The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 189 Cao Dongdong's Osmanthus Pastry

Upon hearing this, even Cao Dongdong, Zhao Qian, and Yu Zaozao, who were focused on the rare and exotic flowers in the garden, couldn't help but turn their attention to Xu Yueran.

"Ms. Xu Yueran, have you already guessed why we're here?" Cao Dongdong chuckled and couldn't help but ask.

"Whether you guessed it or not is not important." Xu Yueran smiled slightly. "Even if you didn't come for this reason, I would still try to invite you to take the test."

"I enjoy seeing young spirit chefs dedicated to their craft; it reminds me a little of myself when I was young." A hint of nostalgia flickered in her eyes as she spoke. "So, will you be giving me a test?"

"Of course!" Qin Lang nodded with a smile. "Not only me, but Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian will also participate in the assessment. I hope they can pass."

"Haha, whether I pass or not isn't up to me." Xu Yueran's smile deepened. "You guys have to truly win me over with your cooking skills. This old man is still quite picky."

"Ms. Xu Yueran, I'm ready!" Cao Dongdong patted his chest. "Please state the requirements for the assessment!"

“Okay.” Xu Yueran nodded slightly. “I believe you have done some research beforehand. My assessment usually focuses on flowers.”

"This time will be no exception."

She pointed to the flowers in the garden, "Please choose at least one of these flowers to add to your cooking."

Upon hearing this request, Qin Lang and the other two immediately turned their attention to the flowers in the garden.

Cao Dongdong selected his target almost immediately. He walked quickly to several osmanthus trees in the garden and pointed to the osmanthus blossoms on the trees.

"I choose it!"

Osmanthus fragrans?

A hint of surprise flashed in Qin Lang's eyes.

Does this guy's new dessert have anything to do with osmanthus?

This is a good choice.

Osmanthus has a delicate fragrance and is often used as an ingredient in Chinese desserts, such as osmanthus honey and dried osmanthus flowers. Although he did not mention this to Cao Dongdong, Cao Dongdong's choice coincided with his.

"I've made my choice too, I choose this one!" Zhao Qian's voice came from the other side of the garden. She squatted down and carefully picked delicate white lilies from the flower bushes.

Zhao Qian doesn't know how to make desserts, so her choice of lilies suggests she intends to use them as an ingredient in cooking.

Qin Lang nodded slightly.

Stir-fried lilies have a crisp texture and a light flavor with a subtle lily fragrance, making them a great choice.

Sometimes, choosing the right ingredients is half the battle won in cooking.

It's easy to see from their choices that they are both quite confident.

"Keep it up, I'm looking forward to eating your delicious food." Qin Lang smiled, a look of anticipation on his face.

"Don't just cheer them on." Xu Yueran looked at the two who had rushed into the kitchen, then at Qin Lang who was still standing there, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Qin Lang, what flowers do you want to choose?"

"Me..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lang's gaze settled on a certain bright red flower.

"I'll choose this one." With that, Qin Lang gently picked the flower.

"Hibiscus?" Xu Yueran's face showed surprise.

Both osmanthus and lily are flowers that are often used as food, so Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian's choices did not surprise her.

But the hibiscus flower…

If she remembered correctly, this was the first time a spirit chef had chosen hibiscus flowers as an ingredient in her cooking.

"Yes, it's hibiscus." Qin Lang nodded, a smile flashing in his eyes. Perhaps because he was in the midst of a cooking competition, he felt himself entering a competitive state, and even the food selection for the food recommender assessment subconsciously became a bit more difficult.

The dish he chose this time was not easy to select.

"Looks like I'm in for a treat again." Yu Zaozao chuckled, then turned to the camera, "Don't worry, fans in the live stream, I'll definitely tell you how it tastes after I've tried it!"

Upon hearing Yu Zaozao's words, the live stream chat exploded with comments.

That wretched streamer, ever since he started streaming alongside Qin Lang, his content has become increasingly tempting!

Without keeping Qin Lang and the others waiting too long, Zhao Qian, who had entered the kitchen first, quickly came out carrying the delicious food she had prepared.

"Lily and mutton soup, please enjoy!"

As she spoke, she gently placed the plate on the table.

The pure white lily petals, after being stir-fried, take on a slight yellow tinge. When placed together with mutton and black fungus, and garnished with a few slices of red pepper, the interplay of these four colors creates a picturesque scene that whets the appetite.

"Lily bulbs and mutton..." Xu Yueran nodded slightly, picked up a piece of mutton with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

The next moment, she tasted the lily bulbs, wood ear mushrooms, and red peppers one by one, finally showing a satisfied expression, "Not bad."

"Although the choice of ingredients is not complicated, I was surprised by how you handled the lamb. The lamb didn't have much of a gamey smell, and it didn't even mask the fragrance of the lily. The umami flavor was very clear."

"This is probably because lily petals are used as a marinade to remove the gamey smell from the mutton."

"Yes." Zhao Qian suppressed her excitement and nodded.

"I feel that your assessment is not as simple as it seems. As a food recommender of flowers, if the dishes I cook do not use flowers as the main ingredient, I may not pass your assessment."

"So when I was cooking, I made some optimizations and adjustments to the marinating process, and that's how I got the lily and lamb dish I have now."

“Very good.” Xu Yueran nodded with a smile and slowly took out a shiny badge from the pocket at her waist.

"Your excellence is enough to earn my approval."

"Thank you!" Zhao Qian's eyes lit up, and she carefully accepted the gift.

“This is what you deserve.” Xu Yueran changed the subject. “I still remember the delicious lamb you made yesterday.”

"Although it's a pity that you encountered a stronger opponent, I think your attitude towards cooking is no less than anyone else's."

"I hope you can continue down this path."

"Mmm!" Zhao Qian's eyes immediately reddened.

Receiving Xu Yueran's affirmation of her performance yesterday, Zhao Qian's last bit of frustration completely dissipated at this moment.

Qin Lang gave Zhao Qian a thumbs up, then picked up a piece of lily and mutton with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

The delicate fragrance of lilies and the savory aroma of mutton are cleverly intertwined. Paired with wood ear mushrooms and non-spicy red peppers, the mutton, which is clearly a strong-flavored dish, has a refreshing taste that caught his eye.

Meanwhile, Yu Zaozao, who was saying she would share her thoughts on the meal with her fans, already had her mouth full of lily and mutton, having completely forgotten about sharing.

As they were talking, Cao Dongdong rushed out of the kitchen excitedly.

"Is it my turn?" He glanced at the badge in Zhao Qian's hand and impatiently put down the baking tray he was holding.

A rich fragrance of osmanthus blossoms quickly spread in all directions.

"Osmanthus pastry, please enjoy!"

(End of this chapter)