Russell Achir, on the podium, looked at his assistant who had finished writing and went straight to the point.
“Today’s menu is—Foie Gras Saute.”
“This dish is a classic traditional recipe in french cuisine.”
“The specific recipe is written in detail on the whiteboard. Students who haven’t encountered it before can come forward to take a look.”
“The time limit is two hours.”
“Once finished, bring your dish to the judging table.”
Pausing for a moment, Russell Achir added.
“Remember, multiple submissions for review are allowed, but waste is not.”
“Now then—start cooking!”
With the order given, the students in the classroom immediately became busy.
Most students went directly to the ingredient area to skillfully select ingredients and prepare tools.
As for the dish Foie Gras Saute, having been honed for three years in Totsuki Academy’s Junior High Division, they had actually studied it and didn’t need to look at the recipe on the whiteboard at all.
Only Haruto rested his chin on his hand, carefully checking the recipe written on the whiteboard.
“Wash and drain the foie gras, sprinkle with an appropriate amount of black pepper and sea salt, and marinate for ten minutes…”
“Heat the frying pan, melt the butter, and sear both sides of the foie gras over medium heat until golden brown…”
“Slice the apple, coat with a thin layer of flour, and similarly sear until golden and crispy…”
“Prepare the sauce by mixing red wine, honey, and lemon juice, then simmer until thickened…”
It couldn’t be helped; Haruto had previously mainly studied Chinese cuisine and desserts.
Regarding french cuisine, his experience was limited to having eaten it a few times.
However, he had never eaten this Foie Gras Saute, so naturally, he had never cooked it…
Beside him, Sakaki Ryoko looked at Haruto, who was seriously reading the recipe, and for a moment didn’t know what to say.
Someone who could pass the Totsuki Academy Transfer Student Exam, even if they weren’t an all-rounder, should have some exposure to various international cuisines.
She hadn’t expected that Haruto hadn’t even encountered a basic French dish like Foie Gras Saute.
But on second thought, Sakaki Ryoko felt it wasn’t that hard to understand.
Judging by his name, Haruto was clearly from China and must specialize in Chinese cuisine.
It didn’t seem strange that he didn’t have deep exposure to french cuisine.
A few minutes later, Haruto withdrew his gaze and looked at the cooking station.
He found that Sakaki Ryoko had already brought back all the necessary ingredients.
“Thanks for your hard work, Sakaki Ryoko. Let’s get started too.”
“I’ll be responsible for searing the foie gras and the apples; leave the heat control to me.”
“I’ll trouble you to handle the sauce and the other side dishes.”
Haruto’s arrangement gave Sakaki Ryoko a slight start.
Under these circumstances, letting her handle the most important foie gras would be the best choice.
But seeing Haruto’s calm eyes, Sakaki Ryoko nodded as if possessed.
“Okay.”
Since she had agreed, Sakaki Ryoko didn’t say anything more.
The two of them began to take action.
Haruto took the foie gras.
The fresh foie gras was pinkish in color with a delicate texture, looking like congealed fat; it would break with just a little force.
This was precisely the difficulty of Foie Gras Saute: the texture of the foie gras was too tender, making heat control the utmost priority.
If the searing time was too short, a fishy smell would remain inside, affecting the taste; if it was too long, the fat in the foie gras would be lost excessively, making it dry and tough, losing its rich, melt-in-the-mouth flavor.
This was a massive test of a chef’s skill level.
But on Haruto’s face, not a trace of nervousness could be seen…
He first sliced the foie gras into 0.8 cm thick pieces, then carefully placed them on oil-absorbing paper, pressing gently to remove excess moisture from the surface.
He evenly sprinkled black pepper and sea salt.
During the marinating interval, Haruto picked up a fresh apple, peeled, cored, and sliced it with movements as smooth as flowing water.
Sakaki Ryoko was nearby preparing the sauce; catching Haruto’s movements out of the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help but nod inwardly.
At least there were no issues with these preparations.
Ten minutes later, the foie gras was finished marinating.
He placed the frying pan on the heat and poured in an appropriate amount of butter.
The butter met the heat and quickly melted into a liquid state, emitting a rich milky aroma.
Listening to the sizzling sound of the butter in the pan, Haruto carefully felt the temperature inside.
When the butter turned slightly golden and emitted a nutty aroma, he quickly placed a slice of foie gras into the pan.
A pleasant sound rang out; the moment the foie gras touched the high-temperature butter, the surface solidified rapidly, locking in the fat and juices inside.
When the bottom edge of the foie gras showed an enticing golden-yellow color and emitted a rich aroma, Haruto flicked his wrist, flipping the foie gras to continue searing the other side.
The temperature of the flame, the aroma of the butter, and the fat of the foie gras intertwined in the air into an enticing symphony.
Sakaki Ryoko, watching from the side, was slightly dazed.
Looking at the color of the foie gras’s surface, she could be certain that Haruto’s control over the heat was definitely stronger than hers.
She lowered her head, no longer distracted, and concentrated on preparing the sauce.
The richness of the red wine, the sweetness of the honey, the tanginess of the lemon juice… the simmered sauce was bright red in color and fragrant…
Soon, Haruto plated the seared foie gras.
The perfectly seared foie gras lay quietly on the plate, its edges slightly curled, its color an enticing golden-brown, with the pinkish, not-yet-fully-solidified texture faintly visible inside.
Just looking at it made one’s mouth water.
Next, Haruto put the previously prepared apple slices into the pan; the flour-coated apple slices met the heat and quickly became crispy and golden, emitting a sweet fruity aroma.
Beside him, Sakaki Ryoko also happened to finish simmering the sauce.
Furthermore, she had fried the sliced carrots and potatoes until they were golden brown.
The two of them first finished plating the side dishes one by one.
Then, Sakaki Ryoko held the simmered sauce and tilted her wrist; the bright red, thick liquid flowed down slowly, first drizzling over the crispy apple slices, then slowly soaking along the edges of the foie gras.
The aroma of the sauce intertwined with the fatty scent of the foie gras and the sweet fragrance of the apples, making Haruto’s eyes light up.
A traditional Foie Gras Saute was thus declared complete.
However, at this moment, the temperature of the foie gras had not yet cooled down, and it wasn’t yet the optimal time to eat.
Therefore, Haruto and Sakaki Ryoko did not immediately take it up for review.
Taking advantage of this interval, Haruto seared two more pieces of foie gras.
It just so happened that there were extra side dishes and sauce.
By the time two more portions of Foie Gras Saute were completed, the first portion had also reached the optimal eating time.
Haruto then carried this portion of Foie Gras Saute to the judging table.
“Instructor Achir, please have a taste.”
Hearing this, Russell Achir looked up at Haruto, a flash of doubt in his eyes, but then his gaze fell upon the dish on the plate, his eyes instantly brightening a bit, and he nodded slightly.
“The heat control is quite spot on.”
That said, as for how it tasted, a conclusion could only be reached after personally tasting it.