108. Grand Chef Korea - Do you think you've won?
108. Grand Chef Korea - Do you think you've won?
1.
"The allotted time has ended. Participants, please step away from your cooking stations immediately!"
At Chef Kang Tae-yeon's shout, I slowly stepped back from the cooking station with both hands raised. Soon, a staff member brought over a cart.
"You can bring it yourself."
At her words, I nodded. I placed the finished plate on the cart and slowly headed toward the judges.
That was when it happened. Chaeyoon approached, pushing her cart right next to mine. My gaze naturally drifted toward her plate.
'...It's a bit different.'
Unlike last time, there was some kind of sauce drizzled over the foie gras. It seemed she had added a variation through the sauce.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Chaeyoon turned her head as well. Her eyes moved to my plate. For a moment, our gazes locked head-on.
There was no fear to be found in her eyes. Only certainty and confidence filled them.
'You cooked without regrets.'
Soon, Chaeyoon turned her head away first. I turned my gaze forward as well. There was no need to talk. We would be speaking with our food soon enough.
"Good work, both of you."
Following the staff's guidance, I stopped exactly at the designated spot. Chef Han Seo-jin smiled and stepped forward.
"The first dish has concluded. First, I will ask Han Chae-yoon-ssi. Do you think your food is satisfactory?"
"Yes. I am very satisfied."
Chaeyoon looked down at the dish in front of her, then lifted her gaze to continue.
"Honestly, I think I did so well that I wonder if I could ever produce something this good again."
"That is some great confidence. Then, do you think you can beat Kang Ye-rin-ssi in this first round?"
"Yes. I am certain. This is my dish."
There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in her answer. Chef Han Seo-jin smiled and turned her gaze to me.
"Han Chae-yoon participant says so, what do you think, Kang Ye-rin-ssi?"
"Imagination is free."
I shrugged and answered nonchalantly. I could feel Chaeyoon glaring at me.
"The tension between you two is incredible."
She smiled as if she found it interesting and looked back and forth between us. However, she soon dropped the expression and added.
"But a chef speaks not with words, but with their food."
At her words, the other judges nodded. Chef Kang Tae-yeon stepped forward and opened his mouth.
"Han Chae-yoon-ssi. First, please bring your dish forward."
At Kang Tae-yeon's request, Chaeyoon carried her plate forward. She carefully placed it on the table and took a step back.
"Han Chae-yoon-ssi. Please tell us what the difference is compared to last time. How did you develop your dish?"
"I added a port wine-based sauce on top of the foie gras. I thought it would be more perfect if I added a little sweetness and acidity."
"Is that all?"
"I also made some changes to the cooking process, but I would like you to feel that for yourselves. Because a chef speaks not with words, but with food."
Chaeyoon was quoting what Chef Han Seo-jin had said just a moment ago. The other judges raised the corners of their mouths at her bold demeanor.
"Very well. Let's see if a dish as excellent as that confidence has been completed. How should we eat this?"
"Please eat it however you feel comfortable."
"Understood."
The chefs approached the plate. First, Chef Kang Tae-yeon picked up his fork and knife.
"The visuals are certainly superior to before. The purple sauce is harmonious and stimulates the appetite."
He cut a piece of the foie gras with a short review. After peering at the cross-section, he nodded and put it in his mouth.
"It's soft."
He muttered quietly, then ate the smoked duck breast and celery in turn. Finally, he took a spoonful of the soup and stepped back without a word.
Chef Han Seo-jin followed. She silently took a bite of the foie gras, then furrowed her brows slightly.
That was the end of her emotional change.
She flinched when she chewed the duck breast, but after eating the celery, she put down her plate and fork.
Lastly, it was Chef Moon Tae-oh. He first took a small spoonful of just the sauce to taste it. Only then did he eat the foie gras, duck, and celery in order.
Chef Moon Tae-oh nodded slightly and returned to his seat.
"We will deliberate for a moment."
They turned their backs and began to talk. It would have been possible to hear if I strained my ears, but I didn't bother.
"Phew...."
Chaeyoon let out a sigh and clenched her fists tightly. Even her breath was trembling; she seemed very nervous.
"We enjoyed the food prepared by Han Chae-yoon-ssi."
Soon, the judges turned around. Chef Kang Tae-yeon stepped forward and opened his mouth.
"First of all, putting the port wine sauce on the foie gras was an excellent choice."
He pointed to the dish in front of him and continued.
"The acidity, along with the sweet taste and aroma of the fruit, mixes in the sauce, and it perfectly balanced the heavy taste of the foie gras. It was a sauce with enough impact to be called a 'kick'."
"Really...? Thank you!"
Chaeyoon opened her eyes wide and bowed her head. Next was Chef Han Seo-jin's turn.
"The smoked duck breast also had a much better aroma than last time. Thanks to the smoked scent pairing well with the nuttiness of the chestnut, the balance was very stable."
"It was a dish where both harmony and taste were improved. Especially the celery... it melted well into the velouté while also playing the role of adding a variation to the taste."
Finally, Chef Moon Tae-oh added.
"However, the aroma of the truffle on top felt somewhat out of place. It would have been better without it. Sometimes, subtracting gives a stronger impression than adding."
"Ah...."
At Chef Kang Tae-yeon's critique, Chaeyoon bowed her head.
"Handling aromas is a very delicate matter. It's a part where even experienced chefs often make mistakes, so don't be too discouraged. It just means it's that difficult."
At Chef Han Seo-jin's gentle words, Chaeyoon lifted her head again, smiled slightly, and bowed.
"Thank you."
"We enjoyed the meal. You may return to your seat now."
"Yes."
Chaeyoon bowed deeply and quietly returned to her seat.
"Kang Ye-rin-ssi. Please bring your dish forward."
At Chef Kang Tae-yeon's request, I carried my plate to the judging table. I placed the bowl on it and took a step back.
"Compared to Han Chae-yoon-ssi's dish, in what aspects did you differentiate yours? How did you develop it in your own way?"
"First, I used vegetable broth instead of meat when making the chestnut velouté. I added fresh cream and milk to make the texture smoother."
"What is the reason for doing that? What did you intend?"
He asked aggressively, but I continued to answer calmly.
"I judged that it was a heavy dish with just foie gras and meat. So, I wanted to make the base as light and soft as possible."
"The meat seems to be pork belly, not duck breast. Is that correct?"
"Yes. I thought pork belly could provide a greater impression than smoked duck. It's a different kind of softness and fat flavor compared to foie gras."
His gaze turned sharp.
"Didn't you say earlier that you made the velouté soft because the dish was heavy? But you used pork belly, which is heavier than duck. Doesn't that contradict itself?"
"It was all designed and intended. You will know when you taste it yourself."
A silence followed for a moment. Chef Kang Tae-yeon glared at me and said.
"A good intention doesn't guarantee a good result. Let's see if that statement has been properly realized."
"Let's do that."
"How should we eat this?"
"First, I recommend mixing the truffle on top well with the velouté, then tasting the foie gras and the pork belly separately. You can eat it with a spoon."
"Understood."
Chef Kang Tae-yeon silently picked up his spoon. As I had explained, he slowly mixed the truffle and velouté before taking a spoonful.
His eyebrows twitched as he held the soup in his mouth. Soon, he cut the foie gras with his spoon and put it in his mouth.
'I wonder if it turned out as intended.'
The velouté mixed with truffle had to wrap around the flavor of the foie gras well. Only then could it produce a perfect taste.
Following that, he pressed the pork belly with his spoon. The meat cut as if it were crumbling, just like Dongpo pork. Chef Kang Tae-yeon, who put that in his mouth, nodded.
Finally, Chef Kang Tae-yeon, who tasted the velouté one more time, returned to his seat.
"Hello."
"Yes."
Next was Chef Han Seo-jin's turn. She examined the plate, then brought her nose close to smell the aroma. Afterward, she picked up her spoon and slowly scooped up the velouté.
"Hmm...."
Han Seo-jin closed her eyes, inhaled, and slowly exhaled. Following that breath, the corners of her mouth rose softly.
She carefully cut the foie gras and put it in her mouth; after savoring it for a moment, she tasted the pork belly as well.
"I enjoyed the meal."
"Thank you."
Chef Han Seo-jin said briefly, then put down her spoon and returned to her seat.
Now, the last one was Chef Moon Tae-oh. He examined the plate meticulously again this time. It was an analytical look.
"Hmm."
He tasted the velouté with his spoon, then put the foie gras and pork belly in his mouth one after another. Every time he chewed, Chef Moon Tae-oh's head moved up and down.
All three judges returned to their seats. Now, all that remained was the evaluation.
"Please wait a moment."
They turned their bodies and began to discuss.
"...Eonni. Good work."
While I was waiting quietly, looking straight ahead, Chaeyoon spoke to me.
"You worked hard too."
"How was the dish I made? As expected, was it easy for you to make yours...."
Unlike a moment ago, Chaeyoon's spirit was completely crushed.
"It was difficult."
"R-really?"
At my answer, she asked back with her eyes wide open. The way she immediately furrowed her brows made it seem like she didn't believe me.
"It really was. Truffle and foie gras. Handling both of them wasn't easy. Especially, I was worried about what to do with the truffle's aroma."
"Me too. That's why I failed in the end...."
Chaeyoon said in a dejected voice. Just as I was about to comfort her, the chefs turned their bodies back toward us.
"We enjoyed the food prepared by Kang Ye-rin-ssi."
This time, Chef Han Seo-jin stepped forward and began to speak.
"What I want to praise is the velouté. Perhaps because you used vegetable broth, it was light yet the sweet taste of the chestnut stood out much more. The ratio of milk and cream was also appropriate."
"Thank you."
I bowed my head and smiled. As expected, such praise is always good to hear.
"The doneness of the foie gras was excellent, but what is even more surprising is the pork belly. The allotted time couldn't have been generous, so how did you cook it so softly?"
Chef Moon Tae-oh took over.
"I used a pressure cooker."
"As expected...."
He nodded slowly as if he had anticipated it.
"Honestly, I was a little worried. Since both foie gras and pork belly are ingredients with a lot of fat. I wondered if the taste would be excessively heavy."
Moon Tae-oh swallowed hard and continued.
"But it was just a groundless fear. The two fats provided different pleasures respectively. The flavor that filled the mouth was impressive."
Finally, Chef Kang Tae-yeon stepped up.
"What was impressive to me was the truffle. Honestly, when you said to mix it with the velouté, I thought the aromas would clash."
He looked at the plate for a moment, then lifted his gaze to meet my eyes.
"But it blended very smoothly. Even more, that aroma went well with all the ingredients. Tying together different ingredients into one is never an easy thing to do."
"Are there no downsides?"
I asked back triumphantly. I was genuinely curious.
"At least not on this plate. It would have been nice if the taste was a little heavier, but that's a matter of preference."
"I see."
"Good work. You may return to your seat now. Kang Ye-rin-ssi."
I immediately turned my body and returned to my seat. Chaeyoon's gaze was shining intensely. Her face was flushed red, and her lips were tightly shut.
"The first dish has concluded. How do you think the results turned out for you two?"
"...I think Ye-rin-eonni won."
Chaeyoon answered immediately.
"What is the reason you think so?"
"Because you didn't mention any downsides for Ye-rin-eonni's food. That means she didn't make any mistakes, at least."
Chef Kang Tae-yeon chuckled and said.
"I cannot reveal the scores and results right now. However, to relieve your curiosity even a little, I will give you the opportunity to taste each other's dishes."
A staff member brought a cart to me. On it was food similar to what I had made a moment ago. Looking at the other side, it was the same for Chaeyoon.
"The food in front of you now is your opponent's dish. Please taste it yourself and judge."
I picked up my fork and knife and carefully sliced the foie gras. When I dipped it slightly into the purple sauce on top and put it in my mouth, the flavor of the wine spread.
'To use port wine like this....'
As I put the foie gras in my mouth, the sweetness and acidity of the fruit cleanly caught the greasy taste of the fat. Soon after, I put the duck breast in my mouth.
'It's become much tastier than three days ago.'
The smoked scent lingered deeply, and as it harmonized with the velouté, it caught the overall flavor more deeply and firmly.
"How is it?"
At Chef Kang Tae-yeon's question, I answered honestly.
"It's delicious. It's a much more sophisticated and complete taste. Especially the sauce on the foie gras... it's a kick, just like the chef said."
"How about Han Chae-yoon-ssi?"
This time, it was Chef Kang Tae-yeon asking the question to Chaeyoon.
"...It's delicious. I finally understand why Eonni chose pork belly. It gives weight in a completely different way from foie gras. Even, it's harmonious."
She finally ate the velouté mixed with truffle and nodded.
"The truffle and velouté also go together so well. It's a sense I don't have, and honestly, I was impressed while eating it."
A silence flowed for a moment.
Soon, Chef Kang Tae-yeon opened his mouth again.
"Very well. You have now tasted your opponent's dish."
He looked back and forth between the two of us and asked a question.
"Then I will ask. Do you think you won?"
We looked at each other at the same time. Complex emotions were intertwined in her eyes. Fear, acknowledgment, and even the will that hadn't been extinguished yet.
"I will ask Kang Ye-rin-ssi first. Do you think you won?"
I caught my breath for a moment and answered.
"This time...."