69novels Chapter 39 It just won't stop.
Chapter 39 It just won't stop.
However, Draco didn't see any panic on Lucas's face.
Instead, Lucas looked directly into Narcissa's eyes and smiled with satisfaction.
"Yeah?"
I was initially worried that because the flavors were so complex, ordinary customers might not be able to appreciate the nuances, and it would be like a cow chewing on a peony, spoiling the experience.
"That's great because he's a famous food critic."
Draco bit his lip, glaring angrily at Lucas.
What's wrong with this filthy, lowly bastard? Is he out of his mind? Shouldn't he be trembling with fear?
Yes, he must be ignorant and doesn't understand the immense influence of the "Aristocratic Tables" column in *Wizarding Weekly*...
"You filthy thing—" he was about to scold, but Lucius stopped him.
"Draco, never argue with a blind man about what an elephant looks like." He resumed his slow, deliberate tone, then looked at Hagrid and Harry Potter with a mocking gaze.
"Hagrid, this McGregor is your friend, isn't he? Tsk tsk, to jump up and argue for you, what a touching friendship."
"Mr. Potter, just you wait and see. McGregor will soon suffer the consequences of choosing the wrong friends. I hope you learn a valuable lesson from this: who should you be friends with...?"
Oh, is this a way to make an example of someone and use me as that example?
Lucas smiled, his eyes shining with excitement.
Perfect, let me see what a food critic from the magical world is capable of!
"Alright, let's begin."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lucas took off his old apron, which was covered in flour, and put on a brand new one. He then put on his white chef's hat properly, carefully tucking all his hair into the brim to make sure not a single stray hair fell out, and then put on a new pair of gloves.
Lucas stretched his arms and looked up. The moment their eyes met, Narcissa unconsciously held her breath.
His demeanor was completely different! It felt like I was seeing the head chefs of the most prestigious restaurants!
No, he's just a lowly Muggle brat!
To cover up her momentary lapse in composure, Narcissa glanced at the stall's sign and immediately let out a sneer.
"Chuffetties? Oh, I see. You're trying to fool people with this snack that's still rare in Britain?"
"It's a pity, others may not have tried it, but me... hehe."
"You Muggle brat, you'd never guess!" Draco sneered at Lucas. "Last week, my family was on vacation in San Sebastián, Spain, eating the finest Spanish cuisine!"
The other vendors were all standing to Lucas's side. The fat witch looked worried and clenched her fists: "Poor child, he has no idea who he's facing. I've read The Wizarding Weekly too. Madame Malfoy's column specializes in food criticism. She's very professional, picky, and uses sharp words. Some restaurants have been criticized so harshly by her that their business has plummeted or they've even had to close down."
"In the end, Lucas was just a poor orphan," the skinny wizard said. "Maybe he saw some recipe for churros in the newspaper and wanted to use it to attract attention and earn money for school. This is really terrible."
Another wizard worriedly said, "This child has no idea of the Malfoy family's power. They have deep connections with the officials of the Ministry of Magic, and a single letter can revoke his stall license... How dare he offend them?"
Under the worried gazes of everyone, Lucas's hazel eyes remained calm.
"That's perfect. Mrs. Malfoy, why don't you try it? What's the difference between mine and theirs?"
Narcissa was stunned. Just as she was about to make another sarcastic remark about his pretentious act, Lucas had already started moving.
He inserted a chopstick into the oil pan and immediately judged the oil temperature by the state of the bubbles. Then he picked up a piping bag full of batter and moved his wrist steadily, sending strips of batter evenly into the oil pan through the star-shaped piping tip. With a pleasant "sizzle" sound, the batter quickly expanded into golden star-shaped strips.
Narcissa raised her eyebrows slightly—judging from her technique, this Malignant brat was surprisingly professional.
But she still found a sarcastic angle: "Can't even do cooking magic, can only rely on his own hands, poor Muggle..."
Unaffected, Lucas produced the first batch of golden-brown fried dough sticks amidst the rising aroma of wheat and milk, each one perfectly sized and about the length of a palm.
Lucas used a strainer to scoop it up, draining off the excess oil, and gently placed it on a tray lined with absorbent paper. Next, he took a small porcelain dish, sprinkled it with a mixture of fine sugar and cinnamon powder, and gently rolled the fried dough stick in it.
With a rustling sound, these golden-brown fried dough sticks, with their star-shaped ridges and slightly browned edges, are coated with a layer of cinnamon sugar powder as white as fresh snow.
"Please have a taste, my guest." Lucas handed over the tray, which contained a dish of bright red raspberry jam with a sweet and sour aroma, a dish of dark, sweet honey, and a dessert fork.
Everyone involuntarily craned their necks, waiting for Narcissa's assessment, but Narcissa suddenly discovered Lucas's mistake, a fatal mistake—
"Ha, the most important condiment for churros is hot chocolate sauce! It's the soul of this snack!"
With a triumphant smile, she said, "McGregor, where's your hot chocolate sauce? You even forgot to prepare that? I'm sorry, I have to give you a zero."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"Oh no, Lucas must be too nervous." Hagrid tugged at his beard. "It's okay, it's okay even if he loses. If he needs money for school, I'll plead with Professor Dumbledore, or apply for a scholarship..."
"Madame Malfoy," Lucas said, pointing to his own sign.
"Since I wrote it on the sign, it must have chocolate sauce. Please try it, and you'll understand."
The sign does indeed read: "Spanish churros (with hot chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce, honey, and cinnamon sugar)."
Narcissa's expression darkened slightly.
"You'd better not just be pretending."
She immediately picked up her dessert fork, and with a crisp sound, forked a fried dough stick and took a quick bite.
Her eyes widened suddenly.
A burst of warm, dark chocolate flavor exploded in my mouth!
The crispy outer shell, the soft inner core, and the flowing chocolate sauce create an amazing triple texture sensation.
The rich aroma of butter, the wheaty fragrance of flour, the bittersweet scent of chocolate, and the unique sweet and spicy aroma of cinnamon sugar blend together perfectly at this moment.
It's so delicious, even better than what you get in Spanish restaurants!
"I see." Narcissa glared at Lucas resentfully. "You mixed solid chocolate chunks into the batter when you were filling it. Frying it melted it into a paste inside, and the crispy outer shell locked it in..."
Lucas smiled broadly: "As expected of a food critic, he grasped my idea after only eating three."
Three?
Narcissa hurriedly lowered her head. On the tray in front of her, three fried dough sticks were indeed missing, and the dessert fork in her hand was empty.
I...I only took one bite!
She looked at Draco: "Did you eat it, darling?"
Draco shook his head awkwardly. "Mom, you didn't stop just now, you ate three in one go... Did you forget?"