Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

It was a quiet afternoon, the weather was exceptionally hot, but she was in a shady room at home, eating a refreshingly cool yokan (sweet bean jelly), and it felt wonderful!

"While the lower layer of citrus soup was not completely set, a layer of red oolong vinegar was poured in, resulting in two distinct layers of flavor."

Kikuchienka comfortably squinted her eyes, the silky taste on her tongue intoxicating.

The sourness of fermented vinegar combined with the mellowness of black tea creates a unique sweet and sour taste that is neither too stimulating nor too harsh, yet it can stimulate the taste buds.

In addition, the refreshing taste brought by agar powder is also a major highlight of this dessert.

It gives the yokan a unique elasticity and chewiness, allowing you to experience a refreshing yet delicate taste with every bite.

"It has the charm of tea, the freshness of citrus, and the unique flavor of fermented vinegar. Combined with its icy coolness, it's truly a wonderful dessert!"

Dojima Gin gave his evaluation with a broad smile.

The three flavors come together in the yokan, layer upon layer, and with its own coolness, each chew releases a new flavor, making it truly wonderful!

"By combining traditional yokan (sweet bean jelly) with candied desserts, the final product is a superb delicacy in both appearance and taste. It's excellent."

After finishing the last bite of yokan, Kikuchi Soma raised her head and praised Yukihira Soma, saying that it was the best yokan she had ever eaten!

"It's so wonderful to be able to eat something like this in the summer!"

Hinako Inui put the last bite of yokan into her mouth, then put down the spoon in her hand. The icy yokan in her mouth released its flavor and brought a chill, which was perfect for summer!

"Could I have a piece later, Soma Yukihira?"

Hearing the judges' praise, Liu Yu walked up unhurriedly. She did not rush to present the dish, but first addressed Yukihira Soma.

"Sure, I made a special portion for you, but I'd also like to try your dessert."

"Of course, I'll do it for you too."

Upon hearing Soma Yukihira's words, Liu Yu smiled and nodded without refusing. She then presented the mille-feuille cake in her hand and gestured for the judges to proceed.

"Sister Liu..."

In the audience, Wang Jing looked at the scene before her with some nervousness. She hadn't expected that Liu Yu would also encounter Soma Yukihira after her.

Will she win? To be honest, Liu Yu is much stronger than her, and she has studied systematically during this period, so the possibility of her losing is very low.

"A mille-feuille cake? It's surprisingly ordinary, but judging from the ingredients used, it's not hard to tell that this little cake is actually quite sophisticated!"

Looking at the small, delicate cake in front of her, Hinako Inui looked puzzled.

From the outside, it looks no different from a regular mille-feuille cake, but considering the ingredients used, something feels off.

"No matter what, what determines the outcome of the competition is the taste of the food."

As he spoke, Dojima Gin reached out with his fork, scooped up a piece of cake, and put it in his mouth.

"What's with this superior texture and sweetness?! When you poke it with a fork, you can feel an amazing elasticity."

Feeling the flavor on her tongue, Dojima Gin, who had been calm, was shocked. It was just a mille-feuille cake, so why was it so bouncy and chewy!

"However, once you start tasting it, the sensation of it melting in your mouth is as gentle as a light drizzle falling on your tongue!"

Hinako Inui squinted her eyes, her face filled with enjoyment.

"Most importantly, what's with this sweet taste that's spreading deep into my mouth!?"

Kikuchi Sonoka's voice was filled with disbelief. Logically speaking, she had only eaten a small piece of cake, and the sweetness shouldn't have spread deep into her mouth.

"This is the answer."

As they were talking, Liu Yu returned from the audience and placed a bottle of soy sauce on the judges' table. The surrounding drones immediately flew over and captured the scene.

"soy sauce!?"

The audience gasped in surprise, their voices filled with doubt. Even the veteran pastry chef, who had previously thought Bai Yuan was pretending to know what he didn't and hadn't bothered to argue with him, looked at him in astonishment. He hadn't expected that bottle of soy sauce to be the key to this dish!

"I mixed the heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, egg whites and soy sauce together and whipped them until foamy. Then I spread it on the cake base and put it in the refrigerator to chill."

This makes the sugar taste even better. By the way, I used brown sugar because it has a richer flavor!

Seeing the judges' curious glances and sensing the audience's confusion behind her, Liu Yu felt the time was right and began to explain softly.

"In other words, it's like adding some saltiness to the dessert to highlight its own sweetness, similar to the idea of ​​salted caramel."

Is this soy sauce cream, a seasoning method you invented?

Hinako Inui scrutinized Liu Yu, her surprise barely concealed. It was hard to believe that this was a dish created by a first-year student. Were all first-year students this terrifying these days?

"No, it was taught to me by a senior from the dessert club. Later, I added my own methods and improved upon them, and that's how I created this dish."

Liu Yu explained that the color of brown sugar matches soy sauce perfectly, and it's practically invisible once added. Secondly, brown sugar contains various minerals such as sodium and iron, which are not found in regular sugar, giving it a unique flavor.

"The complex flavor unique to brown sugar, combined with the rich aroma of soy sauce, makes for an absolutely perfect match!"

Savoring the rich flavors on his tongue, Dojima Gin couldn't help but murmur softly, a blush of ambiguous meaning appearing on his face.

"It's not just the cream part; eating this mille-crepe cake from beginning to end offers an even more wonderful taste experience, which is quite fun."

Seeing the judges' expressions, Liu Yu smiled and told them not to worry and to continue tasting, as the key to the dish was yet to come!

"This is..."

"Fruit slices? Strawberries, oranges..."

Upon hearing Liu Yu's words, everyone's gaze immediately shifted downwards, taking in the various fruits in the mille-feuille cake, with the shacher cake layered on top and bottom.

"So delicious! Every bite is like being led into a dreamlike kingdom."

Following instructions, she pierced the cake deeper with her fork, enjoying the unique soy sauce and cream flavor. Kikuchi Sonoka covered half of her face, obscuring the blush on her cheeks, her face full of blissful enjoyment.

"It's absolutely amazing! The fruit and cake cream are the perfect match. One bite is like entering a castle ruled by desserts! Being bombarded by cannons from all directions without any mercy."

Close your eyes, and you'll see a huge castle around you, with countless cannons made of desserts blasting all sorts of fruit bombs at you!

"There's no way to avoid it!"

Their clothes were exposed, making them incredibly shy. They instinctively covered their bodies, but when they came to their senses, they realized it was just an illusion and let out a long sigh of relief.

"This dessert has reached the top grade level; it's a genuine top-grade dessert!"

Dojima Gin stated the conclusion: it was truly unbelievable that such a powerful dessert could be in the hands of a first-grade girl!

"Xiao Tao's apprentice is indeed amazing. She didn't disappoint me and made such a cute dish!"

In the audience, seeing the judges' shocked expressions, Momo Akane reached out and pulled Butch's arm away, making it appear as if she were embracing him.

"With the help of these two, it would be hard for this team food battle not to be adorable."

Thinking of Huang Mei and Liu Yu, who decided to help the dessert club, both of them have the skill to make top-notch dishes and are undoubtedly high-end forces in the competition.

Compared to them, Fuyusuke Megijima's side seemed somewhat isolated and helpless.

Overall, she has a much higher chance of winning than her opponent. This is a team food battle with a very high margin for error!

"The outcome of this competition is already decided."

"I never expected Liu Yu to be able to consistently produce top-grade dishes. Could she already be a top-grade chef?"

Alice Nakiri looked at Liu Yu on the field with some surprise. This guy can make top-grade dishes every time. Could he already be a top-grade chef?

"It's still a long way off. The main reason we were able to make a top-grade dish this time was because we were given ample preparation time."

She's already one of the best chefs, and with someone helping her, it's quite normal for her to create top-notch dishes.

Upon hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Hakuyu offered an explanation.

Liu Yu herself is quite capable, and judging from what she just said, she should have joined the dessert club recently. The club president, Akane Kubo Momo, is a master of desserts. With her help and her own background, it's not surprising that she can make top-grade dishes.

"I see. Yukihira is really unlucky."

Bai Yuan's words made Nakiri Alice purse her lips. Yukihira Soma's desserts were quite good, at least they looked very appealing, but unfortunately they were still mercilessly crushed. The two were simply incomparable.

"There's no such thing as bad luck or misfortune. These things are all about skill. Having someone behind you is a chef's own strength, and it's perfectly acceptable to take advantage of that."

"That's true. So, if I encounter a tough opponent in the future, can I ask my master for help? Will my master lend a hand?"

At this point, Alice Nakiri turned her head and looked at him with her big, wet eyes, her voice more like a coquettish tone than a question.

"Of course, but I still hope you can try to solve it yourself first, or ask others for their opinions so that you can brainstorm solutions together."

After all, if I personally coach you, you'll basically have no chance of losing, which isn't good for your development.

Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Bai Yuan patted her head. If she truly needed his help, he would not hesitate.

However, he didn't want the other person to become a silly, decorative vase who only knew how to rely on him.

"Don't worry, I was just joking. Even if I encounter a formidable opponent, I will defeat him with my own strength!"

Helplessly, she removed Bai Yuan's hand from her head and placed it on her face. Looking into his eyes, Alice Nakiri spoke earnestly, word by word.

This is her belief in becoming a strong person.

Only by becoming strong can one stay by Bai Yuan's side forever.

"I believe you."

Bai Yuan said gently.

at the same time.

The judges on stage exchanged glances, then addressed the two individuals:

"Soma Yukihira, your cooking is very good. Adding candied orange peel and lemon juice to the yokan is indeed a very unique and innovative approach."

There's also red oolong fermented vinegar, where the sourness of the vinegar and the richness of the black tea complement each other perfectly, making them the perfect pairing.

However, apart from these two points, the rest is very monotonous, just ordinary yokan, with no change in its essence.

In contrast, Liu Yu's mille-feuille cake boldly utilizes the characteristics of soy sauce and brown sugar, giving the cream a significant boost in flavor.

Furthermore, this special soy sauce cream complements the fruit tasted later, enhancing the cake's flavor in every aspect.

It's really great.

Therefore, I hereby announce that the winner of this match is Liu Yu.

Dojima Gin's voice rang out, objectively analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of both dishes, and as he pressed the button, he announced the final winner of the competition.

On the judges' panel, Hinako Inui and Sonoka Kikuchi both pressed the buttons in front of them, and the next moment, Liu Yu's name appeared on the big screen.

Liu Yu won 3-0.

"I see. Using the saltiness of soy sauce to further enhance the sweetness of cream is a brilliant performance. I accept defeat wholeheartedly."