I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 646 - 299: Making Chinese Pastry! Senior brother, is this what you called not being skilled in pastry? [Subscribe please]_3

Chapter 646: Chapter 299: Making Chinese Pastry! Senior brother, is this what you called not being skilled in pastry? [Subscribe please]_3

"It’s to neutralize the tartness of the apples. Pure apples become sour when heated, which affects the initial taste when eaten. Adding a few pears will counteract that sourness with their sweet freshness, resulting in a filling that’s more pleasantly tart and slightly sweet."

Seeing his Junior Brother’s curiosity, Xie Baomin added, "Too many pears will overpower the apple flavor. Generally, one pear for every three or four apples is enough. The pear cores must be thoroughly removed; otherwise, the sourness will be even stronger."

My Senior Brother is so knowledgeable, Lin Xu thought. He vaguely remembered his Senior Brother mentioning that he wasn’t an expert in pastry. But listening to him describe it in such detail, he seems nothing short of a pastry expert!

After coring, the apples were roughly chopped, then put into a food processor and blended into a thick paste. This was then poured into a pan. Once all the fruit was blended, Xie Baomin turned on medium heat to cook it down.

Soon, as the temperature rose, the fruit paste in the pot began to bubble vigorously—BLUB, BLUB, BLUB—and steam, its moisture rapidly evaporating.

The aroma of apples and pears was very comforting. Geng Lishan, who was sitting nearby, softly said to Zhen Wensheng, "No seasonings in the pot; this is true Kung Fu."

The less one used sweeteners and thickeners like Honey, white sugar, or Maltose, the more it tested the chef’s skill. This was because one not only had to reduce the moisture in the filling little by little but also ensure there were no flaws during the process. Otherwise, if anything got scorched, the entire batch of filling would be ruined.

However, Xie Baomin’s culinary skills were unquestionable. He was confident when it came to stir-frying ingredients and certainly wouldn’t let the filling burn.

As the moisture was almost cooked off, he added some Potato Flour to the mixture. This Potato Flour was neither potato noodles nor potato starch, but a powder made by directly grinding dried potatoes, presenting a light coffee color. It was an essential ingredient in many snacks.

After adding the Potato Flour into the pot and stirring a few more times, the moisture in the filling was completely absorbed by the Potato Flour, turning stickier and resembling dough. At this point, it couldn’t be fried any longer, or it would easily burn at the bottom.

Xie Baomin transferred the filling from the pot, spread it out on a tray, and let the temperature drop as much as possible.

During this time, Xie Baomin began making the Dough.

He poured Medium Flour into a basin, added Cheese Powder, which would give the apples a slight yellowish color, then added Baking Powder for fluffiness, and finally, lard. After adding these ingredients, he fetched a large bowl of warm water, dissolved white sugar and Yeast Powder in it, and stirred until they blended.

Then he began to knead the Dough.

Lin Xu, standing next to the cooling filling, saw that everyone’s attention was on his Senior Brother, so he sneakily scraped a bit of the cooked filling with a spoon and tasted it.

There was an immediate strong flavor of apple, followed by subtle tartness and sweetness. The taste was not overpowering but rather comforting. Possibly due to the addition of Potato Flour, the filling had a soft and sticky texture, complemented by a clean and sweet flavor, which was simply delicious.

Lin Xu really wanted to persuade his Senior Brother to stop there. Let’s just divide this filling and eat it like this, he thought. Eating a bowl of this with a spoon would definitely be incredibly satisfying.

"Junior Brother, is it still too hot to handle?" Xie Baomin asked. "If not, go ahead and roll it into small balls, 20 grams each. It’s best to use a scale to weigh them so they don’t vary too much in size."

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother, they will be absolutely consistent," Lin Xu replied.

If it were any other step, Lin Xu might not have been able to manage it. But with his hands as his scale, this step was quite easy for him. He simply grabbed a bit of the filling, rolled it in his palms, and each ball turned out perfectly round, as if it had been weighed on an electronic scale.

After molding the filling into balls, he placed them on a tray and then put them into the refrigerator to cool. When wrapping them, the temperature of the filling must not be too high; otherwise, the heat radiating from the inside would cause the pastry around it to expand from within and ultimately burst open.

After placing the filling in the refrigerator, Xie Baomin had also finished kneading the Dough.

Zeng Xiaoqi had been interacting with Xie Baomin, asking him about the benefits of adding lard, the time needed for fermentation, and so on.

Xie Baomin said with a smile, "Using lard in the Dough makes it white, shiny, and fragrant. When making leavened snacks, lard is a very common additive."

The Dough needed to rest for fifteen minutes. During this time, everyone took a short break.

Geng Lishan came over, glanced at the Dough in the basin, and said, "As expected of the head chef at Fishing Platform, every step is very particular. I’m getting more and more excited about the dough snacks you’ll make, and I hope our friend Lin Xu can learn too. These kinds of dough snacks are an essential bonus for high-end restaurants."

Really? Lin Xu had originally approached the show’s recording as a chance to watch the fun and get a free meal. But since Geng Lishan had said so, he decided he was ready to learn. After all, he still had a Perfect Level Cooking Learning Card. When it’s made later, I’ll just study it, and I’ll have mastered the Technique for these dough snacks! he thought. Introducing them at my store would definitely cause a sensation among customers. Who could resist such cute dough snacks that look like little apples?

Zeng Xiaoqi walked over to Lin Xu and whispered, "I saw you secretly eating the apple filling just now. Was it good?"

"Superb!" Lin Xu replied.

"Had I known, I would’ve eaten less rice at noon," Zeng Xiaoqi lamented. "Now, even if I want to, I probably can’t fit it in. It’s so frustrating..."

After a short break, they resumed recording.

Xie Baomin removed the plastic wrap covering the mixing bowl and poured the prepared Wheat Flour into it, carefully kneading it into the Dough. This step was relatively difficult because Wheat Flour was quite dry. Kneading it into the already fermented Dough could make the Dough harden and dry out.

However, it was critical not to add water at this stage. One just had to continue kneading vigorously. With a little more kneading, the Wheat Flour would be fully incorporated, and the Dough would become soft again.

"Mr. Lishan, what’s the purpose of adding Wheat Flour to the mix?" Zhen Wensheng asked, curious. It seemed unnecessary to him to go to the trouble of kneading Wheat Flour into already perfectly risen Dough; it felt like an extra, redundant step.

Geng Lishan explained with a smile, "Wheat Flour is good for shaping and can also reduce the gluten in the Dough, allowing it to expand more fully. It gives more control when shaping it later."

After completely kneading the Wheat Flour into the Dough, Xie Baomin placed it on the board. He first pressed it flat, folded it, and then continued pressing. Finally, he held the Dough with his left hand while the heel of his right hand vigorously rubbed it forward. He spread the Dough out completely and then kneaded it back together. The purpose of this was to make the Dough smoother and shinier.

"The more thoroughly the Dough is kneaded, the shinier it will be when steamed," Xie Baomin explained. "If the kneading is subpar, specks will appear on the Dough’s surface when steamed, ruining its appearance."

Once the Dough was well-kneaded, he rolled it into a long strip and then divided it into 20-gram pieces. The divided pieces of Dough had to be immediately covered with plastic wrap to prevent the surface from drying out and cracking.

Lin Xu, seeing this, started to help as well. He rolled the portions of Dough Xie Baomin had divided into small balls.

Then he retrieved the chilled filling from the refrigerator and began the Filling process. First, he flattened a piece of Dough into a disk and then placed the filling inside. Using the area between his thumb and forefinger, he slowly gathered the edges of the Dough, firmly wrapping it around the filling.

After all the pieces were filled, Xie Baomin directly began to shape them into apples. He took a filled dough ball, rolled it a few times, then shaped it so one end was larger than the other. He then pressed an indent with his little finger into the larger end. Lastly, he used the pointed end of a rolling pin to press a small, deeper indent. This marked the position of the apple’s stem and needed to be pressed in a bit harder; otherwise, it would puff up during steaming and lose its apple-like appearance.

Lin Xu watched, somewhat in a daze, a question forming in his mind: Is this what Senior Brother meant by not being good with pastry?

「Meanwhile, in Building 6 of Fishing Platform」

Qiu Zhenhua was busily preparing the ingredients for the dough snacks. "Director Liao wants me to showcase high-end cooking techniques," he muttered to himself, "so I’ll start with the dough snacks shaped like apples. This method is relatively simple but stunning enough to look great on the show."

The sous-chef helping him asked curiously, "Besides apples, what else are you planning to make? What if someone makes them before you? Don’t you need a Plan B?"

"Aside from me, who else could make app—"

Suddenly, the smile on Qiu Zhenhua’s face froze. Wait a minute. I remember last week when I was making dough snacks here, Xie Baomin suddenly came by for a visit. That bastard watched from beginning to end... "No," he exclaimed, "I have to make a trip to the TV station to see what exactly Old Xie is cooking up today!"