“We can’t control the sizes of the meatballs because they shrink in the process of cooking. Has
he considered those as well?”
Sharon was slightly taken aback. In spite of the uncertainties associated, she had one of the
meatballs.
She was utterly impressed by the unique texture of it. Most importantly, the meatball had
completely absorbed the flavor of the jam.
After she finished the first meatball, she took another one and noticed that it tasted exactly the
same as the first one she took.
In other words, Casper had successfully produced a dish that was up to standard in terms of
taste and texture.
“It’s delicious!”
Sharon nodded her head in amazement. Only a mere few could produce a dish that would
require precise control over the ingredients involved to acquire such a precise texture and
flavor.
She took another few bites and had a mouthful of the sauce prepared to go along with the dish.
A few seconds later, she announced the ingredients with her chest held high, “A pound of
ground pork and—”
“No!” Casper yelled and interrupted her when she had just started.
Everyone in the kitchen looked at him and wondered what had possibly gone wrong.
“What do you mean? Are you indicating I have gotten the wrong ingredients?” Sharon asked
with her irritation written all over her face.
Out of the blue, Louis added, “I’m afraid that’s the case, Ms. Alder.”
The woman instantly took a few steps back with her face puckered in irritation. She yelled at
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLouis, “I shouldn’t have let him appoint you as the judge! You may seem like a righteous man,
but I guess you’re not much different from others! He must have coerced you into submission
beforehand!”
To her surprise, Louis couldn’t be bothered by her seemingly harsh remarks at all. He rebuked
in a callous tone, “Ms. Alder, it’s not much of a shame if you’re defeated by Mr. Simpson over
there. I’m not even a match for him in terms of skills.”
Louis showed Sharon Casper’s chopping board and denoted, “He has successfully replicated
the texture of a meatball using plant-based meat. The most important ingredient of the dish you
have missed out is actually ketchup.”
Casper interrupted Louis and added, “The jam has been included to deceive you through your
sense of sight and taste.”
“W-What—”
Sharon’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had never heard anything about the method he had
used to produce such an authentic dish. She couldn’t believe Casper was able to mimic the
texture of meat using just plant-based meat.
“If you think I’m lying, why don’t you go ahead and give it another bite? I’m pretty sure you’re
able to tell the differences after another few bites.”
Casper beckoned the woman to savor the dish he had produced to prove himself. As Sharon
started chewing the meatballs, she gaped in disbelief once again.
“I can’t believe I have been deceived! Indeed, this is plant-based meat that was made out of
soy! He’s pretty skillful to be able to replicate the look of a meatball from scratch, I’ll give him
that!”
Casper clapped and shared his recipe with her in delight, “In other words, the only ingredients
involved in the making of this dish is plant-based meat. However, it must be made on the same
day it was intended to be consumed. Otherwise, it would be impossible to mimic the texture.”
Once again, the chefs rushed over to have a bite of the meatball. However, since Sharon was
around, they dared not let loose of themselves and started queuing up instead.
“Oh, God! I won’t be able to tell the difference if no one ever told me the truth!”
“Seriously? Mr. Simpson is such a talented cook! I can’t really tell the difference, but one thing’s
for sure—it’s freaking delicious!”
As the chefs went on and on complimenting the dish Casper had produced, a gloomy
expression loomed over Sharon’s face. It was evident that she wasn’t a match for the man in
terms of culinary skills.
That was one of Casper’s many advantages as the owner of Tycoon. He could easily intimidate
an outsider who was there to compete against him.
In an attempt to flatter Casper, one of the chefs remarked at the top of his lungs, “Undeniably,
the crab bisque is scrumptious, but Mr. Simpson could list the ingredients easily! On the other
hand, she’s can’t even tell if Mr. Simpson has included meat in his dish or not! Isn’t it obvious
who’s the superior one amongst them?”
Although Casper was indeed flattered, he had to keep his feelings of delight to himself since
Sharon was still around.
Therefore, he stopped them and said, “Alright, I believe that’s enough! Shall we not forget Ms.
Alder is significantly younger than most of us here?”
Meanwhile, colors drained from Sharon’s face as she had never been humiliated by others
throughout her entire life.
“I’ll admit I’m not a match for you in terms of senses! However, I’ll definitely get you back during
the second round!”
She took a deep breath and showed all who were present a ceramic pot she had with her.
Although it was completely sealed, the fragrance of the dish could not be concealed as it
permeated throughout the kitchen.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Next, we’ll each prepare a signature dish within two hours! The one with the tastier dish wins!”
Casper sniffled in an attempt to figure out the dish behind the lingering scent.
“Thanks for taking this seriously, Ms. Alder! I can’t believe you have prepared a Beef Wellington
in advance for today’s showdown!”
Beef Wellington was a well-known signature dish throughout the region. It was, in fact, one of
the limited few dishes that was globally renowned.
As soon as the chefs from Tycoon figured out Sharon had prepared Beef Wellington in
advance, they engaged in another heated discussion and thought she would emerge victorious
without putting on much of a fight.
After all, Beef Wellington was a time-consuming dish; chefs were required to take every single
component of the dish into consideration.
That was precisely the reason it was considered the signature dish of the restaurants out there
— including Tycoon. All the chefs were familiar with that dish because they would get at least
an order for that particular dish on a daily basis.
“It’s going to take a few days to get the components to prepare Beef Wellington ready! The
owners of renowned restaurants will get the ingredients ready a few hours before their
operation commences to ensure their customer gets the best version of Beef Wellington! I’m
pretty sure she has been getting everything ready ever since last night!”
“That’s so unfair! The Beef Wellington she brought along with her was prepared beforehand!
How is Mr. Simpson supposed to get everything ready within two hours? Nothing can possibly
outmatch this particular dish! I guess she’s willing to do everything to win!”
“Has she no shame? Maybe it has something to do with her success and achievement!”
Sharon dismissed the remarks of those around them and remained silent in anticipation of
Casper’s reply.
“That’s enough!” Casper reprimanded the chefs sharply before turning to Sharon and nodding in
return.
“Since I have agreed to have Ms. Alder come up with the first two challenges of the showdown,
I’m not going to go back against my word. We’ll just carry on with it.”