Food Wars: Tavern

Everything in life is man-made.

When it comes to cooking, each ingredient has its own temperament, even though the dishes are all made by people. 

For example, with a mille-feuille, each layer of pastry has its own idea, and beginners often stumble at the start. 

Similarly, various types of spun sugar dishes can easily turn into various failed versions of candied fruit if not careful.

Therefore, every seemingly simple dish actually hides its own difficulties.

How can a souffle remain stable without collapsing in 1 minute? In reality, many chefs find this exceptionally challenging!

But in Zane's eyes, or perhaps in the eyes of Alice Nakiri, who excels in molecular gastronomy, they both find it easy. 

It's simply a matter of adding a stabilizing agent like gelatin... that's it!

"Using such a thing is really not my cooking style!"

Returning to the cooking station, Zane took a deep breath and mumbled to himself.

It's said that a successful souffle demands extreme attention to detail, so before starting, all the ingredients must be prepared. 

Butter, eggs, granulated sugar, and flour – these four items are absolutely essential!

"Sorry, we're out of fruits and nuts at the tavern. We only have some chocolate we bought at the supermarket a few days ago. Is it okay to make chocolate-flavored souffles?"

"Of course, you can do as you like."

Momo quickly agreed.

"OK, let's get started then!"

With these words, Zane finally got busy.

He first preheated the oven and then took out about a dozen heat-resistant small cups. 

Using a small brush, he first brushed them with softened butter, then reapplied it to the inner walls of the cups. 

Following this, he sprinkled some granulated sugar and poured out the excess. 

Once done, he placed all the small cups in the refrigerator for chilling.

The small pieces of chocolate were heated and melted, then butter and beaten egg yolks were added in succession and stirred evenly before setting aside.

In a separate bowl, lemon juice was added to egg whites, and granulated sugar was gradually added in three stages, whipped using an electric egg beater.

The final addition of sugar was accompanied by the addition of cornstarch, and the egg white foam was whipped until it reached the stage of stiff peaks.

One-third of the egg white foam was added to the chocolate mixture, folded until evenly mixed. 

Finally, the remaining two-thirds was added and stirred until it reached the consistency of mousse.

"Hmm?"

"Is it just me, or although it's done in a professional manner, it seems like a typical souffle preparation?"

Throughout the entire process, Zane didn't do anything particularly eye-catching.

This made Momo, who was quietly watching, inevitably feel disappointed and helpless!

"Momo!"

"Let's keep watching."

"I believe that in the end, his souffle dessert will surprise you."

Seeing this, Rindo couldn't help but whisper in doubt.

But considering that Zane was always a man of his word and never made empty promises, she could only focus her attention back on him and see how he would complete this souffle dessert.

Subsequently, Zane filled the prepared egg white foam into the small cups, forming them into small mound-shaped peaks and then smoothing the surface with a small knife.

Placed in the oven at 150°C for exactly 20 minutes, during the baking process, all the souffles slowly began to expand.

Clearly, the wait for the end product of the souffles was like pursuing a loved one – the process was long but the outcome was sweet.

Finally, to the anticipation of everyone, with a "ding," a dozen souffle desserts were fresh out of the oven.

"Here they come."

"They're coming out."

"I hope they won't collapse when taken out!"

As she watched the souffles in the oven, Rindo couldn't help but stare at them with round eyes, filled with expectation and tension.

Similarly, Momo also stared intently, even though she couldn't help feeling uncertain.

This was because the method and ingredients used by Zane to make the souffle just now were all so ordinary.

Yet for some reason, she really hoped that this souffle wouldn't collapse!

Later, all the souffle desserts were brought out.

The moment they came into contact with the air, their golden-yellow, slightly caramelized appearance showed no signs of change, let alone visible collapse.

At a glance, it was clear that these were the classic creations of French desserts.

Upon closer inspection, the upper layer of pastry had some elasticity and the lower layer still retained some moisture.

The entire light and airy souffle was like a fluffy, completely ungraspable cloud!

"Wow."

"They really didn't collapse!"

"And these souffle desserts feel so soft and bouncy."

"Especially the cute little mound-like curves, expressing a concept of 'adorable,' it makes me feel almost melting."

"Could it be that the owner of this tavern has an incredibly strong design talent?"

Looking at each adorable souffle in front of her, Momo's inner child was instantly touched, her eyes starting to sparkle.

Adorable.

It's a very abstract concept.

But cute things are often seen as an aesthetic tendency!

From the moment she appeared, Momo was portrayed as someone who loves cute things.

Perhaps having "cute" elements allows her to show her inner world and her love for life, making it easier for others to resonate with her!

It's because of this that her "cute" dessert dishes are liked by so many people.

Maybe?

Even though she doesn't know.

Her own image is actually closely related to cuteness.

Big eyes, a round face, and a petite figure make her look very cute.

In addition, her clothes and accessories often have cute elements, like a hairstyle resembling cat ears, and often hugging a stuffed toy and so on!

Therefore, despite being the number four in the Top Ten, and not having much of a role in the original storyline, it's precisely this kind of character that makes Zane quite fond of her!

"56"

"57"

"58"

"59"

"60"

"It's been a whole minute, and all the souffles still haven't collapsed!"

As the 60 seconds were up, seeing that all the souffles maintained their just-out-of-the-oven appearance, Rindo excitedly exclaimed.

Miracles, this truly was a one of a kind miracle!

She only wanted to give Zane a strong hope, and he actually made it happen.

—----

During the Middle Ages.

In the romantic kingdom of France.

Souffle was a genuine luxury item, only the nobility had the privilege to enjoy, commoners couldn't afford it. 

But souffle wasn't a product associated with extravagance among the nobles, quite the opposite, it carried a positive metaphor opposing extravagance.

Until now, souffle has remained a popular dessert, also emerging as a dark horse in the dessert category.

However, due to its tendency to collapse, it became the "no-photo cake."

Usually, one can only occasionally find it in high-end restaurants, and it's rare to see it sold by street vendors.

...

Later on, the impatient Momo.

She broke off a piece of souffle dessert, slightly opened her mouth, and slowly savored it.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she took a bite, the soft and fluffy souffle, the filling inside unexpectedly "puffed" and flowed down her throat.

In an instant, the rich taste of milk began to fill her nasal cavity and taste buds, making Momo shiver!

She immediately felt the silky texture of the souffle itself.

It was like a liquid that melted in the mouth, slowly dispersing, giving her an exceptionally light feeling.

At the same time, maybe the melting was too quick, as she soon couldn't feel its presence anymore.

And this overwhelmingly romantic sweet scent began to gradually transport her consciousness to a fairy tale world filled with "romance and cuteness"!

To the point that just by having a small bite.

Momo, currently the fourth in the Top Ten, was completely captivated by this souffle dessert!

"Mmm~"

"This flavor..."

Finally, as she finished swallowing, Momo couldn't resist licking her lips.

At this moment, she wanted to resist desperately, but she couldn't break free from the deliciousness of the souffle.

No matter how hard she tried to think of other things, her attention would always return to this delicate and silky souffle dessert.

"No, this feeling... how is this possible... ah, ah..."

Momo finally couldn't resist the taste experience brought by the souffle.

Her eyes rolled back, feeling a sense of comfort and pleasure all over her body!

...

"Interesting!"

"To make Momo, who excels in desserts."

"Reveal such a thought-provoking expression, I'm sure this souffle will be very delicious, right?"

Thinking to herself, Rindo.

Even though she knew that with Zane's abilities, any dessert he made would definitely surprise Momo!

But when she saw Momo completely lose control over a simple souffle dessert made by Zane and thoroughly enjoying it, she couldn't help but feel incredibly surprised!

Then, unable to resist her gluttony.

Quickly reaching out, she picked up a small piece of souffle dessert and tasted it.

That texture between ice cream and cake instantly put Rindo's mood in a state of sweetness and happiness, allowing a hint of sweetness to seep through.

Different flavors of souffle desserts surely would provide different sensory experiences.

Like a chocolate-flavored souffle, it would bring a slightly bitter, slightly astringent taste.

So just by taking a light bite, Rindo was immediately captivated by the crispy, fragrant shell!

Without saying, the interior of the souffle must be very soft.

It wasn't because Zane delayed the collapse time that made it taste somewhat off.

And the rich milk flavor made Rindo unable to resist.

She felt like it was a kind of oil return similar to a pound cake, offering a different flavor!

Perhaps even she couldn't imagine that Zane's souffle dessert, although made in a simple manner, could captivate people endlessly just with its taste and texture!

...

"So that's it!"

"After adding granulated sugar, use an electric eggbeater to whip at medium speed."

"At first, it's a complete liquid, gradually thickening with the eggbeater's movement, continue whipping until it becomes thick, keep whipping, and it will completely disappear."

"Finally, what appears is the slightly expanded egg white paste."

"And with a bit more whipping, unclear patterns will begin to appear slowly, lifting the eggbeater, the trace of cream dripping won't disappear quickly."

"At first, I thought adding lemon juice would help stabilize, but it actually has the role of removing the fishy taste of egg whites!"

"So the key to solving the collapse problem lies in how the egg whites are whipped and the oven temperature and timing settings..."

"Huh?"

"Weird!"

"Did I miss something?"

At this moment, Rindo looked at the souffle dessert in her hand and couldn't help but feel stunned!

"Cornstarch!"

Zane smiled and stepped forward, continuing, "The key to solving the collapse problem is actually the cornstarch added at the end."

"Starch helps stabilize the protein inside, but if the cornstarch is added too late, it will actually be counterproductive, flattening the bubbles."

"And how to control the amount of starch and the timing, this requires a pastry chef to experiment over a long period of time!"

...

Starch, its stabilizing effect is reflected in two aspects:

- Suspension stability!

- Gel stability!

These stabilities are determined by the structure and properties of the starch.

First, starch has some unique structural features, such as a spiral structure, branch configuration, and molecular weight, among others.

These features allow starch molecules to form a network structure in a solution, thereby maintaining the stability of the starch.

In other words, from a professional perspective, the collapse problem with souffle is due to the particles or granules in the suspension, which sink due to gravity.

However, adding starch can prevent the sinking of particles or granules by extending and bridging the molecular chains.

Therefore, due to the starch.

Rindo's pupils couldn't help but gradually widen.

She then realized the talent and ability Zane displayed in the professionalism of pastry making was indeed so strong!

For some reason, she didn't like eating desserts.

Because the overly sweet taste made her easily feel disgusted.

But after tasting Zane's souffle dessert, she felt it wasn't enough, and even after the inside of the souffle disappeared, its taste still lingered in her mouth.

This feeling made her think that all the descriptions of souffle desserts were pale, and it made her feel extremely satisfied after the first taste!

Indeed, this is Zane's cooking!

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This was a 2-in-1 chapter, meaning there is 2 different chapters in this 1 chapter. Make sure to give more power stones!