Chapter 596 High-End Pastries Often only Require Simple Ingredients and Hundreds of Millions of Skills! 【Please Subscribe】

"Then let's get started!"

Qiu Yaozu saw that Lin Xu not only had no stage fright, but looked eager to try, he got up and walked to the kitchen.

This kind of positive young man is so lovable. While you can still move now, teach as much as you can. When you have learned a lot, isn't this another old master who is being competed by the eight major cuisines? .

He Guangchang also got up and followed.

When other young people heard that it was very difficult, they would either look embarrassed, or they would try another snack and learn it again.

But Lao Gao, the apprentice, was in high spirits. He felt that he was very excited when he heard how difficult it was. He really wanted the young people in his family to follow suit.

No wonder everyone likes Xiaoxu. If he had encountered this at that time, he would have grabbed it even if he fought with Lao Gao.

The more capable the elderly are, the more they love talents and want to spread all their skills.

It doesn't matter whether it is passed on to family members or outsiders, as long as it is not carried into the coffin.

Lin Xu came to the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands, looked at Qiu Yaozu and asked:

"Uncle Qiu, tell me what needs to be done, and I will do it."

Qiu Yaozu smiled and said:

"Making thousand-layer oil cake is actually very simple. Just use ordinary medium-gluten noodles. But if you want to make it well, you have to prepare the ingredients a week in advance. Only in this way can the oil cake be delicious and moist."

A week in advance?

Lin Xu was a little curious:

"What ingredients need to be prepared so far in advance?"

If it’s a dessert like rose cake, you can prepare it in advance, but isn’t the Thousand-Floor Cake just a pastry made with lard?

Isn't there something special about this?

He Guangchang smiled and said to him:

"In addition to oil and sugar, making thousand-layer oil cake also requires diced pork suet marinated in soft white sugar for more than three days, and... green and red silk threads that take about a week to make."

What?

Blue and red silk?

Lin Xu was very impressed by this. When he was a child, he would add some to the five-nut mooncakes he ate. At that time, he always thought it was a bad thing and would pick it out specially.

Now when he heard He Guangchang say it, he originally thought that these two old people had feelings for each other.

But when you think about it, you shouldn't. After all, these are the masters of the state banquet, the group of people standing at the top of the pyramid. Even if they have feelings, they shouldn't be ordinary green and red silk.

Moreover, the blue and red silk looks like it is synthesized with artificial additives. Could it be that this thing is also made naturally?

Lin Xu was stunned for a moment, and then asked:

"How is blue and red silk made? Is this thing harmful to the human body?"

Qiu Yaozu bent down and took out two glass jars from the cupboard, with green silk and red silk in them.

He placed it on the central island of the kitchen and said to Lin Xu:

"Green and red silk is made from orange peel, radish, papaya and other ingredients, soaked in alkaline water, and then washed, candied, dried and other steps... Although many young people dislike the green and red silk in mooncakes, when eating They even picked it out specially, but there is a saying that green and red silk is the most difficult ingredient in the process of making mooncakes.”

After speaking, he asked:

"Xiaoxu, did you also deliberately pick out the green and red silk threads and throw them away when you were eating mooncakes?"

Lin Xu coughed twice:

"No, no, no, I've eaten them all. No wonder it tastes a little bitter when chewed. It turns out it's made from orange peel... What's the color?"

"All natural pigments are used and are not harmful to the human body."

Damn it, so when I was a kid, I spent all my time picking out green and red silk threads from mooncakes in vain?

He Guangchang explained to Lin Xu:

"Green and red silk used to be used in the palace. Green silk is dried green apricot silk, and red silk is made from pickled rose petals. They are both the best ingredients, but ordinary people can't afford them, so they use ingredients such as orange peels instead. Yes, in the early years, snacks such as Shaqima, Mahua, and Tangyuan would be specially decorated with green and red silk to enhance their appearance."

Stop talking, stop talking...

Lin Xu felt that he was possessed by Chief Ma at this time.

He took the jar and looked at the green and red silk inside:

"I'll make some tomorrow and give it to the elderly at home to try. It will definitely be very popular."

For young people, blue and red hair may be a bad memory.

But for the elderly, it is the "ancient snack" in their memories.

While he was watching, Qiu Yaozu opened another cupboard and took out a jar of diced suet that had been pickled until it turned transparent.

“Whether you are making thousand-layer oil cake, glutinous rice balls, or plum and vegetable sesame cakes, you can’t do without this kind of diced suet pickled with soft white sugar.”

Lin Xu took it, looked at it, and asked curiously:

"Is it difficult to make this suet recipe, Uncle Qiu?"

"It's not difficult. Just remove the fascia from the pork suet, cut it into small cubes and soak it in sugar."

He Guangchang reminded:

"Remember, it's soft white sugar, not white granulated sugar. The properties of these two ingredients are different."

Lin Xu nodded:

"You know, white sugar kills water, but soft white sugar doesn't kill water."

Although the fat content of suet is high, it doesn't matter if a little moisture is released, but when the moisture content is reduced, the melt-in-the-mouth texture of suet is gone.

Moreover, the soft white sugar melts quickly and the pickling effect is better. The white sugar melts slowly. It is estimated that it will take a week to completely pickle the suet cubes.

After the ingredients were prepared, Qiu Yaozu officially started cooking.

He washed the central island and prepared to operate directly on it:

"You can use a chopping board to make other things, but if you use a chopping board to make thousand-layer oil cake, it will be super troublesome to clean."

He placed the all-purpose flour on the workbench, dug a hole in the middle, and then took out a piece of old flour from the jar containing the flour. After breaking it open, there was a somewhat thin flour juice inside, with a strong fermented smell.

As expected of a master of state banquets, he actually still retains the tradition of using old noodles.

Knead these old noodles with your hands and put them into the dough scooped out from the flour. Add warm water. First knead the old noodles thoroughly with water, and then knead the flour and water little by little into dough.

There are about three kilograms of flour on the island table, and at least two kilograms and seven taels of water.

No matter how you look at it, it looks like stirring batter, but the method of operation is indeed the standard dough mixing method.

Push the flour into the middle nest little by little, and let the flour and water gradually mix to form a very moist and soft dough, as soft as if you washed the gluten twice in water.

Qiu Yaozu worked hurriedly but not messily. He kneaded and beat the dough repeatedly to break out the dough's gluten, and then tried his best to let the dough stick to the small dough sticks on the island table to form a complete dough.

At first, he seemed to be holding a ball of dough and playing with mud.

But as the dough rises, the dough gradually takes shape, and even the moisture on the island seems to be absorbed.

He Guangchang stood aside and said to Lin Xu:

"These are the honeycomb-shaped pores in the gluten, which absorb water. The reason why the Thousand Layer Oil Cake is delicious is also because it has a relatively high water content."

Lin Xu asked curiously:

"Since gluten is to be utilized, why not use high-gluten flour? Wouldn't that be better?"

Qiu Yaozu said while working:

“Because Thousand-Floor Oil Cake uses the gluten of flour during the dough making process, but the finished product cannot eat the gluten. A good Thousand-Fleu Oil Cake should have a soft and oily texture, and a sweet and elegant taste. If it’s cramping, that’s not right.”

So that’s it.

Lin Xu sighed with emotion:

"I don't know how the person who invented this snack came up with it. The dough contains 90% water, which is scary to think about."

Qiu Yaozu beat out the dough's gluten completely, then placed it on the island to rest.

He said to Lin Xu:

"There are actually many similar noodles, such as fried dough sticks, which have a relatively high water content. In the past, the old chefs were thinking about food and craftsmanship in their spare time. How are they like today's chefs, who just cook and cook when they have nothing to do? Sound, not thinking about craftsmanship at all.”

When making Thousand Layer Oil Cake, a semi-open dough is used, so the dough needs to rise slightly.

But don't overdo it. Just relax it for about ten minutes and let the yeast inside grow for a while.

Taking advantage of this time, Qiu Yaozu looked at Lin Xu and asked:

"Xiao Xu, let's eat here at noon today. Can you also cook a dish for me and Lao He to help check it?"

Has the exam started now?

Lin Xu said:

"Okay, I've been studying how to make Russian food in my free time recently. I'll make a red beef stew later for the two seniors to try and help me find faults."

In order to prevent the system from popping up tasks such as Western food in the future, Lin Xu decided to show the dish of braised beef first to give everyone the impression that he can cook Western food.

This braised beef dish, combined with foie gras and beef tartare, should be able to give the crowd the impression of knowing Western food.

In this way, no matter what Western dishes are cooked in the future, no one will be surprised anymore.

Upon hearing this, He Guangchang immediately became happy:

"Hey, this dish is good. When we were young, we went to Lao Mo Da Ya Festival, and the braised beef was a must-order dish. I didn't expect Xiaoxu to know how to do it, so I'm in for a treat today."

The Moscow restaurant back then left deep memories for countless people in the capital, especially those in the third generation, who were completely familiar with Lao Mo, and it even became their only choice for eating Western food.

Every dish inside is very classic and very enjoyable to eat.

Qiu Yaozu glanced at Lin Xu in surprise:

"I thought you would go hand in hand with the white case and the red case, but I didn't expect that you are more ambitious than Lao Gao, and you even want to get involved in Western food... Although Western food seems simple, there are many factions, and the exquisiteness is no less than Chinese food. Don't you want to I think it’s too superficial to master Western food after learning two dishes.”

Lin Xu smiled:

"I'm just learning blindly, I won't be so arrogant."

Ten minutes passed quickly.

Qiu Yaozu brought some dry flour and sprinkled it on the island table next to him. Then he turned the slightly risen dough over the dry flour.

Sprinkle another layer of dry flour on the surface, and turn it a few times to coat the entire dough surface with dry flour.

While this is happening, roll out the dough with a rolling pin.

This step seems simple, but it is very difficult because the water content of the dough is too high. When placed on the chopping board, it is like a bag of water. With a little force, the batter inside will be squeezed out.

Moreover, it is difficult to control the thickness and width. If you are not careful, the dough will stick to the chopping board and rolling pin.

But Qiu Yaozu seemed to have magic. Not only did he easily roll out the dough, he even rolled it out into a rectangular piece of uniform width and length of about two meters.

The four sides are almost straight lines, as if they were cut with a knife.

This is the foundation of Chef Bai An and the cooking method that Huaiyang cuisine chefs are proud of.

In 1983, during the competition among the gods in the Chinese cooking circle, Dong De'an, a master of Huaiyang cuisine, relied on this technique to successfully make a thousand-layer oil cake with both color and flavor. His skills astonished everyone, and he eventually won the title of the best pastry chef in the country.

That cooking competition was the peak in the history of Chinese cuisine. All the contestants were famous masters from all over the world. Many of them had even reached the point of leaving their names in history. It could be called the "Battle of the Gods" in the history of Chinese cuisine.

Thousand-layer oil cake can stand out from all the great gods and win the crown, which is enough to show how extraordinary and powerful this snack is.

In fact, the psychological quality of Dong De'an who participated in the competition was also very good. After all, in a competition where gods gathered, ordinary people would never have the courage to make a thousand-layer oil cake with very simple ingredients.

But the simpler the ingredients, the more extraordinary desserts can be made.

He Guangchang said with a smile:

"In 1983, I was lucky enough to taste the thousand-layer oil cake made by Master Dong. My first reaction was that this should not be something that ordinary people can eat. I still remember the texture and taste... After that, I took the initiative to learn from the Huaiyang cuisine chef. At first, I refused to teach him, but then I just tried to make a dish of stuffed pork with salsa, and then I finally learned it."

While he was speaking, he kept looking at Qiu Yaozu, and his voice was somewhat sinister.

Lin Xu asked curiously:

"Isn't it Uncle Qiu who taught you how to make thousand-layer oil cake?"

"Who could he be? Your master didn't pay attention to us at all at that time, and Lao Qiu was nothing. He knew that I liked this dish, but he forced me to swear not to spread it, otherwise I would call myself his disciple in the future... …”

Tsk, Uncle Qiu was quite good at playing tricks when he was young.

Qiu Yaozu smiled:

"I won't limit you. If you teach it to your apprentice, who will know that Thousand Layer Oil Cake is a snack in our Huaiyang cuisine?"

He took the lard, spread a layer on the rolled dough, and then sprinkled a layer of soft white sugar.

While returning the favor, he reminded Lin Xu:

"You don't have to be too particular about sprinkling sugar. Both white sugar and soft white sugar will work, but relatively speaking, the soft white sugar will have a moister texture, while the white sugar will taste a little dry."

Two kinds of sugar with different moisture content have completely different effects.

Lin Xu nodded, indicating that he would write it down.

After Qiu Yaozu sprinkled the sugar, he evenly sprinkled the pickled diced suet in a transparent state on the dough. The surface of these diced suet was coated with a layer of soft white sugar, which looked very appetizing.

After everything is spread, start from one end and roll it up to the middle, folding the entire large dough sheet into sixteen layers of rectangular dough.

Be careful when doing this step, because the dough is too soft and there are too many ingredients in the middle, so you need to hold the dough with both hands and roll it forward to prevent the skin from breaking as much as possible.

Stack the dough sheets, place them on the chopping board, and gently press them with a rolling pin. This can not only crush the fat cubes inside, but also prevent the dough sheets from delaminating.

After pressing it once, roll the dough out again to about one meter long.

Then fold the dough piece in half along the center line, and roll it out again so that the folded part will not be hollow.

Then fold the dough in half again to make a square.

Before folding, the dough sheet had sixteen layers. After folding, the dough sheet had sixty-four layers.

This is the standard number of layers of Thousand Layer Oil Cake.

A good thousand-layer oil cake has sixty-four layers, about an inch thick, rich in oil, moist in taste, sweet and elegant, and wonderful.

Qiu Yaozu rolled out the dough and made it into a square less than an inch thick:

"This is a half-open noodle. It will expand slightly when steamed, so you need to leave room for expansion when rolling it out, so as not to make it too thick after steaming and cannot be eaten in one bite. Then it will be too thick and it will be a deduction. "

After finishing speaking, Qiu Yaozu took out some green and red silk and put it on the chopping board, cut it into small cube-like particles, and sprinkled it evenly on the dough according to the one-inch width standard.

The entire dough piece is decorated with green and red two-color green and red silk fragments, making it look like a work of art.

Lin Xu looked at the red and green embellishments and asked curiously:

"Is this intended to be reused after the pot is cooked?"

"Yes, separate the green and red ones, then cut them into diamond-shaped pieces, and arrange them staggered on the plate. It will be more attractive and appetizing."

After saying that, Qiu Yaozu carefully put the dough pieces into the steaming cabinet and started steaming them.

The whole steaming process is relatively long, taking almost forty minutes.

Just after steaming, He Jiashun and Qi Zhentao arrived, carrying ducks and other ingredients. As soon as He Jiashun entered the door, he said to Qiu Yaozu:

"Yesterday, Zhentao and his wife went out for an outing and found a duck farm. We bought a few male ducks at a high price and specially gave two to senior brother... Oh, senior brother He and Master Lin are also here."

Lin Xu said:

"I'm here to learn the art. Uncle Qiu just taught me how to make thousand-layer oil cake."

Qiu Yaozu looked at the two ducks he brought and said with a smile:

"The quality is really good. Such a good duck would be a waste of money in other dishes. Why don't I make you a duck dish while I'm not busy? This is also a high-end duck dish in Huaiyang cuisine. Unfortunately, it is also a high-end duck dish now. It’s an unpopular dish, and most people haven’t even heard of it.”

Mother oil tanker duck?

Don't tell me, Lin Xu has never heard of this dish.

Leaving aside what a boat duck is, this mother oil alone has completely aroused people's curiosity.

he asked:

"What is mother oil? Duck fat, or something else?"

Qi Zhentao said:

"Mother oil refers to soy sauce that is dried from the dog days to late autumn. This kind of soy sauce is of high quality. It is often mixed into soy sauce of average quality to improve the quality. If used alone, it is more luxurious... Yuan Mei's "Sui" The autumn oil mentioned in "Garden Food List" refers to this high-quality soy sauce."

"What about the boat duck?"

"In the past, people took boats on the lake. The boat owners would put a charcoal stove on the boat and simmer the duck in a casserole. When the duck was cooked, they would cook noodles with the original soup. This kind of duck was called boat duck. … Mother oil boat duck is made by adding some high-quality soy sauce when simmering.”

Speaking of which, it should be called duck braised in soy sauce, right?

But since Qiu Yaozu wanted to do it, Lin Xu naturally wouldn't refuse. After all, he didn't want to miss such a good learning opportunity.

Qiu Yaozu was very excited now. After washing his hands again, he took the duck and started to pack it up and prepare to make it.

After finishing the high-end white dishes, they will do the high-end red dishes. The Huaiyang cuisine chefs are really models of both magic and martial arts!

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