Wine! Delicate and refined.
It gently removed the greasiness from the meat, carefully enhancing the freshness of the meat.
Before she could snap out of it, a rich aroma had already filled her mouth.
Perhaps it was the scent of Pinot Noir that gave this dish its soul, making it a romantic affair only the French could articulate!
"Unexpected."
"Your red wine beef stew has actually surpassed my level."
Instructor Roland slowly opened his eyes and, after glancing at the empty plate, couldn't help but exclaim.
…
Following that.
He slightly raised his head and glanced at Megumi.
As an instructor at Totsuki, even if he had some issues he wanted to discuss face-to-face, he inevitably felt a bit embarrassed.
But in the end, he shamelessly said: "The tannins in red wine can slowly soften the fat in the beef when stewed over a long time."
"Therefore, the most important and brilliant part of this dish is the tender texture of the beef."
"Did you make a small mistake just now?"
"Yet the final red wine beef stew you made had meat that was softer than anyone else's."
"And in terms of taste, it also surpassed the recipe I provided."
"Hmm!"
"Can you explain?"
"How did you prepare this dish?"
"This…"
"Instructor Roland, I… I added some honey to the beef!"
Hearing Roland's words, Megumi was somewhat stunned, then she hurriedly stood up and replied softly.
"Honey?"
Upon hearing this, Roland immediately fell into thought.
His eyes flickered, and he soon showed a look of sudden realization: "So that's it!"
"Honey contains abundant glucose and fructose, which are sweet and smooth, enhancing the flavor of the beef and making it more delicious."
"Moreover, honey also contains trace amounts of protease, which can break down the proteins in the beef, making it tender!"
It must be said, at this moment, Roland had some admiration for Megumi.
Being able to use honey to soften the beef, although not a very impressive innovation, was enough to show that she had some unique insights on this dish.
Thus, he nodded in satisfaction.
Then he picked up her personal performance report, and without intending to look, was startled by what he saw!
It turned out that Megumi's past performances at Totsuki Academy had never achieved an A grade.
She even advanced to the higher division with the worst last-place performance.
That is to say: this time, if he were to give the lowest grade of E, then she, Megumi, could just pack up and leave Totsuki for good!
…
"Such grades…"
Seeing this, Roland couldn't help but murmur.
To prove his thoughts, before giving Megumi a grade, he continued to ask: "Besides honey, what other methods can make the beef more tender?"
"Black tea."
"Orange peel."
"Beer."
"Hawthorn."
"These items can all make the beef more tender."
"And among them, black tea is the best and most useful for softening beef!"
Noticing Roland's skeptical look, Megumi quickly responded.
After hearing this, Roland's mind raced, pondering whether these ingredients could indeed make the beef's texture and flavor more tender.
"Today, I have truly opened my eyes."
"But considering your past performances, it seems unlikely that you could create this kind of dish or have such unique insights, right?"
Finally, coming to a realization, he sighed deeply.
In his heart, he could already confirm that this dish could not possibly have been made by Megumi.
"Instructor Roland."
"It seems I couldn't hide it from you!"
"Indeed, the method for this red wine beef stew was taught to me by a pub owner."
Caught by Roland, Megumi felt incredibly awkward and, scratching the back of her head, could only reply honestly.
"A pub? Could a pub owner really have such profound insights into French cuisine?"
The more Roland listened, the more puzzled he felt.
"Yes!"
"Chef Zane, he is an incredible chef!"
"In this world, it seems there is no dish that can stump him."
Then, Megumi went on to talk about Zane's feats.
Especially this red wine beef stew, she detailed the methods and unique insights Zane had taught her!
…
"Is that so?"
"There is actually a chef in this world who understands French cuisine so thoroughly!"
At this time, hearing Megumi's words, Roland finally understood.
He admitted that in the field of French cuisine, based solely on this red wine beef stew, he was indeed far inferior to Zane.
"He is a chef I admire."
"In his approach to cooking, Chef Zane's gentleness, his passion, and his people-centered culinary philosophy deeply influence me."
"I…I'm sorry… Instructor Roland, I deceived you!"
In the end, Megumi did not hide her admiration for Zane.
But she also understood that at this moment, using his cooking to pass Roland's evaluation, only to be exposed, meant there was no hope left for this evaluation.
"Indeed."
"Such a dish."
"Being made by someone else, it can't truly reflect your own abilities."
"But the fact that you could grasp its essence and methods in such a short time, and also understand that real cooking just needs to make people happy, shows that there is still hope for you."
"Just keep trying your best."
With that, Roland directly wrote down his evaluation on Megumi's performance report.
"Yes!"
"Instructor, even if I am expelled, I will not be discouraged."
"I will still maintain my original beliefs and continue to strive towards becoming a chef."
Taking her performance report from Roland's hands, Megumi, feeling like the sky was falling, held back her tears and bravely patted her chest in front of him, her eyes filled with determination.
"Expelled?"
"Now, it's too early for you to be expelled!"
Seeing Megumi as if she had misunderstood something, Roland simply said helplessly.
"Huh?"
"My grade... it's not E, it's… it's A!"
Looking down, she saw the latest entry in the performance report with a large "A" that was so dazzling and eye-catching!
Megumi was stunned!
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