I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 177



Only Noblemtl

177 Eat and die

I want to create addictive dishes that you won’t forget once you taste them.

The kind of food that you can’t resist the urge to eat even if you’re a thousand miles away, so you drive all night and stand in line to eat it.

Here is the finest shin meat cut into 3cm pieces. The cross-section of the bone and marrow also looks great.

It was tied tightly with a string to keep its shape from getting distorted.

Sprinkle lightly with salt, then coat with flour and fry until golden brown.

Deglaze the fondue with the Italian trifecta of onions, carrots, and parsley, then pour in the chicken stock and tomato puree. Add acidity with white wine, and add fragrance with rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.

After placing the roasted shins on top, close the lid and simmer for an hour. Then transfer to the oven and braise for another hour.

While the meat is cooking, make the polenta.

Fry the chopped onion in olive oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Add cornmeal and fry, then add chicken stock to give it body and adjust the consistency.

The dish I’m making goes well with saffron. I poured in the saffron-infused water and cooked the polenta until it was tender.

Turn off the heat, add the butter and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and make mantecaré. The golden polenta sparkles in the light.

Every time I eat ossobuco, I always miss the marrow.

This is because the amount of bone marrow coming from one shin is too small.

Cut the bones lengthwise and bake them whole in the oven. Scrape out the cooked marrow with a spoon, add a lot of Isigny butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Butter needs a kick. Add fried garlic to olive oil and grate lemon zest. Mix well and you have a devil’s temptation-like Bone Marrow Garlic Butter.

Beep beep beep.

The oven timer goes off.

Remove the perfectly cooked shin meat and blend the remaining sauce in a blender and strain through a sieve.

Spread the polenta on one side of the plate and plate the shanks.

After lightly pouring the sauce over the meat, I spooned in some cannelled (quenelle) bone marrow butter.

This alone is not enough, as the dish contains too much fat.

Minced garlic, parsley, and lime zest are mixed well and sprinkled on top of the dish for a perfectly balanced taste.

I took a fork and knife and tasted it.

“Hahahahaha. Eat and die.”

Once you taste it, you will never forget its taste for the rest of your life.

I was thinking of making a pasta dish with a strong impact, so I thought I shouldn’t let the main dish be pushed aside, but I think I don’t have to worry about this.

* * *

When I visited Namdo, I tried roe and thought it went well with sea urchin.

Of course, Korean roe is not suitable for use in Italian cuisine because it is dried and aged in the shade with sesame oil applied.

Instead, in Italy there is a type of roe called Bottarga.

This ingredient, which is made by salting and then drying and maturing the roe of a mullet, is made in almost the same way as Korean roe.

However, both ingredients left a bitter aftertaste when tasted, as the blood flowing through the eggs left a bitter aftertaste.

I brought surgical instruments and precisely removed the blood vessels in the eggs with a scalpel and tweezers. After washing them in running water, salting them, and drying them in a dry-aging cellar, I was able to complete a satisfactory bottarga.

“Chef. Honestly, I’m scared.”

Did I look too perverted? Soyoung says as she looks at me holding a surgical scalpel and tweezers.

“I’ll do anything if I can just get the taste right. But you’re talking like someone else? It’s all your job.”

The chefs who were watching this flinched.

“Oh my.”

Sam sighs. He had a hard time with the sea bass, but this time he feels daunted when he thinks about finding the vein in the roe.

Squid ink goes well with fish roe.

Add beaten eggs to blended durum wheat and purified squid ink from freshly caught squid.

Lemon juice was added to remove the unpleasant smell. Then, when the dough is being made, a little extra virgin olive oil was added to give it a savory taste and give the dough a sheen.

The aged dough was put through a roller and rolled out to form tagliatelle.

This pasta will leave a strong impression by maximizing the flavor of the sea and herbs.

Pour a generous amount of olive oil into the pan, then add sliced ​​garlic and parsley and stir-fry to extract the flavor. Remove the used ingredients and grind the sea urchin roe, noodles, and flavored olive oil in a blender.

The creamy sauce is completed as the emulsification takes place.

“Chef. The sauce is so good.”

Ella takes a taste with a spoon and is startled.

It’s not the traditional way, but if you want to extract the flavor, what can’t you do?

Toss the noodles and sauce cooked in a pan. Plating on a plate, grate a generous amount of homemade bottarga. Finally, top with sea urchin roe and sprinkle with chopped parsley to complete.

“Try mixing it with sea urchin roe.”

The chefs each come holding chopsticks.

As a Korean, I find chopsticks more convenient than a fork, so I started using them in the kitchen for cooking, and all the chefs started following suit.

“Yeah.”

Soyoung makes a strange sound.

“It’s so thick, I think my brain will melt. The sea urchin tastes like butter.

“It’s smooth and creamy, yet the rich flavor of bottarga blends together beautifully. I was worried that the squid ink noodles would be overpowering, but the sauce is so strong that it goes well together.”

Soyoung closes her eyes and savors the taste as she speaks.

“That’s one of the best things about working here. We get to taste the chef’s dishes first. It’s like a sea trio. The combination of herbs and garlic makes it so good.”

I am satisfied with Ella’s slightly open eyes and relaxed expression.

“Okay! Now practice until you make it perfect.”

““Yes! Chef!””

The chefs answer loudly.

Amuse-bouche already has a sufficient lineup, but I didn’t like the dessert.

Ben’s growth is slower than expected.

The Ben I knew who swept the world championships is now 7 or 8 years away.

Of course, he is still a high-level pastry chef, but I think it would be good to give him a little stimulation at this point. At least he should make better desserts than me.

I just made the most delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever made.

Chocolate cake is a classic, but it is a dessert that clearly shows the skill of the pastry chef.

I made a cake that was soft and moist, yet had three different textured layers, and let Ben taste it.

“how is it?”

Ben cuts a piece of cake with a fork and tastes it, his pupils shaking.

“Oh… it’s delicious. Chef.”

“Can you do this much?”

Ben has a lot to do.

At Segreto, all desserts are handmade, so hard labor-like tasks must be repeated every day.

In that case, it would have been difficult to make time for your own development.

There are two other pastry chefs, but unlike us, it’s completely individual play.

Even as a head chef, I have to respect the pastry area, so I have barely touched it so far, but I can’t keep hearing people say that the desserts are lacking compared to the dishes.

“Right now, a cake of this standard is too much for me, Chef.”

Ben’s expression darkens. He seems embarrassed that he is a pastry chef and his skills are inferior to mine, a non-professional.

“I think desserts are the area where Segreto has the most room for improvement. I have high expectations for you. At least you should make better desserts than me.”

“Chef, honestly, I always doubt whether I belong here. I’m not a two-star Michelin patissier.”

“Not yet. But it will happen soon. If it doesn’t seem possible, I’ll force it for you. So try harder.

In this course, we will serve the chocolate cake you made as dessert. Make a dessert that does not fall short of the course.”

Ben looks at me in surprise. No wonder, since he’s never had his recipes adopted before.

My belief is that talented guys can roll around a little. If you don’t have passion, there’s nothing you can do.

* * *

“ha.”

I sigh.

I’ve been trying for a week and I still haven’t been able to make a better cake than the dessert the head chef made.

To begin with, he was just a rookie pastry chef who had just graduated from college. He couldn’t understand what he believed in and why they were asking him to make desserts for the course.

As days go by, the dark circles under my eyes gradually expand. But I have to do something about it.

I was feeling depressed after staying in the kitchen late today making dessert.

Crunch.

Someone opens the door and comes in.

“You’re working hard. I heard that you’re making desserts in this quarter’s course.”

It was Soyoung. It felt good to be able to speak Korean after such a long time.

“You’re already getting incentives? I’m jealous.”

The appetizers she makes are well-received by guests.

Soyoung was a shining student since her days at the CIA. I am amazed at her talent as she came up with her own signature not long after joining the company.

“Hehehe. That’s quite a lot. I’m surprised. I’m jealous that you’ll be receiving it soon too.”

Does everyone think they are like you? I know you are trying to comfort me, but it hurts.

“I don’t think I can do it. No matter how hard I try, I can’t achieve the quality the head chef demands.”

“If you keep trying to the point of death, you’ll find a way out. Cheer up.”

Does that mean you’re not putting in any effort?

Does she know that she’s only slept an average of three hours a night for a week?

Ben’s heart darkens at Soyoung’s words, which sound like it’s nothing special.

“If you keep at it, it will work out somehow, so talented guys are lucky.”

“What does that mean?”

Soyoung’s voice lowers.

“There is no chef who doesn’t work hard at Segreto. This is not a restaurant where such people can survive. The same goes for pastries. But not everyone can get their name on the menu.”

“really?”

“what?”

“Did you really try hard enough?”

“I’m doing enough so that I’m not embarrassed.”

“Wait a minute.”

Soyoung closes the door and goes out, then returns a little later, holding a handful of notebooks in both hands.

Bam.

Ben picks up the note with trembling hands and opens it.

This record started last year. You made this many notes in just one year?

“I write down every dish the head chef makes in as much detail as possible. Not just the regular menu, but also the dishes he makes for lunch or snacks. Then, try to copy him.

After work, I think about what I’m good at. I look at what I’ve done and study how I can apply it to my cooking. On my days off, I go to different restaurants, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and think of ways to improve. Of course, I write it all down.”

Ben’s face turned dark at the vast record. He thought he was trying hard, but Soyoung wasn’t at that level.

“But that’s not what’s really hard. Even though it’s made with the same ingredients and recipe, the dish made by the head chef tastes better. I just can’t figure out why.

Perhaps the chef can visualize the subtle flavors and textures of ingredients as he cooks them.

“Isn’t that a real talent? Who else has something like that? You’re lucky, oppa. At least in pastry, you won’t be frustrated by something like that.”

Soyoung speaks with an expression that looks like she’s about to cry.

“You’re definitely talented. You were the best at the CIA.”

“I thought so too. But what’s the point of distinguishing between 1 and 2 when there’s 100 talents? We’re all the same. The rest can only be filled with effort.”

Soyoung takes her notebook and goes outside.

match.

Ben hits his balls hard with both hands.

“This is ridiculous. Come to your senses.”

In a place full of great chefs, if you lack effort, you can no longer work here.

The gun returns to Ben’s blurry eyes.