When her profiteroles cooled down, Lu Xinyi filled each pate choux puffs with pastry cream using the piping bag fitted with the round tip. Finis.h.i.+ng every puff, she set it aside while she made the caramel.
Once the caramel was ready, Lu Xinyi carefully dipped the smooth bottom side of each puff, bringing it up after a few seconds and letting it cool another second or two. She worked diligently until all the puffs were covered with caramel, but she still couldn’t prevent some minor accidents.
Lu Xinyi got a burn on her knuckle which made Shen Yi worried. However, she kept in her poker face in place and continued working. This kind of burns was kind of badge of honor for her anyway. A single burn could not stop her from moving forward!
After one and a half hours, Lu Xinyi and Han Yixin finished their croquembouche at the same time. Since serving this dessert required one to serve it immediately, no wonder both women decided to present this before their Baked Alaska and Mandarin Orange desserts.
The puffs and pastry cream could be made ahead of time, but the a.s.sembly of the croquembouche should be done as close to serving time as possible. Because a croquembouche wouldn’t keep well, partly because pastry cream shouldn’t be left at room temperature for more than a day but also because pastry cream filling would soften cream puffs over time; and they would lose their structural integrity.
“Wow, look at Han Yixin’s croquembouche. It’s stunningly beautiful. No wonder she holds the t.i.tle ‘Queen of Patisserie’.”
Han Yixin’s croquembouche was truly a showstopper. Even Lu Xinyi was amazed and in love at the cream puff tower that Han Yixin presented. Using the same caramel she used to cover her puffs, Han Yixin made a gorgeous spun-sugar garnish for her cream puff tower.
It looked like pinkish red spider webs that beautifully covered Han Yixin’s tower.
On the other hand, Lu Xinyi’s tower was simple yet elegant. Some puffs were covered with pearl sugar while the other glistened with its caramel coating.
Three professional pastry chefs were invited by the academy to be the judges for today’s event. Each of them checked the two towers of puffs and took notice of each detail that both women used.
After tasting the puffs, it was time to ask some questions.
“Is this your first time making croquembouche?” one of the three judges asked Lu Xinyi and Han Yixin.
“No,” Han Yixin answered truthfully.
“Yes,” Lu Xinyi admitted her lack of experience.
The judge eyed Lu Xinyi. He wondered if Lu Xinyi was telling the truth but looking into her eyes, he couldn’t find any hint of lies and treachery.
It was her first time making a cream puff tower, but she didn’t bother using a cone mold while stacking her puffs? Lu Xinyi surely knew the basics of croquembouche.
It could be fun doing croquembouche by hand without relying on cone mold’s help. For one thing, it could teach the chef’s hand-and-eye coordination and sensitivity to their ingredients, how the food was alive, and a creation was fragile and sensitive to its environment.
Sugar would cool or react to humidity, and one needed to know how to adjust.
The three judges conversed silently to each other, pointing out the highlight and weaknesses of each cream puff towers that were presented. The perfect croquembouche was one that looked beautiful and tastes even better, and Han Yixin perfected both criteria.
“Miss Han, please tell us how did you make your croquembouche tower,” the judges asked.
“To make the croquembouche, first I made the choux buns and then make and flavor my pastry cream.” Han Yixin narrated her steps. “Once the choux buns are baked and have cooled down, I filled them with luscious pastry cream and then dipped them in caramel. To a.s.semble the croquembouche, I boiled another batch of sugar and water to make a sugar syrup and dipped the choux puffs in it and slowly began to construct a tower-like structure. My croquembouche was done freehand without the help of any cone or mold.”
While it was admirable to know that it was Lu Xinyi’s first attempt to make a croquembouche, it wasn’t enough to surpa.s.s Han Yixin’s skills and experience in making one. Coming into the same decision, the judges gave their verdict to Huo Meili to announce.
Huo Meili opened the envelope and read the results. Her smile never faltered, making it hard for the audience to know who the winner was.
“The winner of the Croquembouche challenge goes to Han Yixin!” she announced.
“What? Han Yixin won? While Lu Xinyi’s tower isn’t so bad, how did Han Yixin won?”
“Because it was clear that Han Yixin beat Lu Xinyi in terms of experience, ah? Lu Xinyi took a simplified approach while Han Yixin presented a more cla.s.sic and professional cream puff tower. Who do you think the judges will choose between the two?”
“Ah… that make sense…”
“Miss Lu! That’s alright, there are still two more rounds!”
“That’s right! Don’t give up, you still have a chance to win!”
The cheers from the crowd irritated Wen Shufen; why the f.u.c.k they were still supporting Lu Xinyi? Hadn’t they realized the difference of the experience and skill between her and Han Yixin was so obvious?
In Han Yixin’s presence, Lu Xinyi was nothing but a newbie. How could a newbie compete with a pro like her?
Heh, they must be waiting for a more painful face-slap later when Han Yixin beat every dessert Lu Xinyi presented. Wen Shufen thought.
Different from Wen Shufen’s thoughts, the three judges were silently arguing with each other, trying to decide which of them should take Lu Xinyi as their apprentice.
These three pastry chefs were known to be hard to please, and yet a single dessert made by Lu Xinyi had thrown the three into chaos. It was like they had found a gem in a pile of trash that needed some polis.h.i.+ng to s.h.i.+ne.
“Hahaha… you can forget trying to recruit Miss Lu. My family is a.s.sociated with the Shen family. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t mind if I ask them to take Lu Xinyi under my wing.” The judge who asked both Han Yixin and Lu Xinyi’s experience was the one who tried hard to argue.
“That’s unfair, Chef Feng. It is I who was able to find the subtle trick Lu Xinyi used on her cream puffs!” The second judge argued.
“That’s right, Chef Feng, don’t be so greedy. Why don’t we ask Lu Xinyi later which of us she’ll choose as her master?” The last judge suggested, but it only made Chef Feng frowned. He refused to give up a talented chef as Lu Xinyi to these two.
“Look at us, fighting over a girl. Alright, I agree. Even if she fails this cooking battle, I still want to recruit her to join my team!” Chef Feng insisted.
“If only she wouldn’t choose to join mine! Hahahaha!” The second judge laughed.
“Between the three of us, who do you think can teach her more and polish her skills? There’s no doubt it will be me!”