Chapter 199: Chapter 199

“We can’t control the sizes of the meatballs because they shrink in the process of cooking. Has he considered those as well?”

Sharon was slightly taken aback. In spite of the uncertainties associated, she had one of the meatballs.

She was utterly impressed by the unique texture of it. Most importantly, the meatball had completely absorbed the flavor of the jam.

After she finished the first meatball, she took another one and noticed that it tasted exactly the same as the first one she took.

In other words, Casper had successfully produced a dish that was up to standard in terms of taste and texture.

“It’s delicious!”

Sharon nodded her head in amazement. Only a mere few could produce a dish that would require precise control over the ingredients involved to acquire such a precise texture and flavor.

She took another few bites and had a mouthful of the sauce prepared to go along with the dish.

A few seconds later, she announced the ingredients with her chest held high, “A pound of ground pork and—”

“No!” Casper yelled and interrupted her when she had just started.

Everyone in the kitchen looked at him and wondered what had possibly gone wrong.

“What do you mean? Are you indicating I have gotten the wrong ingredients?” Sharon asked with her irritation written all over her face.

Out of the blue, Louis added, “I’m afraid that’s the case, Ms. Alder.”

The woman instantly took a few steps back with her face puckered in irritation. She yelled at Louis, “I shouldn’t have let him appoint you as the judge! You may seem like a righteous man, but I guess you’re not much different from others! He must have coerced you into submission beforehand!”

To her surprise, Louis couldn’t be bothered by her seemingly harsh remarks at all. He rebuked in a callous tone, “Ms. Alder, it’s not much of a shame if you’re defeated by Mr. Simpson over there. I’m not even a match for him in terms of skills.”

Louis showed Sharon Casper’s chopping board and denoted, “He has successfully replicated the texture of a meatball using plant-based meat. The most important ingredient of the dish you have missed out is actually ketchup.”

Casper interrupted Louis and added, “The jam has been included to deceive you through your sense of sight and taste.”

“W-What—”

Sharon’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had never heard anything about the method he had used to produce such an authentic dish. She couldn’t believe Casper was able to mimic the texture of meat using just plant-based meat.

“If you think I’m lying, why don’t you go ahead and give it another bite? I’m pretty sure you’re able to tell the differences after another few bites.”

Casper beckoned the woman to savor the dish he had produced to prove himself. As Sharon started chewing the meatballs, she gaped in disbelief once again.

“I can’t believe I have been deceived! Indeed, this is plant-based meat that was made out of soy! He’s pretty skillful to be able to replicate the look of a meatball from scratch, I’ll give him that!”

Casper clapped and shared his recipe with her in delight, “In other words, the only ingredients involved in the making of this dish is plant-based meat. However, it must be made on the same day it was intended to be consumed. Otherwise, it would be impossible to mimic the texture.”

Once again, the chefs rushed over to have a bite of the meatball. However, since Sharon was around, they dared not let loose of themselves and started queuing up instead.

“Oh, God! I won’t be able to tell the difference if no one ever told me the truth!”

“Seriously? Mr. Simpson is such a talented cook! I can’t really tell the difference, but one thing’s for sure—it’s freaking delicious!”

As the chefs went on and on complimenting the dish Casper had produced, a gloomy expression loomed over Sharon’s face. It was evident that she wasn’t a match for the man in terms of culinary skills.

That was one of Casper’s many advantages as the owner of Tycoon. He could easily intimidate an outsider who was there to compete against him.

In an attempt to flatter Casper, one of the chefs remarked at the top of his lungs, “Undeniably, the crab bisque is scrumptious, but Mr. Simpson could list the ingredients easily! On the other hand, she’s can’t even tell if Mr. Simpson has included meat in his dish or not! Isn’t it obvious who’s the superior one amongst them?”

Although Casper was indeed flattered, he had to keep his feelings of delight to himself since Sharon was still around.

Therefore, he stopped them and said, “Alright, I believe that’s enough! Shall we not forget Ms.

Alder is significantly younger than most of us here?”

Meanwhile, colors drained from Sharon’s face as she had never been humiliated by others throughout her entire life.

“I’ll admit I’m not a match for you in terms of senses! However, I’ll definitely get you back during the second round!”

She took a deep breath and showed all who were present a ceramic pot she had with her.

Although it was completely sealed, the fragrance of the dish could not be concealed as it permeated throughout the kitchen.

“Next, we’ll each prepare a signature dish within two hours! The one with the tastier dish wins!”

Casper sniffled in an attempt to figure out the dish behind the lingering scent.

“Thanks for taking this seriously, Ms. Alder! I can’t believe you have prepared a Beef Wellington in advance for today’s showdown!”

Beef Wellington was a well-known signature dish throughout the region. It was, in fact, one of the limited few dishes that was globally renowned.

As soon as the chefs from Tycoon figured out Sharon had prepared Beef Wellington in advance, they engaged in another heated discussion and thought she would emerge victorious without putting on much of a fight.

After all, Beef Wellington was a time-consuming dish; chefs were required to take every single component of the dish into consideration.

That was precisely the reason it was considered the signature dish of the restaurants out there — including Tycoon. All the chefs were familiar with that dish because they would get at least an order for that particular dish on a daily basis.

“It’s going to take a few days to get the components to prepare Beef Wellington ready! The owners of renowned restaurants will get the ingredients ready a few hours before their operation commences to ensure their customer gets the best version of Beef Wellington! I’m pretty sure she has been getting everything ready ever since last night!”

“That’s so unfair! The Beef Wellington she brought along with her was prepared beforehand!

How is Mr. Simpson supposed to get everything ready within two hours? Nothing can possibly outmatch this particular dish! I guess she’s willing to do everything to win!”

“Has she no shame? Maybe it has something to do with her success and achievement!”

Sharon dismissed the remarks of those around them and remained silent in anticipation of Casper’s reply.

“That’s enough!” Casper reprimanded the chefs sharply before turning to Sharon and nodding in return.

“Since I have agreed to have Ms. Alder come up with the first two challenges of the showdown, I’m not going to go back against my word. We’ll just carry on with it.”