Last but not the least, Huang Shenghao’s Honey Yogurt Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Sauce. Upon seeing it, Lu Xinyi thought how her plating was subpar to this man! She pursed her lips and tried not to frown from her own silliness.
Did she not receive enough creativity or artistic genes from her parents? Why couldn’t she come up with this kind of elegant-looking dishes pa.s.sable as restaurant or magazine cover dishes?
She chided herself. This wasn’t the time for self-pity!
At that time, He Haotian lowered his fork and eyed the dessert.
“Seeing the plating of this dish—when you look at it, would you still have the mood to eat it?” He murmured beside his apprentice.
Lu Xinyi nodded. She couldn’t blame her mentor for thinking the same thing. Just the colors alone made it a visually stunning dessert, and she bet that it tasted just as stunning.
For the dessert, Huang Shenghao prepared three individual plates for each judge. At the center of the white pristine plate lay the silky snow-white panna cotta topped with a few ribbons of mint leaves, and on one side was the b.l.o.o.d.y red sauce that gave a contrast against the white dessert.
Taking a spoonful of the panna cotta with a little blood orange sauce, Lu Xinyi put it in her mouth and was completely entranced! It was pretty freakin’ delicious!
Panna Cotta was one of her favorite desserts. She’d always made it with heavy cream which makes her feel like she’s eating thousands of calories in one seating. A panna cotta with a blood orange sauce was a fun change-up.
Panna cotta called for just a few ingredients and produced the perfect silky-smooth base for all manner of seasonal fruits. Lu Xinyi just didn’t realize that Blood Oranges could also be used on it. Citrus fruits were in season in the winter, no wonder Huang Shenghao used Blood Oranges. Blood Oranges’ flavor was rich and deep, almost berry-like rather than citrusy.
Thinking about it, blood orange sauce could be used for cheesecakes, pudding, and any rich desserts. Using it on a panna cotta wouldn’t be a problem at all. The blood-orange sauce provides a sweet-tart counterpoint to the Panna cotta’s sweetness.
Like the previous dish, the judges refused to leave comments on their Panna Cotta and moved to the next kitchen counter in silence. It was Tian Lingyu and Ye Xieren’s turn to present their full-course meal.
On their kitchen counter, four dishes were presented.
“For the appetizer, we have the cla.s.sic Bread and Tomato Soup, for the first course, we prepared Handmade Tortellini in a rich cheese sauce. The second course will be Beef Braised in Red Wine, and lastly, for dessert, we have tiramisu,” Tian Lingyu explained as he watched Lu Xinyi and He Haotian nibbling a slice of toasted crostini with cream cheese.
His right eye twitched. This master and apprentice pair was really something. Don’t know if He Haotian or his little sister was the shameless one, but both ignored his explanation as they fought for the jar of herb-infused cream cheese Ye Xieren prepared.
As if sensing his irritation, Headmistress Han cleared her throat to get Chef He and Lu Xinyi’s attention. Lu Xinyi mouthed an apology to their headmistress while He Haotian took the chance to slather more cream cheese on his crostini.
“You didn’t need to prepare an amuse-bouche for us, but I appreciate your effort. This cream cheese is satisfying.” Chef He told Tian Lingyu while Ye Xieren beamed a smile for being praised. Although the idea and the recipe came from Tian Lingyu, he was the one who prepared it.
Three small white bowls with bread and tomato soup were present. The two older judges didn’t waste their time and finish the soup in one go while Lu Xinyi tried to savor the soup slowly, trying to discern the flavors and the herbs and spices used on it.
At first glance, it looked like a red, thick porridge than a soup. Lu Xinyi would rather call it tomato porridge instead.
It was tomato soup with bread cooked into it so the bread did not only thicken the soup but also imparted its own nutty flavor and umami, which made this a great on its own… or as a side for other dishes.
For a tomato soup to succeed, it needed something to ease the palate because a soup made of tomatoes all on their own would be too acidic to enjoy. Often the solution was adding milk or cream to mitigate the harshness and soften the tomato flavor. However, someone found a solution, which also made use of stale bread.
Lu Xinyi was able to taste olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and bread from it. For this tomato soup, her brother had also added some red onions and basil for a bit more texture and flavor. The bread used was a stale one with a good crust.
Softer bread, like sandwich bread, would tend to get a bit too mushy if used for this soup. Crustier bread would still get plenty soft, but they retained a bit of their shape, which gave this dish a more interesting texture.
The bread, which was stirred into the soup only toward the end, would become soft and custardy amid the bright tomatoes and balance the soup.
Not only did Tian Lingyu and Ye Xieren use stale bread, but they also toasted it a little. Maillard reaction gave browned bread more umami and would result in a more flavorful porridge. Ye Xieren toasted the bread for a little bit in the olive oil as per Tian Lingyu’s instructions before adding the tomatoes.
For the tomatoes, Lu Xinyi could taste its freshness that couldn’t be found from canned ones. They probably used ripe tomatoes which would give them the best flavor. If they used canned tomatoes, the other ingredients wouldn’t contribute enough flavor to make up for bland tomatoes.
When using canned tomatoes, they would most likely add a bit of fresh tomato. This would not only add a little extra acidity, but it also contributed some sweet fruity flavor that only fresh tomatoes have. Since they used the fresh ripe ones, they wouldn’t have much problem when it came to the flavor.
“Delicious. Simple and not complicated. Did you also add some Parmesan Rinds on it?” Headmistress Han asked Tian Lingyu.
“Yes,” Tian Lingyu confirmed, “Just a slice to help with the thickening and the flavor.”
Lu Xinyi smiled towards her brother, showing her white set of teeth which reminded Tian Lingyu of their younger years. His sister would grin and smile like this at him and their father whenever they gave her a hearty, delicious meal.
This soup reminded her of her brother’s advantage against her and Huang Shenghao. Tian Lingyu learned to cook through experience. Since he was adopted by Lu Sibai, his life only revolved around his family and cooking.
When he reached the legal age, he managed to leave the orphanage he was forced to stay after their parents’ death and worked menial jobs from different restaurants to support himself and his little sister. Three years later, he was able to leave the country to work overseas; since then, Lu Xinyi lost contact with him.
So much time had pa.s.sed, and yet her brother remained the same. Their father’s teaching was deeply ingrained to him that he wouldn’t let a single mistake be seen on his dishes.a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor.