Chapter 53: Crossroad (4)
Chapter 53: Crossroad (4)
Eight points.
Jo Minjoon stared blankly at the score for a long time.
He could hardly believe it.
Until now, he had thought reaching eight points would be extremely difficult. And it was not as though he had made something familiar to him, like Hugo had. Risotto was a dish he barely knew and did not even particularly like.
Yet he had made an eight-point risotto.
It would have been strange if that realization made him nothing but happy. Of course, his heart felt as though it might burst at having achieved that score for the first time in his life, but at the same time, he was bewildered.
How had he managed to reach eight points?
Was concentration alone enough to do that?
“All right, everyone. Hands off.”
Before he could organise his thoughts, Joseph called out.
Naturally, no one had failed to finish their dish within the hour. An hour was more than enough time to make either risotto or paella.
Jo Minjoon slowly looked around, and his gaze settled on Kaya’s dish.
He could not help it. He knew how little confidence she had shown earlier, and precisely because of that, he was curious.
Cooking Score: 8.
He could understand that much.
But……
Shallots and onions in a one-to-one ratio, Parmigiano Reggiano, clam stock, dry white wine…… This is exactly the same as Alan’s.
The dish Alan had served them earlier had been reproduced almost exactly in front of Kaya.
Had she always cooked it this way?
He could not remember.
The fact that the dish had scored eight points meant she had successfully recreated the flavour.
But would she get through on creativity?
It’s not something that’ll change just because I worry about it.
Jo Minjoon looked away.
He had made an eight-point dish for the first time in his life. It might have been selfish, but instead of worrying about something that had not even happened yet, he wanted to enjoy this miracle as much as he could.
The first contestants the judges evaluated were Carlos and Marco.
Neither had produced anything exceptional.
Carlos’s dish scored six points, and Marco’s did as well.
Jo Minjoon quickly checked the dishes of the other contestants.
Only one had scored five points.
Coney.
Among the remaining contestants, she was the only one in her forties, and she was also the quietest. She had made paella with corn and onion, but even at first glance, it did not look particularly appetising.
Unless there was an upset, Jo Minjoon thought Coney would probably be eliminated.
The risotto group was harder to predict.
Anderson and Hugo had both scored seven. Kaya had scored eight. The remaining three were all at six.
There was no telling which of those three would be eliminated.
Alan took a bite of Carlos’s risotto, rinsed his mouth with water, then spoke.
“Carlos. What’s the concept behind this risotto?”
“I tried to bring out the aroma with basil and pine nuts……”
“No, I can tell that much just by looking at it. But why am I chewing more pine nuts than rice? The seasoning is fine. The recipe itself is fine too. But the oil from the pine nuts is covering every other flavour. Did you taste it?”
“No, I just…… didn’t have time.”
“You’re saying you made risotto without tasting it? Do you know risotto well enough to do that?”
Carlos lowered his head.
The evaluations that followed from Joseph and Emily were not much different.
The dish was decent overall, but the pine nuts overwhelmed the flavour of the risotto.
In the end, Carlos was named an elimination candidate and returned to his station.
Marco also received a poor evaluation.
He had made paella seasoned with lemon juice and served it with a hard baguette, prawns, and saffron. However, the fish stock was too weak, and part of the paella had burned.
He, too, became an elimination candidate.
Next came Kaya and Coney.
The moment the judges saw Coney’s paella, hesitation crossed their faces. Even so, they had no choice but to lift their spoons and taste it.
Immediately afterwards, they frowned.
Emily let out a long sigh.
“You know it’s overcooked, don’t you?”
“……Yes.”
“There are too many problems for me to call this proper paella. The rice is wet and clumped together, and because of that, the flavours of the other ingredients feel muddled as well. Coney, at this point, you’re the most likely candidate for elimination.”
Then came Kaya.
After tasting a spoonful of her risotto, Alan spoke in an even tone.
“Before you started cooking, I asked whether you were planning to imitate my dish. I was half joking when I said it, but you really did.”
“……I told you earlier. The risotto you made was the only proper risotto I’ve ever eaten.”
“If you put it that way, I almost feel bad criticising you. But I still have to say what needs to be said. Didn’t you think about changing the basic recipe even a little?”
“Can you run before you know how to walk?”
That was about as indirect as Kaya ever got.
Joseph quietly chewed the risotto, then spoke in his usual gentle voice.
“As Alan said, perhaps it does lack creativity. After all, it’s almost the same as copying someone else’s dish. Still, Kaya must have thought that reproducing Alan’s recipe was the best dish she could make. Is that right?”
“I already told you. Walking is the best I can do right now.”
“You’re right. Alan, this is what I think. It would be worse for a chef to test a customer with creativity they haven’t actually mastered.”
Emily nodded. “Honestly, how many contestants here are cooking entirely original recipes? This programme isn’t even about that in the first place. The challenge isn’t to cook something no one has ever made before. It’s to make something delicious. I agree that she made the best dish she could. Of course, her limited understanding of risotto can count against her, but at the very least, she did the best she could with the experience she had.”
Alan did not argue. He could see the truth in what they were saying.
The judges exchanged glances.
Alan nodded and spoke. “Kaya. We want to keep watching you cook. It’s disappointing that today’s dish didn’t show any of your own colour, but it was still good. You recreated what I intended almost perfectly. You pass.”
“………Thank you.” Kaya turned away with an expression that was neither particularly happy nor disappointed.
After that came Jo Minjoon’s turn.
More precisely, Jo Minjoon and Chloe’s.
Jo Minjoon glanced at Chloe’s dish.
Mussels and prawns had been arranged neatly over the shells, making the dish look even more luxurious.
Of course, actually having to remove the mussels from their shells while eating would probably be a nuisance.
Seven points.
It was not a bad score.
At least she should survive today.
Once Jo Minjoon thought that, his attention immediately returned to the evaluation he was about to receive.
This was the best dish he had ever made. Naturally, he could not help wondering what the judges would say.
Jo Minjoon was evaluated first.
He could not stop a smile from slowly spreading across his face.
Alan glanced at the dish.
“You said you weren’t familiar with risotto. Do you think you made it well?”
“Yes. More than anything I’ve ever made before.”
The confidence in his answer made Alan pause.
He looked up at Jo Minjoon.
Then Emily spoke. “Minjoon. You said before that you have your own scoring system, didn’t you? You called it a cooking score. So what score would you give this dish? Judging by how confident you look…… seven?”
There were already rumours circulating around the Grand Chef house that Jo Minjoon assigned numerical scores to dishes, and that he had once said the best dish he could currently make was worth seven points.
Given how confident he looked, there was nothing strange about assuming this dish had reached seven.
But his answer surprised everyone.
Jo Minjoon smiled brightly.
“No. Eight points.”
“……Eight? Didn’t you say that was difficult with your current ability?”
“I don’t know. Maybe this is the kind of moment people call a miracle.”
Jo Minjoon spoke more eloquently than usual, but it was not because he was trying to produce a good line for television.
Everyone watching him could tell.
The judges, the contestants, and even the production staff.
Joseph seemed unable to wait any longer and put a spoonful of risotto into his mouth.
He closed his eyes, as though trying to feel each individual grain of rice.
A moment later, the same smile Jo Minjoon was wearing appeared on Joseph’s face.
“I understand what you mean.” Those few words were filled with unmistakable happiness.
Alan and Emily immediately lifted their spoons and tasted the risotto.
The moment they did, they understood Joseph’s reaction.
Pear risotto.
The recipe itself was not particularly unusual. Prosciutto and pear were a fairly common pairing, and sage was also frequently used in risotto. What was unusual was the depth of flavour.
Even when two people followed the same recipe, the result could vary enormously depending on how much care, time, and effort each one invested.
That was what cooking was.
Cooking did not betray the time put into it.
It was no coincidence that truly elaborate dishes often took a long time to prepare.
And in Jo Minjoon’s pear risotto, that care was unmistakable.
The ingredients were exquisitely balanced, as though each had been measured so carefully that none could interfere with another. The texture of the rice yielded perfectly beneath the teeth, while the flavours of the stock and wine blended seamlessly with everything else.
Alan spoke, his voice full of satisfaction. “How did you make risotto like this? Minjoon, someone who doesn’t understand risotto shouldn’t be able to make something at this level. Seasoning is one thing. That comes down to taste, and someone like you should obviously be good at adjusting it. But the rice is different. Reducing the stock this precisely shouldn’t have been easy……”
“I’m not going to say it was entirely skill. I think I was unusually lucky today.”
Even so, that did not change the fact that it was an excellent dish.
Even if some of it had been coincidence, the judges were pleased to have seen what Jo Minjoon was capable of.
Joseph nodded. “Miracles come to those who are prepared for them. Minjoon, this was both your luck and your skill. Congratulations. If this is an eight-point dish, then this is the first time you’ve climbed over that wall. Once you’ve climbed a wall once, climbing it again becomes easier.”
“Thank you. I hope that’s true.” Jo Minjoon smiled.
Alan briefly glanced at the other judges. But there was no need to ask for their opinions. Jo Minjoon had already declared the dish an eight. And the judges agreed.
It was the best thing he had made so far.
Alan looked back at him. “Minjoon. Right now, everyone is focused on your sense of taste. I was too. But an excellent chef isn’t necessarily an excellent gourmet, and an excellent food critic isn’t necessarily an excellent chef. Even without that sense of taste, you still would have made a good dish today. You’re someone who can pour every bit of your attention into a single risotto. That concentration will become one of your greatest weapons.”
“I completely agree with Alan. Minjoon, if you served this risotto in any restaurant, no customer would complain. You’re calling this moment a miracle, but if you keep working this way, I think your everyday life will eventually be filled with moments like this. I enjoyed it.” Emily smiled broadly as she spoke, perhaps because she had enjoyed the risotto that much.
Alan cleared his throat. “Go and get your hand treated first, Minjoon.”
“……Did I pass?”
“The answer is on the plate.” Alan raised a finger and pointed.
The risotto—or rather, the plate that had once held the risotto—was completely clean.