Chapter 73 - Chapter 73: Footsteps (3)

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Footsteps (3)

It was a curd of 7 points. A curd of 7 points was no different from the very best. He almost believed that it was impossible to make a curd this well. Cho Min Joon looked at his watch with a confident look on his face. 50 minutes. He still had 1 hour and 10 minutes left, and what he had to do now was rest. After all, 20 minutes was enough to wrap up his dish. Once the judges saw Cho Min Joon standing still, they approached.

“Min Joon, why aren’t you doing anything?”

“I have to wait for 50 minutes.”

He spoke confidently. Emily asked in a surprised voice, “Are you saying you have nothing to do for 50 minutes?”

“Yes, but that’s not why I chose this dish. I needed time for the jelly to solidify.”

“… I understand that, but are you really just going to sit back and rest for the next 50 minutes?”

“I don’t think I’m the only one.”

Cho Min Joon looked around. He was right. Many of the other contestants were idling by as well. Allan sighed.

“This won’t be entertaining to the viewers.”

“Who knows? Maybe Martin will make the slowness look appealing.”

Emily shrugged. Joseph looked down at Cho Min Joon’s sudachi curd and lifted up a small spoon.

“May I taste the curd?”

“Of course.”

He had no reason to avoid an evaluation. The sudachi curd he made this time was better than any other previous attempts. He had received 7 points before, but that wasn’t the same level of 7 points. This one was different.

Joseph took a bite and enjoyed it with his eyes closed. He then put on a smile.

“I look forward to the final product.”

Allan and Emily also picked up spoons with anticipation. Cho Min Joon served them some curd without a word. After tasting it, they also put on similar expressions as Joseph. Allan smiled.

“I remember David tried to get the right proportions for months just to arrive at his final sudachi, but you did it in just an instant.”

“Cooking is what you make of it.”

Cho Min Joon flashed them a smile. Allan looked at Cho Min Joon with an unknown face for a while. He opened his mouth to say something but then turned around. Cho Min Joon glanced around him. The ones who chose 2 hours were in different situations. Joanne was busy making chocolate cream for her cheesecake while Sasha just waited around for her batter to be complete.

But the one with the most leisure was Cho Min Joon. He really had nothing to do. Before the jelly hardened, he had to roast the cashews and make the salad, but the later he did that, the better.

Time passed by slowly. The contestants who picked 1 hour then started cooking, and Sasha was already putting in her finished batter into the oven.

Cho Min Joon only started moving once there were 10 minutes remaining. He quickly roasted the cashews on a pan without oil and then made the salad. He sliced the pear into thin slices and soaked it in sugar water. He didn’t have to leave it in there for long. The point where the sweetness of the pear and the sugar mingled was the perfect time to take it out.

After that, there were only 5 minutes remaining, but Cho Min Joon didn’t rush. He was done as soon as he wrapped this up. He went to the fridge and took out the jelly. The yellow jelly wriggled like pudding.

This was also worth 7 points. He took a little bite off the corner and noticed that it was the right level of chewiness and softness.

Cho Min Joon smiled. It was possible that he could make the best dessert he had ever made in his life.

In order to follow the recipe as precisely as possible, he had to make sure he didn’t mess up in any basic steps, and the dish he made today came with time restrictions, but he managed to make it without making mistakes. It was possible that…

‘It could taste exactly the same as the one at the restaurant.’

Cho Min Joon was filled with hope. He still couldn’t forget the feeling when he made a risotto worth 8 points, and it made him happy to make high-quality food, just as much as it made him happy to see customers enjoy his cooking.

Cho Min Joon poured the sudachi curd onto a round plate. He then placed the jelly on top. After that, he placed the sliced celery on top as well as roasted cashews and pear slices, and at that moment…

[You’ve followed the recipe perfectly.]

[Green apple jelly with sudachi curd]

Freshness: 97%

Origin: (Too many ingredients for an accurate calculation)

Quality: High

Cooking Score: 8/10

“I did it…!”

Cho Min Joon shouted without meaning to. His heart pounded like crazy. When he saw the sudachi curd, he knew it was great, but he didn’t think he could reach 8 points. After all, whenever he practiced it alone, he could only get 7 points.

Cho Min Joon caught his breath and looked up at the clock. Time was almost up. Three, two, one and then Joseph shouted, “Time’s up! Hands off, everyone.”

There wasn’t a single person who wasn’t done, but that didn’t mean they all made a satisfactory dish. Cho Min Joon glanced over at Peter. On top of his plate was an apple that was baked in the oven containing a puree. It looked good on the outside, but no one knew what it actually tasted like.

Joseph opened his mouth.

“Are you all satisfied with your dishes?”

“Yes, Chef.”

“We picked the top 3 dishes that we anticipated the most while watching you cook, and the person I’m calling up right now is the person we’re the most worried anticipated, and curious about. Min Joon! Come on up.”

It wasn’t unexpected. After all, he still remembered the judges’ faces when they found out he could get the proportions right just by looking at a dish as well. Cho Min Joon carried his plate up to the judges with a calm look on his face. His plate filled the one-person table right in front of them. Joseph stepped up first.

“Min Joon. Please explain your dish to us.”

“I made sudachi curd and green apple jelly. In order to make it crunchy, I added roasted cashew nuts. I also added pears to make the sour and sweet flavors come alive.”

“You said you reenacted the dessert you had at Rose Island. Oh, no need to be worried. Imitation is a basic for cooking. Even when Kaya copied Allan’s risotto, we didn’t make that into a problem. Do you remember?”

“Yes, I do.”

“If you managed to make it exactly like the one at the restaurant, that would give your dish the most worth. Are you confident?”

Instead of answering with words, Cho Min Joon pushed his plate toward Joseph with a smile. Joseph looked into Cho Min Joon’s eyes and then lifted his fork and knife to cut the jelly. He put enough sudachi curd onto it as well as nuts and put a slice of pear on top.

The bite then went into Joseph’s mouth. Joseph chewed slowly. He was slightly worried. It was common for the jelly to easily become flavorless, and it wasn’t uncommon for it to clash with other ingredients as well.

The first flavor he tasted was the sourness of the sudachi crud, and when the cashew crunched between his teeth, the oil of the nuts gave the dessert some weight.

Pears were not very sour, to begin with, but since it was soaked in sugar as well, it didn’t disturb the taste of the sudachi curd whatsoever. Meanwhile, the harmony of the caramel and apple in the jelly proved Cho Min Joon’s true abilities. After tasting the after taste of it all, Joseph let out an exclamation.

“This… is just like Dave’s jelly. Same with the curd. It’s… really exactly the same. I’m getting chills.”

“Thank you.”

“The balance would have been off even if you added a little more or less of one ingredient. It could have easily tasted like a lump of sugar. Min Joon, your skills surprise me more and more over time. I might have to call it talent rather than skill. Even if you knew the recipe, it’s your abilities that allowed you to reenact it so well. That was a great dessert. Thank you.”

Joseph then stepped back. Allan stepped up next. He tried to eat it with grace, but his hands moved faster than usual. After tasting the jelly, he let out a laugh.

“I’m curious to see how Dave will react when he sees this on TV. I have a few words for Dave.”

Allan looked at the camera.

“This is just as good as yours.”

***

“You’re really impressive, Min Joon.”

Martin held Cho Min Joon’s hand during the interview. Cho Min Joon pulled his hands back with a smile, but Martin continued to look at him with sparkling eyes.

“Where did you come from again? Korea? Are you sure about that? I think you came from Heaven.”

“… Let’s continue the interview.”

“Sigh, okay. I’m sorry. I got too worked up. So how does it feel? There are only 10 contestants remaining.”

In response to Martin’s question, Cho Min Joon laughed bitterly. He spoke in a voice that was neither dark or cheerful.

“It’d be a lie if I said I wasn’t happy, but I can’t feel that way right now. Two of my fellow contestants went home.”

“Peter and Leslie… They’d come very far in the show.”

“I’m not sure about that. Maybe Ashley had a meaningful time, but I feel like Peter had a harder time.”

Leslie was disqualified from the 2-hour section while Peter was disqualified from the 1-hour section. Peter’s dish was too sweet without much sourness. He kept it in sugar water for too long. Cho Min Joon spoke in a sad voice, “Peter ended up leaving without being able to fly.”

“Do you think it’s cruel?”

“I’m not sure. I also think he had it coming. He didn’t show his full potential, and it’s Peter’s fault for not controlling his words. I’m just sad for him.”

“That’s how all competitions are. Only one person can smile at the end. Do you think you can be that one person?”

“… To be honest, I think I have a lot to learn. If I win right now, it won’t feel like it. I want to grow as much as possible here.”

In response, Martin stared at Cho Min Joon in silence. Martin hesitated for a while before he asked in a quiet voice, “Don’t take this the wrong way. But to be honest, I want you to last a long time. But I also don’t want you to win.”

The producer’s words were harsh. Cho Min Joon grimaced. Martin once told Cho Min Joon that he wanted him to win. He might have just said it to be nice, but he didn’t understand why he would go back on his word. Martin continued, “It’s not that I hate you or think you’re not good enough, but if you win in this competition, you have to spend a year visiting all sorts of events. You’ll be busy.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“… There’s a program that’ll air after this one. It’s a tasting trip. I was thinking of casting Emily, but she rejected it. But a month ago, she said she would appear under one condition, and that condition was for you to appear as well.”

Cho Min Joon sighed. Emily had approached him before, but he didn’t know she had such a condition. Martin quickly continued, “But aside from Emily’s appearance, I think you have a great character as a chef. Viewers would love to see you go on a tasting trip. I’m sure of it.”

“… So are you asking me to appear if I get disqualified here?”

“You don’t have to answer me right away. Please think about it. That’s the least I can do.”

Martin smiled.

“But pretend you didn’t hear this if you do win.”