However, this thought vanished without a trace when she saw Hoshino Sora bring back a basket full of ingredients.
Goodness, is this guy also a wilderness survival expert?
To collect so many ingredients in half an hour, did this guy go and rob other contestants' ingredients? It shouldn't be that bad, although it is allowed by the rules...
"Mm, I came back once I found everything."
Hoshino Sora replied casually, then began to process the duck in the basket. However, even after grabbing its neck and holding it in his hand, looking at the constantly struggling life in front of him, he suddenly found himself in a dilemma.
It wasn't that he was afraid to take a life; the key was that he had never properly processed a live duck before. This was an assessment, after all, and he was worried that his lack of skill would lead to problems with the final dish.
"I haven't killed a duck before. Does Hisako have experience with that?"
"You slit its throat to drain the blood, and when it's completely dead, hand it over to me to process."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Hisako frowned slightly. She did know how to kill a duck, but she had a subtle aversion to taking a life in her heart. It might sound ridiculous, being a chef and all.
"Okay, then let's begin."
Hearing Hisako's words, Hoshino Sora nodded gently in understanding, then picked up the cleaver and with a swift chop, he bled the duck and waited for life to fade. Hisako couldn't bear to watch, so she went to prepare for plucking the feathers. Only when the duck was completely still did she take over.
In about ten minutes, a processed duck was laid out on the cutting board.
"Nice, the feathers are plucked so cleanly! And the internal organs are well-processed too, your efficiency is really high."
Inspecting the duck in front of him, with its perfectly clean skin and removed internal organs, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but praise. His fingers lightly traced the processed duck, occasionally pinching it. The duck skin was just the right thickness; this processing method was much better than what you'd see at a wet market! Truly worthy of a student taught by Far Moon.
"Far Moon Elementary Department had a basic ingredient processing course in the third year. It seems you, little sister, studied very diligently."
Looking at the exquisite duck, which resembled a work of art, Sakurai Yuri couldn't help but praise it. To be able to process it to this extent, it was clear that the other party had listened very carefully in class and had practiced a lot in private.
"You flatter me, I've only learned the basics."
"Excessive humility is pride."
While they were talking, students were continuously bringing in ingredients from outside, and the time had reached one hour after the assessment began. The duck, with its opening sewn up, was doused with hot water to relax its skin, and then air was blown into it to inflate it.
Hoshino Sora took the processed duck to the air dryer. This was the only air dryer in the classroom, and he had secretly moved it to his cooking station when everyone else was looking for ingredients.
Next was Hisako Arato's performance. It was undoubtedly difficult to combine roasted duck with medicated cuisine, but for Hisako, an expert in medicated cuisine, she had already established a complete cooking system while searching for ingredients.
And the secret to combining medicated cuisine and roasted duck lay in this secret crispy skin water!
At this moment, a scale was placed in front of Hisako Arato, with various medicinal herbs placed beneath it. She was concentrating on preparing the mixture, and her speed was not fast.
During this time, Hoshino Sora was not idle either. He strolled to the cutting board and stir-fried a few simple dishes with the duck offal that had been removed earlier: Spicy Duck Intestines, Fire Burnt Duck Heart, and Stir-fried Duck Gizzards. After they were all out of the pot, he prepared to call Hisako to taste them.
The rich aroma of the dishes made the other contestants, who had just finished searching for ingredients and were hungry after expending a lot of energy, turn around frequently. Even Sakurai Yuri stood up from her position as the chief examiner, looking at Hoshino Sora with a puzzled expression as he had completed several dishes.
"My assessment only requires one dish. Even if you make a hundred dishes in a limited time, I will still only give a score for one dish."
"I know, but isn't it mealtime now? It's inevitable to be a little hungry. There's a pot and ingredients here, so wouldn't it be a waste not to use them?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Hoshino Sora replied softly, then carried the dishes to Hisako. At this moment, she had already finished preparing the three types of crispy skin water. The roasted duck was currently undergoing its second application of crispy skin water and was slowly rotating in the air dryer. At this rate, they had less than two hours left for the roasted duck.
That's right, they were preparing roasted duck, a dish that takes a long time and usually cannot be made on the spot.
As for why they decided to make roasted duck? Mainly because as soon as they entered the classroom, they saw the air dryer. The roasted duck could be processed to a ready-to-roast state within an hour and a half. Considering the time given by Sakurai Yuri, four hours was completely enough to make this medicated roasted duck.
So he did it, it was that simple.
"Are you treating this like a camping trip?"
Looking at the free-spirited Hoshino Sora, Sakurai Yuri put her hands on her hips and spoke, pretending to be angry. In between words, she couldn't help but sigh, showing a disappointed expression, but her cute face made her seem not intimidating at all.
"Isn't it called a lodging training? Essentially, it's similar to a high school field trip. Hisako, come and taste it."
Hoshino Sora said nonchalantly. Far Moon was just such a place; as long as your cooking skills were good and you didn't do anything too outrageous, you would be forgiven. Moreover, he could tell that the person in front of him wasn't truly angry.
Because the dishes he brought out looked good.
The only pity was that the offal from one duck was too little, so the dishes made could only be used to fill the stomach and taste, and the three dishes couldn't even fill one plate.
However, with Hoshino Sora's skill, even if it could only be tasted, it would still be sold as a formal dish in some high-end restaurants.
"This might not be very good."
"What does it matter? The rules didn't say you couldn't cook your own lunch during the assessment. The chief examiner also said she would only taste one dish. We used so many ingredients, we can't waste them!"
Sensing the gazes gathering around them, Hisako shrunk her head, her expression looking a little flustered. She hadn't expected Hoshino Sora to do this, cooking his own lunch during an assessment competition. Wasn't this a provocation to the chief examiner...?
But looking at him, he didn't seem to have that kind of awareness, which made Hisako feel a bit deflated. She almost forgot that he was just a transfer student. A pleasant smell wafted from her nose; Hoshino Sora's cooking was emitting a fatal aroma, tempting the craving worms in her stomach.
"You're right, then I'll try a little."
Since the dish was already made, not eating it would be a waste. Moreover, she was a bit hungry now, so eating a couple of bites to fill her stomach would be good. And in the current situation, whether she ate or not, the chief examiner's mood wouldn't change.
As long as the final dish was presentable, there would be no problem.
"The rules certainly didn't say you couldn't cook other food during the assessment, but if cooking other food causes problems with the assessment dish, I will not hesitate to give a disciplinary expulsion."
"Don't worry, the assessment dish won't be as casual as what's made here! You can look forward to it a little."
"More talk is useless, I will judge for myself!"
Smelling the rich aroma in the air and seeing Hisako Arato's blissful face after eating the dish, Sakurai Yuri swallowed, then turned her head away and said, pretending to be angry.
If the dish from Hoshino Sora and Hisako Arato's group couldn't satisfy her taste buds, she would absolutely give them both a disciplinary expulsion without hesitation. However, judging from their current performance, they should be able to present a dish that satisfies her, a combination of roasted duck and medicated cuisine? What kind of taste would it be...
Hopefully, it's not some Dark Cuisine.
A little anticipation!
"See, that country bumpkin really made the chief examiner angry."
"I told you he would definitely cause trouble. With his arrogant and wild personality, he'll offend the teachers sooner or later. To put down the assessment dish and make his own lunch during the assessment, what was he thinking?!"
"Group C's first eliminated group is about to appear."
"What a pathetic guy, he doesn't follow any etiquette! His teammate must hate him to death. He's a close associate of Erina Nakiri, with a promising future, but he's going to fail the assessment because of something like this."
Discussions rose and fell around the two of them. Hoshino Sora didn't care at all, but Hisako looked at him with a bit more helplessness. Although they had collaborated many times and their relationship was good, she had never been able to figure out what kind of person he was.
Whether it was today's events or his actions of attracting hatred from internal transfer students, his actions always left people guessing his intentions.
"It's time, let's brush on the last layer of crispy skin water. I can smell the medicinal aroma emanating from the duck, the roasted duck made this way will be incredibly fragrant!"
Gently twitching his nose, Hoshino Sora said as he opened the air dryer and took out the roasted duck. Beside him, Hisako also brought the third layer of crispy skin water and began to apply it to the duck he was holding, brushing every inch from top to bottom. With this, the duck's preparation was complete.
Next was the waiting. The preheating of the oven and the air-drying of the duck all required time.
While testing the actual temperature of the oven against the indicated temperature, and thinking about the sequence of roasted duck production in her mind, Hisako's work was now completely finished.
Now it was up to him.
During this period, people continuously brought up dishes. Since the time limit was four hours, searching for ingredients took over an hour, and cooking usually took about two hours, so dishes could generally be completed in about three hours. However, being the first to go up also required courage.
For example, these two, identical twin sisters, were lucky enough to be assigned to the same group. They completed a dish of double-layered mashed potatoes. The taste was rich and the flavor unique. Although the method was simple, Sakurai Yuri still approved it and left the following comment: "A perfect combination of savory and spicy flavors. Although it's quite clever, I really like the taste. Pass."
"That's great! Thank you, senior!"
Hearing Sakurai Yuri's words, the two sisters, who had been holding their breath, immediately showed expressions of relief. Then they clasped their hands together, their faces beaming with joy. After bowing deeply to the examiner, they left the competition area hand in hand.
"It seems very simple."
"So lucky! They actually got assigned to this group."
"Who's going first?"
With the precedent of passing with a simple dish, more and more people were eager to try, but no one dared to step forward until the next pair of female contestants came forward with their dish, were scolded severely, and given disciplinary expulsion. Then, the people below realized that this senior in front of them didn't seem as easy to talk to as they had imagined...
"Are your brains addled? If you've already made the dish, just bring it straight up. Are you wasting my patience by dragging your feet? And then you make me eat this cold dish, unqualified! Next."
Throwing the dish in front of her at the person, Sakurai Yuri's expression was a little angry. Dealing with customers with cold dishes, did this person want her restaurant to go out of business?!
"I...I'm very sorry!"
Despite being hit with the dishes, the two who were hit still bowed and apologized, not daring to show any sign of anger, because a single word from the other party could ban them from the industry, and even affect their family's businesses.
After that, people continuously brought up their dishes. Sakurai Yuri was sometimes angry and sometimes laughing, appearing very unstable. However, Hoshino Sora was not affected at all; he merely stared intently at the oven, observing the Peking duck's browning.
On the table, various dipping sauces, pancake wrappers, and side dishes were already prepared, placed on an exquisite tray. Hisako Arato stood beside him, also staring at the oven, looking a bit nervous. After all, this dish determined whether she could pass this assessment.
Although she didn't think she would have too many problems, that didn't stop her from being nervous.
"Mission accomplished!"
As the number of students in the assessment room dwindled, and only a single-digit number remained, Hoshino Sora also took out the perfectly roasted duck. The aroma that had been seeping through the oven's cracks instantly transformed into a golden torrent upon opening the oven, rushing and swirling throughout the assessment room.
The rich aroma made Sakurai Yuri, who was tasting the previous contestant's dish, suddenly quicken her heartbeat. Her eyes revealed longing, and her mouth secreted a large amount of saliva. Her gaze searched the assessment room, finally settling on Hoshino Sora.
The young man who was moving the golden-brown roasted duck to the cooking counter.
He held a slicing knife in his hand, casually made a beautiful flourish, and aimed a cut at the duck's chest and abdomen. The next moment, a complete piece of breast skin fell onto a plate nearby. Following that was another series of magnificent operations, and in less than a minute, the roasted duck was fully processed.
The speed of his movements and the sharpness of his knife skills were like an artistic performance. Not to mention Sakurai Yuri, even Hisako Arato, who was closest to Hoshino Sora, was a bit surprised. When did his knife skills become so good? At this moment, her concept of his knife skills still remained in the Xingye Restaurant period.
"Let's go."
With a very showy shake of his head, Hoshino Sora had already carried the sliced roasted duck and ingredients in his hands, advancing with steady steps towards Sakurai Yuri. She was also looking at him, or more accurately, at the roasted duck in his hands, her eyes filled with longing—a longing for delicious food!
"Medicinal Cuisine Fruit-Flavored Roasted Duck, please enjoy!"
Although only the skin was slightly modified, the core of this roasted duck was the skin. In other words, the medicinal cuisine method improved the core. The success or failure of this roasted duck depended on two factors.
Heat control and flavor; neither could be missing!
What kind of effect would medicinal cuisine have on roasted duck? Hoshino Sora wasn't sure, but seeing Hisako Arato's confident expression, plus the 'Silver (Lower)' average rating given by the Recipe Encyclopedia, the taste of this dish shouldn't be bad.
"To make a roasted duck, which takes a long time, in such an assessment, I have to say you two are truly courageous, and your actions are very swift. You must be outstanding among the Far Moon first-years."
Looking at the alluringly fragrant roasted duck in front of her, Sakurai Yuri found it hard to tear her eyes away. She picked up her chopsticks, first took a piece of duck skin, dipped it in white sugar, and then put it into her mouth, letting her tongue melt it. The outer skin was crispy, the inner skin was oily and tender, and the sugar granules melted in the warm duck oil, becoming intertwined yet still retaining a slight grainy texture. With a crunch of her teeth, the flavor was truly exquisite!
Her body felt a little warm. The rich and mellow aroma of the roasted duck transported Sakurai Yuri to a land of fantasy, where countless ducks, plucked and adorned in golden-yellow skin, frolicked before her. The ultimate fragrance, the ultimate roasted duck—it was probably this kind of experience.
Her body trembled slightly, and tears of emotion flowed from the corners of her eyes. The scene before her was not over; the running ducks shed their golden-yellow outer coats, revealing bodies composed of medicinal herbs. Normally, roasted duck, being high in heat, can easily become greasy if eaten too much, but with the addition of medicinal herbs, it not only cut through the richness but also enhanced its flavor.
A faint warm current rose within her body, neutralizing the powerful impact of the roasted duck, maintaining it at a wonderful balance.
"The heat control is truly excellent. When I first saw your plan to make roasted duck using medicinal cuisine methods, I was a bit skeptical. Now it seems I was short-sighted."
After savoring it for a long time, Sakurai Yuri suddenly spoke. The dish before her had far exceeded her expectations. Looking at the entire Far Moon first-year, it was a dish of extremely high quality. To be able to create a dish of this caliber at this age, their future could be said to be limitless!
"The heat control is really good. All the subcutaneous fat between the duck skin and meat has melted away; it feels like there's no excess at all. The duck meat also has a faint fruity aroma. Was the inside also treated?"
"The inside was stuffed with apples. The fruit acid can tenderize the meat and enhance the flavor. It's a clever way to fit the theme, as it requires two individual styles of flavor."
Hearing Sakurai Yuri's question, Hoshino Sora spread his hands and replied. He had thought for a long time about these two individual styles of flavor, finally settling on combining fruity and medicinal cuisine.
"A good idea, truly delicious! Let me try this sauce too."
A happy smile spread across her face as she ate the roasted duck in various ways. Each method of eating was a brand new experience. Eating the duck meat alone was also a distinct flavor. This feeling was truly wonderful; it felt like eating a grand feast of dishes, even though it was just one!
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