Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 839 - 419: The Guide

What makes an egg tart delicious?

This question is one that almost everyone who has tasted an egg tart can say a few words about. Some feel that a freshly baked tart, still warm and perhaps a bit mouth-scorching, with a flaky crust that crumbles at the slightest bite, a soft, sweet, and bouncy filling with a texture very much like a pudding but richer, and a strong milky and eggy aroma, is delicious.

Some find freshly baked egg tarts not as tasty and prefer to let them sit for a while until they become lukewarm, removing the aromatic filter from being freshly out of the oven. With one bite, they can taste the crunch and richness, yet it isn’t too crispy, and the crust is a bit firmer, making the tart delicious.

Some people like them sweeter, while others prefer them relatively mild.

Others enjoy added ingredients like corn, purple sweet potato, durian, mango, or chocolate, believing that such egg tarts are more flavorful.

It’s quite challenging to define what makes an egg tart delicious.

If this question were posed to Qin Huai, he would say Master Zhou’s egg tarts are the best. With Master Zhou’s level of flavoring and pastry skills, his egg tarts are simply a dimensional strike.

Even the most ordinary, mundane, basic egg tart can delight with layers upon layers of flaky crust, each bite offering an exquisite sensation. Even if it’s not right out of the oven, it’s still aromatic beyond compare, allowing diners to savor the deliciousness of the crust even while enjoying the delightful blend of sugar, milk, and egg in the filling.

Master Zhou’s egg tarts clearly tell diners that although you might think the filling is the star, today I’m telling you the real star is the crust. Even if you think it’s a supporting role, you have to acknowledge its significance.

If Qin Huai were to score, he’d give Master Zhou’s egg tart 99 points, leaving 1 point for improvement space.

So, how many points would Qin Huai give his own egg tarts?

Qin Huai is currently scoring.

In one afternoon, Qin Huai made many batches of egg tarts. Compared to the complexity and refinement of the crust, the tart liquid is relatively simpler, and the critical cooking process for the meat dishes is so simple it’s almost negligible.

Qin Huai didn’t even bother with the baking of the egg tarts; Tan Wei’an took them to bake in the oven. If it weren’t for Tan Wei’an having nothing else to do as today’s helper, this step wouldn’t require him at all, just any apprentice would do.

Set the temperature and time, and that’s it.

Qin Huai is eating his first batch of egg tarts.

Frankly, Qin Huai feels that the batches he made this afternoon don’t have much disparity. His status while making each batch is about the same; there were no extraordinary performances, nor any failures, not even a learning process.

He had practiced enough to take the exam, not learning while flipping through books during it.

The freshly baked egg tart is delicious, Qin Huai’s favorite status.

At the same time, Qin Huai finds it hard not to compare his own egg tarts to those made by Master Zhou.

When it comes to the filling, there’s actually no difference; the tart liquid is based on that recipe and ratio, it can’t be that bad, nor can it be exceptionally good, especially when Qin Huai is using Master Zhou’s tart liquid recipe, almost a 1:1 reproduction.

Regarding the crust, it’s worlds apart. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Master Zhou is the best in pastry skills, and Qin Huai wanting to compete with him on the pastry level is akin to bumping heads with the moon.

But Qin Huai quietly scored his own egg tarts a 70 in his heart.

Qin Huai feels that his egg tarts today are quite decent, at least better than those from a certain famous fast-food chain and most bakery stores on the market. The reason it’s "most" is that there may still be small shops opened by the likes of Zheng Siyuan.

Qin Huai quietly took another bite of the egg tart, the crust was very crispy, with a bite you could taste the layered textures, tasting how butter kneaded into the dough after baking creates a unique aroma.

You can taste the crust wrapping around the filling in your teeth, and after swallowing, it leaves a sweet aftertaste lingering on the tongue.

Qin Huai feels that an egg tart that leaves an aftertaste is certainly qualified, even slightly excellent.

Qin Huai subtly glanced at Master Zhou, who was also tasting, expressionless. When Master Zhou eats snacks, he always appears like this, a hint of numbness amidst serenity, sometimes showing some impatience or even anger. Seeing him makes one feel instinctively daunting, wanting to retreat a few steps, ready to leave even before Master Zhou speaks.

Right now, Master Zhou appears very calm, neither impatient nor angry, and certainly not satisfied.

Since he’s not very familiar with Master Zhou, Qin Huai finds it hard to read his inner thoughts from his face and can only shift his gaze to Tan Wei’an.

Perhaps due to his understanding of Tan Wei’an, Qin Huai feels Tan Wei’an’s thoughts are almost written all over his face.

It reads "delicious, love to eat, likes eating," and he personally cannot stop eating. During the time Qin Huai carefully savored one egg tart, he ate two, his eating speed only trailing Qin Luo and Ouyang.

Even his eating manner has somewhat mimicked Ouyang, showcasing the gobbling-up style.

Observing Tan Wei’an’s eating style, Qin Huai even starts to repent internally, wondering if he shouldn’t have let Tan Wei’an try the Double Crab Bun last time. Look at what he’s become at Zhiwei Restaurant, turning into Ouyang’s style.