Chapter 419 - 162: Su Chen’s Failure

Chapter 419: Chapter 162: Su Chen’s Failure

"What are they doing? Is it just six little spheres? What kind of dessert could that be?"

"I can’t imagine what kind of dessert you can make with animal fat and flour, but it’s definitely not one I’d like..."

"Hurry up! My grandma next door is waiting for me to go home and cook for her!"

After all, a ridiculous score like 9.9 had already appeared. What was the point of dragging this out any longer?

"Boss, the temperature’s right!"

Su Chen nodded. Under the effect of the Magic Sticker, his nose could even smell the fragrance of the vegetable oil as it heated up.

Su Chen then placed the branch—made from cocoa powder that Ah Bao had baked earlier—horizontally on the plate.

"Now’s the time!"

He picked up a flower bud with his chopsticks and submerged it completely in the heated oil.

’As expected of the Magic Sticker...’

The moment the flower bud was submerged, Su Chen’s eyes noticed that the oil temperature was still a little too high.

Unlike with lotus pastries, the blooming process for a Magnolia was more about using the oil to gently coax the petals open, not Blast them apart!

He immediately turned the heat down a little more.

With just that slight change in temperature, the spots on the petals’ surface that had been bubbling immediately quieted down.

Both the audience and the judges were a little baffled by Su Chen’s actions. From what they could see, there didn’t seem to be anything special about this dessert.

The flower bud steeped for about thirty seconds.

Then, from the places where it had been cut, tiny bubbles gradually began to appear.

"Boss..."

Ah Bao’s voice trembled. He wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was normal.

"That’s the lard-based pastry inside doing its job. The flower will only bloom once the inner pastry is Blasted. Don’t worry."

As soon as Su Chen finished speaking, the outermost layer of the flower bud began to slowly bloom outward!

One layer, two layers, three layers!

The director seemed to notice something different happening here and immediately zoomed in on the pot of oil again!

On the big screen, the audience could observe this change even more clearly.

Three layers of petals bloomed, revealing the stamen resting on white chocolate inside. At that exact moment, Su Chen immediately removed the Magnolia from the pot of oil.

"Can’t Blast it any longer... or the white chocolate will melt."

He pulled the toothpick from the base of the flower, inserted a pre-prepared connecting rod, and stuck the other end into a hole in the branch on the plate.

And just like that, a snow-white Magnolia appeared on the cocoa-colored branch.

"Incredible! Boss, that’s just incredible!"

Su Chen shot Ah Bao a sideways glance.

’That familiar feeling is back...’

"Enough with the flattery. Who here has the best handwriting? Use the fruit jam to write a poem on the plate."

"I’ll do it." Zhang Jiayi rolled up her sleeves and found the bag filled with jam. "What should I write?"

Su Chen was already Blasting another Magnolia. The Magic Sticker made his mind exceptionally clear, allowing him to multitask perfectly.

While observing the state of the Magnolia, he said, "Fine spring light in the third month."

Zhang Jiayi steadied her right arm with her left hand. As her right hand moved deftly over the plate, elegant cursive script appeared.

The appearance of the block-like characters caused many audience members to stand up for a better look. Some even took out their phones, trying to translate the meaning.

"In the mortal world, life bursts forth in Yangzhou."

"Pass under a Magnolia, and its fragrance will cling to your sleeves."

As the poem was recited, a new Magnolia was placed on the branch. This was repeated six times, until all six flowers were finally arranged on the branch.

DING!

With fifteen minutes left in the competition, Ah Bao rang the small brass bell on their table.

And when the completed traditional Chinese dessert appeared on the big screen, a stir went through the audience.

"A work of art! That’s a complete work of art! How could someone perfectly replicate a flowering branch?"

"Oh my god... how did he make the flowers bloom in a pot of oil?"

"This must be a magical technique that only exists in that Eastern country, right?"

"I swear, if that dessert were placed in front of me, I would never be able to bring myself to eat it. Doing so would be like destroying a work of art!"

In the next phase, Zhang Jiayi was responsible for introducing the dessert in English.

"This is the Magnolia. The petals are made from flour and lard, the center of the flower is white chocolate, the stamen is also made from flour and lard, and the branch is made from cocoa powder and flour."

In other words, the entire flowering branch on the plate was edible!

Then it was time for the judges’ comments.

"I swear! This is the most magical technique I have ever seen. If a perfect score wasn’t just ten points, I think I would give it an even higher score!"

"It’s incredibly difficult for human hands to control the final shape of food if it isn’t set in a mold beforehand. You accomplished that. Ten points!"

"God only knows, seeing that flower bloom in the process of being Blasted... I felt like I was kissed by an angel. Full marks!~"

"..."

After a series of comments, the Magnolia also received a perfect score for creativity.

Ah Bao let out a long sigh of relief. "Boss! We have a chance!"

Su Chen lowered his head. "Don’t celebrate too early."

In Su Chen’s view, getting a perfect score for creativity was something of a fluke.

The six judges’ comments all focused on the process of the Magnolia blooming. In other words, it was the existence of that camera shot that made them give it a high score of 10!

If they had made the dish earlier and finished at the same time as most of the other teams, not as many people would have noticed Su Chen’s Blasting process. If the judges had only seen the finished product, they might not have gotten a perfect score for creativity!