Chapter 542 Boiling water cabbage (seeking the moon)
Jessica spread her hands: "I don't want to be biased against Chinese food, but the Mingfu family dinner I went to a few days ago did not meet my inner expectations at all."
Elena was also a little helpless: "I told you a long time ago that it is not the best Chinese food in Jingzhou."
Jano smiled and did not get too involved in the conversation between the two of them. He just served the dishes one after another according to the time schedule according to the previous plan.
It started with a very small appetizer, four seasons cold cuts.
The Four Seasons cold appetizers include four appetizers, namely pickled cucumber, vegetarian goose, braised bamboo shoots and candied plums, with multiple flavors of sweet, sour and salty.
Next is shrimp floss wrapped in lettuce. Fresh shrimp, onions, celery and other ingredients are diced and stir-fried. Finally, they are mixed with golden and crispy fried dough sticks, and then wrapped in lettuce.
Then there is a very famous traditional dish, pagoda meat.
Elena is very skilled in using chopsticks, while Jessica is a little clumsy in using them, but this does not prevent her from enjoying the food.
Jano introduced the characteristics and details of these dishes in English before serving them.
All introductions have been prepared in advance and are very concise.
If it is too short, it will be impossible to explain all the details contained in the dish; if it is too long, it may affect the customer's appetite.
After all, most Chinese food is just a hot bite when it is served, and it will not taste good after a while. Customers are enjoying the food and have no time to be distracted and listen to these complicated processes and steps.
The result of multitasking is often that you neither taste the taste nor remember the details.
Therefore, the content introduced by Jano has been reviewed many times, and the time is controlled very accurately to ensure that guests can understand the characteristics of the dishes without affecting the taste.
Elena listened and touched the edge of the plate calmly.
For high-end restaurants, details will directly determine the experience.
Some high-end restaurants that don't pay attention to details don't even pay attention to wiping off all the water stains after washing the goblets.
If the water stains are not wiped off, even if there is only a small amount of dust around, the water stains will leave marks on the cup after they dry up.
Of course, there are very few high-end restaurants that make this mistake.
Another very common problem is the temperature of the plate.
Use cold plates for cold dishes, and use hot plates for hot dishes. Once the serving time is slow and the plates of hot dishes get cold, you have to undo it and start over.
Elena gently touched the edge of the plate on which the three dishes had been served, and she could immediately feel that the temperature of the dishes was within the optimal range, and everything was just right.
In addition, the presentation is also a point of concern for Elena.
The combination of shapes, the harmony of colors, the types of tableware... just like painting, the chef gives the dishes artistic conception and soul through plate presentation, and the presentation of these dishes can be called works of art, which makes Elena very satisfied.
As for Jessica, she didn't know so many things, but she just felt that the Chinese food she had today seemed completely different from what she had before.
The appearance is very similar, but the mysterious feeling is difficult to describe in words.
Jessica said in surprise while eating: "This so-called pagoda meat is probably one of the two most complicated dishes we ordered, right?"
Elena shook her head: "Obviously not."
She looked at Jano: "Lucas, although the previous dishes are also excellent, I have also eaten them in other high-end private chefs, such as the four-season cold dishes at the top. I once ate them in a top restaurant in Silicon Valley.
I have eaten it in the restaurant; as for pagoda meat, I once had it at a top private chef in Ludao. In terms of taste, each has its own advantages. Although your place is not inferior to the previous two places, it has not completely convinced me yet."
Jano smiled slightly: "Then you should have tasted the next Western dessert, its name is verjus in egg."
Elena and Jessica looked at the new dishes in front of them.
That's...an egg.
Jessica was a little confused: "So, is it boiled eggs topped with verjus? Lucas, I remember you said this is a dessert."
Verjus is a kind of sour juice made from raw grapes. It is not common outside the UK and does not suit the taste of ordinary Chinese people, but it was a great surprise for Jessica and Elena.
To use an inappropriate example, it’s probably the same feeling as when people in the Imperial City drank Arctic soda in Silicon Valley.
Elena showed a surprised expression: "Yes, it is a dessert, and everything on this plate is edible."
Jano introduced with a smile: "Miss Elena should be familiar with this dish. It requires nearly a hundred processes and more than 70 kinds of materials to finally make such a small 'egg'."
Elena reminded: "Jessica, you'd better eat its 'eggshell', 'egg yolk' and 'egg white' together. The taste will be most perfect if you mix it."
Jessica tried to eat a small spoonful, and her eyes lit up instantly.
"Oh, this familiar smell! What are these things that look like eggs?"
Jano replied: "The egg white is actually coconut-flavored custard, the egg yolk is verjus cooked with spices, the egg shell is chocolate, the 'bird's nest' on the base is a dessert made of honey and syrup, and the surrounding embellishments are
kabosu jelly, it’s a citrus fruit native to East Asian islands.”
"This is a very complex dish. Every process is like a chemical experiment. From the preparation of materials to the production, precision is required. Many details, such as the proportion of materials, temperature, heating time, etc., need to be carried out carefully according to laboratory standards.
, otherwise a small oversight, maybe just one or two degrees higher temperature, or one or two grams more material, will lead to failure."
Elena added: "Even in the UK, restaurants that can make this dish are extremely rare."
This dessert obviously exceeded Jessica's expectations. She said in surprise: "It's so delicious. Thank you for bringing me such a surprise! But... this dish also made me stand more firmly on the side of support."
A side of western food.”
If Chinese people eat this dish, they may not find it very delicious, but they will be surprised by the complexity of the craftsmanship and the exquisite appearance.
The shell, white and yolk of this "egg" are completely fake, especially the eggshell is very thin, just like the real eggshell.
However, Chinese people are actually not very adaptable to its taste, because verjus appears to be too sour, and most people are not used to it.
But this taste has a hometown feel to Jessica.
Originally there were two dishes with complicated craftsmanship at the end, but the first dish had already raised Jessica's taste threshold infinitely, and Elena couldn't help but worry about whether the next dish could hold the crowd.
If not, it won't do anything to change Jessica's stereotype of Chinese food. Although she ate a good meal, in Jessica's heart, it was obviously the Western food of verjus in egg that impressed her the most.
The waiter brought a basin and placed it in the middle of the dining table.
Elena's eyes widened slightly.
In the tank, four or five spread leaves set off a large water lily-like... cabbage?
The stems and leaves showed no signs of being cooked or blanched, and looked like raw cabbage.
There is clear soup in the basin. There is no oil or color. It can only be seen that it is steaming. It seems to be no different from ordinary boiling water.
At first glance, this dish looks like a piece of raw cabbage peeled into the shape of a water lily, placed in a basin, and then poured with boiling water.
Elena is a little surprised, because she knows that cabbage is one of the cheapest ingredients, so to describe something very cheap, you have to say it is "cabbage price".
Jiano was not in a hurry to introduce how to make it, but raised his hand and said: "This dish is called 'boiled cabbage'. Please taste it first, and I will explain it later."
Elena doubtfully picked up a small piece of cabbage leaf and put it into her mouth.
However, the cool and crisp texture that I imagined did not appear. Instead, it was soft and tender. It was obviously fully cooked, but it was also unexpectedly tender. This refreshing and fresh aroma was completely different.
It tastes better than anything I’ve ever tasted before!
Elena gently scooped up another spoonful of soup, and an indescribable and wonderful taste stimulated the taste buds, which was so exciting.
Jessica's expression also froze, obviously she had no idea that this dish could taste so good.
Jia Nuo explained with a smile: "This dish was originally made in late autumn, after the ground begins to frost, with freshly rolled cabbage and removed from the soil on the same day. Although the season is not right now, through precise control of the ambient temperature,
This effect can also be achieved.”
"Remove at least the outer two layers, leaving only the tender white stems of the inner leaves, about the size of your fist. Soak the root part of the vegetable in the prepared soup to soften the stem. Peel off four or five pieces, like a water lily blooming, and lay them flat on the
Above the net drain, use a silver needle to prick the cabbage heart repeatedly and deeply, so that the cabbage is filled with pores that are invisible to the naked eye from the inside out."
“When making soup, you need to choose a chicken that is neither fat nor tender. It should not be too oily or overcooked. Remove all the belly oil from the whole chicken and wash it repeatedly to remove the blood. First put it in boiling water and blanch it, then add boiling water and add abalone slices.
, white mushroom
Add ingredients such as shredded silk and simmer for four to five hours. When the soup is thick and fresh, take out the whole chicken, then put the chicken fiber into the soup to absorb the oil, put the minced meat made from chicken breast into the soup and boil it, and finally cover it with fine gauze
Strain the soup."
"The combination of soup and cabbage is the most important step. Two fires and two pots are required. One pot is placed with a drain with cabbage on it, and the other is the prepared soup. Place it under the pot with the drain and keep it warm.
The fire when serving soup should be smaller, so that the soup should always be kept at 70-80 degrees Celsius, without any
If you can make mistakes, then use a large spoon to pour the warm soup onto the cabbage repeatedly. When the soup is almost finished, change the pot and pour it again until the outermost layer of vegetable stems is completely cooked and soft, then add the cabbage.
In a large bowl, slowly ladle in the hot soup. Only when it is made in this way can it be called real boiled cabbage."