GOD OF COOKING – CHAPTER 43: THE ROLE OF A HEAD CHEF (5)

Her intentions to try to liven up the mood were too obvious . They didn’t know if that liveliness was fake, or if it came from an honest heart . Jo Minjoon couldn’t know .

But one thing he knew was that his heart calmed down a little . Because if you say bitter words, people who listen to that would feel bad, but it’s the same for the person that says it . So because he was Jo Minjoon, he couldn’t feel good after saying those bad words .

Chloe also tried to liven up that, and if not for her, only an awkward atmosphere would have remained . Whatever it was, Jo Minjoon felt grateful for Chloe . Because the burden he was feeling got relieved thanks to Chloe .

“At least, I don’t have that kind of illness . ”

Jo Minjoon grinned and got up . “Me too . ” Hugo got up . And after that, all of the team members got up almost at the same time . It was the same for Peter and Kaya . They couldn’t back off in this kind of situation . Jo Minjoon looked at Kaya and said .

“I think that it would be good to make the dishes we were planning to make tomorrow, what do you think? Chef . ”

Kaya, that was listening to Jo Minjoon with a bad face, at the word of chef, she couldn’t help but stiffen her face and looked at him . Hugo that was next to them received those words with an excessively funny face .

“Now that I look at it, even if it’s provisional, a head chef is still a head chef . I will also call you chef from now on, chef . ”
“Me too, chef . ”
“Chef? That’s good . It makes me feel like i’m in a real kitchen . It’s okay, right chef?”

Joanne and Chloe laughed and looked at Kaya . Kaya was forcefully putting on a calm face, but her ears were reddening . Kaya opened her mouth .

“Just… . . Fix the recipe . ”
“Yes, chef!”

Hugo replied like how a soldier would salute . And after that, Kaya shut her mouth .

The cooking proceeded in a more comfortable atmosphere . The team members each started to make what they were planning to do so, and Jo Minjoon also did the same . What he started to make wasbisque de crabe .

The bisque in Korea was a soup made by grating clam, crab or shrimp’s back skin and was recognized greatly . However, only half of it was correct . Precisely speaking, bisque is a dish made by making a soup with crustacea and molluscs skin . But there was no need to grate it .

The first thing Jo Minjoon handled was the vegetables . Celery, carrots, onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, olive oil and bay leaves . Jo Minjoon sliced those vegetables and put them in boiling water . He was planning to make a vegetable broth .

Actually, when you made bisque by the normal way, what was recommended was to use chicken broth or fish broth . However, if he wanted to do so right now he had to use a product, and Jo Minjoon thought that it was better to use vegetable broth rather than doing that . In the first place, aside from it being a product, vegetable broth brought out the flavor more cleanly .

He put the broth on fire and Jo Minjoon started to handle the crab . The kind of the crab was dungeness crab, and it was normally eaten in the western coasts of America . And the size of it was as big as the ones that lived in the United States . Even roughly felt, it was almost 1kg .

But it was more comfortable the bigger it was, anyways . Jo Minjoon immediately dislocated the joints of the crab, and carefully peeled off the skin . It was a job that was easily done for people that touched crab everyday . To hull the uncooked meat . However, Jo Minjoon wasn’t accustomed to doing it, so he could only be cautious . Because if he put in even a little bit more of strength, the meat would crumble .

‘Perhaps the reason the cooking score is 7 is also because this job is difficult to do . ’

Jo Minjoon thought like that and smirked . The crab bisque he was making right now was made by placing the meat of the crab in a plate and pouring hot bisque in it .

“Minjoon, is it going well?”
“It’s half done . ”
“Wow, already?”

Chloe asked in a surprised expression . Jo Minjoon slightly looked back at her . Chloe said she was going to make grilled sea bass, but she was still handling the fish . Jo Minjoon opened his mouth .

“Want me to help you?”
“No, i’m almost done . ”
“If you need, just ask . Because i’m going to finish in a little while . ”
“Yeah . ”

Soon, the vegetable gravy was also done . It was time to slowly make the bisque .

Jo Minjoon lowered the fire to middle and he put in butter and canola oil in the pan . And when the butter was moderately melted, he put in the chopped shallots . Shallots, that was a variety of onions, had a thinner texture and the flavor was also lighter . When you needed the flavor of onion but it was somewhat excessive at the same time, it was a good choice to put in onions .

After he slightly sauteed the shallots, he put in the gravy and cream and seasoned it with salt and white pepper . And then, it was the time for the crab . Precisely speaking, it was putting in the skin and the guts of the crab . Then, he boiled it for five minutes and after he poured dry white wine, he boiled it again .

After that, he had to use the sieve for the bisque . Because there couldn’t be rests of gut and skin on the soup . And the sieve was obviously better if it was thick .

He poured the soup on the plate that contained the crab meat, and then, placing some thinly chopped fresh tarragon on top of it was the end . Tarragon was a herb that was sweet and the spicy flavor was so exquisite to the point that it was called as the queen of spices by the french . He believed that the tarragon was going to save the simple flavor of the crab bisque .

Jo Minjoon slowly drank a spoon of the bisque soup . At first, he didn’t feel much inspiration . The sweet and salty flavor stimulated his tongue first, and when the soup was flowing through his throat, he felt the unique and clean flavor and aroma fill his mouth .

When he got a hold of himself, he was smiling really happily . A flavor you couldn’t smile with . This time, Jo Minjoon ate the crab meat . The soft and tender meat crumbled easily just like soft tofu . It was to the point that he could chew it with his tongue and the ceiling of his mouth . And he couldn’t feel a fishy smell at all .

“Is it tasty?”

Hugo, that was cooking the ossobuco slightly glanced towards him . Jo Minjoon just replied back with a smile . And that became enough of a reply . Hugo was stirring the pure and opened his mouth with earnest eyes .

“Give me one bite . ”
“I don’t want to . After you eat a bite, you won’t get that much inspiration later when we eat . Because there’s not a stronger moment than the first bite . ”
“No, I will evaluate it with what I eat right now, so give me a bite . ”
“I can’t . The smell of the pure is still going to be left in your nose and mouth, so I feel really sorry for my bisque for you to eat it . ”
“Ah, you are dirtily tenacious . ”

Hugo grumbled and looked away . Jo Minjoon smirked and look at the surroundings . Everybody was busy, but all of them were almost finishing . Hugo, Chloe and Peter that were in charge of the main were preparing the sauce without touching the meat . No, precisely speaking, it wasn’t the case for Peter . Because his turkey was already being cooked in the oven .

‘Did he change the recipe?’

Because of the disastrous recipe of applying mustard, that scandal happened . If Peter knew how to think, then he would cook using another method .

Jo Minjoon looked away again . And his eyes fell on Kaya . She was observing them while being seated on a chair with a bored expression . She could only be like that . Because, although they were preparing dinner, they were also preparing for the mission . Also, Kaya was the head chef . There wasn’t a frying pan for her .

“The bread is done . ”

Carlos, that was in charge of the baking, said . Unlike his brazilian like name, his face was whiter than white people, and his eyes were so blue it was uncomfortable to look at . However, the bagel that was baked in the oven had a dark brown colour that reminded you of brazilian people .

Kaya stood up from her seat as if the boring time had ended at last .

“Good, everyone gather . Let’s start eating . ”

Everybody stopped their hands and sat on their seats . The bagel Carlos served them was quite well cooked, but honestly speaking, it didn’t suit well with Jo Minjoon’s tastes . In the first place, Jo Minjoon didn’t like bagels . And he also didn’t like the kinds of cream cheese . After Jo Minjoon applied banana cream cheese to half of the half of the bagel, he stood up . It was his turn next .

The crab bisque had the role of being an appetizer . Jo Minjoon placed the dishes that contained raw crab meat and poured the bisque soup using a kettle . Honestly speaking, he needed other kind of ideas than when he cooked for the judges . Because he was going to be evaluated with the same competitors . Showing your report card to your teacher and to your friends could only be different stories . But of course, if he followed the system, it was a score he didn’t need to worry about much .

[Crab bisque soup]
Freshness: 81%
Origins: (Too many ingredients to show)
Quality: Medium high (Average ingredients)
Cooking score: 7/10

It was unfortunate that the quality was middle high, but he could do nothing about that . Because the crab, that was the main for this dish, wasn’t fresh but frozen . So he could only be disatisfied while looking at the cooking score .

Jo Minjoon asked with a nervous expression .

“Is it delicious?”
“…… . It’s excellent . Although it’s the first time I eat raw crab meat, I didn’t think that it would be this tasty . It doesn’t feel fishy at all . ”
“Raw meat and bisque…… It’s a funny combination . ”

Everybody said good comments . It wasn’t that they were talking formally . You wouldn’t know about other things, but they weren’t people to talk formally for cooking . Jo Minjoon laughed as if he was a little relieved . Looking at Jo Minjoon acting like this, Hugo smirked . It was a handsome but greasy smile typical of spanish men .

“Even if you have an absolute sense of taste, you do get nervous when others try your food?”
“Of course . Because my tastes doesn’t become the standard for flavor . ”
“Well, don’t worry . It’s a flavor that anyone will like if they don’t have an allergy or fear to crabs . ”
“It would be fortunate if that was the case . ”

Jo Minjoon smiled and then he looked at Kaya and Peter . Only them didn’t evaluate his dish . Peter opened his voice with an awkward face .

“It’s delicious . ”
“…… . Me too . ”

Kaya followed with a low voice after Peter . And then, Peter slightly glanced at Kaya . However, Kaya rolled her eyes and ignored Peter . Jo Minjoon that saw that, sighed inwardly . Although it would be a strange think for them to act friendly right after they fought, but even so, he felt regret for Kaya’s attitude . Whatever the situation was, she was still the head chef .

But he rather felt that he was taking on the role of being head chef . And it was a situation he didn’t like much . If he had picked the head chef’s ball, so if he was head chef right now he would feel more comfortable . Because it was giving him the qualifications to do so .

However, she was still his teammate . Acting like her protector or taking her role was a funny thing . Jo Minjoon shut his mouth and turned his head . Soon, Chloe was coming with a cart that contained a well grilled sea bass, like a gueridon . The white sauce he saw at first glance,  seemed to be a sauce made by mixing white russian and veloute sauce .

After he ate it, he could summarize his feelings with a few words . Delicious . Really delicious . Taking into account that grilling fish was a difficult thing, looking that the exterior was crispy but the interior was moist, the steak feeling it gave you could only be explained with the word pro .

The combination of the veloute sauce was also perfect . At first glance, it seemed to be carbonara sauce, but the non greasy sauce brought up the aroma of the sea bass to a new level . The juice that came out when he chewed the sea bass and the veloute sauce seemed to be only one .

Jo Minjoon opened his mouth while admiring .

“It’s……it’s really delicious, Chloe . ”

Chloe smiled brightly . But contrary to what he was expecting, what came out from her mouth was a question .

“Really? What’s the score?”

Jo Minjoon replied while smiling . Until when were they planning to ask him the score?

“8 points . ”
“He……So this much is 8 points . ”

Chloe looked at her dish absentmindedly . And the team members also ate the sea bass with a little different expression . They also knew that it was delicious before, but when Jo Minjoon said that it was an 8 points dish, the flavor was felt more luxurious and refined .

But the sweet atmosphere crumbled after that . It was Peter . It wasn’t that he did something . Only that his turkey dish was the problem . The roasted turkey that was filled with herbs and vegetables wasn’t that bad, but it was certainly not a dish that you could say it was good .

Precisely speaking, it was a dish to eat at home . He made and applied brown sauce in it, and accompanied it with some green onions…… . But there was also a problem inside of that . They could sense a little burnt flavor in the brown sauce . It wasn’t a dish to present to the customers .

The thing that caused him the most headache was the fact that even after presenting that kind of dish, he had asked for the score of his dish . And also with an expectant face . However, he couldn’t tell him a good score just because of that . Because he didn’t lie when it came to cooking .

“5 points . ”
“And the top score is 10?”
“Yeah . ”
“…… . . Leave it . Eat among yourselves . I will go upstairs first . ”

Peter left the kitchen with a face filled with annoyance and disappointment, and unhappiness . In the low atmosphere, Jo Minjoon opened his mouth as if he had remembered of something .

“He left without washing the dishes . ”

< The role of the head chef (5) > End

Translator’s note: Sorry for the super late chapter! Got some problems with the document and had to redo it… . Anyways, enjoy the chapter . Thanks for reading and for your support!

Translator : Subak
Proofreader : Maled