The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 176 Cao Dongdong's Homemade Desserts
When did you learn to make sweet and sour desserts?

Zhao Qian asked curiously.

Even Qin Lang couldn't help but look at Cao Dongdong.

None of the desserts he taught Cao Dongdong seemed to have any connection to sweet and sour flavors.

Could it be the rice cake recipe that he recently taught Cao Dongdong?
If you add some pickled plums or other garnishes to rice cakes, it can actually be considered a sweet and sour flavor.

“I recently…researched it myself.” Cao Dongdong’s eyes darted around. “It’s still in the experimental stage, so I haven’t told you.”

"You did this yourself?" Qin Lang asked, somewhat curious.

Although Cao Dongdong has learned some dessert-making techniques from him, he is still a novice and should strive to make the right food according to the recipe 100%. Yet he has already started to research new desserts on his own?
If it were anyone else, Qin Lang might think that the other person wanted to run before they could walk, but Cao Dongdong's talent for making dishes was a bit bizarre.

and so…

It's really hard to say.

"So you're planning to use this dessert, which is still in the experimental stage, in tomorrow's qualifying match?" Zhao Qian's expression was somewhat strange.

“I don’t have any other choice,” Cao Dongdong sighed, a hint of melancholy on his face. “That’s why I’m starting to get nervous.”

What if we advance successfully?

Qin Lang: “…”

Zhao Qian: "..."

"Enough with the nonsense." Qin Lang gave Cao Dongdong's shoulder a shove. "Go on, make that new dish you've been researching and show it to me."

"There are still 24 hours left."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Cao Dongdong's eyes lit up, and he hugged Qin Lang tightly as if he had seen a savior. "Give me some suggestions and I'll make some improvements."

If you sharpen your gun before the battle, you will lose all your happiness!
"I want to eat too!" Yu Zaozao smiled and pointed to the camera in her hand. "You don't mind if I and the fans in the live stream see it, right?"

As she spoke, a look of anticipation appeared in her eyes.

She had only heard that Qin Lang had a way of improving other people's food, but she had never seen it with her own eyes. Now she finally had the chance.

"No problem!" Cao Dongdong patted his chest confidently, then turned and went into the kitchen to get busy.

The second round is not an elimination round, nor is it a one-on-one food competition, so the pre-release of prepared food will not affect the competition.

Before long, round, golden-brown pastries were placed on the table.

"Try the plum shortbread I'm still working on!" Cao Dongdong's expression was full of anticipation.

"Huangmei?" Qin Lang raised an eyebrow. "Is it the kind of Huangmei we bought on the street a couple of days ago?"

The city of Tanju is suitable for growing a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, so you can see vendors selling them on the streets and alleys.

After the preliminary rounds, Qin Lang and his two companions strolled around Danju City, tasting many local fruits and vegetables, including yellow plums.

It tastes very sour, but the sourness is just right, making it exceptionally appetizing, so much so that you can't help but want to eat a second one after finishing one.

“That’s the kind.” Cao Dongdong chuckled. “I tried it and wondered if I could turn it into a dessert.”

Qin Lang nodded in understanding, and then picked up a plum pastry.

On the surface, Huangmei pastry looks like an egg yolk pastry without egg wash, but if you smell it carefully, you can detect a very faint plum aroma in the rich, crispy fragrance.

Qin Lang was quite confident in Cao Dongdong's flaky pastry skills; the only question was what Cao Dongdong had added to these small pastries. With that thought in mind, Qin Lang took a bite.

With a crisp "crack" sound, the layers of flaky pastry crumble, releasing a rich, savory aroma that fills the mouth.

Immediately afterwards, the sour taste of plums and the sweet taste of red beans surged between the lips and teeth.

Both the sourness of the plum and the sweetness of the red bean are very distinctive, but unfortunately, the combination of the two flavors is not harmonious.

Qin Lang raised an eyebrow and looked at the exposed, crispy center after biting into it.

Within the crumbly red bean paste, you can clearly see chunks of chopped yellow plum pulp mixed in.

"Your idea is really simplistic and crude," Qin Lang shook his head, both amused and exasperated. "Just replace the salted egg yolks in the egg yolk pastries with yellow plums?"

"The flavors of salted egg yolk and red bean paste are relatively rich and they combine perfectly, but they are not suitable for the flesh of yellow plums."

"That's why it's in the experimental stage!" Cao Dongdong chuckled, not at all embarrassed. "I also feel that these two ingredients don't really go well together, but I haven't thought of any better way."

"How about we just chop up the plum pulp and make it into a pastry?" Zhao Qian suggested casually after finishing a plum pastry.

“That won’t work.” Cao Dongdong shook his head sharply. “There’s too much moisture in the fruit pulp. When mixed with red bean paste, the red bean paste can absorb the moisture from the fruit pulp. But if you use chopped fruit pulp directly as filling, the juice will seep into the pastry during baking, which won’t be effective.”

“This problem can be solved,” Qin Lang smiled. “Using fruit pulp directly as filling not only results in poor shaping, but also produces too much juice.”

"Try to dry out some of the moisture so that it becomes similar to jam. You can also add some starch to the filling to help it hold its shape."

"Huh?" Cao Dongdong's eyes lit up, and he stood up eagerly. "Then I'll go give it a try..."

"Wait, there's one more question," Qin Lang called out to the other person. "Yellow plums are fine to eat directly, but if you use them to make desserts, the taste is a bit too sour, so you need to add sweetness to balance it out."

"So your idea of ​​mixing red bean paste and plum pulp was correct, it's just that red bean paste wasn't quite right."

"Do we need a sweetness to balance it out..." Cao Dongdong looked thoughtful. "Then what kind of sweetness would be suitable?"

"How about the tangerines? They're quite sweet," Yu Zaozao casually remarked.

"Shh!"

Qin Lang and the other two turned to look at her at the same time.

"Um... is that not allowed?" Yu Zaozao shrank back.

She just noticed a few uneaten tangerines on the table and mentioned it casually.

"No, it's Taihang!" Qin Lang laughed. "Both tangerines and yellow plums are fruits, and the combination of the two fruit aromas will be more harmonious."

"Moreover, tangerines are purely sweet and not sour at all. As long as we figure out the right mixing ratio, it will definitely be able to perfectly neutralize the sourness of yellow plums!" Cao Dongdong said excitedly.

"I'll give it a try!" Cao Dongdong grabbed a tangerine from the table and excitedly walked into the kitchen.

Soon, he finished making the brand new Huangmei pastry and served it.

This time, the plum blossom pastry is a size smaller than before. It is no longer an imitation of the egg yolk pastry and looks somewhat like a new type of pastry.

"The ratio of the two types of fruit pulp needs to be adjusted. Use less mandarin orange pulp, as the moisture in the pulp is dried too thoroughly and needs to be retained a little."

After finishing one, Qin Lang smiled.

"But the approach is right."

(End of this chapter)