In the void above the mountaintop cottage.
Qi Shuqi burst out laughing, then teased Wuya Immortal Emperor, "How does this second dessert look? I've never seen a more exquisite dish at any of your many Immortal Emperor banquets."
The Immortal Emperor Wuya blushed slightly, gave a soft hum but did not utter a word of rebuttal. Not to mention that Qi Shuqi had never seen anything like it, even he himself had never seen a more exquisite delicacy.
"Even a fool can have a stroke of genius! This one dish doesn't prove anything; my celestial chef has several signature dishes."
Qi Shuqi laughed and retorted, "Don't talk nonsense. Just tell me, can your Immortal Chef make a dish that looks even better than this?"
The Boundless Immortal Emperor continued to stubbornly insist, "Although we don't have dishes with such high visual appeal, we have plenty of them."
"So you mean that as long as a river is long enough, it can rival the highest mountain peak?"
Hearing Qi Shuqi's words, the Immortal Emperor Wuya said in exasperation, "Alright, alright, I admit that the dishes made by my immortal chefs are not as visually appealing as his, okay? This kid's dish is good enough to be the grand finale on our manor's menu. Are you happy that he outshines our Immortal Emperor's Mansion?"
Qi Shuqi shook her head and said, "I'm just teaching you a lesson: in the face of facts, you must put aside your useless pride. People give you face because of your strength, not because your pride represents your strength. You've become a bit arrogant in recent years."
Upon hearing this, the Boundless Immortal Emperor was taken aback and was also shocked. Had he really become like this in recent years? After thinking about it carefully, it seemed that he had indeed been taking face and the so-called Immortal Emperor status too seriously.
A bead of cold sweat appeared on the forehead of the Boundless Immortal Emperor. He respectfully bowed to Qi Shuqi and said, "Thank you for your words that have awakened me from my dream."
The Boundless Immortal Emperor had always held Qi Shuqi, his only Daoist partner, in high esteem and deep affection. She had helped him a great deal on his cultivation path and always saw through things he had never seen before, thus enlightening him. The two were not only intimate Daoist partners but also Daoist friends who understood each other best. To have either of them was a great fortune in life, and to have both of them made the Boundless Immortal Emperor feel that he must have saved the Immortal Realm in his past life.
Qi Shuqi nodded, knowing that the Boundless Immortal Emperor had taken her words to heart, and then chuckled, "You just said that this dish is enough to be the grand finale of your Immortal Emperor's banquet?"
The Boundless Immortal Emperor nodded sincerely and said, "That's right. As long as the taste isn't too bad, this dish is enough to be the grand finale."
Qi Shuqi burst out laughing and said, "Did you notice that he's only served the second dish? And judging from the conversation those people were having, this is just dessert; the real main courses haven't even been served yet!"
The Boundless Immortal Emperor looked embarrassed and said helplessly, "Alright, I admit that some people's talent is truly undeniable. Just in terms of cooking skills alone, no one in the Immortal Realm can compare to this kid. I'm already looking forward to seeing just how delicious these dishes will be."
...
Any industry related to beauty requires the ability to deliver explanations with nuanced intonation and controlled delivery, and chefs are no exception.
If the dishes are all extremely elaborate, they may have a great impact on people, but they will never achieve a truly awe-inspiring effect.
To create a rollercoaster-like experience of highs and lows, you need to pair a main dish with a more ordinary one to achieve a good contrast.
This was what Ye Feng told the kitchen helpers; he would never admit that it was because he was lazy.
Emboldened by this theory, his third dessert was simply tofu pudding. It was made by crushing soybeans, filtering out soy milk, adding glucono delta-lactone, and letting it cool. He also thoughtfully prepared two flavors for the tofu pudding: a sweet sauce and a savory sauce.
The sweet braising sauce is simply brown sugar simmered to caramelize, while the savory braising sauce consists of daylily buds, wood ear mushrooms, eggs, and shiitake mushrooms. The meticulous attention to detail in these braising ingredients clearly demonstrates that Ye Feng is a staunch advocate of savory flavors.
The kitchen helpers were all new disciples, and they were quite unfamiliar with tofu pudding, a dish that Ye Feng had only made a few times. After receiving it, they looked at the two kinds of sauces with curiosity.
Ye Feng used a small porcelain spoon to scoop a spoonful of salty brine and poured it over the tofu pudding, then scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth. The cool tofu pudding was smooth and tender, and the salty and savory daylily and mushroom brine was fragrant. Ye Feng personally thought this was the perfect combination.
The disciples followed Ye Feng's example and began to eat. The smooth tofu melted in their mouths, and everyone's eyes lit up.
Some disciples, however, were more adventurous and, seeing another portion of the braising liquid, tried mixing it in and taking a bite. At this point, a clear polarization emerged.
Some disciples frowned and put on masks of pain, while others' eyes lit up and they instantly felt they had found their true love.
"Wow, I never thought that tofu pudding would be so delicious after being served with sugar water. I think the salty broth is unnecessary and completely masks the natural freshness of the tofu pudding."
"Nonsense! Sweet flavors are awful, they feel like they're going to hurt my teeth. Salty flavors are the eternal gods!"
"You're talking nonsense! Sweet flavors are delicious, but the savory flavor is clearly from salty broth, which has nothing to do with tofu pudding."
"Get out! It's salty and delicious!"
"Sweet!"
"Salty mouth!"
"Sweet!"
"Salty mouth!"
Ye Feng chuckled and watched the two camps fight fiercely from the sidelines. He had participated in similar scenes before. Seeing that the disciples' argument was about to reach a fever pitch, Ye Feng clapped his hands and said, "Alright, alright, since you can't reach an agreement, how about this: after you serve the dishes, ask the guests for their opinions. The side with more guests supporting it will be the winner."
"Great! Junior Uncle's method is excellent! Let's serve the dishes to our guests right away!"
"Just wait and see, our Xiankou camp will definitely win!"
"Pah! Sweet talk will definitely win. Just wait and see how you lose!"
After exchanging angry snorts of defiance, the disciples all carried their tofu puddings out of the kitchen.
Ning Shuang carried the tofu pudding into the private room of the Wan Hua Sect. After placing the plate of tofu pudding on the table, she smiled and said, "Distinguished guests, this is the third dessert for today—tofu pudding. Unlike the previous dishes, this one comes in two flavors: one is sweet and the other is savory. I encourage you to try both. When I serve the main course later, I hope you can give your feedback on which flavor you prefer."
After speaking, she bowed and left the private room, but her words made the Peony Fairy and the others look forward to the mysterious tofu pudding.
Upon opening the dish cover, a bowl of delicate white tofu pudding sat quietly inside. When you picked up the bowl, you could see the tofu pudding jiggling and swaying back and forth, which made everyone from the Wanhua Sect instantly fall in love with this little dessert.
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