Chapter 548: Chapter 548: Acting Like a Green Tea Here

“Yes, and although it looks like Cindy Clarke used a lot of different spices, she was very careful with the proportions, using varying amounts of each spice,” Hunter Clarke explained.

“For example, rosemary has a very strong flavor which can easily overpower the flavors of other spices, so just using a little bit can effectively mask the chicken’s gamey taste.”

“Although pepper is slightly spicy, fresh pepper is not as flavorful as the dried ones, so she needs to add a bit more. Bay leaves can enhance the aftertaste and aroma of the meat.”

“Because basil is not heat-resistant, Cindy Clarke mashed it, perhaps to use as a sauce for dipping,” Hunter Clarke analyzed.

Cindy Clarke stuffed the chicken with all the spices she gathered, and even added some small fruits she found along the way.

The small fruits were unripe apples, just slightly larger than ping pong balls.

These immature apples taste sour and lack crispness.

But Cindy Clarke still picked some.

She used them to stuff the chicken just at the right moment.

Finally, she bent the chicken’s leg and tucked it into the chicken’s behind, effectively blocking the opening.

Then, she wrapped it with indocalamus leaves.

Being careful to avoid getting dirt into the wrapped chicken through the gaps in the leaves, Cindy Clarke wrapped it very gently.

She was afraid that wrapping it too thickly would make it difficult for the heat to penetrate during grilling.

So she carefully layered the leaves.

Finally, she tied it up with thin stems.

She mixed in some stream water with the dirt, then wrapped the indocalamus leaf-wrapped chicken in it.

Once everything was prepared, Cindy Clarke looked at the time. It was almost time to start grilling.

So she picked up some dry branches and headed to the designated gathering area.

That was because at the end of the competition, the judges would come to taste each dish one by one.

As a result, all the contestants needed to gather in one place and cook together.

When Cindy Clarke arrived at the gathering point, she saw that many contestants had already arrived, and she was one of the latest to come.

“Cindy Clarke!” Ava Brown shouted and immediately waved when she spotted her.

Yellen Brooks was also near Ava Brown at this time.

There were also some people from the Pingla Academy around.

Perhaps because she had learned Cindy Clarke’s secret, Ava Brown felt even closer to her and was particularly happy to see her.

So Cindy Clarke went over to join them.

As soon as she sat down, Cindy Clarke saw Jasmine Hudson coming back with a bone-cleaving knife in her hand, holding a plucked duck in the other.

Cindy Clarke looked around and saw that everyone chose chicken and duck.

“I saw a baby lamb,” Larry Bennett said, “but as I looked into its watery eyes, it seemed so innocent that I couldn’t bring myself to kill it.”

“Same here,” Bartholomew Bailey nodded, “Larry and I happened to come across the lamb first. But neither of us had the heart to harm it, so we decided to keep going and see if we could find anything else. We thought there must be more than just lambs.”

“I was even thinking that if there was really nothing else, I’d find some fruits or something and make a dessert. I just couldn’t bear it,” Gladys Joy said.

“Even though we’re all chefs and we’ve cooked plenty of meat dishes, it’s different seeing the live animals,” Cynthia Florine shuddered. “If you gave me a dead, skinned lamb to butcher, I wouldn’t think twice about it. But if it were a live lamb, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

It was hard for both male and female contestants to commit the act.

So they all chose chicken and duck.

If they had to kill, they chose something small and more common.

Male contestants were somewhat better with this decision.

But for female contestants like Cindy Clarke, even killing a chicken or a duck put a lot of pressure on them.

“Jasmine, you chose a duck too?” Ava Brown asked.

Jasmine Hudson nodded: “Killing a duck is no problem for me, but I’m still a bit hesitant with larger animals like cows and sheep.”

“We should start cooking soon,” Natalie Campbell reminded them.

“Oh right, Blake Walker hasn’t come yet,” Yannick O’Brian mentioned.

Although Blake Walker wasn’t present at the moment, Leon Hernandez still gave him a disdainful look: “Who cares what he’s doing?”

“Good point,” Yannick O’Brian laughed, “I just wanted to gloat a bit.”

“Keep your voice down; there’s a camera recording. Consider your image as a magnanimous gentleman,” Daniel Vahn held his forehead and said.

“Why are you also speaking so loudly then?” Leon Hernandez asked Daniel Vahn.

“I’m just reminding the cameraman to hurry up and film him,” Daniel Vahn replied.

Though their mouths were busy talking, they had already started preparing their dishes.

Each contestant picked an empty spot at random.

At this point, Blake Walker finally returned.

He looked a bit disheveled and was holding two lamb legs in his hands.

Bartholomew Bailey glanced at Blake Walker’s lamb legs and narrowed his eyes, sneering.

Hearing his laughter, Larry Bennett also looked over.

“Hmph!” Larry Bennett sneered outright.

They couldn’t bring themselves to kill the baby lamb, but it seemed that it couldn’t escape Blake Walker’s cruelty.

Cynthia Florine’s face turned cold, and she said coldly, “Lamb has a strong smell and requires delicate seasoning. What’s the use of him having lamb legs?”

“He probably thought that since we all chose chicken and duck, if he picked a different ingredient, he could stand out from the crowd,” Yannick O’Brian replied sarcastically.

“Didn’t he miss Cindy Clarke’s analysis?” Aiden Huxley raised an eyebrow, “Did he happen to find a lot of spices just by looking around with his eyes? Or does he think he can win just by using the salt in our bags?”

“Who knows? Let’s see,” Daniel Vahn said coldly, looking at Blake Walker from a distance, “Maybe he thinks we only have salt too.”

Besides, Blake Walker himself looked quite disheveled.

His condition wasn’t as good as the other contestants.

He was the last one to arrive, and now all the contestants were finally present.

Blake Walker also brought several branches, in varying thicknesses.

He set up the branches, apparently planning to roast the lamb legs over the fire.

All the contestants paid close attention to this.

Blake Walker took the salt from his bag.

After that, he placed the lamb legs on the branches and lit a fire.

He planned to sprinkle salt while roasting them.

Because the lamb legs were thick, if he sprinkled the salt before roasting, Blake Walker was worried that there wouldn’t be enough time for the flavor to soak in.

So he simply roasted and salted them at the same time.

The dripping fat would flow away, taking some of the salt with it.

As he roasted and cut the lamb legs, he let the salt penetrate deeper into the meat.

If the grilling heat is well controlled, the strong taste of lamb can also be improved.

Blake Walker thought with satisfaction.

These people were just hypocrites, pretending not to have the heart to kill a lamb.

Could they really call themselves chefs with that mindset?

Hadn’t they ever cooked lamb before?

What a bunch of pretend saints!

This was a competition, not child’s play!

Blake Walker thought proudly, wondering why on earth some of them chose ducks.

Duck meat is very gamey, and there’s a lot of fat, which is different from the fat in lamb.