Chapter 71: Footprints in front of his feet (2)

Even after a field he wasn’t specialized in came out, Jo Minjoon’s face didn’t shake . It was a door he had to climb someday .

But of course, if it was him from before, he would be feeling regret right now . However, he wasn’t . And it wasn’t because just recently, his baking level got up to 5 . Because in the first place, not all desserts had to be made by baking .

‘…… . . Should I try that?’

Jo Minjoon’s gaze grew sharper . What he was thinking right now was the dessert he ate in Rose Island . Excluding the chocolate pastry, they were all 8 points, and it also meant that Jo Minjoon knew the recipes of them .

But of course, knowing the recipe and imitating it were two different things . But at least, he was confident in bringing out 90% of the flavor . That dish that had sudachi curd and green apple jelly, and roasted cashew nuts as a garnish .

After he came back from the restaurant, Jo Minjoon worked hard to imitate all of the dishes excluding the molecular gastronomy . And the dish he got closer to was this one . Because right yesterday, he imitated it, and succeeded on getting 7 points .

If there was a varying factor, then it would be time . Jo Minjoon looked at Joseph’s lips with an anxious face . However, the one who opened her mouth was Emily, and not Joseph .

“You have two choices . One is one hour, the other one is two hours . If you choose the two hours one with something you can make in just one, then there’s no need to even talk about the score, right? Use a dessert using the given time perfectly . And . ”

Emily paused for a moment . She continued talking with a serious face .

“In this mission, two people will disqualify . One from the one hour, and another one from the two hours . There won’t be given any more opportunities to the both . So be prudent in choosing the time . We will give you 10 minutes . Go to the right countertops if you want to make it in one hour, and to the left if you want to make it in two . It’s left and right from where i’m standing .

Jo Minjoon didn’t have more options but to choose the two-hour one . Because if he wanted to properly make jelly, he would at least need that time . The unexpected one was Marco . Just as his specialty was baking, he thought that he would be choosing the two-hour one, but what he chose was the one-hour one . And aside from him, Chloe, Hugo, and Peter chose the one-hour time .

And there were five people in total . In the other side, there were six people that chose two hours . Jo Minjoon, Joanne, Ivanna, and another three . Jo Minjoon glanced at the others . The one that caught his attention was a black woman called Sasha . She seemed to be five years older than him . And she, who was slim and had a gentle character, wasn’t someone Jo Minjoon originally was aware of . A relationship where she brought her food to ask for the cooking score occasionally . However, that changed a few days ago .

[Sasha Kane]
Cooking level: 6
Baking level: 7
Tasting level: 6
Decorations level: 5

The only ones that had baking level 7 were only two, Marco and Anderson . And it was the same a few days ago . And perhaps, a few weeks ago . Because it wasn’t that Jo Minjoon checked the levels of the others occasionally .  And he only knew of her change a few days ago .

The score the carrots pound cake she brought two days ago asking for the score wasn’t normal . 8 points . When he checked her level because he was surprised, her level was already up .

‘…… . To grow in the middle of the competition . No, I’m the same . ’

He didn’t really feel like congratulating her . Who in the world could congratulate a competitor so honestly?

Jo Minjoon looked at his stats window with regretful eyes . His levels didn’t seem like it would rise soon . Precisely speaking, it was for the cooking level . After coming to the US, excluding cooking level, all the other things rose by one, but only the cooking level didn’t . Of course, as it was an important level, it wouldn’t rise that easily . But even so, didn’t human greed have no end?

‘If my level rises does my skills rise? Or if I improve my skills, only then would the level rise?’

It was a question he always had, but a person who could answer that couldn’t be found anywhere . When his cooking level rose to 6, funnily it wasn’t when he was cooking, but when he ate Lucas’s wife, Jane’s, cooking . It said it had raised because his comprehension towards cooking broadened .
It was a question he always had, but a person who could answer that can’t be found anywhere .

And it was actually like that . That time he ate a real american meal, and he could clearly feel what american cooking was like . It was good to look at it as his awareness broadened .

‘I thought that the meal in the three star was enough . ’

However, what raised wasn’t his cooking level but his tasting level . It was unfortunate but it couldn’t be helped . Level 7 . It was the same level as Kaya, Anderson, and Chloe . Hoping for that level to raise that easily was not a considerate thing . It was at that moment Alan opened his mouth .

“It seems like everyone chose . Bear in mind that this mission is a dessert one . Make a kind of dessert that would make you want to eat it even if you are full and have to throw up just to eat it . The people who chose the one hour will start cooking in one hour . Just keep looking until then . Well, let’s start . Bring your ingredients!”

Jo Minjoon immediately moved his steps . He wasn’t planning on grabbing all of the ingredients . In that time, it was better to prepare the green apple jelly a little more quickly . Even so, he had plenty of time while it was boiling . It meant that he could bring the remaining ingredients then .

What he grabbed right now was sugar, a less ripened apple, caramel, and pectin . When he first came to the US, he used the apple peels to use the pectin in it when making jelly because he didn’t have gelatin or pectin . But he didn’t need to do that if he had pectin powder .

There were two things that could be used when making jelly: gelatin and pectin . There were many people that used agar powder to make jelly, but the texture of it would be more like mook(묵) rather than jelly .

The difference in gelatin and pectin was simple . Gelatin was made by processing animal collagen, and pectin was obtained by extracting it in the kinds of tangerine peel or apple . And the flavor was so different as its root . The jelly made with collagen had a stronger congelation point, but the flavor tended to be weak . Pectin, compared to the collagen, had a lower congelation point but the flavor was stronger .

But he didn’t have to think about the pros and cons about gelatin and pectin . Because in what he ate in Rose Island, there was pectin in it . Right in front of him were clear footprints imprinted . Footprints of excellent desserts . So if he stepped just like that, then it would end there .

After slicing the apple in a wedge form, he put that in boiling water along with sugar and caramel . And then, he went again to the pantry . He had to bring the ingredients he couldn’t . Sudachi, asian pear, and nastrium . Cashew nuts, celery, eggs, and butter .

First, when he got back, he checked the pot . And right then, the judges approached him .

“What are you planning to make?”
“I’m planning to imitate what I ate in Rose Island . First, I apply sudachi curd in the floor of the plate, and place round jelly on top of it . I will also put other ingredients . ”
“I wonder . I get that you were impressed many times there . But harmony is harmony, the proportion of the ingredients for each sauce is also important . That…… . ”

Alan was saying that with a slanting attitude, but stopped at that moment . His eyes shook . He asked as if he was saying maybe .

“………First, let me ask you one thing . Minjoon, are you perhaps able to not only read the composition of the ingredients, but also the proportion?”
“There is more information than you think in the dish . ”

Jo Minjoon said with a calm voice . At his words, even Joseph could hang his mouth absentmindedly . It wasn’t enough with just reading the ingredients, but he could also guess the proportions? It was a nonsense ability . Maybe, if they even knew that Jo Minjoon could read the recipe as it was, then they would get angrier rather than surprised .

“…… . . The head chefs must be cautious of you in whatever restaurant you go to . ”
“Why?”
“Because you can be the worst spy in the business . ”

At those words, Jo Minjoon just laughed without saying anything back . Alan couldn’t turn away his gaze from him, and moved his steps with difficulty . Because they had to go with the other participants too . Emily cautiously opened her mouth at the last moment .

“It seems like there’s one more reason I should get closer with you . ”
“There’s nothing bad for a chef to get along with an epicurean . ”
“Again, drawing the line . The offer from back then, i’m not planning to force you . So don’t act so cautiously . ”

After Emily said that, she smiled brightly and left the place . Even if the judges were there or not, what Jo Minjoon had to do was still the same . To stir for the apple to not get burnt, and prepare the sudachi curd .

The first thing he had to do was to disinfect the sudachi . He had to rub the sudachi with baking soda and a little bit of water until foam came out, and after that he had to rub with thick salt and repeat the process . And after that, putting it in boiling water for 10 seconds, the job would be done .

The reason he used fresh sudachi instead of sudachi juices was because he need the sudachi zest . After only slicing the green part thinly, Jo Minjoon started to beat the eggs in a bowl . It was one egg for one sudachi . He put a pinch of salt on the beaten eggs, and after pouring sugar as much as the beaten eggs, he only had to put in the sudachi juice . It didn’t only give it flavor, but the components sudachi had would make the eggs creamy .

After that, he checked the state of the apple again . The apples were quite soft . As he pressed with the rice scoop, the apples would crumble without strength . Jo Minjoon boiled water to poach the sudachi curd and finish mashing the apples . After placing cotton cloth in another bowl and pouring apple juice, he felt the aroma of the apples and sugar were so strong that it hurt your nose . And the hot steam that surged out wasn’t pleasant .

After tying the ends of the cotton cloth carefully, he just had to slowly wait for the apple juice to flow out . If he squeezed it so hard like you did it with katsuobushi, then the contents on the cotton cloth would flow less than normal . He had to slowly wait for the juice to flow for a clean texture .

After that, he put pectin powder in it and boiled it down, and then freezing it was the end . While the juices boiled down, it was the time for the sudachi custard again . Jo Minjoon placed a stainless bowl on top of the boiling pot, and started to poach the beaten eggs and sudachi water in it . If the temperature was too high, then the eggs would just cook like that .  Poaching was the easiest and safest method .

Only stirring with the rice scoop for the curd to not press down took 10 minutes . As he slightly touched the part of the jelly, the end parts trembled . It meant that it was finished . Jo Minjoon put down the rice scoop and put the jelly in the freezer .

As he returned to the countertop, he pressed the curd that was in the rice scoop, and it hardened with the shape it was pressed . It meant that it was completed . After Jo Minjoon put down the bowl on top of the pot, he put in the sudachi zest and butter and slowly mixed it . Because it was still hot, the butter melted easily . The zest didn’t, because it was sliced in short slices . The color was the same, so a sleek sudachi curd was completed . Jo Minjoon savored the green curd with his heart beating .

“…… . . Good . ”

It was to the point he exclaimed in admiration like that .  Sweet and sour . Those short three words could explain it all . The sudachi was covering the sweet flavor of the sugar . When it met the green apple jelly, the aroma of the melted caramel inside of it and the aroma of the apple would combine and make a perfect combination .

Actually, he had somewhat guessed the result without even tasting it .

[Sudachi Curd]
Freshness: 94%
Origins: (Too many ingredients to show)
Quality: High
Cooking Score: 7/10

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