placed into individual paper cups, and then into cardstock, one radish at a time, one hole at a time. They are then stacked up and placed in a basket.
In this kind of weather, driving was a must. Arrogance went to the garage to get the car, Greed took everything and put it in the trunk, and the two of them drove towards the theater.
They had thought the bad weather might affect their performance, but when they arrived, both large and small parking spaces were full. They had to settle for a spot further away before they could find a parking place.
The parking lot was quite far, requiring a walk in the rain, so Greed used Gray Mist to carry Pride upstairs with him. Thanks to Pride—a loyal theatergoer who attended almost every performance and offered many suggestions to the troupe—he had a box on the second floor.
Batman from the main universe also arrived, and Pride gave him a ticket, so he went to Pride's box. Then came Bruce and Alberto, but they went to the next box with Oliver and Pamela.
Not long after, Gordon and his group arrived, but they didn't have a private room and were in the lobby downstairs. Seeing that it was almost time, Arrogance went down to greet them.
Of course, the main task was to hand out candy. Just as Greed had predicted, the schools were already on Halloween holiday, so the children naturally came along. The audience on the first floor was mostly families, and Greed's desserts were incredibly popular.
Anyone who's been a parent knows that the time before a movie starts is the most agonizing – most kids don't understand why the movie can't start right away, so they'll keep asking, sometimes as often as once every few seconds. To shut them up, even the strictest parents might buy them popcorn or fries.
The allure of candy has saved countless parents from buying snacks. Theaters, unlike movie theaters, aren't as casual; you can't just show up with popcorn and a soda. But those little candies don't effectively distract children.
The chocolate balls brought by greed weren't very big, and they looked rather elegant, perfect for the theater environment. Most importantly, they were more like toys than candy. When children got these candies, they wouldn't eat them immediately: they'd take a bite to examine the inside, or find the seam and break it in half to lick it, or they'd start picking up the coconut flakes that had fallen on their clothes. Two candies could last for ten minutes or so, and by the time they were finished, the show would have started.
Arrogance took all the candy and it was gone in an instant. When he came back, he said, "You were right, we should have made more. This is not enough at all. Two of the children are about to cry."
"That's because you've never given them candy before, and you made them cry with gratitude, right?" Greed snorted. "You have absolutely no idea how to please children. I'm different. All the kids at Arkham Asylum listen to me. I'm the king of the kids."
"Why did you name your nursing home this?" the main universe Batman finally couldn't help but ask. "Every time you talk about this nursing home..."
"Will it bring back a lot of bad memories for you?"
"No, not at all. I always think it would be great if you could be the director of Arkham Asylum."
“The one who’s gone mad is probably the Joker,” Arrogant said, sitting down. “We used to manage Arkham Asylum here, and he was the one filling in back then. It was a complete mess.”
"That's slander! Under my management, Arkham Asylum is perfectly well-organized..."
"Yeah, the mentally ill have all been discharged, and the place is full of gang leaders. How could the order be bad?"
The group chatted as they watched the play, and soon they reached the climax. Selena, dressed in a long gown, walked and sang, her powerful voice resonating throughout the theater. As the first high note faded, the entire theater erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Taking advantage of this moment, Bruce slipped into the VIP box where Arrogance was, dangling the sparkling engagement ring on his middle finger: "She's really special, isn't she? Even if there are countless Selenas in countless universes, my fiancée is the most special one. It's not just that she's beautiful, or that her profession is different from others—can you imagine? Her confidence is innate, as if she was born to be the center of attention. Everyone who sees her performance will believe in fate, they will believe that some people in this world are born to be superstars..."