Chapter 1040 - 429: The Mischievous Cat Accuses First! Chen Yan: But I Was Clearly the Victim! Honey-Glazed Ginkgo!

At nearly four in the afternoon, the snow outside showed no sign of stopping. Everyone decided to leave to avoid the risk of ice forming on the roads due to the low air temperature, as that would be too dangerous.

Mi Lan just needed to head back to the city, so she prepared to leave with everyone.

"Mi Lan, come to the store for dinner tonight; try our employee meal."

Upon hearing that she could taste the employee meal that netizens constantly praise, Mi Lan smiled and said:

"Alright, today I’ll shamelessly have a meal at your store."

After speaking, she took out a large bag from the warehouse and handed it to Lin Xu:

"These are Ginkgo Fruits grown on our tree. Lin Xu, you can try them at home. If you find them tasty, we have a lot here, take as much as you want."

This bag weighed over twenty pounds. Lin Xu thanked her and put it in the trunk.

After loading all the equipment into the car, everyone set off.

Advising the aunt here to take care of her warmth and health, Mi Lan drove a red Wrangler, following behind the Maserati and Land Rover back to the city.

On the way, apart from the snow melting on the highway, everything else was already a vast whiteness.

When they reached Yingchun Street, the snow in front of the door had been cleaned up, with some de-icing agents sprinkled, and anti-slip mats laid on the steps to prevent customers from slipping.

Carrying bags and packages into the store, Dundun immediately leapt into the arms of his godmother, Shu Yun.

"Little Dundun, did you have fun playing outside?"

"Meow~~~~~"

"Did Auntie bully you?"

"Meow!!!!!!"

Shu Yun glanced at Chen Yan, about to chide her for bullying her godson again, before realizing Chen’s hair was wet, her clothes covered in water stains, and her originally warm black leggings were half wet.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Did you go to the Water Cube to play diving?"

Chen Yan glared discontentedly at Dundun:

"You talk about it; it’s all because of your brat, made me roll in the snow!"

She took off her outer winter clothing, planning to go upstairs to warm up and snack, then drive home to change clothes.

At this moment, some roads in the city already had snow. To prevent her Panamera from stalling, she parked the car in the rear community parking space.

She would drive the Land Rover home tonight.

She planned to come back for her car after the next day when the snow melted.

After moving the items from the car into the store, Lin Xu invited everyone upstairs to have tea and warm up while he carried the Ginkgo Fruits into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

After having so much hotpot lamb at noon, dinner needed to have some rice and stir-fried dishes to balance it out.

Carzi watched Lin Xu carry a large bag into the warehouse, curiously asking:

"What’s that, boss?"

"Ginkgo Fruits, which are also Ginkgo Nuts."

"Didn’t they say these things are poisonous?"

"They’re mildly toxic, not too dangerous. And once you remove the embryos inside, the toxicity further decreases... I’ll just make some honey-glazed Ginkgo Nuts so you can taste them, saving you the fear when you hear about Ginkgo Nuts."

Lin Xu scooped out a small bowl.

These Ginkgo Nuts look a bit like pistachios, with white shells.

With a gentle tap from a kitchen knife, the hard white shell cracks, revealing a kernel wrapped in a brown coat inside.

The kernels of the Ginkgo Nuts are slightly larger than peanuts. After removing them all, put them in a pot to boil on high heat, adding a little baking soda while cooking.

Soon, the outer coat automatically falls off.

The Ginkgo Nuts are scooped out, rinsed with cold water, and the coat is removed, leaving the kernels with a distinctive fragrance inside.

At this point, the kernels are soft. Using a small knife, make a slight cut at the pointed end, then gently squeeze to pop out the embryos.

Once all are processed, the cooking officially begins.

Placing the dessert pot on the stove, add a little water, then half a spoon of fine sugar, and fire it up while stirring constantly so the sugar quickly dissolves and the water evaporates faster.

When dense bubbles start to rise in the sugar, put the Ginkgo Nuts in.

As time progresses, sugar frying has five steps: honey glaze, frosting, caramel, glazing, and sugar coloring.

Honey glaze is the initial step, appearing as water content reduces in the pot.

After putting the Ginkgo Nuts in, stir them twice, using the Ginkgo Nuts to cool the sugar syrup. Then add a large spoon of osmanthus honey and half a spoon of lard.

The purpose of adding lard is to enhance the aroma, making the honey glaze taste better.

As for osmanthus honey, it gives the Ginkgo Nuts the fragrance of osmanthus, making them more delicious.

Additionally, the golden color of osmanthus honey makes the Ginkgo Nuts look more tempting and beautiful.

When the honey glaze in the pot becomes thick and slightly stringy, remove it from the heat, then wet your hand in cold water, and flick your fingers over the pot to create water mist, letting it sprinkle on the pot.

This is done to cool the honey glaze, preventing it from turning into frost due to the residual heat, which would ruin the dish.

If not cooked adequately, the honey glaze won’t be thick enough to coat the kernels, which is also not good.

Once finished, put them in the plate, scooping three plates in total.

One plate was taken to the banquet hall for Mi Lan to try the Ginkgo Fruits they produced, while the remaining two plates were given to the employees so everyone could get to know Ginkgo Fruits.

Lin Xu carried the plate of honey-glazed Ginkgo Nuts to the banquet hall, where everyone had started eating.

On the table were seven or eight dishes, all hot-selling items from the store.

"I made some honey-glazed Ginkgo Nuts with the freshly brought back Ginkgo Fruits. Mi Lan, try them and see if you’re satisfied with the taste."