Chapter 319 - 142: Pastry? This is Simply a Work of Art

Chapter 319: Chapter 142: Pastry? This is Simply a Work of Art

Shameless!

"Not entirely," Su Chen said, finally breathing a sigh of relief as he looked at the pastries before him. "If it weren’t for your guidance, I really couldn’t have made them like this."

He had wanted to tell everyone to have a taste, but he’d only baked six in total—not enough for everyone present.

He didn’t have the final props yet, so Su Chen could only arrange the six Imperial Consort Cakes on a white, round plate, garnishing them with a few microgreens.

"These look like works of art. Who could bear to eat them?" Aunt Fang voiced everyone’s true thoughts.

"I can’t believe these were Yang Guifei’s favorite snacks! No matter what, I’m going to be Yang Guifei today!" He Shuting said, her hand reaching for the plate.

Su Chen swatted her hand away. "Not so fast. We still need Ling Shuyu to look them over. She’s in charge of the design, and seeing the real thing is much more effective than a picture."

Before long, Ling Shuyu and Wang Rui arrived in the kitchen together.

The moment she walked in and saw the six Imperial Consort Cakes arranged on the plate, Ling Shuyu froze on the spot!

The pastries were shaped like a full moon, their color a milky white.

Upon closer inspection, one could even faintly see the date-colored paste filling beneath the milky-white crust.

’I so want to put these six cakes in a glass display case and preserve them...’

This was Ling Shuyu’s first thought.

Such exquisite pastries should be preserved so they could be admired at any time. What kind of heartless person would actually want to eat something so beautiful?

Meanwhile, Wang Rui, standing behind President Ling, was stunned for a long moment before his Adam’s apple bobbed.

"A famed flower and a kingdom-toppling beauty, each pleasing the other.

The sovereign looks upon them, his face wreathed in a constant smile.

They banish the infinite sorrow of the spring breeze,

Leaning on the balustrade north of the Aloeswood Pavilion."

"Boss Su, these are pastries made especially for the Imperial Consort! Looking at these cakes, for a moment I feel as if I’ve become Tang Xuanzong! This is my Imperial Consort!"

Huh?

Everyone turned in unison to look at this newcomer.

Ling Shuyu quickly explained, "I thought that for these traditional Chinese-style pastries, we would inevitably need some classical poetry to go with them. I specifically invited Wang Rui over to help see if there were any suitable poems."

So that was the reason.

Su Chen mulled it over. He remembered quite clearly that this poem was one of Li Bai’s "Qingping Tunes." It described the emperor and his consort leaning on a balustrade, their eyes meeting. The scenery was beautiful, but the people were even more so!

"Good. We’ll use this one! This poem was originally written for the imperial consort and the emperor, so it’s quite fitting for this pastry! Get someone to write it on paper with a calligraphy brush!"

And just like that, the first pastry was considered complete.

While chatting with everyone, Su Chen also found a moment to return to the practice room and replicate it once more.

There was no doubt about it. After the pointers from Old Ba, this pastry had jumped from C Level to A Level.

That was already enough.

At the end of the day, it was just a mixture of dough and date paste. In terms of texture and flavor, its potential was very limited.

Su Chen even seriously suspected that the two-level increase was mainly because it had become more aesthetically pleasing.

Having finished one pastry in such a short time, Su Chen felt a great deal of his pressure lift.

He gave the six pastries directly to Ling Shuyu, telling her to take them and create a mock-up with the custom-ordered serving platters.

Su Chen then got busy in the kitchen again with Chen the Eighth.

"Eighth Brother, this second pastry might be a bit difficult..."

"How so?"

Su Chen explained the situation with the Lotus Flower Crisp and also described the difficulties he had encountered during the process.

To make a Lotus Flower Crisp, you first use different colored doughs and layer them to form a round dough ball.

Then, you cut it from the center outwards. During the deep-frying process, each layer of dough separates automatically, making it look like a blooming lotus.

"It’s the same problem... after frying, the surface of the dough is porous, a bit like a shrimp chip. But what I actually need is a smooth surface."

Chen the Eighth stroked his chin, thinking for a long time. "From a dough-making perspective, I’d think the dough wasn’t proofed correctly. But hearing you describe it, that might be part of the reason, but not the whole story."

Su Chen nodded. He had Max Level proficiency in [Blast], so temperature control was definitely not the issue.

The problem must lie with the raw ingredients then.

"Boss Su, I remember last time I was here, you made a dish where you soaked the ingredients in oil first. Have you ever considered... sometimes when I make flatbreads and want to achieve the effect you’re talking about, I brush a layer of oil on the surface of the dough. I’d use something like Sichuan peppercorn oil."

Eh?

Su Chen’s eyes lit up. "That... seems to make sense, doesn’t it?"

When the dough enters the hot oil, its moisture is absorbed by the phospholipids in the fat. The phospholipids themselves are also excellent surfactants, which causes the oil and water to emulsify.

Su Chen had understood this underlying principle, but he had never thought about how to solve the problem. With Old Ba’s reminder, his mind instantly cleared.

Brushing a layer of oil on the surface of the pastry could indeed form a protective layer. That way, when it enters the hot oil, the moisture within the pastry won’t be absorbed instantly.

No sooner said than done!

"Eighth Brother, do me a favor! Juice some pumpkin and fire dragon fruit to mix into the dough."

Chen Wenliang knew exactly what to do.

Sometimes when making dumplings or noodles, you’d use vegetable juice to mix the dough. It was mainly to change the color, with almost no effect on the taste.

"You got it!"

This was easy for Chen Wenliang. He juiced the pumpkin into a very fine liquid, added a little water and simmered it, then strained it one last time to get a very pure, golden-yellow liquid.