Chapter 31 Double Skin Milk and Caramel Pudding Ji Shubai sat back down in anger...
Song Jin lacked great virtue. One dish brought tears to Ji Shu's eyes, but she couldn't help but laughed in public.
By the time she reacted, it was already too late and everyone was looking at her.
"What are you laughing at?" The person who asked the question was Lu Junnian.
"No...no smile."
"You laughed, and I heard it."
Lu Junnian never stops talking, and Song Jin can't tell whether the mute Ji Shubai or the cunning chatterbox Lu Junnian is more likable.
When Song Jin calmed down and looked up, he was met with Ji Shubai's resentful gaze.
Her long eyelashes were wet and clump together, her eyes were sad, and her nose was red. How could she look so lovable?
It was over. Song Jin wanted to laugh again, but she was so nervous that she lowered her head and refused to raise it again.
When several people saw her like that, they all turned to look at Ji Shubai, and the other two also laughed.
"Brother Shu Bai, you really are, hahahaha——"
Lu Junnian clapped his hands and laughed. Ji Shubai frowned slightly: "What is it really?"
"It's really pitiful."
"Hahaha--"
This time it wasn't Song Jin who was laughing, but Ji Shubai was angry at Song Jin.
If she hadn't served this dish, how could he have cried in public?
Ji Shubai became angry and stood up to leave, but was stopped by Chai Heng.
"Shu Bai, why are you angry? Ever since you came back from the capital, you've been angrier than before, with a sullen face all day long. Now, even if I tease you, you get angry too."
Ji Shubai sat back angrily and just stared at Song Jin with his eyes.
"That's right, you should marry a gentle woman who can help you with your daily life. You are old, it's time to get married, otherwise you wouldn't have to spend the Qiqiao Festival with a few grown men."
As Lu Junnian spoke, he moved closer and said, "Tell me, today is Chinese Valentine's Day. Did you receive any purses or other gifts from any young lady?"
Chai Heng didn't let him go either: "I'll call a matchmaker for you someday. If people knew that the Suzhou Tongzhi was going to get married, I don't know how many families would send engagement letters to him. You won't be afraid that you won't be able to marry a good girl."
With a "bang", Ji Shubai slapped the table without saying anything. The sound was so loud that the other two people shut up immediately.
"Drink, no more talking, no more talking, come on, come on—"
"Just relax, no more talking. Come, have a drink."
Song Jin took the opportunity to escape without noticing the resentful look coming from behind.
Song Jin was very happy along the way. He couldn't tell why. Maybe he just wanted to see Ji Shubai, who had a stern face, show a less serious expression. He felt so satisfied just thinking about it that his steps became lighter.
Before she even reached the kitchen, she saw a girl wearing a golden vest walking towards her.
"Shopkeeper Wen's?"
Song Jin quickly bowed and said, "It's me."
"Oh, I finally found you. I'm from the Madam's courtyard. Madam asked me to ask you if you can have some sweet snacks for the children."
Song Jin thought for a moment and said, "Is there any cattle in the mansion?"
"Yes, yes, the young master likes to drink it. We always have it at home, but we are used to this one. Madam wants something new."
Song Jin smiled and said, "Don't worry, young lady. The beef I cook will be different from others."
The girl smiled and said, "I've heard that the shopkeeper's cooking is unique. I want to see what you can do today. Hurry up, the lady is waiting."
Song Jin hurried to the kitchen, and the girl followed him.
Milk, eggs, and white sugar, and then separating the egg yolk and egg white, you get double skin milk and caramel pudding, her specialty.
The Chai family had no shortage of ice, so the fresh milk was actually cool when it was taken out.
Song Jin beat four eggs and separated the egg whites from the egg whites. He added milk and sugar to the egg yolks and stirred them with chopsticks. Song Jin had no tools to mix the ingredients, so he had to rely on his eyes to judge the color.
Beat it completely, stir it evenly, cover it with a layer of gauze, put it into the pot to steam first, and then deal with the egg white.
Take out a small pot and boil the milk on low heat, then pour it back into the bowl and set it aside to wait for it to cool down and form a milk skin.
After adding sugar to the egg white and stirring evenly, the milk skin on the other end had not yet formed, so Song Jin took out a fan and fanned it gently.
“What is this doing?”
The girl in the Golden Camel Bijia asked curiously, and Song Jin turned around and replied, "Cool it down and let it form milk skin."
"That's easy. Just use ice water."
As he spoke, he asked someone to get some ice, soaked it in water, and then put the bowl of milk in to cool it down.
Song Jin watched the girl commanding people skillfully. She wore a double-breasted bodice with a golden camel spring silk flower pattern, revealing the sleeves of a white silk jacket underneath, but the buttons were not very luxurious. She wore a morning glory purple pleated skirt with a blue lotus-colored edge, and jade-colored satin embroidered shoes on her feet.
Even slaves were divided into different classes, and Song Jin already knew this when he was in the Bai family.
When the milk skin is ready, use chopsticks to make a hole on the edge of the bowl, hold the skin with the chopsticks, slowly pour the milk into the egg white, and stir again.
Take a piece of gauze and filter out the milk foam. Next, pour the milk back into the bowl through the hole in the milk skin.
Song Jin couldn't find a convenient bowl to pour the milk, so he had to think of a way. He put a chopstick against the milk hole, placed the mouth of the bowl against the chopstick and slowly poured the milk down, allowing the milk to flow along the chopsticks and under the milk skin.
After all the milk has been poured in, cover it with a layer of gauze and put it back in the pot to steam with the pudding.
"What's your method? Steaming eggs with milk? Why do you have to steam them separately?"
The girl was a little curious, and Song Jin slowly explained: "It's almost the same as steamed eggs, but with milk and sugar added, it tastes sweeter and has a milky flavor. It's also more tender than eggs. You'll know when you try it later."
The girl stared at the pot: "I am very curious, but I can't wait here forever. When you are done, ask the servants to bring it in. They know where it is."
Song Jin nodded and the girl left.
It takes a while to steam the double skin milk and pudding. Song Jin calculated the time and after about two cups of tea, he lifted the lid of the pot to check. Sure enough, they had solidified.
A new problem arises: without a spray gun, how can white sugar be turned into caramel?
Song Jin glanced around the kitchen and his eyes fell on an iron spoon.
Put the iron spoon directly on the fire to heat it, sprinkle a layer of white sugar evenly on the pudding, and then use the iron spoon to heat it. With a "sizzle" sound, a burst of white smoke rises, and when the iron spoon is removed, a layer of caramel has formed on the surface of the orange-yellow pudding.
"Please help me deliver it to the lady."
Song Jin brought two bowls of dessert and handed them to a maid in the Chai family's kitchen. The maid took them and left with the tray.
There weren't many guests at the Chai family's banquet today, only Lu Junnian and Ji Shubai, and they seemed to be very familiar with each other, so many formalities were skipped, and the main thing was to eat and drink.
After Song Jin finished making the dessert, the private chef's dishes were almost ready. If no one asked her to add any more dishes, she would pack up and prepare to go back.
Just when I was in a daze in the kitchen waiting for instructions, the girl in the golden camel vest came back with a happy face.
"Shopkeeper Wen? Shopkeeper Wen? Do you have any more of the milk and eggs? The little master loves to eat them. I want the yellow ones."
Song Jin smiled and said, "The main thing is that you still have beef and eggs at home, so we can make it for you anytime."
"That's good. Madam asked me to make another one and send it over, and also send it to the master's table."
Song Jin nodded and got busy with Hong Xing and the old woman.
She never expected that after all the busy work today and the carefully prepared dishes, the one that would end up being popular was the humble caramel pudding.
But the problem is, Song Jin can't make a living from this now.
In a place without pasteurization or refrigerators, she wanted to make desserts with milk and sell them to neighbors, which was already a huge cost. If she didn't sell it, she wouldn't be able to keep it for a while.
Because of the high cost, she didn't dare to try it easily. If two barrels of milk went bad, she might have worked in vain for several days. How could she be as effective as boiled chicken?
Song Jin was thinking in her mind without stopping her hands, and the girl was muttering beside her.
"Where did you learn this dish? The kitchen staff in previous years have never made it."
Song Jin smiled. She smiled at everyone she met. Who told her that she was of low status? "I was taught by an old cook in my family when I was young."
"You have a cook in your house, how did you learn to cook?"
It's quite strange. If you can afford to hire a cook, why don't you take the imperial examination? Even if you don't want to become an official, you can do corvée labor.
Scholars and cooks are two completely different classes.
"I'm not good at studying, but I like cooking, so I learned this."
The girl nodded, and Song Jin didn't care whether she could understand or not, he just told her the doubts in his heart.
"I see that all the guests here today are from the government office. Is your master familiar with the government office?"
"Hey," the girl said, "my master and Master Ji were classmates in the past. Later, they went to Beijing together to take the imperial examination. But my master failed. Now Master Ji has returned to Suzhou to serve as a Tongzhi. We should get together. Speaking of which, Master Ji is very busy. I heard that he has been back for a long time and has not seen my master much."
Song Jin was a little surprised. After all, it was hard to associate Chai Heng, a man who would cry and call his wife when he was mad, with Ji Shubai, a stern scholar.
"Does your master have a good relationship with Master Ji?"
"Yes, I heard that when Master Ji was still in Suzhou, he often played with my master. Later, when he went to Beijing and came back, he became much more serious. My master has said this many times in front of Madam."
"What are you talking about?" Song Jin guessed that it couldn't be a cliché story like forgetting about old classmates after becoming an official.
"What else can I say? Being an official, especially an official in Suzhou, how can I not be tired? Not to mention Suzhou, maybe there are people in the capital watching me."
Song Jin curled his lips after hearing this. What is the Tongzhi staring at? He is not the prefect.
"What about Lord Lu?" Song Jin saw that Lord Lu was older than Ji Shubai, but his official position was not as high as his. However, he called him Brother Shubai when they first met, so he guessed that they had a good relationship.
Unexpectedly, the girl shook her head and said, "I don't know Lord Lu well. He is not from Suzhou. I guess I met him in the capital. But he is an interesting person. My master often interacted with him after he came to Suzhou."
Song Jin nodded, understanding but not quite understanding.
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