Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 68 Baking Dough

Erina Nakiri turned on the sous-vide cooker and took out a steak from it.

The steak was packaged in a food-grade sealed plastic bag, and even after being heated in hot water at a low temperature for several hours, the beef still looked very tender.

As Erina Nakiri slashed open the plastic bag, the steak trembled slightly as it slid onto the cutting board, demonstrating its tenderness.

Along with the steak, some dark sauce fell onto the cutting board, and a unique aroma spread through the air with the heat of the steak.

Lin Yu's nose twitched slightly.

The aroma of wine?

Smelling the intoxicating aroma of wine in the air, Lin Yu couldn't help but smile, his eyes brightening slightly.

And it's not just the aroma of the wine.

Lin Yu took a deep breath and could still faintly smell the aroma of orange peel and almonds.

That's interesting!

"Brandy?"

Lin Yu looked at Erina Nakiri and revealed the secret of the fragrance in one sentence.

"That's right."

Erina Nakiri nodded, readily admitting it.

Erina Kiri took a beautifully packaged wine bottle from the cupboard and waved it in front of Lin Yu.

"When I was cooking the steak, I made a little sauce with this bottle of brandy, put it in a plastic bag, and cooked it with the steak."

"Martell?"

"Is this a special edition for the Blue Ribbon series?"

Looking at the exquisitely designed wine bottle and the label on it, Lin Yu was immediately surprised.

"Such fine wine, only a young lady like you would be willing to use it," Lin Yu joked.

"Of course!"

Erina Nakiri raised her chin and gave a soft snort.

"Isn't it only natural that my dishes are made with the finest ingredients?"

"I found this bottle of wine in my grandfather's wine cellar a few days ago. Anyway, he doesn't drink much, so I guess he won't find it."

Erina Kiri was clearly quite satisfied with Lin Yu's reaction.

A smile appeared on her lips as she raised her hand and gently tucked a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear behind her ear.

Her movements were elegant and graceful, and every gesture exuded beauty and pride.

Erina chuckled lightly. "Don't be too surprised. This kind of sake... it's barely good enough to go with my cooking!"

Seeing the disdain in her eyes, Lin Yu knew that Erina Nakiri truly didn't take this bottle of wine seriously.

Erina Nakiri was not unaware of the price of this bottle of wine, but in her eyes, this bottle of brandy, treasured in the Totsuki Commander's cellar, was no different from any bottle of wine on the shelf of any convenience store in this city. She genuinely believed that this bottle of wine was only barely worthy of her cooking, and that it was an honor for the wine to even appear in her dishes.

This is Erina Kiri, a girl whose pride is deeply ingrained in her bones.

The owner of the God Tongue!

The young lady of Totsuki Academy!

First place in the junior high school for all three years!

besides....

...The Elite Ten of Totsuki Academy!

Lin Yu looked at the busy figure in front of him, his heart trembled, and his eyes revealed a complex meaning.

Even he had to admit that the girl's strength and beauty were truly moving!

Erina Kiri's cooking continues.

She took a clean stainless steel basin and added some flour to it. Then she took the bottle of compound spice powder, took out half of it, and added it to the basin, all under the watchful eyes of Lin Yu and Hisako Shinto.

Erina Nakiri opened the bottle of brandy again and poured a little of the liquor into the basin.

Finally, to the astonishment of Lin Yu and Hisako Shinto, she pulled a bottle of high-proof vodka from the cupboard.

"tons tons tons"

Lin Yu's eyes twitched slightly as he watched the strong liquor being poured into the stainless steel basin.

If he wasn't mistaken, the bottle of wine that Erina was holding looked like the famous "96-degree water of life" from the Slavic people!

"Lady Erina, what's going on?"

Seeing an entire bottle of vodka being poured into the basin, Hisako Shinoto was even more terrified than Lin Yu.

Hisako Niito couldn't help but ask, "When I watched you research this a few days ago, these steps weren't there yet?"

"This is something I just came up with today!"

Erina Nakiri threw away the empty vodka bottle, her face showing an indescribable excitement.

It's like a child seeing an interesting toy.

"Initially, I felt that my approach lacked impact."

"But after trying a few more times, even though I modified the method, I was still not satisfied."

"I tried several different methods, but I always felt that some of them were too strong. Although the flavor was good, they ruined the extremely tender texture of the A5 Wagyu beef."

As she spoke, Kiri Erina stirred the flour, spice powder, and sake in the bowl with her hands, and then began to knead it vigorously.

"This was a sudden, whimsical idea!"

"But my gut feeling tells me this method will work!"

As she spoke, Erina Nakiri looked up at Hisako Shinoto, gave her assistant a smile, and her face radiated confidence.

Flour, compound spice powder, brandy, vodka.

Erina Nakiri's skill in preparing the dish at this moment was equally impressive.

With Erina Kiri's skillful and vigorous kneading, the ingredients were soon kneaded into a smooth dough.

After a brief resting period, Erina Kiri took a rolling pin, rolled the dough into a thin sheet, and then wrapped the steak inside.

"Lady Erina, are you... making beef pies?"

A while ago, when Kiri Erina was doing research on this dish, Shinoto Hisako was watching her.

She thought she knew this dish very well.

But this scene, which she had never seen before, left Hisako Shinto completely bewildered.

"Haha, Hisako, wait a minute."

Upon hearing Hisako Shinto's words, Erina Nakiri shook her head and gave a sly smile.

Hisako Niito, filled with doubt, hesitated for a moment before tentatively saying, "How about... something like Wellington steak?"

Erina Nakiri shook her head again with a smile.

"Alright, stop guessing and just wait patiently!"

"Once it's made, you'll get a share."

Erina Nakiri poured some more vodka onto the kneaded dough.

Then, she took out something that almost made Hisako Shinoto gasp in surprise.

A spray gun!

The gas canister below the spray gun is significantly larger than the common models, about the size of a two-liter Coca-Cola bottle.

The gas cylinder is equipped with a handle, an ignition device, and a flame nozzle.

The nozzle is also noticeably larger than that of a typical spray gun nozzle, giving it a very direct and brutal aesthetic!

As Kirie pressed the switch, a scorching flame shot out from the nozzle in front of the spray gun; the flame was a terrifyingly bright red.

Hisako Shinoto's expression changed from shock to worry, fearing a safety accident might occur.

But at this moment, Kiri Erina couldn't see the worry on her assistant's face at all. She was holding a spray gun, but her face was full of excitement and curiosity.

Clearly, this young lady doesn't use such special kitchen utensils often, and suddenly felt playful.

Just as Hisako Shinoto was about to advise Erina Kiri to be careful, Lin Yu, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up: "Don't delay!"

Lin Yu's voice drew the attention of the two women.

Lin Yu looked at Kiri Erina and slowly spoke.

"You didn't put something between the steak and the dough to separate them."

"While this helps the flavor penetrate, if too much time is wasted, the liquor on the dough will evaporate, affecting the subsequent temperature."

"At the same time, the flavor of the spices will also seep into the steak excessively."

"Anything in excess is as bad as too little."

"By then, the natural flavor of A5 Wagyu beef will be diminished."

Eri Nakiri paused, clearly realizing that Lin Yu had completely figured out how she made this dish.

"Hmph, I know what I'm doing!"

"When I slow-cook the steak at a low temperature, I only add some Japanese dashi, some brandy and a little light soy sauce."

"I didn't even add salt because I knew the flavor might get too strong during later preparations!"

Listening to Erina Nakiri's steps, Lin Yu nodded, "It's right not to add salt."

"Not to mention the base flavor is too salty."

"Salt also promotes protein coagulation, and the osmotic pressure also accelerates the loss of moisture from meat, ruining the tender texture of beef."

"I know these things even if you don't tell me."

Erina Nakiri snorted softly, her expression somewhat unconvinced.

"All right."

Seeing this, Lin Yu didn't say anything more, but subconsciously gave a reminder.

"Please be careful with fire."

"Hey! Don't treat me like a complete kitchen newbie!"

Erina Nakiri's eyes revealed a hint of displeasure, clearly finding Lin Yu somewhat long-winded.

As she spoke, Erina Kiri had already controlled the blowtorch and started scorching the dough that had been splashed with strong liquor.

As soon as the bright red flames approached, the liquor on the dough ignited the moment it came into contact with the flames.

A large ball of flame rose into the air, forming a giant fireball on the control panel.

"Be careful!"

The moment the liquor was ignited, Kiri Erina seemed to have misjudged the power of the fireball explosion. She stood still and did not immediately retreat or dodge. Fortunately, Lin Yu had been watching her and reacted quickly enough.

In the instant the fireball exploded and the fire snake spread outwards.

Lin Yu immediately stepped forward, put one arm around Erina's shoulder, and pulled her back.

At the same time, Lin Yu quickly grabbed Erina's hand with his other hand to prevent her from dropping the spray gun.

Fortunately, the fireball was only powerful for a moment after it ignited, and then it shrank back.

"Be careful!"

Lin Yu glared at Erina Kiri and said irritably, "You can't even concentrate when playing with fire!"

Erina Nakiri seemed a little stunned by the fright. It wasn't until several seconds later that she noticed Lin Yu had put his arm around her shoulder and she was almost leaning against him.

Erina Nakiri blushed instantly and broke free from Lin Yu's embrace.

Erina Nakiri turned to look at Lin Yu, seemingly wanting to say something, but her face flushed and she looked flustered. In the end, she only opened her mouth but didn't say anything.

"Lady Erina!"

Hisako Shinto rushed over and hugged Erina Nakiri, looking flustered and terrified.

Hisako Shinoto finally breathed a sigh of relief after thoroughly checking Erina Kiri from head to toe and confirming that there were no signs of injury.

"Thank goodness! You're alright!"

"Lady Erina, you scared me to death just now!"

Hisako Shinoto breathed a sigh of relief as she let go of Erina Kiri.

Erina Nakiri patted Hisako Shinomiya's hair, comforting her, "Don't worry, Hisako, I'm fine!"

Recalling what had just happened, Hisako Shinoto patted her chest, still feeling a little palpitated, and looked at Erina Kiri.

"You really scared me to death just now."

"Okay, I told you it's nothing!"

Erina Nakiri looked at Lin Yu, hesitated for a few seconds, and then opened her mouth.

Lin Yu could tell from the lip movements that the person was trying to say "thank you".

But in the end, those beautiful lips closed several times, yet no sound came out.

Although she didn't say anything, Erina's gaze towards Lin Yu softened considerably, her eyes revealing gratitude.

But when Lin Yu met her gaze, Kiri Erina lowered her head shyly, her face showing an unusually bashful expression.

If you're asking how Lin Yu knew, well...

Although Erina Kiri lowered her head very quickly, Lin Yu still managed to see it at the last moment.

"What a proud and arrogant girl!"

Lin Yu gave Erina Kiri a kind smile as she raised her head again, then pointed to the still-burning dough on the table.

"We'd better be careful this time!"

Erina Kiri looked in the direction Lin Yu was pointing and saw that the flame she had lit on the dough had become weak and was about to go out.

Erina Nakiri quickly stepped forward and brought the spray gun closer again.

The liquor on the dough was relit, and this time Erina was much more careful, maintaining a safe distance and handling the dough with extreme caution.

As the flames continued to burn, the liquor on the surface of the dough began to evaporate, and slightly charred marks gradually appeared on the surface of the dough.

In an instant, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of wine.

The grains and spices also release an enticing aroma when roasted.

"It smells so good!"

Hisako Niito sniffed the fragrance in the air.

The rich aroma of spirits, the smoky fragrance of roasted grains, and the complex flavors released by various spices under high temperature roasting.

It's like being in a pub at night, where a freshly baked loaf of bread is steaming hot, the aroma of alcohol mingling with the scent of bread, giving you a pleasant and satisfying feeling.

Is it a dish like spiced bread?

Looking at Erina Kiri's serious face, Hisako Shinoto made a guess in her mind and subconsciously said it out loud.

"A spiced bread filled with a whole steak?"

Lin Yu laughed when he heard Hisako Shinto talking to herself beside him.

"It's still early!"

Lin Yu looked at the charred marks in the flames and smelled the burnt aroma in the air.

"It's not quite ready yet."

Hisako Shinoto was somewhat surprised. "Do you know what Erina-sama is doing?"

Faced with Hisako Niito's question, Lin Yu gave a teasing smile and joked, "You didn't know?"

"I thought that as Erina's assistant, she wouldn't hide anything from you."

"No, that's not true!"

Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, Hisako Shinoto immediately became anxious, "Given my relationship with Lady Erina, of course she wouldn't hide it from me!"

When she met Lin Yu's gaze, Hisako Shinoto felt a little embarrassed, but looking at Erina Kiri, who was focused on baking dough, she finally shook her head.

"I had seen Erina-sama's culinary research before, but this scene... has never happened before. Erina-sama also said it was a sudden inspiration."

"Yeah?"

"Of course!"

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