Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 573: Chapter 485: The Taste of Childhood—Savory, Crispy, and Fragrant

Lin Chen cooked up two whole pots of sauce, estimating that it should be enough; if not, there was still time to make more.

Although these kinds of sauces develop a deeper flavor after cooling and settling overnight, foreigners who haven’t tasted them before wouldn’t notice much of a difference.

While he was making the sauce, the first batch of dough had finished resting.

"Lin, make a bowl of oil pastry. The ratio of flour to oil is 1 to 2. Heat the oil and pour it into the flour, stirring well. It’s the same process as last week’s hot oil pour for pickled fish and how I make the red oil."

Pouring hot oil onto flour?

This unique method immediately piqued Chris’s curiosity.

Oil pastry wasn’t unfamiliar to her as a pastry chef, but in her memory, oil pastry should be a dough used to make flaky pastries like croissants or egg tarts.

Yet, in Great Xia, the method for making oil pastry was completely different. This discovery not only sparked her intense interest but also her desire to see how this liquid form of oil pastry was used.

If Great Xia’s techniques could be integrated into Western baking, they might create entirely new varieties, right?

The reason she chose to work all the way over here was partly because the work environment and conditions were quite good, and partly because she wanted to learn the knowledge from Great Xia that even Michelin Chefs came to study.

As a pastry chef, she regularly followed international related competitions.

Once, she inadvertently saw the works from the World Sugar Art Championship, which sparked her intense interest in Great Xia’s sugar culture.

They could create lifelike sculptures of various flora and fauna and human figures, vividly contrasting with the works of other countries.

The baking industry in the West was fiercely competitive. Everyone was classically trained, and their work looked similar, so to stand out and make a name, a shortcut was necessary.

Innovation is the best shortcut.

Soon, a bowl of pale yellow oil pastry batter was made, which resembled the consistency of butter roux watered down for white sauce, semi-thick and bearing some similarity to many French sauces.

Seeing the sauce was almost done, Lin Chen turned off the heat, poured the two pots of sauce into a deep rectangular container, and put it into the freezer to cool.

After returning, he first checked the state of the oil pastry, then dipped a brush into it, sprinkling it casually across the table and spreading it out.

He took a piece of the rested dough, placing it on the oil-brushed table and rolled it out into a circle with a rolling pin.

Because the dough was already oiled and the table was also slick, it was easy to roll out smoothly and thinly without needing flour; it didn’t even stick to the rolling pin.

As Lin Chen rolled the dough, Chris watched silently from the side, her eyes showing a sudden understanding.

Dough was something she was most familiar with, and seeing it roll out so easily, she instantly realized this must be the effect of the hot water dough technique.

If cold water was used, with such a short resting time, the dough would surely snap back during rolling.

Once the dough was fully rolled out, Lin Chen picked up the brush again, spreading some oil pastry evenly over the surface.

Next, he made cuts with a plastic scraper in the four cardinal directions, then in three additional directions, leaving the largest area uncut.

Like folding a blanket, he overlapped the cut pieces towards the center, then wrapped the previously overlapped parts with the largest piece, forming a simple oil pastry dough ball.

In some sense, the principle of making this was akin to making croissant pastry.

However, croissant pastry used butter, while this used liquid oil pastry.

After wrapping, the dough was rolled out again, this time doubling in size to an irregular, circular sheet.

"Such a large pancake won’t fit in the pan, will it?"

Lin glanced at the prepared flat pan nearby, measuring the two with her eye, her face full of doubt.

Chris was equally puzzled.

Was it to be cut to the size of the pan?

Lin Chen quickly gave the answer.

He poured a thin layer of oil into the pan, ensuring the entire bottom was covered, then started heating it with high heat.

This time there was no need to heat the pan until it smoked, just to a slightly hot touch.

While waiting for the oil pan to heat up, he used a rolling pin to pick up one side of the dough, stretching and rolling it to lengthen and thin it out while rolling it up layer by layer on the rolling pin.

Seeing this action, Old Chen, Zhao Shun, and Lucas, standing not far away, couldn’t help but swallow eagerly.

Not just Lin Chen, even they, who hadn’t been back from Great Xia for long, had gone a long time without tasting any good sauce pancakes being sold.

Usually, it doesn’t bother me much, but now, seeing him make it, the images from deep in my memory awaken quietly, and my mouth starts watering uncontrollably.

The fully rolled dough was gently placed into the pan by Lin Chen, and as the rolling pin spun, his left hand slowly pulled the dough back and forth, creating rows of bulging folds.

When the entire dough was spread out, it surprisingly perfectly matched the shape of the flat pan.

However, the shape of this pancake looked a bit strange, not flat, but rumpled like a quilt.

Lin Chen turned down the heat and covered it, then turned to look at the two of them.

"Got it? Now each of you should make a pancake as well. There are so many employees still hungry, let them have some savory pancakes first, then continue preparing the dough, and later we’ll eat the buns they’ve made."

"Yes, Chef."

A few minutes later, as the aroma of wheat from the pancake wafted out, Lin Chen lifted the lid and flipped the pancake.

The bottom of the savory pancake is extremely thin, so it’s best to use low heat to slowly cook it. If the heat is too high, it easily causes the pancake to become burnt.

After flipping, the originally pale dough displayed streaks of golden brown, especially in those folds, making it look even more appetizing, urging you to take a bite right away.

A few more minutes passed, and the aroma of the pancake in the air became even more intense.

Lin Chen scraped back and forth on the pancake with the spatula, distinctly hearing the crisp ’crackling’ sound.

Nodding with satisfaction, he turned off the heat, went to the cold storage to scoop out a small bowl of still warm sauce, and brushed it evenly onto every nook and cranny of the pancake.

He then evenly sprinkled a handful of white sesame seeds and a bit of chopped scallions for garnish and transferred it from the pan to the countertop.

Due to the large size of the pancake, it almost couldn’t fit even when two chopping boards were put together.

The freshly cooked savory pancake, after spreading with sauce, changed its color from a pale golden brown to a tempting sauce-red hue.

Visible air bubbles bulged up from the folds on the surface, some even bursting through the skin, revealing crispy layers of dough.

The steam, laden with the interweaving sweet and salty sauce aroma, instantly filled the entire back kitchen, causing all the chefs to tilt their heads and sniff, greedily breathing in the fragrant air.

They never expected that such a simple process without adding any ingredients, just a bit of sauce spread on the pancake, could smell this good.

It was even more fragrant than a freshly baked pizza!

"Crunch"

Lin Chen swiftly chopped the giant savory pancake in half.

He stacked the two halves and then cut them vertically into long strips, finally cross-cutting into bite-sized pieces.

Contrary to his usual composure, he didn’t share with the employees first but eagerly stuck a piece of the savory pancake with a toothpick and popped it into his mouth.

"Crunch"

Just like the sound when it was cut, the crispy surface of the savory pancake broke upon bite, releasing the rich, sweet-salty sauce flavor mixed with a hint of five-spice and cumin chili spice aroma.

With the addition of sesame and scallion, the overall flavor became highly complex, combining crispy, chewy, elastic, salty, aromatic, spicy, and sweet tastes.

"If a bit of pepper powder is sprinkled, the flavor might be elevated to another level."

The recipe he made is the traditional Tujia savory pancake flavor, and no pepper powder was added. If there were, it might be the Sichuan and Chongqing modified version.

He personally feels that adding a little more would make it tastier, striking the perfect finishing touch, but that doesn’t mean foreigners would like this flavor.

"Forget it, let the pepper powder be an optional taste; those who are willing to try can have it sprinkled on one slice first, and if they like it, the rest can be sprinkled as well."

After quickly satisfying his craving with a few pieces of savory pancake, he cut the remaining pancake, distributing it evenly into disposable bowls in individual portions.

"Everyone, pause what you’re doing, or have someone else help you with it, because this savory pancake is best eaten hot."

"What I’ve made now is the original flavor, but I require everyone to try this pepper powder flavor, sprinkle a slice or two first to see how it tastes, and if you like it, continue adding."

"As one of the representative spices of Great Xia, pepper plays a pivotal role in many culinary systems."

"As a chef, you may not like certain flavors but you must definitely try them."

As he spoke, he sprinkled some pepper powder on the top of two slices in each box, then used a bamboo skewer to stack the two slices to one side, making it convenient for the chefs to taste the original flavor of the savory pancake underneath first.

The taste of pepper powder is too dominant, and starting with this flavor might influence the judgement of the original savory pancake taste.

Soon, besides Lin Chen himself, including Zhao Shun, Old Chen, and Jonathan, a total of seventeen people in the back kitchen received their portion of the savory pancake.