Looking at Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi, Qin Jiahao thought that it was the same thing all over again. During his stay at Silver Leaf, he had competed not only with He Haotian but also with Lu Sibai. The two had made it hard for him to get the first seat and was stuck in third place.

Lu Xinyi’s confident smile and the defiant glint in her eyes reminded him so much of Lu Sibai. If this woman was Lu Sibai’s daughter, then Ye Xieren would indeed have a hard time beating her. If she was anything like her father, she must also know how to use her palate to her own advantage.

The three judges were left to discuss privately who won the first round. Qin Jiahao and He Haotian pointed out the flaws and the strong points of each dish presented to them.

“Both Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi made their dishes in the same cooking method, the distinct difference between them is the flavor,” Chef Qin whispered to He Haotian and Han Zhiling.

The woman nodded on his opinion. This simple dish showcased Ye Xieren’s professionalism in the kitchen while Lu Xinyi presented her ability to replicate one’s dish.

“The flavor is hard to pinpoint. Squid ink is glutamate-rich, infusing whatever it touches with umami. Since you both pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of both dishes, let’s decide now who’ll win the first round.”

Ye Xieren stood beside his kitchen counter nervously. He was somewhat disappointed that he’d made a mistake on his boiled egg.

Meanwhile, across him stood Lu Xinyi with a bored expression on her face. It wasn’t that she didn’t like to fight with Ye Xieren, but she would like to end this cooking battle as soon as possible. However, she knew that it wouldn’t be easy for her to beat Ye Xieren this time when her position at the Cream of the Crop was on the line.

Huo Meili received the envelope with the result for the first round and opened it excitedly. She gave Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi a bright smile before flipping the card open.

“The winner of the Squid Ink Pasta challenge goes to Lu Xinyi! Congratulations, Miss Lu!”

Her announcement was followed by the loud cheering in the audience area.

Ye Xieren clenched his fist hard on his side, his jaws tightening. He could not afford to make a single mistake the next round, or else Lu Xinyi would beat him for the umpteenth time.

“We are about to start the second round. May I remind Mr. Ye that if he loses for the second time, Miss Lu will be declared the winner for this cooking battle. However, if he managed to secure this second round, we’ll have to do the last and the tie-breaker round until we proclaim a winner.” Huo Meili explained, which Ye Xieren understood at once.

He needed not to be reminded of what would happen. He was fully aware that this second round would be crucial for him to snatch the 10th seat of the Cream of the Crop from Lu Xinyi.

“Headmistress Han, may we know what the challenge for the second round is?” the emcee inquired.

Han Zhiling placed both of her arms on the table and cupped her chin with her right hand. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

“As for the second round, I want Lu Xinyi and Ye Xieren to make a delicious set of mochi ice cream for us to enjoy. You are free to decide how to make it and what flavor you’ll use. I’m giving you exactly one hour to make and present this delicious confection with an ice cream filling.”

“Mochi Ice Cream? Oh, wow.” Huo Meili’s excitement rose to another level as she thought about seeing Lu Xinyi making another mouth-watering dessert. “Mochi ice cream is gaining popularity worldwide. For those of you who don’t know what it is, think of ice cream balls wrapped in thin mochi dough.

“Now, Mr. Ye, Miss Lu, you’ve heard what our headmistress said so please go back to your counters as the time officially starts now!”

Once the timer started the countdown, Ye Xieren and Lu Xinyi ran towards the food stall located right beside the huge stage and pulled out different ice cream flavors from the fridge. Each took the time to read the labels correct before moving to the other counters to get the flour they needed to make their mochis.

“Mochi Ice Cream? I haven’t thought that Lady Han also has a sweet tooth.” He Haotian teased her, which earned a glare from Han Zhiling.

“Well, just like what Huo Meili said: Mochi Ice Cream is kinda popular right now. I’m excited to see if both students know how to make one.” Qin Jiahao rubbed his hands together. His apprentice was fond of Japanese Cuisine and had an advantage in this round.

“Mochi ice cream is a small, round confection consisting of a soft, pounded sticky rice dumpling formed around an ice cream filling. The ice cream flavors the confection while the mochi adds sweetness and texture. For this round, we’ll have to use these criteria to rate their sweet confections,” the two-star Michelin chef commented beside Chef Qin.

“Both of them need to pay attention, making sure that there wouldn’t be any mistakes along the way. Making mochi ice cream is also tricky. Due to the temperature and consistency of mochi and ice cream, both components must be modified. This is to achieve the right viscosity that will remain constant regardless of changes in temperature,” the headmistress said impassively.

Originally, she wanted Lu Xinyi and Ye Xieren to make a snow-skin moon cake, but because of the limited time and complex preparation, she’d chosen a similar confection—mochi ice cream—for this challenge.

“Mochi ice cream isn’t so hard to make, but one needs to keep in mind that working fast is the most important feat when dealing with ice cream,” she added.

The judges watched as the two best rookies of the academy started working on the thin layer of their mochis.

“There are two ways to make mochi ice cream. It can either be steamed or microwaved. Both methods work well, and it’s really a personal preference.” Chef Qin chipped in. “Oh, it seems like Lu Xinyi chose to use ‘Mochiko’ flour while Ye Xieren opted to use ‘Shiratamako’.”

“That isn’t surprising.” Han Zhiling picked up her teacup and took a sip. “There are three options to make mochis which are Shiratamako, Glutinous Rice Flour, and Mochiko. These flours are all slightly different, although they are made out of the same sticky rice. The main difference between Shiratamako, Glutinous rice flour, and Mochiko is the process of making them.”

“It makes sense why Ye Xieren chose to use Shiratamako. Shiratamako mochi has a very smooth texture and stretches well when it wraps around the ice cream. The particles are finer and smaller than the cheaper options such as glutinous rice flour or Mochiko.”

He Haotian was aware that Ye Xieren would have a chance to win this round based on his chosen ingredients. Ye Xieren had chosen to stick with the classic flavors of Vanilla, Chocolate, and Green Tea while Lu Xinyi felt a little adventurous with her Green Tea Matcha, Red Bean, and Black Sesame flavors.

“We all know that making regular mochi uses glutinous rice flour. However, the dough used to make regular mochi did not seem like it would work well with ice cream mochi. Once frozen, the mochi would stiffen and lose its chewy texture. The key to producing good mochi ice cream is using Shiratamako, although Mochiko is still passable to make one.”

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