msmithbooks Chapter 36 My God, I'm shocked!
Chapter 36 My God, I'm shocked!
"Alright, stop with the threats. Instead of wasting your time, why don't you figure out what main dish to make? Food has a soul, and the Soviets are already tired of the dishes you copy."
Lin Shuyao finished speaking and turned to prepare for the next round.
Zhang San and Li Si were so angry their chests pounded.
"Master, this little brat is too arrogant! You must beat her decisively later!"
Liu Dazhu, however, pulled himself out of his anger and fell into deep thought.
A few seconds later, he spoke up: "I think she's right about one thing. We not only need to replicate Andre's flavor, but we also need to be creative."
"This is our arrangement for this round..." Liu Dazhu whispered the plan to his two apprentices. Their eyes lit up. "Master, you're the best! I refuse to believe the three of us can't beat this little brat!"
After discussing their plan, the three of them wore confident smiles and returned to their workstations.
Lin Shuyao had already decided on the main course.
She was wearing gloves and handling the ingredients that would be used later.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. Cheng Zheng had entered the kitchen at some point and was standing not far from her, his dark eyes calmly watching her.
Lin Shuyao's heart skipped a beat for no reason. Could that bastard be suspecting something about her again?
Although she had used the priest as an excuse, whether he believed in him or not was another matter.
Lin Shuyao slowed down her chopping speed. Her overly skilled cooking technique could easily arouse suspicion, so she deliberately loosened her wrist and appeared hesitant and clumsy when cutting.
She even slipped and nearly cut her own hand. Her acting was so convincing that it startled her, causing her to let out a gasp. When she looked up again, a shadow fell over her; Cheng Zheng was already standing in front of her, his face stern, his voice harsh: "Don't get distracted when using a knife. Concentrate."
"Who told you to keep staring at me? How could I not be distracted?" Lin Shuyao muttered under her breath, gripping the knife firmly again.
"Use this." Cheng Zheng handed over a pair of scissors, the kind commonly used in Western kitchens for cutting bones and handling hard materials.
"How did you get this?" Lin Shuyao took it, her eyes brightening as she looked at him.
"Gao Tingting borrowed it from someone."
"Oh, I see. I just saw Tingting. She helped me borrow a lot of things for this selection."
"You've said so much already, Liu Dazhu's side is almost finished."
"Ah!" Lin Yao turned her head and saw that Liu Dazhu's pork chops were already being brushed with sauce. Lin Shuyao dared not be distracted any longer and quickly used scissors to speed up the preparation of the dishes.
Cheng Zheng retreated outside.
With him away from the kitchen, Lin Shuyao felt much more at ease. Mainly because he was around, she was always on tenterhooks, having to think over every single thing and word, afraid of arousing his suspicion.
Lin Shuyao's chicken was marinated and ready to go into the oven. Liu Dazhu had already put the pork chops into the oven. When he saw the whole, bare chicken in Lin Shuyao's baking tray, he guessed that she was going to make roast chicken and curled his lips in disdain.
Roast turkey for Thanksgiving is so common and simple.
Zhang San and Li Si's group was also nearing its end, and when they saw Lin Shuyao's chicken, they all looked at her with mockery.
"Comrade Shen, you were just asking us to come up with some ideas, but all you did was make a roast turkey? Have you run out of ideas? Hahaha..."
"You don't actually think that just because the Russians praised you a few times, you're some kind of culinary genius who can bake anything and make it taste delicious, do you? The Russians are sick of your food!"
Lin Shuyao was busy putting the chicken into the oven and didn't bother with the two of them. Her chicken roasting process was very particular about the heat and required adding ingredients halfway through, making it quite complicated.
Zhang San and Li Si, having made a fool of themselves, clicked their tongues and turned away.
Soon it was time for the tasting. With the comparison from the previous round, Ivanov's translator and assistant were very much looking forward to this round of main courses.
The most important thing about grilled food is to eat it while it's hot; the longer it sits, the worse it tastes.
So Liu Dazhu took the lead and served his dish first.
He made a modified version of "Russian roasted pork ribs with apple mustard sauce". The ribs were roasted until the skin was browned and crispy, while the meat inside was tender. They were served with a sauce made from fresh apple puree, Dijon mustard and honey, which was sweet, sour and slightly spicy, and cleverly balanced the greasiness of the pork.
Ivanov's assistant took a bite and his eyes lit up: "This sauce is interesting! The fresh aroma of apples and the slight spiciness of mustard combine perfectly, cutting through the richness and enhancing the flavor. A good idea!"
The translator added, "The ribs were roasted perfectly, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with all the juices locked in. They're on par with Andre's level!"
Hearing these comments, Liu Dazhu stood up straight, his chubby face beaming. He glanced sideways at Lin Shuyao, his smugness almost overflowing.
His dish combines solid traditional Russian culinary skills with ingenious innovation, earning praise even from the Soviets. How could a mere young girl compare?
Steady!
It's absolutely a sure thing!
Zhang San and Li Si replicated "stewed beef in a pot" and "cream-baked lamb chops" according to Ivanov's daily menu.
After tasting it, the translator and assistant gave a neutral evaluation.
Zhang San and Li Si didn't care. As long as their master won, they could get a share of the reward.
After Liu Dazhu and his two apprentices finished reviewing the dishes, it was Lin Shuyao's turn.
All eyes immediately turned to her.
Lin Shuyao also makes grilled dishes.
She placed the baking tray directly on the table. Inside lay a freshly roasted chicken, which looked unremarkable and even small. The skin was roasted to a uniform golden brown and glistened with oil, and that was all. There were no complicated side dishes or fancy sauces surrounding it; it just lay there all alone on the baking tray.
"Pfft—!" Zhang San was the first to burst out laughing. "Roast chicken?! Am I seeing things? Any roast chicken you buy outside looks better than this!"
Li Si shook his head dramatically: "Anyone can make roast chicken! Which Western restaurant doesn't have it? You're going to feed this to Expert Ivanov? He'll probably think you're insulting him!"
The onlookers were also discussing among themselves: "It has to be Master Liu. He plays steadily and surely. The outcome of this round is probably a foregone conclusion."
"I was actually hoping that Comrade Shen would come up with something new this time, but I overestimated her."
"I knew it. In the first round, she beat the veteran with a fluke, a lucky break that just happened to suit the Russians' peculiar tastes. See, the main course exposed her true colors, didn't it?"
"Oh dear, that was expected. They say Chef Liu has been cooking for so many years, how could a mere young girl compare to his skills?"
Liu Dazhu was overjoyed.
He crossed his arms, glanced at Lin Shuyao who was standing silently to the side, and shook his head with a sneer. This girl has a pretty strong mentality. Even at this point, she is still pretending to be calm.
Putting aside the taste of her chicken, the judges spent a few minutes tasting the first three dishes, and now the roast chicken doesn't taste as good as it did when it was fresh out of the oven.
The taste is mediocre and the texture is poor; this dish is destined to fail!
The Soviet translator and assistant looked at the roast chicken on the plate, exchanged glances, and felt as disappointed as their earlier high expectations.
This roast chicken is so different from the salmon tapas appetizer we had earlier.
But out of respect, I symbolically picked up my knife and fork, ready to take a bite.
However, just as the Soviet soldier's knife was about to touch the roast chicken, Lin Shuyao suddenly spoke up: "Wait a minute!"
"Let me cut it for you."
She picked up a sharp knife, stepped forward, and with a flick of her wrist, the blade precisely and gently sliced across the plumpest part of the roast chicken's breast.
A miracle happened.
As the blade sliced through, an indescribable, domineering aroma exploded forth! The rich cheese, like awakened lava, instantly gushed out from the cut, mingling with the deep milky aroma of butter, the succulent meaty aroma of chicken, and the aromas of garlic, rosemary, thyme, and lemon that had been activated by the high temperature.
These aromas blended perfectly, with distinct layers yet seamlessly integrated, instantly captivating everyone's sense of smell and even completely overpowering the aromas of the dishes prepared by Liu Dazhu and his apprentice!
She deliberately stood at the end of the line just to wait for the cheese to melt completely.
That wasn't all. Lin Shuyao took out the plating ingredients she had prepared beforehand and arranged rosemary, pine cones, and various decorations into a landscape full of natural charm and sophisticated aesthetics.
Then she cut the roast chicken into small strips, and selected some to place on a plate. The roast chicken, wrapped in golden cheese, became a small embellishment in the landscape, harmonious and sophisticated.
That's a sophisticated plating style unique to Michelin-starred restaurants!
Everyone was stunned, their mouths agape, their eyes fixed on the newly plated roast chicken, their faces filled with disbelief and shock.
"Was I seeing things? It was clearly a roast chicken, but now it looks like I can't afford it?"
"It's just a few leaves added as garnish, but it looks so appetizing! This Comrade Shen really has some talent!"
Seeing everyone's shocked expressions, Lin Shuyao slightly curled her lips, then used the tip of her knife to pick up a small piece of chicken breast wrapped in cheese, with a crispy cheese skin and tender meat, and gently placed it on a small plate, handing it to the translator and assistant.
"Please enjoy it while it's hot, be careful, it'll burn you," she gently reminded him.
The assistant and translator took it in a daze and put it in their mouths.
The next second, their eyes widened simultaneously, filled with undisguised shock and ecstasy.
"Oh my god! This is the best roast chicken I've ever had! I never imagined roast chicken could taste and texture like this!"
"It's so delicious! So incredibly tasty! Thank God I've been able to taste such heavenly delicacies; I have no regrets in this life!"
After exclaiming in admiration, the translator suddenly snapped back to reality and stood up excitedly: "Quick! Go and invite Expert Ivanov! We must get him to try this dish no matter what! I have a feeling he'll absolutely love it! No, he'll be absolutely amazed!"
Someone immediately ran off to fetch an expert.
The Soviet translator couldn't even wait for the experts and announced the result directly: "In this round of main course selection, this lady's roast chicken is the best!"
Upon hearing this result, Liu Dazhu's smugness and radiance vanished completely. He staggered back a step as if struck by lightning, unable to believe it. How could this be?!
Zhang San and Li Si were so shocked that their mouths were agape and their jaws almost dislocated. How could this be?
How could this blond girl possibly make the best food?!
"No... I refuse to accept this!"
Liu Dazhu couldn't accept this result and roared, "She must have been cheating! It's all a gimmick! The essence of cooking is still taste and skill! When it comes to solid culinary skills, it's definitely me...me!"