1432 The Moment Of Truth

Look left; look right.

Mushrooms, Thyme, Basil, pepper, salt, oil, and other herbs.

All her ingredients were long washed.

Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap. Pap.

Her fingers, blade, and board worked seamlessly with one other.

'First, slice the brown mushrooms thinly, followed by the garlic, ginger...'

Mildred began instructing herself on what to do, finely processing each ingredient before her.

And when she was some, she would push her ingredients into the few bowls before her.

Those that would get used for the sauce went in one bowl, those for the fish in another, etc.

Speaking of fish, because Okaru was going to prepare a dish with sweet potatoes, she allowed Okaru to have her portion of meat while she, in turn, took Okaru's fish.

And now, they both had backup ingredients lest they messed up on their first or second try.

Sweet potatoes weren't like ordinary white potatoes. They had a sweetness to them and several distinguishable factors too.

Okaru wanted to balance its sweetness with the presence of well-salted meat.

The savory blend of sweetness and saltiness would indeed create a mouth-watering feeling if done right.

Swish!

Mildred was fast.

It took little to no time for her to scrap out the Sea Bream fish and take out its gills and other bitter insides.

But things weren't even yet.

Now, she crushed her ingredients, keeping them finely small.

And for her fish, she decided to create lines on its sides and began pouring white wine into the fish.

This was something she discovered back in Terique after experimenting.

Her only worry was that she had tested this out using another type of fish.

'So, will this still work?'

Mildred was curious. If in the end, it ruins the taste of the carp, then at least she had another share carp to work with.

.

~Bruuu~

The white wine sprinkled onto the fish.

'Coat both sides, adding salt. But don't overdo it.' She reminded herself.

Good!

Now, she could take it to the fire.

That was the essential step.

On low~medium heat, she placed the fish on a well-oiled frying pan and set it above one of the stove rings.

Bubuum. Bubuum.

Mildred felt her entire body tremble from just setting it in her fire.

All this time, she had been subconsciously holding her breath.

'Now, I wait. I can only continue when the outer skin of the fish begins crisp but not done. Quickly! I have to work on my noodles!'

Like lightning, she began clearing her workstation while still switching the sides of the fish from time to time.

And one of the indicators who was supposed to grade each step of her actions couldn't help nodding and scribbling something down on her sheet.

Per 40 examinees, 4 invigilators were overlooking all they did.

Even their knife work was taken into consideration.

But Mildred had no time to focus on this indicator.

Pah! She placed the roughened dough onto the table and began working her magic, smoothing it all out.

But did you think she would be able to work on the dough like this?

Not a chance!

Very quickly, she placed it in a bowl and coveted its top, wanting the years in the dough to activate.

"Ah!- her fish!"

Very quickly, Mildred was on the stove side.

The fish was almost how she wanted it to be.

And after flipping it severally, she was finally satisfied.

She didn't want it completely crisped.

This much was enough for now.

Good.

Plunging a cube of salted butter into the pan, she used a spoon to carry some of the hot melted butter, dropping it on the fish.

If one kept pouring the oil onto the fish, the outer side of the fish would be crispy and the inside moist.

This was a cooking technique also called basting.

With all the recorded cooking shows from the famous Baymardian chefs, she did learn a few of the 'popular' everyday Baymardian techniques just about everyone here knew.

'Come on... Come on...'

Mildred was focused on the fish.

.

[3 hours, 25 minutes left!]

What?!!

Mildred couldn't believe her ears.

Where did the time go?

Could the rush for ingredients and even this little cooking she did have used up so much time?

Everyone's belly was knotted with butterflies the moment they heard the voice.

Some couldn't stop shaking, while others had tears in their eyes, feeling the pressure and their now failed ingredients preparation.

Some had already burnt or overcooked most of their ingredients, making them want to cry.

Time... Time... They needed more time!

Mildred once again looked at her dough.

Not yet.

'Alright. It's time to work on my sauce!'

With all ingredients long sliced or crushed.

First, she began creating her paper sauce.

Yes! This pepper sauce would get served separately. Additionally, she also planned to grate cheese and serve it separately too.

Back in Terique, she found that when making this particular recipe, added cheese did wander while eating.

And with an overly sensitive mouth as hers, how could she not feel the burst of taste from the combo?

She made the complementary side condiments before finally starting with the main sauce.

Phew.

Mildred took a deep breath.

What theme was she going for?

Or rather, what did she want people to experience when they ate her food?

Youth.

That was what she wanted the explosive flavors to remind everyone of. And of course, the way she would dress her dishes would be a great advantage.

.

1, 2, 3... The sauce was done.

As for what she put in them, she would only leave the examiners to find out for themselves.

The dough!

Pah!

She slapped it into the table, rolled it severally, as well as sprinkled flour on it multiple times too.

Over and over again, she ensured what she thought was perfection.

And soon, she began cutting her noodle strips.

Following that, she sent it straight to the pot, allowing it to cook.

But was she done?

No way.

She still had to make dessert and a few appetizers.

[1 Hour, 45 minutes more!]

"Examinee 500 calls for final evaluation."

Already, many people were done, wanting their dishes to get evaluated.

And little by little, the space was now growing empty. Especially after some people got disqualified, seeing that they had no more tomatoes to use after failure.

[1 Hour more!]

[45 minutes more!]

30.... 20... 15... 8... Zero.

Ding!

[All Examinees Stop! Your time is up.]

Mildred deeply stared at her dishes.

Now was the moment of truth.

She couldn't lie.

She was nervous.