Shokugeki: Start with an izakaya, making everyone cry

Hidden in a bustling corner of the city is a dessert shop called "Sweet Secret".

This small shop, with its chic decoration and exquisite desserts, has become a sweet paradise in the hearts of local residents and tourists.

Go inside the store.

The first thing that catches your eye is the warm lighting and soft sofa.

The walls are covered with softly colored murals depicting all kinds of sweet food and dreamy scenes, making people feel as if they are in a sweet dream.

The music in the store is soft and soothing, adding a touch of tranquility and comfort to the space.

Dessert table.

There are a variety of desserts on it.

From classic French macarons to creative matcha mousse, each one is so exquisite that you can't take your eyes off it.

The desserts are harmoniously colored and in various shapes, like works of art, which will captivate you with their beauty before you even taste them.

At the same time, there is a small reading area in the corner! Various books and magazines about desserts are placed here, so that diners can immerse themselves in the ocean of knowledge while enjoying desserts.

……

At this moment, it is night.

When Kobayashi Ryudo was defeated by Saiba Chaoyang, the same story of the confrontation between the Ten Greatest Totsuki and the Late-night Cook was also unfolding in this dessert shop!

Western cakes are Western-style snacks and pastries from Western countries.

Generally speaking, flour, oil, eggs, sugar, dairy products, etc. are the main raw materials, supplemented with various additives.

It is made according to a specific technique and is an important part of Western cuisine.

The range is very wide, including shortbread, pies, tarts, cookies, biscuits, puffs, jelly, mousse and so on.

What’s even more interesting is that although there are many varieties, they all have no fixed shape, pattern or size. They can be mass-produced by machines, or they can be hand-made into various novel styles based on the chef’s creativity and skills.

Standing opposite the late-night cook Barney Hale is a young boy who often holds a teddy bear.

Although she is already a third-year student in the senior department, she looks petite, quiet and doesn't talk much.

Ah!

Just from the appearance.

It always gives people a sense of surprise.

This made Banil very suspicious. Could this kind of person with such a small body really be the fourth among the current top ten of Totsuki?

……

"I don't know why you, the students of Totsuki, would take the initiative to pick a fight at this critical moment?"

"But in this cooking showdown, I will never give up so easily!"

Banilhall said with a firm look.

"Ok!"

"Without further ado."

Akane Kubo Momo, however, hugged her teddy bear tightly, her tone sounding a little impatient.

Afterwards, she turned back to the cooking table and started making the desserts she was best at!

The ingredients prepared are more common: butter, powdered sugar, fine sugar, salt, eggs, milk, milk powder, low-gluten flour, almond powder, vanilla extract...

In addition to these common ingredients, there are also some tools, measuring spoons, electric whisks, rubber spatulas, piping nozzles, piping bags, heart-shaped round molds, and ovens.

In fact.

In terms of dessert cuisine.

Akane Kubo Momo, who has a high level of attainment, is usually very skilled in using these ingredients and tools.

I saw her put the water into the freezer for a while, and then took out the ice water and cream. Cream cannot be frozen in the freezer, but must be placed in the refrigerator. This is common sense in making desserts.

Akane Kubo Momo took the lead, and her skillful movements shocked everyone from the beginning.

Pour the cream into a clean container, add white sugar, and even add a few milliliters of rum to enhance the taste of the cream.

This is a distilled liquor produced from sugarcane molasses.

It will make the aroma of the cream more fragrant.

Place the container containing the cream in ice water and use an electric whisk to beat the white sugar at a low speed for about a few dozen seconds.

Then, Akane Kubo Momo turned the whisk to high speed and stirred until clear lines could be seen.

Then continue stirring while observing, and finally you will be able to lift it and pull it out into a sharp angle without falling. At this point the cream is very smooth and is done.

"It's so fast..."

"Is this the power of the Ten Great Masters of Totsuki?"

"I didn't expect that Akane Kubo Momo from the fourth seat could make this simple cream in about a minute."

"Also, the aroma of the cream wafting out is so fragrant and sweet!"

“It’s really an eye-opener!”

"I see, the role of rum is to enhance the aroma of butter, amazing. This technique is really amazing."

The exciting cooking competition had only lasted for over a minute, but all the employees in the dessert shop, including the experienced dessert chefs, were stunned!

Especially her cream making, which makes people marvel at it.

……

the other side.

Banil seemed surprised by Tao's performance.

However, she quickly calmed down, and after sorting out her emotions, she immediately started cooking.

The first thing to consider is the ingredients for the dessert: medium-gluten flour, ghee, low-gluten flour, barbecued pork, sesame seeds, powdered sugar, water, barbecued pork sauce, and egg yolks.

Next, preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Mix all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons of ghee and water into a dough. Mix cake flour and 5 tablespoons of ghee into a dough.

Since her special ability is [Brutal Cooking], she uses sadistic methods to make the food more delicious.

Therefore.

Her dough kneading skills are just insane.

Rubbing, beating, and even pulling the dough vigorously, coupled with smooth movements and magical speed, suddenly made the originally bustling dessert shop fall silent.

Everybody was so surprised.

……

Honey BBQ pork crisps.

This is the most popular pastry in Guangdong, China.

The outer layer is golden and crispy, and the inside is filled with fragrant and sweet barbecued pork filling, which is very delicious.

The method of cooking pork with a fork over fire is:

Barbecued pork!

Because the barbecued pork is roasted directly over an open flame, the lean tenderloin will appear dry.

So, on this basis, Banilhayel changed the tenderloin into half fat and half lean meat, and spread maltose on the surface.

In this way, during the barbecue process, the decomposed oil and maltose can alleviate the fire and prevent it from drying out, and it has a sweet aroma.

Fragrant.

sweet.

fresh.

A bit dry even, but still a bit salty.

If we use the phrase "salty and fragrant with a slight sweetness, lean but not dry and chewy" to describe Banilhae's barbecued pork, it would be the most appropriate!

Then cut the barbecued pork into small slices, thicken with flour to make the barbecued pork honey sauce filling and set aside.

Add appropriate amount of flour, eggs, sugar, lard and water to knead into a smooth dough, roll it out thinly, fold it back and forth 3 times repeatedly to form a large thin slice, and then cut into thin square pieces.

Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on each piece of puff pastry, brush some egg yolk on the puff pastry, and then roll up the puff pastry to wrap it.

Press the puff pastry on both sides to seal, then apply egg yolk liquid and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Place the barbecued pork puffs on a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until golden and crispy.

The method is simple.

However, the taste of this honey-glazed barbecued pork pastry is quite extraordinary.

You should know that this dessert evolved from the dishes in the Manchu-Han Banquet.

In other words, barbecued pork has different cooking methods in different parts of China. To make honey-glazed barbecued pork and puff pastry, slice the barbecued pork, wrap it in puff pastry and bake it until cooked.

The product is sweet and crispy, sweet but not greasy.

"What kind of dessert is this?"

“Honey-glazed barbecued pork puffs?”

“It’s actually a dessert where the barbecued pork is surrounded by puff pastry?”

"Well, try it."

There is a bit of surprise and expectation.

Finally, the judges in charge of reviewing this cooking competition picked up a small piece of honey barbecued pork crisps and savored them carefully.

It melts in your mouth, the crust is crispy, and it is sweet but not greasy. This is the feeling you get when you take a light bite.

However, the incredible thing is yet to come.

The barbecued pork is made with pork belly. The fat shreds will be melted after roasting, making the meat taste more fragrant and tender but not greasy. As you keep chewing it, the gravy inside will burst out explosively.

The unexpected impact stunned the judges on the spot!

Their brains couldn't help but short-circuit.

It has a sweet and fresh taste with the flavor of barbecued pork, and the biggest highlight is the crispy texture of barbecued pork.

Whether it's vision, smell, taste, or feeling, the inherent image of this dish can be overturned time and time again.

"This... is such an amazing dessert!"

“I didn’t expect that the taste of meat could be permeated into desserts. It’s amazing, really amazing.”

“Although the taste is complex and delicious, if you chew it carefully, you can still feel that the barbecued pork has been completely melted after being roasted, making the meat taste more fragrant and tender but not greasy.”

"Not only that."

"The puff pastry is made from a mixture of low-gluten flour and milk powder, and is delicious and crispy."

“Even if it loses some of its flavor after being cooled, it still retains its delicious taste.”

“This is truly an unprecedented dessert!”

These judges almost all shouted.

Then, they began to eat voraciously, fearing that such delicious food would be snatched away by others.

Looking at the reactions of these people, Banilhall couldn't help but smile faintly. What she wanted was to deprive these people of their sense of taste, so that all the judges could think about was this honey-glazed barbecued pork crispy dish.

Only by grasping this point deeply, even if the opponent is the current fourth seat of Totsuki, what does it matter?

Just use brutal means to make extremely delicious dishes.

Then.

She will definitely win this game!

……

Just when Banilhall fell silent.

Suddenly, a delicate hand cautiously tugged at the corner of his clothes from behind.

Akane Kubo Momo, who was petite and usually quiet, was holding a doll. She was blinking her watery eyes and staring blankly at Banil in front of her: "Can I have a taste of your honey-glazed barbecued pork crisps?"

It can be seen that Akane Kubo, who strives hard to pursue the "cute" element, became excited because of Bannihaier's honey-glazed barbecued pork crispy dish!

Her cheeks were flushed and she looked very anxious.

After all, Momo Akane Kubo is good at desserts, mainly cakes and pastries. In this year's school festival high-rise area, she won the first place in sales.

Of course, we know very well that the so-called honey barbecued pork puff is actually a common dessert from Chinese cuisine.

Seeing these judges enjoying their food so much, Akane Kubo couldn't help but be moved!

Although.

She is not as greedy as Kobayashi Ryodan.

But she must have felt very uncomfortable seeing such delicious desserts but not being able to taste them.

So she blinked and just kept staring at Banil.

Banil, who was also a girl, was stunned for a long time, and finally said: "Okay, there are a few more here!"

"Thank you."

Hearing this, Akane Kubo Momo's eyes lit up.

Then, she took the honey-glazed barbecued pork puffs from Banil with excitement on her face and couldn't wait to take a bite.

“Wow, delicious.”

Her little mouth was slightly pouting, and the explosive fragrance lingered in Akane Kubo Momo's mouth all the time.

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy. From the honey-glazed barbecued pork crisps of Bannihaier, Akane Kubo Momo knew that she had already lost before she even took out the cookies.

She felt helpless when she thought about how she had underestimated the late-night cook just now.

Yes!

Even I lost.

As for the top ten heroes such as Kobayashi Ryudo, Kinokunokuni Nene, Kuga Teruki, etc., it is naturally difficult for them to stand a chance of winning.

"Well, I don't think I can compare to Banilhall."

“So… I admit defeat in advance in this cooking competition with the late-night chef.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire dessert shop fell silent.

……

Sweet and Sour Pork.

A representative dish of the cuisine!

There are many different opinions about the origin of this dish.

The view that is more widely accepted is that during the war in the Central Plains in ancient times, a group of people from Henan traveled from the Central Plains to Guangdong, settled in the area of ​​present-day Meizhou, and became the Hakka people!

During the Chinese New Year, the Hakka people still retain the "crispy meat" that their ancestors made during the Chinese New Year in Henan. It is pork belly cut into pieces, coated with flour and fried until fragrant.

However, the Hakka people made some improvements when they made it.

Cut the pork belly into pieces, coat them with flour and fry them until fragrant, then stir-fry sugar color.

Then, while it’s still hot, put the crispy meat pieces into the melted syrup in the pot and roll them into balls. Then turn off the heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and let the syrup solidify.

The result is a plate of meatballs that are covered with syrup on the outside, crispy on the inside, and soft, sweet on the third layer.

Because when making this kind of meatballs, the fried meatballs have to be rolled around to evenly coat them with syrup, people began to call this kind of meat "wheel meat".

Later, when this rustic and simple Hakka cuisine spread to the provincial capital.

Cantonese chefs continued to improve on this.

The first thing they thought of was to mix tomato juice and lemon juice from Western cuisine with syrup to create a sweet and sour taste, which would be better than the purely sweet taste of the meat.

Therefore, after years of improvement and development, the famous sweet and sour sweet and sour pork dish was born and has been passed down to this day!

"Oh?"

"Eighth place among the Ten Greatest."

"From what I know, it seems to be Sichuan cuisine that specializes in spicy food, right?"

In a Chinese restaurant, Don Kama, who is also a late-night chef, took a look at the sweet and sour pork I made and said in amazement.