I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 649 - 300 Wow, it looks even more like an apple than a real apple! Qiuqiu, I have a sincere suggestion for you!_3

Chapter 649: Chapter 300 Wow, it looks even more like an apple than a real apple! Qiuqiu, I have a sincere suggestion for you!_3

Upon close observation, one could see that the surface of the apple was shiny, slightly gleaming under the light. This was because lard had been added to the dough.

"It’s so beautiful!" Zeng Xiaoqi couldn’t help but exclaim.

She had originally eaten her fill of Demore stewed fish and Earth Three Fresh at noon and wasn’t planning on having any dough fruit. But upon seeing these shapes, Ms. Zeng suddenly felt she could stomach a little more. Indeed, it would be quite regrettable not to eat such a cute little apple.

Seeing the shape of these little apples, Geng Lishan couldn’t stay seated. "The technique is really quite exquisite, professional. It seemed like too much force was used in several places while molding, but after steaming, it all turned out to be just perfect."

He stood up and watched the little apples from a distance, his face filled with anticipation. If it weren’t for the filming still going on, he really wanted to walk over and take a closer look.

Xie Baomin took the steamed dough fruits off the chopsticks one by one and placed them on baking paper. Then, he grabbed a piece of the coffee-colored dough left over from making the fruit stems and stuffed it into the blossom end. Stuffed with the dark piece, it looked more like an apple. The small holes left by the chopsticks marred the presentation, so plugging them with the dough was perfect, making the appearance more aesthetically pleasing and complete. There was no need to stuff too much dough, just a little bit was fine. He pushed it in gently with a toothpick, not too deep, otherwise, it wouldn’t look like an apple.

After the dough was stuffed in, the baking paper was set on the steamer basket. These yellowish-white apples were placed on top and then steamed for two more minutes on the stove to cook the little bit of dough at the blossom end. Two minutes later, they were taken out of the pot and left to cool.

Xie Baomin poured the juice from the red beet in one bowl into another, put on disposable gloves, and then picked up a small, delicate brush to start coloring the apples. This was a very important step in making dough fruit.

Dipping the brush in the vibrant red beet juice, he gently shook it to let the excess juice drop back into the bowl. Then he gently brushed the surface of the apples with it. When brushing, it had to be done from top to bottom. He never went over the same spot twice because the right hue couldn’t be achieved in one go, so there was no need to worry about uneven color.

As he worked, Xie Baomin explained the key points to Lin Xu, "You can’t use a bristle brush, only a plastic brush. That’s the only way to recreate that streaky feel of a Red Fuji apple. This looks more realistic than a solid red color."

It seems Senior Brother is determined to bring me into his Church. Lin Xu took careful note. If I hadn’t learned it by heart using the Cooking Learning Card today, I would have tried it out at home based on these points. With so much experience in pastry, it’s about time I tried creating something new.

Xie Baomin brushed them two or three times, making sure to leave a bit of space around the blossom end uncolored. Contrasted with the surrounding red, the uncolored space took on a slightly greenish tint, making it look exactly like a real apple—perhaps even more authentic than the actual fruit.

After the red beet juice was applied, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of people catching their breath. Even several cameramen were completely astounded. They hadn’t anticipated the dough fruit could look so much like real apples, especially the vertical, stripe-like textures on the surface, which were indistinguishable from a real Red Fuji.

Finally, he inserted the slightly dried fruit stems into the concave top of the apples. A flawless dough fruit was thus officially completed.

"Wow, today has truly been an eye-opener."

At the beginning, Zeng Xiaoqi had purposefully put a beautiful Red Fuji apple away in the cabinet. Now, taking it out and placing it alongside Xie Baomin’s dough fruit, she saw that aside from the dough fruit being a bit smaller, all other details were exactly the same. Even the patterns were indistinguishable; in fact, the ones on the dough fruit were even clearer.

Lin Xu was also stunned by their appearance. He definitely had to hide two of them to take back later. If Shen Baobao missed out on such cute dough fruit, she would probably nag him all night.

Since the dough fruits were colored while hot, the red beet juice dried quickly. Once Xie Baomin had finished coloring them all, he arranged them artfully on a plate. This excellently presented dough fruit was at last complete.

"Senior Brother, your craft is truly unmatched."

"In making dough fruit, glossy types like these are just entry-level. More high-end ones, like walnuts or kiwifruits, those really test your Kung Fu." Xie Baomin modestly waved his hand and then said to Zeng Xiaoqi, "Try it, see how it tastes."

Zeng Xiaoqi held the little apple in her hand and squeezed it. Surprisingly, it still had the softness and elasticity of proofed steamed buns. "I can’t bear to eat it! I really want to find a transparent box to put it in and display it on my desk. It’s practically an art piece."

Xie Baomin said while cleaning the stove, "It’s just a bean bun. What’s there to be reluctant about eating?"

"Then I’ll taste it for the audience." Zeng Xiaoqi, facing the close-up camera, slowly broke open the small apple in her hand. Outside was a layer of soft, fluffy dough, while inside was a brown, semi-fluid filling.

Biting into it, the outer crust tasted very similar to that of a cream bun, with the lard’s aroma blending harmoniously with the milky flavor of the cheese powder. As for the filling, it was rich with the taste of apple, with a slight tart sweetness, making it both delicious and astounding.

The shape of an apple, the flavor of an apple—yet, ironically, it was a snack. This was enough to make one marvel at the magic of Chinese pastries. It wasn’t just pastry, but magic.

After taking a couple of bites and praising it on camera, she then wrapped up the filming.

Once the shoot was over, the surrounding crew members—like Little Wei the director, Little Sui the operator, Geng Lishan, and Zhen Wensheng—all gathered around. Everyone marveled at the small apples, feeling as if it were a dream.

Lin Xu, holding a disposable food container, had just packed two little apples when the door to the studio was pushed open, and Qiu Zhenhua, dressed casually, walked in.

Seeing the small apples everyone was holding, veins started popping on Qiu Zhenhua’s forehead. As expected, I didn’t guess wrong! That bastard really did make dough fruit—and apple ones, the very kind I was preparing to make! If murder weren’t illegal, I would have...

"Qiuqiu, you’re here?" In the midst of his rage, Xie Baomin came over, holding a small apple. "I’ve just finished making them. Give them a critique. Director Liao said it, didn’t he? ’We chefs from Fishing Platform must stick together when we’re outside and uphold the reputation of Fishing Platform. We can’t do anything that would make others laugh at us.’"

Qiu Zhenhua was utterly bewildered. You bastard, are you actually lecturing me now?

The Fishing Platform’s reputation did indeed need to be maintained. He glared at Xie Baomin and then looked down at the small apple in his hand. He had to admit, the apple was indeed well-made. It wasn’t just a striking resemblance; it also perfectly captured the essence of the apple.

When he broke it open, the soft dough and the filling inside made Qiu Zhenhua feel as if he were tearing open a pastry he himself had made. He stared blankly for a few moments, then raised his head to look at Xie Baomin. "I remember last time I made these, you kept asking all sorts of questions. And now you’ve replicated it perfectly? When did you get so good at pastry, you bastard?"

An expression of helplessness appeared on Xie Baomin’s face. "Well, my wife likes these cute little snacks, so I practiced a few more times..."

A few times? You son of a bitch! Not only are you showing off your talent, but you’re also flaunting your relationship in my face, aren’t you? Damn it! Qiu Zhenhua was suddenly overcome with envy and resentment.

After trying a piece of the dough fruit, he looked at Xie Baomin and muttered with helplessness, "You bastard, you’ve really shown off this time. What am I supposed to do when it’s my turn? Make little apples again?"

Xie Baomin, never one to shy away from stirring up drama, said, "No, no, no, that would make people laugh at us! Your pastry skills are so high, and you have so much experience. I have a sincere suggestion: why don’t you make Awakening Lion Cakes instead?"

Qiu Zhenhua was speechless. Awakening Lion Cakes? Aren’t those almost ten times harder than these little apples? Great suggestion! Next time, don’t bother giving me any goddamn suggestions! From now on, I wouldn’t even boil water in front of you again! You thieving bastard, you learn so sneakily it’s impossible to guard against! It’s infuriating!

Thinking of Lin Xu’s equally impressive talent for learning, Qiu Zhenhua couldn’t help but sigh. "This whole damn lineage is full of monsters!"