Soma: The Phantom Seat (Abandoned)

Chapter 13 Shokugeki with an Alumnus Part 2

"I should say...as expected from Shinomiya Senpai." Inui says with small satisfaction.

"Yes, no wonder he's called the Legumes Magician. Alright, Yukihira! Tadokoro! It's time for you to serve your dish." Dojima adds.

Megumi takes the plates on the table and she is thinking, "This is a dish that was made using all my effort...to think that having someone evaluate it would be this scary...what will they say? Even though I had the help of Soma-kun, too...Ah...what if they say it's bad?"

Soma pats her shoulder and says, "It's fine, Tadokoro. Don't be scared, I'm with you."

Tadoroko nods and she says, "Here you go, please enjoy the meal."

"Oh? This is a Terrine..." The chefs are surprised, Inui says, "It's the dish which made Shinomiya-senpai fail Megumi-chan!"

"This dish uses seven varieties of Vegetables...it's a "Rainbow Terrine"..." Megumi says.

"Hmm...interesting." Shinomiysa says, "So you want to nitpick at my Recette, the "Nine Vegetable Terrine"?"

Megumi starts panicking and says, "No...Um...I-I-I...I just wanted you to see...how my Recette is..."

Sekimori says, "Hmm...there are seven different pates, each with a different color...just like a Rainbow you made them as stripes."

"Well, let's see what you've got." Gotoda says.

"Yes." Mizuhara adds.

After getting the bite of the food, Megumi is so nervous that she can't open her eyes, the memories of the past failures are flashing into her mind, as well as how people are mocking her.

"It...it's delicious!" The chefs say in unison, causing Megumi to look at the judges with shock.

"You made seven colored layers of pate using potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and other vegetables. And the vegetable of each layer is cooked in a way that their flavor livens! I'm amazed you could do all these in such a small amount of time..." Sekimori says.

"There are two sauces...a bittersweet Sudachi Gelee and a refreshing green herb sauce, which is a paste made from various herbs with Perilla as the main ingredient! Hmmm. to think you'd make us eat Terrine with Sudachi and Perilla, that's an interesting idea." Gotoda adds.

"Mmmm...the combination of the fragrant Saute Zucchini and the herb sauce...is superbly refreshing!" Inui says.

"Sudachi and the somewhat sweet tomatoes also go well." Mizuhara nods.

"I see! By combining the seven layers of Pate and the two different sauces...you can enjoy fourteen different flavors! It's exciting how it makes you want to try different patterns." Gotoda says.

"Yes...to think these bright colorful stripes aren't only pleasing to the eye, but they also have an effect on the taste." Sekimori adds.

"Oh...these cheery tomatoes." Dojima looks at the sight and states, "They're "Dried Tomatoes" right? Tadokoro-kun?"

"Yes! In my hometown, a lot of snow falls in winter. So we make all of the vegetables we harvested in summer into preserved foods so that we can eat them in winter. We dry them under the sun."

Then she starts to remember how she was helping her mother with the dried tomatoes, and she says, "I thought they could become a good accent for the Terrine..."

"Yes, tomatoes contain one of the key substances of deliciousness, Glutamic Acid. By drying them, that deliciousness condensates, and the sweetness you feel with your tongue is increased greatly." Dojima says, "Shinomiya's "Nine Vegetable Terrine" is a dish where you can enjoy the flavors of fresh vegetables, but this Recette has the goodness born of preserved food with time. All while being another "Vegetable Terrine". The good flavor of freshness and deliciousness is born from curing. They are totally opposite approaches towards vegetables."