sinovels Chapter 89 isn't very long?
Chapter 89 isn't very long?
Chapter 89 isn't very long?
Traditional, seasonal, and elegant, it captures the fleeting fragrance of autumn on the tip of the tongue.
Once the thought of osmanthus cake came to mind, it lingered in Wang Sheng's mind.
The sweet fragrance seemed to become an invisible hook, drawing him to take action.
Just do it.
After the late-night snack rush subsided, he began preparations.
Exchange at the mall.
Everything is clear.
To make authentic osmanthus cake, the key lies in two things: the delicate blending of rice flour and the infusion of the soul of osmanthus flowers.
He rejected the lazy idea of using artificial fragrances; the "Sheng Kee" brand could not tolerate any falsehood. What he wanted was for people to see and accept the quality.
You can smell and taste the real osmanthus!
He selected the finest rice flour and glutinous rice flour, carefully mixed them according to ancient methods, and repeatedly sifted them to ensure that the powder was as delicate and smooth as snow.
This step is fundamental to making the cake soft and non-sticky.
The key is the osmanthus.
What he needs is the essence of osmanthus flavor—candied osmanthus or osmanthus honey are the best carriers (dried osmanthus has a slightly inferior aroma, and fresh osmanthus is troublesome to process and its aroma is not easy to preserve).
Wang Sheng decided to make his own upgraded version of osmanthus honey!
The addition of honey imparts a more mellow and rich floral aroma, an intuition brought by the system's "Low-Calorie Flavoring Mastery".
The next day when he went shopping, he brought a small bamboo basket with him.
The goal is clear: to pick the freshest osmanthus blossoms while they are in full bloom!
There are two succulent trees growing very well outside the back door of the cafeteria.
Wang Sheng carefully avoided branches with dense blossoms, selecting only those that had just bloomed, were full and round, golden in color, and had the strongest fragrance, and gently plucked them.
The fingertips are tinged with a faint golden hue, leaving behind a lingering sweet fragrance.
Before long, a thick layer of fragrant "gold" covered the bottom of the basket.
Back in the small kitchen, Wang Sheng immediately began processing the flowers. Fresh osmanthus blossoms are extremely delicate and require careful removal of stems and impurities.
His movements were gentle yet swift, as if handling a rare treasure.
After washing and spreading out to dry excess moisture, the key step in making osmanthus honey begins.
He slowly poured the crystal-clear, high-quality honey into a sterilized glass jar, the warm amber color flowing out. Then, he gently sprinkled in layers of dried fresh osmanthus flowers.
Golden osmanthus blossoms, like countless tiny sprites, slowly sank into the thick nectar.
Finally, drizzle a thick layer of honey on top to ensure all the osmanthus flowers are submerged in sweetness.
Seal and affix a date label—
The rest is up to time to complete this sweet fusion and transformation.
A week later, this jar of osmanthus honey will release an even richer and more captivating fragrance.
But Wang Sheng couldn't wait a week before trying it.
Basic osmanthus sugar needs to be made fresh!
He mixed white sugar with a small amount of salt, and then layered the sugar and processed fresh osmanthus flowers in a small jar.
The granular texture of the sugar instantly enveloped the delicate petals, causing tiny, glistening drops to be released.
Seal and refrigerate; marinate for just two days to obtain a simple and flavorful candied osmanthus.
Two days later, the simple sugar-coated osmanthus flowers had begun to exude amber-colored sap and their fragrance was starting to emerge.
Wang Sheng made his first attempt at making osmanthus cake.
The rice noodles have been left to settle and rehydrate completely.
Take an appropriate amount of osmanthus sugar, and dissolve it together with the sugar and flower juice in warm water (the honey version will take longer), and stir well.
The clear, slightly yellow osmanthus syrup exudes an enticing sweet aroma.
He carefully poured the fragrant liquid slowly into the snow-white rice noodles, adding a small amount of melted lard (to increase the moisture without overpowering the floral aroma). With his hands, he patiently kneaded and mixed the moist rice noodles until they were smooth and even, until they could be shaped into a ball when picked up and then crumbled at the slightest touch.
Brush oil onto the mold.
He carefully sifted the mixed powder into the mold, moving gently to avoid compacting it.
The rice noodles soaked in osmanthus syrup have an extremely gentle light beige color.
After sifting a layer, he carefully scooped up the precious, simple osmanthus sugar with a spoon and evenly dotted it onto the powder layer, forming scattered golden patterns. Then he sifted another layer of rice flour to cover it.
After repeating this process, a denser layer of sugared osmanthus petals was finally sprinkled on top of the cake, so that when you take a bite, you can clearly see and taste the golden specks that embody the spirit of autumn.
Place it in a steamer and steam over high heat with boiling water!
Time is precisely controlled.
Steam rose, carrying with it an increasingly rich, delicate, and sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms that filled the entire small kitchen. Even Lin Xiaowen, who was tidying up by the window, couldn't help but peek out: "Boss, it smells so good! What is it?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Wang Sheng didn't say much, his eyes fixed intently on the steamer.
time up!
Turn off the heat and let it sit for a while.
The moment the lid was lifted, the intensely sweet fragrance of osmanthus exploded like a bomb!
As the white mist dissipated, a large, square, and smooth cake, as warm as jade, lay quietly in the mold. The cake was delicate and white (the natural color of rice flour), adorned with faintly visible golden petals (interlayers), and the top layer looked as if it were sprinkled with gold dust—utterly tempting!
Wang Sheng carefully cut off a piece from the edge with a knife. The cake was soft yet had a moderate chewiness; the knife made almost no sound as it cut into it, and the cross-section revealed clear layers interspersed with osmanthus petals.
He picked up a small piece of osmanthus cake that was still warm and blew on it.
The first thing that came to mind was a snowball.
He walked to the corner of the window.
Snowball was curled up on the soft cushion prepared for it, dozing off, its little belly rising and falling slightly with its breathing.
Wang Sheng squatted down and held the small piece of osmanthus cake, which exuded a deadly sweet fragrance, to Xueqiu's nose.
Snowball's pink little nose immediately twitched, and its long white beard trembled.
Her sapphire-like eyes snapped open, momentarily confused, before focusing on the small white cube emitting a strange fragrance.
It hesitated, sniffing again and again with the tip of its nose, but finally couldn't resist the sweet temptation that penetrated to its very bones. It stuck out its pink little tongue and tentatively licked it.
"Meow!" A short, satisfied meow.
The little snowball immediately stretched out its two front paws, grabbed Wang Sheng's fingers, and eagerly licked the osmanthus cake with its little tongue, making a happy gurgling sound with its tiny body.
"It seems you also like the feeling of autumn."
Wang Sheng smiled and rubbed its little head.
Just then, Su Weiwei came over after class to snag some "new product information." She immediately spotted the little snowball on Wang Sheng's finger, happily munching on an osmanthus cake, and the sliced, glistening, golden pastry in front of him.
"Wow! Senior! What—what is this? It's so beautiful! It smells so good!"
Her eyes lit up instantly, as if she had discovered a rare treasure.
"Osmanthus cake, freshly steamed."
Wang Sheng picked up the piece of cake he had cut off and handed it to her. "Want to try some?"
Su Weiwei eagerly took it and carefully took a small bite.
The cake is slightly warm when you put it in your mouth, incredibly soft, yet it has the gentle chewiness unique to rice cakes, melting gently on your tongue with almost no chewing required.
Immediately afterwards, the delicate, subtle, and uniquely sweet floral fragrance spread out in wisps, as if you were chewing on an entire blooming osmanthus tree!
The occasional crumbs of osmanthus blossoms, like little surprises hidden in the clouds, bring an even richer sweetness and a subtle chewy texture.
The sweetness of the sugar perfectly complements the floral fragrance, without the pungent intensity of industrial fragrances, offering only a natural and intoxicating aroma.
"Mmm—!" Su Weiwei covered her mouth, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons with happiness.
"This is so delicious! Senior! This is real osmanthus cake! What have I been eating before?!"
She devoured the small piece in her hand in a few bites, licked the crumbs from the corner of her lips, and asked with lingering satisfaction, "Is there more?"
Wang Sheng pointed to the mold: "These are the first few pieces I made. The osmanthus sugar version is a simple pickling process, while the honey version is still fermenting in the jar; that one will have a richer flavor."
"Then—can I take a few pieces back for my roommates to try? They'll be drooling over them!"
Su Weiwei clasped her hands together, blinked her big eyes, and unleashed her "Pitiful Ultimate Skill".
Wang Sheng chuckled: "Okay, I'll cut you a few pieces. But be careful, I only picked a little from these trees near the window, not much."
"Thank you, senior! You're the best!"
Su Weiwei cheered and jumped for joy, holding the few small pieces of osmanthus cake that Wang Sheng had carefully wrapped in oil paper, as if she were holding some priceless treasure, and skipped back to her dormitory.
However, Wang Sheng's reminder that "the quantity is not much" clearly underestimated the magic of osmanthus cake, as well as the "fighting power" of the girls' dormitory. Su Weiwei returned to the dormitory and proudly opened the oil paper package.
The exquisite and sweet fragrance of osmanthus instantly captivated the other three girls.
"My God! What an amazing flavor!"
"It smells so good! It looks so beautiful!"
"Weiwei! Let me try some!"
Three pairs of eyes, glowing green, focused on it simultaneously.
Su Weiwei carefully distributed several small pieces of osmanthus cake to everyone.
The dormitory was suddenly filled only with the sounds of chewing and satisfied sighs.
"Mmm—it melts in your mouth! And the aroma of osmanthus fills your mouth!"
"It's so soft and chewy, sweet but not cloying! It tastes even better than the ones I buy from time-honored brands in Suzhou and Hangzhou!"
"It really does contain osmanthus flowers! The real thing! It smells amazing!"
A small pastry sparked a revolution in the taste buds of the dormitory.
After finishing their meal, the four girls looked at the empty oil paper and exchanged glances, all seeing the same message in each other's eyes: Not enough! They wanted more!
"Senior Wang said he didn't pick many osmanthus flowers," Su Weiwei said with some regret.
"Osmanthus?" A roommate's eyes lit up. "Aren't there osmanthus trees everywhere on campus? They're in full bloom! They smell amazing!"
"Yeah!" Another roommate slapped her thigh. "Let's go help our senior pick them! Pick fresh ones! That way he can make more osmanthus cakes!" The suggestion was instantly approved by all.
The next afternoon, there were no classes. Su Weiwei and her three roommates, plus two girls from the neighboring dorm who were equally excited after being "recommended" to the area, made a group of six. Carrying bags of various sizes and baskets, they excitedly headed towards some of the most lush osmanthus-lined areas on campus—