Sophie Crane

“ This hollandaise sauce that's been generously drizzled over the whole dish... I can taste yuzu kosho and soy sauce in it.
That's a decidedly Japanese twist on a typically very European sauce!
The heavy savoriness of thick sliced pork grilled to a crusty golden brown...
... balances perfectly with the briskly tart Shio Konbu seaweed and shiso leaves mixed into the rice!
Then there's the centerpiece of his dish, the tempura egg! It's crispy on the outside and delectably soft and gooey on the inside!
Instead of freezing it, he must have poached the egg before deep-frying it this time!
The whites are unbelievably tender, and the soft-boiled yolk is so creamy you might not believed it's cooked!
To batter and deep-fry a poached egg that delicate without crushing it...
... you'd need skill and a touch bordering on the superhuman!
Just how much has he trained?! How hard has he practiced...
... to make this single dish?!
"Sure does take you back, doesn't it? This Eggs Benedict.
I switched the muffin out for some seasoned rice, a family-restaurant staple.
Then there's the poached egg that I deep-fried. Pork chops for the bacon. Japanese-style hollandaise sauce.”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 36 [Shokugeki no Souma 36]

“The moment I put it in my mouth and bit down...
... an exquisite and entirely unexpected flavor exploded in my mouth!
It burst across my tongue, rushed up through my nose...
... and rose all the way up to my brain!"
"No! It can't be!"
"How is that possible?! Anyone with eyes can see there's nothing special to that dish! Its fragrance was entirely inferior to Asahi's dish from the get-go!"
"That there. That's what it is. I knew something wasn't right."
"Asahi?"
"Something felt off the instant the cloche was removed.
His dish is fried rice. It uses tons of butter, soy sauce and spices.
Yet it hardly had any aroma!"
"Good catch. The secret is in one of the five grand cuisine dishes I melded together...
A slightly atypical take on the French Oeuf Mayonnaise. ."
"Ouef Mayonnaise, or eggs and mayonnaise, is an appetizer you can find in any French bistro. Hard-boiled eggs are sliced, coated with a house-blend mayo and garnished with vegetables.
Though, in your dish, I can tell you chose very soft-boiled eggs instead.
Hm. Very interesting, Soma Yukihira.
He took those soft-boiled eggs and some homemade mayo and blended them into a sauce...... which he then poured over his steamed rice and tossed until each and every grain was coated, its flavor sealed inside!
To cook them so that each individual grain is completely covered...
... takes incredibly fast and precise wok handling over extremely high heat! No average chef could manage that feat!"
" Whaaa?!
Ah! It's so thin I didn't notice it at first glance, but there it is, a very slight glaze!
That makes each of these grains of rice a miniature, self-contained Omurice!
The moment you bite into them, that eggy coating is broken...
... releasing all the flavors and aromas of the dish onto your palate in one explosive rush!"
No wonder! That's what entranced the judges. That sudden, powerful explosion of flavor!
"Yep! Even when it's served, my dish still hides its fangs. Only when you bite into it does it bite back with all it's got.
I call it my Odorless Fried Rice.”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 36 [Shokugeki no Souma 36]

“heal the roots, to see the tree grow vibrant.”
― Matthew Edward Hall, San Mateo: Proof of The Divine

“ Wait a minute...
that dish.
I've seen it before!
It's the Tempura-Egg Rice Bowl he served me before!
"Now, I've made two servings of this. One for you, of course, Book Master.
The other one... how about you taste it, Nakiri."
"Yukihira?"
"Don't confuse this for the dish I served you that other time.
See, that old dish wasn't enough to make you say it was good...
... so I've been secretly working on some new twists I could add to it.
Eat!
Erina Nakiri!
Dig in. I call it my Soma-Style...
... Eggs Benedict over Rice...
... fit for a Queen.”
― Yuto Tsukuda, 食戟のソーマ 36 [Shokugeki no Souma 36]