"I'm done."
Erina Nakiri's calm voice sounded as she picked up a wooden tray and strode towards the judges' table.
"Lady Erina."
Watching Erina Nakiri's head-held-high, exceedingly confident posture, Hisako Arato murmured softly, her eyes revealing her worry for both Erina and Okabe.
At the judges' table, Azami Nakiri wore a fake smile, quietly waiting for the dish to be served.
"This is my father's interpretation of 'A Dish Rich in Flavors,' which I have replicated on his behalf here at the Shokugeki. It is called Five-Flavor Scallops."
Presenting the dish to the judges, Erina Nakiri personally lifted the cloches for the three of them, completely revealing the contents of the porcelain plates before them.
The aroma within immediately began to waft out.
"What a beautiful dish!"
Looking at the dish Erina Nakiri had presented, Alice Nakiri exclaimed with heartfelt admiration.
"Indeed. It's so exquisite I almost don't want to eat it."
Leonora Nakiri expressed the same sentiment. It had to be said, as expected of mother and daughter, their aesthetic sense was surprisingly in sync.
"Pumpkin, arugula, Parma ham, pine nuts, and scallops... an incredibly elegant and restrained aroma that makes one instinctively quiet down."
Gazing at the dish before him, Senzaemon Nakiri silently closed his eyes to savor the experience carefully.
The fragrance continuously flowed from the ingredients, but because the dish leaned towards being a cold platter, the scent wasn't overly potent. It was like a spirit hidden in the mountains!
"This dish features plump, succulent scallops as the star, but the flavors do not exist in a solid state.
They have been deconstructed and reconstructed, integrated into sauces, foams, and garnishes. Through techniques like pan-searing, emulsification, and whipping, a dish with a light texture and distinct layers of flavor has been created."
Watching the close-eyed Senzaemon Nakiri, Erina Nakiri slowly began to explain her Five-Flavor Scallops.
"Deconstructed and reconstructed?"
Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Alice Nakiri, who was standing nearby, tilted her head. How come this sounded so similar to the content of the molecular gastronomy books she had been reading recently? They were all words that were difficult for a child to understand.
"Simply put, it means turning the five flavors into different sauces and components, allowing you to experience multiple, layered tastes when you eat the dish."
Okabe's voice rang out, cutting through the sophisticated rhetoric to expose the dish for what it was.
"Go on and taste it. You can't experience the deliciousness of a dish just by smelling it."
On the other side, seeing the eager expressions on Senzaemon Nakiri and Leonora Nakiri's faces, Azami Nakiri's voice prompted them, and the two picked up their knives and forks in unison.
"The golden, seared scallops... the moment the knife and fork cut into them, you can clearly feel the crispness of the outer layer, yet the inside remains translucent and tender. Dipping it into the golden pumpkin purée at the bottom of the plate, a gentle sweetness immediately melts in the mouth, perfectly accentuating the scallop's natural umami."
As the scallop entered her mouth, Leonora Nakiri closed her eyes, savoring the rich flavors on her tongue. With her knife and fork still in hand, she began to sway from side to side, a look of bliss on her face.
"Extremely fresh seafood. The umami spreading in the mouth is characteristic of the scallops.
But this faint acidity and herbal fragrance, along with the umami of grouper and shrimp that forms a duet with the scallop's own umami... does it come from the foam clinging to the scallop?"
Looking at the creamy-yellow foam enveloping the scallop, the curiosity on Senzaemon Nakiri's face grew more apparent. At the same time, a few suspicions began to form in his mind.
"I combined a seafood stock with lemon juice, mixed it well, then added lemon zest and thyme and heated it. After removing it from the heat, I added soy lecithin and stirred. Once it had completely cooled, I used a milk frother to whip it into a light, airy foam."
Hearing Senzaemon Nakiri's question, Erina Nakiri stood before him and began to explain.
The seafood stock absorbed the essence of the grouper and shrimp heads, containing an unparalleled umami within.
Adding lemon juice under these circumstances not only eliminates any lingering fishiness from the seafood stock but also balances the palate, creating layers in the flavor profile.
"Not only that, this foam, a combination of umami and acidity, enters the mouth just before you taste the scallop, helping to open up the diner's taste buds.
The moment it touches the tongue, you can simultaneously experience three layers of flavor: salty, sour, and umami."
As he spoke, Azami Nakiri also picked up his knife and fork, speared the scallop in the center, and took a bite. His eyes were calm and indifferent. The expected deliciousness blossomed on his tongue, bringing a satisfied smile to his face.
This was the optimal ratio he had achieved after three days of constant adjustments, relying on the powerful sense of taste from his God's Tongue.
"Gulp."
Hearing the descriptions of the dish, the two spectators, Alice Nakiri and Hisako Arato, looked at each other. Both saw the other's flushed face, constantly swallowing saliva, and an expression of longing.
However, the person in the most exaggerated state at the scene was Leonora Nakiri. At this moment, her head was lowered, her fingers gripping the edge of the table, looking as if she were enduring something to the absolute limit.
Seeing Leonora Nakiri in this state, Alice Nakiri spoke as if she had expected it all along: "Looks like it's about to happen... Mom's clothes-bursting!"
"Eh?!"
"In a public place like this?!"
"For real?!"
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Hisako Arato let out a triple gasp of shock. She immediately turned her gaze to Leonora Nakiri, seated on the left of the judges' table, and seeing her suppressed and restrained state, her voice was filled with disbelief.
"This is truly an excellent scallop dish. First, its visual impact upon being served is immense. She considered the presentation method as a major factor in the dish itself, following the modern trend of Western cuisine. It made even Alice and Hisako turn their heads to get a better look. I'd say her plan was a perfect success. Furthermore, when making a dish rich in flavors, one would typically use more direct seasonings, but she skillfully utilized the inherent flavors of the ingredients, thus eliminating the need for most seasonings. This approach is very clever. And at the same time, adding lemon juice to the seafood stock to create a foam..."
Leonora Nakiri stood up from her chair, eloquently describing the merits of the dish before her.
At this moment, perhaps it was an illusion, but her entire being seemed to be enveloped in a golden light, looking incredibly holy. Alice Nakiri also spoke up at this time: "Whenever Mom tastes a delicious dish, she starts blurting out fragments of speech, which then flow into a fluent narration."
"What the heck is 'clothes-bursting with fragments of speech'!?"
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, Hisako Arato forcefully suppressed the urge to retort, managing to avoid being rude in front of everyone.
"Thin slices of Parma ham were placed in the oven and baked at a low temperature until crisp, serving as a garnish for saltiness and a crunchy texture.
Fresh arugula was quickly blanched in boiling water, then plunged into ice water to maintain its vibrant green color. After being drained, it was puréed with a small amount of olive oil and toasted pine nuts, passed through a sieve, and seasoned with a little salt, providing a refreshing bitterness to the scallops.
Using ordinary seasonings could never create such a rich taste experience.
Ingredients with unique flavors have blossomed in this one dish, each shining with its own brilliance. This is a dish that pushes the sensory control of the God's Tongue to its absolute limit!"
As he spoke, Senzaemon Nakiri closed his eyes.
His form appeared in a tranquil bay. The seafood and lemon foam transformed into a savory sea breeze caressing his body. The pumpkin purée became the warm, gentle earth beneath him, pleasant to the touch. The scallops were suspended high in the sky, the crispy ham chips became a canopy of stars, and the arugula purée formed the forest behind him.
A sense of peace and tranquility washed over him, instinctively calming his heart. One could stay here forever without feeling a hint of agitation.
By the time Senzaemon Nakiri came back to his senses, the clothes on his chest were already wide open, revealing his incredibly broad pectoral muscles.
This was his acknowledgment of Erina Nakiri's cooking.
However, this acknowledgment didn't bring much joy to Erina Nakiri. At this moment, she was lightly biting her lower lip, her gaze fixed on Okabe, who was not far away.
In his hands, he held three white porcelain plates, each covered with a silver cloche.
"Don't worry, Erina."
"A dish of this level alone is not enough to defeat the me of today."
Noticing the way Erina Nakiri was looking at him, Okabe strode coolly past her, leaving a declaration brimming with confidence in her ear.
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