The last person to get scored was Tang Liang.
When his bowl of pho was shown on screen, the audience let out a gasp; some even drooled on the spot.
His plating was so beautiful; the seemingly common noodles dish had become a piece of art from a high-cla.s.s restaurant. Just by looking at it, the spectators could only a.s.sume how flavorful and delicious it could be.
“Look what we have here. A shrimp pho.” He Haotian’s eyes lit up. Without another word, he gave it a taste and was extremely pleased by its deliciousness.
“Even though this pho doesn’t start with beef bones and simmered for hours, it uses the same balance of flavors that make traditional pho so delicious. A bit of ginger, tangy lime, a touch of sweetness, umami soy sauce, and a foundation of onion and garlic flavor.”
“It has a subtly sweet and aromatic broth, tender to bite rice noodles and fresh, vibrant garnishes including lime and jalapeño. A heap of parsley added made it more aromatic.” Han Yixin was totally conquered by Tang Liang’s shrimp pho.
“I think this is the best bowl of pho I’ve eaten today. It’s almost perfect if only the chef added extra jalapeno to make it a little more on the spicy side. Nevertheless, the flavors complemented each other well.” Lu Xinyi smiled. She knew whoever made it would have such a level of confidence and skills to be able to do such a complicated noodle dish.
When the blind taste-test was done, the names of the fourteen students appeared on the screen with the tally of their points for the first dish. It wasn’t surprising to see Yan Chen on number-two, but when Tang Liang placed first in the ranks, everyone looked towards the young man who was seemingly ordinary without anything outstanding except his looks.
He easily became the center of attention.
“Wow, a Tang managed to win the first round toppling Yan Chen and Ye Xieren on the top ranks.”
“It’s a pity that Yan Chen didn’t win this round, but just looking and listening to the judges’ comments, it’s not surprising that they loved Tang Liang’s Shrimp Pho.”
At this time, Ye Xieren turned his head to the VIP seats and looked at Madam Li and Li Yuren’s direction. He wondered if his sponsors were disappointed with his performance, but when the woman saw him, she smiled back and waved a hand at him while Li Yuren ignored his stare.
“Don’t celebrate yet as we’re about to start judging your Banh flans,” Huo Meili reminded everyone. “The top 5 students who’ll dominate today’s selection will advance to the second round together with the top 5 students from senior division.”
A fifteen-minute break was given to the judges to prepare for the second blind taste-test while the academy staff placed fourteen plates of Banh flan to the table. This was the thing Lu Xinyi had been waiting for! She couldn’t wait to taste those beautiful flans waiting for them to taste.
“We are about to start the final leg for today’s selection. Judges, please start blind tasting,” Huo Meili said with a cheery voice.
Since He Haotian was senior of the three, Lu Xinyi and Han Yixin let him take a spoonful of the first Banh flan before taking their turns.
“For the perfect creme caramel, one should get the caramel right from the start. One should make sure that the temperature is right when cooking it. Transforming the sugar into caramel, there’s so much that could go wrong,” He Haotian said before tasting the first Banh flan. He didn’t say any comment but wrote down to his evaluation paper before proceeding to the next round.
For Lu Xinyi, the first five Banh flans didn’t achieve the perfect texture and were overly sweetened; and the caramel was burnt. It was either the flan was too soft or too firm. However, once they reached the sixth plate, she let out a low whistle seeing a green Banh flan.
Aside from its different color from the rest, the beautifully spun sugar thread on top was quite spectacular to see, with thin slices of ripe mangoes placed beside the flan. Instead of using the usual dark-colored caramel, the flan had clear sugar syrup on it. This gave the impression to the judges that the chef was also skillful in making desserts.
“Pretty impressive,” Han Yixin muttered beside her. Banh flan was a complex but delicate dessert, and it was cooked by steaming it. The possibility of having a middle undercooked was quite high.
The three took a taste and nodded, pleased by how the layers of flavors unveiled and hit their taste buds.
“Fresh pandan leaves were incorporated into the coconut milk which gave a tropical twist on this cla.s.sic flan. The caramel is light and sweet, which works well with the flan,” Lu Xinyi said.
The flan was so smooth, and it slid down on her throat easily. That was the texture of the Banh flan they were looking for. It was not too soft but not too firm.
“I hope the two of you know, by now, how to make a perfect caramel for Banh flans.” The man almost groaned when he remembered the failed caramels of the first five flans. They might not look like they were burnt, but that bitterness couldn’t be hidden by the sweetness of their flans.
“Two cups of sugar and one cup of water or 2 is 1 ratio,” Han Yixin answered, “There are two different basic kinds of caramel: a wet caramel, where sugar is melted with water then cooked, and a dry caramel, where sugar is cooked by itself until it liquefies and caramelizes. Because sugar is partially water, heat liquefies it. That’s why many low-fat desserts are full of sugar. Sugar makes things moist.”
“But it’s tricky, especially for beginners. When can you tell when it’s done?” The two-star Michelin asked his apprentice.
Lu Xinyi arched a brow at him. Why was he suddenly interested in these specifics anyway?
“The first is getting it to just the right color; no more, no less. The color can be best described as that of an old copper penny. Perfect caramel should be cooked until it’s dark, reddish-brown and just past the point where it starts to smoke.”
What she didn’t say was she relied on her nose and took a sniff once it began to turn amber-colored, and darken. By keeping her attention on the aroma coming from the caramel, it’s fairly easy for her to gauge when it goes from being slightly-cooked…to almost-there… to deep, rich-caramel perfection.