Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 175 Ordinary Dishes? Extremely Greasy! A Flaw That Hasn't Appeared Before in Previous Competitions (Second Update in 4K)
Regardless of whether it was French cuisine or not, it was already a fait accompli that Xia Ming served the food first.

At this moment, Han Tianyan could only hope that Xia Ming's cooking had some major flaws.

The judges on stage had a moment of interest when they saw the seven dishes Xia Ming presented.

From an aesthetic point of view, Xia Ming's dishes at least managed to "attract attention".

On a pristine white plate, two scallops, each topped with sesame and glutinous rice crisps, are arranged on either side, their various sauces creating a beautiful contrast.

Looking down from the left, rose petals adorn the edges, while fresh jasmine flowers coated in golden sauce are scattered at the top.

Because the sauce is liquid, the scallops are surrounded by an effect similar to the aftermath of a volcanic eruption.

Looking down from the right, there's a sprig of mint along the edge, the sauce at the top is gelatin jelly, and it's surrounded by a ring of fresh rose petals.

Because the sauce doesn't flow, the scallops have an extremely simple and fixed shape.

The rest of the plate is garnished with some golden sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and the concave edge of the plate is marked with a bright golden hue of the sauce.
Although the entire dish has only four layers, its structure and preparation are relatively simple.

However, from Tan Zhifeng's perspective, the dish reached the average level of French appetizers.

At least it's clear that Xia Ming isn't completely unaware of what French cuisine is.

Of course, if we have to look at it from the perspective of plating and structure, Xia Ming's French appetizer is still quite different from that of Western chefs, and you can see traces of imitation of plating.

As for whether it is French cuisine, we need to first mention the definition of modern urban French cuisine.

The so-called "French cuisine" can be mainly divided into three schools.

The earliest French cuisine styles include the "classical French cuisine style," the "homestyle French cuisine style" which incorporates elements of Gallic cuisine, and the "new French cuisine style."

This is analogous to the situation in China.
Roughly speaking, it corresponds to "traditional recipes, formally passed down", "home-style skills, certified by mom", and "integration and innovation, opening up the future".

Among them, "home-style French cuisine" is generally not known for its exquisite plating, but rather for its practicality.

"Emerging French cuisine" is not bound by the ingredients and techniques of traditional French cuisine; its chefs often incorporate techniques from other countries.

For example, the "New Chinese-style French cuisine" commonly seen in China expands the dimensions of French cuisine by incorporating distinctive ingredients.

Domestically, various types of mushrooms from Yunnan, techniques from Cantonese cuisine, and Suzhou-style dim sum have all been borrowed from these styles.

In this situation, as long as Xia Ming says that he is a "new-style French chef," his dishes will not be off-topic.

Of course, you can't tell the score from the outside, so Tan Zhifeng chose to just pick it up and eat it.

When they picked it up, the judges noticed that Xia Ming's sesame glutinous rice crisps at the bottom were quite solid and clean.

Even Mao Xianzheng could easily pick up the entire dish in front of him and eat it.

Because Xia Ming pointed slightly when serving the dishes, they understood that they should eat the "gelatin jelly" first, and then eat the sauce.

Therefore, Tan Zhifeng also started tasting in this order.

First up is the "Chenpi Lime Jelly Scallop Crispy Pastry". Upon tasting it, he first experienced the caramelized aroma of the crispy pastry underneath, followed by the subtle bitterness of the jasmine on top.

But before the bitter taste could linger in his mouth for even a second, Tan Zhifeng felt a strong sourness from the tangerine peel and lime jelly underneath.

The combination of "fresh citric acid" with "the slightly bitter sourness of dried tangerine peel" and "acetic acid" creates a refreshing and appetizing flavor that instantly ignites his taste buds.

After the taste of gelatin jelly filled his mouth, Tan Zhifeng finally ate the dried scallops at the bottom.

First, the scallops are slightly chilled, which enhances their natural saltiness and umami flavor.

Therefore, Xia Ming seasoned the scallops very lightly, with just a little sea salt and a quick fry in butter, resulting in virtually no other extra flavor.

The umami flavor combined with the sourness of the gelatin jelly created a very natural taste experience in Tan Zhifeng's mouth.

Unlike at first, I wasn't startled by the sourness.
Even though the later integration went well, there were still some complaints about that one second of harsh criticism of Tan Zhifeng.

"As an appetizer, it's fine to stimulate the taste buds, but it also has to not overpower the flavors of the dishes that follow."

"However, the texture is quite good. The combination of crispness, tenderness, smoothness, and bouncy is very good. The flavor is also layered and well-balanced, but the main flavor is a little too prominent."

Indeed, Tan Zhifeng's taste buds were initially piqued by the sour taste of the gelatin jelly, but the subsequent progress did not reach the level he had expected.

It felt a bit like starting strong but ending weakly.
However, Tan Zhifeng did not forget that there was an appetizer on the side.

"It seems they've hidden the rest of the meal in the second appetizer."

So, after tasting the "Citrus Peel and Lime Frozen Scallop Crisps", he continued to sample the "Hawthorn and Kumquat Sauce Scallop Crisps".

Picking it up and taking a bite, Tan Zhifeng tasted a hint of jasmine bitterness again, followed by the fruity flavor of "hawthorn and kumquat jam".

He admitted that the fruit flavor was very natural and the hawthorn was a great appetizer.

However, what puzzled Tan Zhifeng was that, compared to the sudden burst of excitement he had experienced before, this "Hawthorn and Kumquat Sauce with Scallop Crisps" dish was rather mediocre.

The appetizing effect of hawthorn paired with the sourness of kumquat is not as distinct as the previous "tangerine peel and lime jelly".

He even felt it was a bit too sweet.

"Like the previous one, it has layers, but in the end, it lacks a bit of surprise."

Tan Zhifeng couldn't say that Xia Ming's appetizers were particularly bad, but judging from their current presentation...
Xia Ming's French cuisine is indeed not as outstanding as his Chinese cuisine.

"If a sour taste is added later to fully stimulate my taste buds, it will be more memorable."

Of course, Tan Zhifeng had another guess.

That is, in the prescribed rounds, the next course is soup. This is probably because if the appetizers are too stimulating to the taste buds, the soup will seem bland and wash away the original anticipation.

"Moreover, Han Tianyan is also preparing the dishes. If the two of them time their presentations perfectly, the judges might have to eat four dishes before the main course is even served."

French cuisine theoretically doesn't have many individual categories, but Xia Ming gave double the portions, and the two flavors were different, so according to the rules, it would be reasonable to eat them twice.

Just as Tan Zhifeng was pondering, the other judges had finished tasting their food.

Like Tan Zhifeng, they also felt that Xia Ming's appetizer had a minor flaw.

Sui Wubai felt that it would be better if Xia Ming could increase the acidity of the second dish.

This way, the overall product can leapfrog two levels. As for now, the second piece seemed to be intended to have "kumquat acidity," but it didn't turn out that way, resulting in a taste that was even a bit too sweet.
"My performance was still affected by the theme."

Some of the judges' subtle facial expressions were also noticed by viewers in the live stream.

[Something feels off. Unlike Xia Ming's previous dishes, the judges didn't show the same enjoyment this time.] [Actually, judging from the plating and presentation, Xia Ming did his best, but judging from the judges' expressions, there must be flaws.]

Nobody's perfect. I think Xia Ming has done an excellent job. He produced such a dish in such a short time, what more can you ask for!

But this is a competition, and if there are flaws in the competition, there is a risk of elimination.

[This is it! Han Tianyan's dishes are ready too. Looking at the color of the foie gras, I feel like he's got this round in the bag!]

Han Tianyan also noticed what netizens were seeing.

At this moment, he was already seven or eight parts certain in his heart that Xia Ming really didn't know how to cook.

"No matter how well you make it look professional or how precisely you control the time, if you don't know how to do it, you just don't know how to do it, and that can't be changed!"

"Finally, I've found my chance. Let me use this 'pan-fried foie gras with apples' to truly kick off the banquet."

Just as he was thinking this, he followed the host to the judges' table.

The judges wiped their mouths with tissues and then looked at his dish.

Compared to Xia Ming's floral and seafood theme, Han Tianyan's "pan-fried foie gras with apples" seemed much more traditional.

From the aroma of the sauce to the basic plating and the size of the foie gras, you can tell he has a solid foundation in French cuisine.

Although all the judges, including Yin Shengjiang, thought his topic was disgusting.

But now that the competition has started, those who need to try the food still need to try it.
So, after giving Han Tianyan a deep look, Yin Shengjiang finally picked up his dish.

The dish itself is the same as Xia Ming's, also four layers.

The bottom layer was a very thin slice of potato. Originally, this should have been the place for a baguette or a slice of white bread, but Han Tianyan was afraid that Xia Ming would make the first move, so he skipped those two ingredients.

This is a common choice in French cuisine, since a baguette takes at least an hour and a half to form, and bread slices would take even longer with a bread machine.

Therefore, making a little compromise for the sake of the dish's presentation is not a big problem.

On top of the potato slices is a layer of caramelized apple pressed with a mold, followed by a beautifully fried layer of foie gras, topped with a thin layer of sea salt, a little fig jam, and a garnish of "chopped figs".

Looking at the caramelized layer on the foie gras in the middle and smelling its rich aroma, Yin Shengjiang put a bite into his mouth.

Unlike Xia Ming's crispy texture, which is perceived first, the foie gras has a particularly prominent flavor in this appetizer.

The moment it enters your mouth, you can taste the caramelized layer and salt. Then, as your teeth delve deeper into the foie gras, the soft interior melts in your mouth, leaving the expected ice cream-like sensation.
Ok?
Yin Shengjiang blinked. His mind was telling him that this dish should be at this level, but his taste buds didn't think so.

"The caramelized layer of the foie gras is fine, but the foie gras itself is very greasy."

"It's not the texture of the food that's greasy, it's the taste that's greasy. There's even a slight musty, oily smell."

Sensing something was wrong, he searched his mouth for the taste of apple, trying to see if there had been a problem with the blending process.

While the apple flavor was found, the richness of the foie gras became increasingly noticeable.

The sweetness was like something clinging to Yin Shengjiang's heart, almost too sweet.

The tartness that apples should have was not present; all that remained in my mouth was cloying sweetness.

Even sea salt couldn't neutralize the sweetness. Combined with the fig sauce, the entire dish created an extreme imbalance of sweetness in Yin Shengjiang's mouth.

With such a sweet and cloying flavor, even the normally delicious foie gras became somewhat difficult to swallow.

"The butter on the outside felt like it was smeared on my mouth. Something was wrong; the foie gras actually tasted a bit dry inside."

Yin Shengjiang's first reaction was to suspect that Han Tianyan had made a mistake in handling the foie gras.

"The most common possibility is that the foie gras was still cold inside when it was brought to room temperature, and it wasn't cooked long enough, which caused this situation."

"Of course, it's also possible that the foie gras used in the dish itself is problematic, so even if every step is done correctly, the final product still doesn't feel right."

After a moment of contemplation, he once again searched for the taste of apple in his mouth.

No matter how much he chewed the apple, it didn't give him a single refreshing sour taste.

"Were the apples chosen also the sweetest ones? Or did we really make several mistakes in a row?"

After forcing himself to swallow the "fried foie gras with apple" in his mouth, Yin Shengjiang felt dizzy.

"It's too sweet; there's definitely something wrong with the recipe."

He thought for a moment, then looked up at the others and was shocked to find that Sui Wubai, Tan Zhifeng, and You Zhangwen all looked extremely grim.

Mao Xianzheng and Wei Yan were even more direct. The former frowned and spat the part in his mouth onto a tissue, while the latter, who had only bitten half of it at the beginning, now blatantly put the other half back on the plate.

If Xia Ming initially presented a relatively ordinary dish, then Han Tianyan's French appetizer was absolutely disastrous.

Seeing the judges' actions, the viewers in the live stream realized what was happening.

What's going on? Was the foie gras undercooked? It makes me want to vomit.

This is outrageous! A judge vomited out the food in front of everyone. How bad must it be to taste like that?

"Surely not, the coking layer and the overall composition looked fine to me just now. How could this be?"

[Are you a judge or are they the judges? What's the point of you thinking the outfit is good?]

This is hilarious! I was a little worried because I thought Xia Ming didn't know how to cook, but now it turns out Han Tianyan doesn't know either!

[Did he really run out of steam and resort to self-destruction? I thought he was serious!]

While viewers in the live stream were discussing the topic, Han Tianyan remained frozen in place.

He had also witnessed Mao Xianzheng spitting out the foie gras, and at that moment, he felt deeply shocked.

He couldn't understand at all what went wrong with his perfectly proper "pan-fried foie gras with apples".

"Impossible! How could this be! I even tasted it myself, and every part of the dish was perfect!!! How could I vomit!"

Just as he was feeling numb, Xia Ming, who was in front of the stove, glanced at the judges' panel and then slightly curled the corner of his mouth.

"Han Tianyan probably didn't even realize that there was a fatal flaw in the rules that appeared on the spot based on the theme he needed."

"That was a situation that had never occurred in previous matches."

(End of this chapter)