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HADES KITCHEN FINALS



The five remaining chefs are walked to a large, beautiful open balcony on the second floor. On every edge of the balcony, in a round circle, is a small haunted fridge, as well as the usual cookoff center. Each contestant is given a place.

"The final five," Chef Hyde continues, "here in the flesh and Fear, to compete in their greatest culinary challenge. We will be expecting only the best, after this commercial break."

COMMERCIAL BREAK
*The soft lull of a violin plays in the background*

Citizen A: *stops playing casketball to stare at camera* I have panty crabs! *a panty crabs crawls out from the casketball*

Citizen B: *looks up from cooking* I have panty crabs too! *a panty crab crawls out from the pot*

Citizen C: *rises from the grave* I also have panty crabs. *a small army of panty crabs crawl out from the grave*

Narration: Do you have panty crabs and don't know how to deal with them? Don't worry, you are not alone! Try the 24-hour panty crabs free pill, and you will find yourself free of all your panty crab problems! Side effects may include turning small, tiny, turning into a panty crab, suddenly dissipating, accidentally being warped into an alternate dimension and developing a sudden craving for small human eyeballs

END COMMERCIAL

The camera returns and the five finalists are once again seen posing at their tables.

"You will have three hours to prepare a full meal for us." Gorgon Ramsay begins, once the cameras have started rolling again and the lights focus on him, "One stunning appetizer, entree, and dessert. You have everything in the Haunted Fridge at your disposal, and the large pantry selection before us. Make this your best meal yet. All contestants have three hours and then we will come and taste each meal select the best of the best. Good luck."

"On your mark," continues Hyde," get set,"-

- The clock shrieks horrifically and begins to tick.

(I hope it's ok if I do this in multiple posts)

The Prep

Camilla took the opportunity after presenting her dish to the judges and returning to her station to relax... it had been a stressful few days for the Dormouse ghoul having to do things to minis she never thought she ever would and it was going to be a few days before she could properly look some of her own minis in the eye but she'd made it this far... she might as well go all the way!

Camera's loomed around her and the other contestants but the Dormouse ghoul had grown so used to them she didn't care anymore and as one passed by she even gave a friendly but worn wave to the camera finally the alarm signaling the end of the semi finals went off and the Dormouse ghoul quickly straightens up

She hoped she had done well enough with her invisible dish and waited with baited breath as the lights dimmed and the head chefs were spotlighted Camilla listens to what they said then ends up holding her breath as the drum roll begins when the first ghoul was called the Dormouse ghoul was still holding her breath and when finally her own name was called a huge smile broke across her face "Ooo! I made it to the finals!? Yay!" She says excitedly in as hushed a voice she could manage

Camilla wanted to jump up and down and cheer as she normally would but she knew that she was on national tv so she TRIED to keep her composure as much as possible though one could see as the Dormouse ghoul walked up to stand with the other two that she was practically bursting at the seams with excitement and joy just by looking at the huge smile she had on her face and the way her tail whipped back and forth

Camilla was having trouble holding still and ended up rocking on her heels a bit to get some of the hyper nervous excited energy she was full of out while she waited for the last two contestants to be called when they came up to join the other three and the head chef congratulated them then said everybody else needed to pack their bags Camilla frowns a bit and some of the hyper energy leaves her...

Many creeple she knew had made it to the semi finals AJ, Rhiannon, Carlos... it was alittle sad to see them leaving but soon the smile returns as they are herded to a large open balcony the Dormouse ghoul determined then that she could do her very best so that she could truly say she earned this place in the finals! When they got to the balcony Camilla looks around in awe at the beautiful view and the cook centers before them happily she took her place at one of the stations and couldn't help but laugh a bit as they said they'd get back to the competition after the commercial break

She was still giggling a bit mostly to relieve tension when apparently the break was over and the lights focused on gorgon again quickly she composes herself and listens to what was in store her face growing more serious and calm as before the clock even screeched to go she was trying to think what to make

Quickly the Dormouse ghoul goes over to the large fridge and smiles at the eyes that blinked back at her before opening it to find a myriad of ingredients "Oh wow! There's so many things I could make! But what should I make...?" she asks herself quietly then puts a hand to her chin ...as much as she didn't like the idea of making Mouseshire dishes using minipets she also wanted to show the Judges what she had every day what she normally made... Finally with a nod Camilla reaches into the fridge and starts pulling stuff out before heading over to her station

Plating and Presenting

With her Appetizer done there was just one last piece to her culinary puzzle missing the cake! It was taking alittle longer then expected and while she waited for it to finish she went ahead and set up her appetizer

On plates with a nice floral design Camilla makes a nest of Lettuce and Chicory then as artfully as she could places the mushroom mixture in the leafy nest and garnishes with a few Tarragon Leaves before turning the plate this way and that and using a napkin to wipe any messy looking sauce from the sides till it looked as neat as she could make it

It wasn't long after she finished that she heard the ding of her timer "Good the cake is done!" she says happily and rushes over to the oven carefully she opens the door and uses a toothpick to see if it was infact done and to her delight it was! It still needed to cool however so the Dormouse ghoul quickly takes it over to a wire rack and carefully turns it out onto the rack to cool

While the cake was cooling Camilla started putting everything she needed on the trolley she had plans for the roast Bovid thrull table side service was rare nowadays even in Mouseshire so Camilla decided she would carve and plate the Roast Bovid Thrull right there in front of the the judges! Camilla's inner hostess as in overdrive now and carefully she went about finding the best plates she could for the Roast Bovid Thrull then placing the gravy in a nice gravy boat and grabbing a few mint leaves for garnish

Finally her kitchen timer starts dinging letting her know the cake should be cool "Perfect!" she says and moves over to it touching it lightly with her finger "Awesome! It's all cool now!" she says excitedly then moves to grab a large cookie cutter it was time to assemble the trifle! Normally a trifle would be done in one big jar like bowl but sense she was serving this to only a few judges she decided to put it into individual bowls In each bowl she first put a layer of the lemon cream then a layer of the lemon pound cake before soaking the cake with a layer of the berries and their juices she did this a few more times until she had many pretty layers and finally she topped it all off with a nice dolip of lemon cream

With the dessert done Camilla places the clear wine glass like bowl full of trifle on the cart then smooths down her hair and cloths as best she could so she looked presentable herself then heads off to present her meal to the judges

Right before she gets to them she takes a breath and smiles cheerfully "HI!" she greets while she pushes her trolley up to their table "My Appetizer for you today is Country Aromatic Mushroom!" she says excitedly but professionally before picking up the plates and putting them on the table before the judges she waited nervously while they tried her dish one could tell despite the poker face she had on that she was nervous by how her tail kept twitching at the ends when they finish she nods and takes the plates back then moves to her next dish

"My Entree is this!" she says motioning to the tented meat "It may not look like much now because I decided I would like to grace you with the tradition of table side service!" she says cheerfully then carefully lifts the platter onto the table and takes the foil off revealing the still warm meat after placing the plates she chosen which had rusty brown designs around the rim on the table she begins carving and explaining the dish "What I have for you here is Roast Bovid Thrull with Caramelized Tearjerker Gravy" she explains then begins plating the meat

She starts by artfully piling up slices of the meat in the center of the plates and drizzling them with the gravy before drizzling the gravy around the plates in a nice pattern and wiping away any messy looking places with a napkin she had hanging off her apron after turning the plates a bit to give them a final look over she lifts them up and carefully places them in front of the judges she was relaxing a bit but still had a bit of a nervous twitch to the end of her tail when the judges finish trying her entree she takes the plates back and moves to grab her desserts

"And now for the last course! The Dessert!" she announces cheerfully as she picks up the glasses and places them gentle before the judges "What I have here is a Berry Trifle! However instead of using regular Pound Cake I baked a Lemon Pound Cake in hopes that it would go better with the Lemon Cream! Please Enjoy!" she explains then steps back and bows a bit she had been saving the please enjoy for the last course so she wouldn't get repetitive

While she waited for their judgement a few concerns raced through her mind the first was she hadn't actually tried any of the food!Not even the Country Aromatic Mushrooms a big no no in cooking she knew but she refused to eat minipets this however meant she didn't actually know if these dishes tasted as she hoped they did... Her next concern was the meat she hoped medium rare was to the judges liking... and finally the dessert she loved lemon she just hoped she hadn't gone overboard on the lemon by using a lemon pound cake instead of regular pound cake...

(Bonus section)

Recipes!



Dinnerware!

Ruth had not expected to reach the top five. Candlejack, she didn't even expect to make it past the tryouts. There had been a lot of great dishes throughout the competition. But here she was, being called and made to pose at her work station. And all they wanted was for the contestants to prepare the best meal yet.

Blondie was more than ready. In fact she was serious about it all, even if it meant being nervous and anxiety ridden from start to finish. Of course, now that Ruth herself was on board, it meant the last three dishes would have a little bit of paranoia agent added in the mix.

The first thing she did was go to the pantry. No, wait, the first first thing she did was steal more paper from one of the production crew. The show demanded she explain herself, but she wasn't going to break her silence. Not even for the chance of victory. Which was why she needed a way to communicate (and she'd left her sketchbook in her room.) The second thing she did was write down a list of dishes she knew how to make. And in the end, she decided to add a little twist.

She looked up from her plan and then headed to the pantry, all the while chewing on her lips in obvious apprehension. What if this doesn't work? her expression and her body language seemed to say. Inwardly, Ruth was already going over the ingredients available to her and squaring her shoulders back, the blonde reaper started to collect things.

Minis were plucked, declawed, deboned, shredded, and chopped. Ovens were preheated, oil was poured, pans were placed atop stoves, knobs were turned, and knives flashed.

--------------------

For starters, Ruth mixed flour, salt, and oil in a bowl until she made a dough. Water and some crushed pumpkin seeds were added a little at a time until the dough was stiff. Leaving it in the bowl and covering it with a damp cloth, she set to work on the filling. This time, she decided to make use of the tear jerker gathering and declawing skills she'd practiced in the earlier rounds. With enough chopped tearjerkers, ginger,and green chilli, she set about washing the mashers before placing them in a pot to boil. And because a watched pot never boils, went to the invisible ingredients which she tasted one at a time until she found the right spices and tastes. Once her mashers were done, she left the skin on and proceeded to (as their names suggested) mash them.

In an pan, she heated oil and some pumpkin seeds, waiting until they sizzled before adding in the tear jerkers, ginger, and green chillis until the tear jerkers were properly sauteed. The spices were added next, and because the camera kept going back to her and the containers with the invisible spices, Ruth was forced to list what she used: "Coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, and salt."

After mixing them well, she let them cook for 2-3 minutes. And while she waited for that to complete, she set about prying the fruit wedges from the dead tart treats and setting them aside for later use. The mashers and some leaves from the earth kittra were mixed in with the cooked veggies and the flame was switched off. With a lemon wedge from the tart treat lemon, Ruth started squeezing out the juice until she nodded in decision that it suited her taste.

Here, she looked to the camera, gave a weak smile and a thumbs up in a poor attempt at showmanship. The slices and wedges of fruit from different tart treats were tossed into separate blenders until she had a decent amount of different flavored fruit purees.

While she wasn't planning it, she ended up fighting off the tart eater because it had slithered up to her jacking workstation and was trying to eat her tart treats. She was grateful for it, however, as she knew she would eventually have to fight one off because she would need the tart it came with. It was going to be for a different dish but she only had three hours and time was of the essence.

The fruit purrees were mixed in with their color coded jelly blobs. Water and honeycomb golden were mixed in to fix the consistency and taste before being poured into different moulds and placed in the fridge to set.

From there, it was now a matter of chopping parsley and garlic, shelling walnuts, and grating tatoogie cheese. After she gathered thin-cut bacon and flank steak, she combined the parsley, cheese, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Slowly, she poured in olive oil until she had pesto.

Over medium-low heat, Ruth cooked the becon in a wide pan clearly meant for something larger. When some of the bacon was still half-cooked, she took them out of the pan and set them on a plate of paper towels. The remaining meat was allowed to cook but she pulled them off the stove until they were starting to get crispy.

With a heavy meat mallet, Ruth started showing the audience her acquaintance with the use of blunt objects was more than casual as the steak was evenly tenderized and in short order. A thin layer of pesta was spread on the surface before she sliced off a small strip. It was on this smaller portion that she laid the half-cooked bacon strips across the grain before rolling the strip and tying it up with thick string. In the wide pan, she seared the rolled meat in the bacon fat.

Once browned, the roll was taken off the stove and Ruth preheated the oven. The remainder of the steak and bacon were sliced and chopped and combined before being placed in the tart the tart eater came with. Pulling a portion from the dough she prepared earlier, the reaper rolled it out into a pie top. Carefully, she laid the dough onto the tart filled with meat and forgot to poke holes in. Or did she? The mini pies and the rolled meat were placed in the oven to cook.

In a deep frying pan, Ruth poured out a good measure of oil. The remaining dough was pulled into smaller balls, which she also rolled flat. The cooked veggies were carefully spooned into these circular sheets, before they were pinched and shaped shut. Idly, she wondered how long it had been and saw she had some time to make one more dish.

During her first journey through the pantry, she noticed a shelf was completely bare. Which either meant someone in the production crew was getting fired (perhaps literally) or it was stocked with invisibles. Pushing the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows, Ruth set to work on making a surprise fourth dish! "It shall be a side dish" she wrote for the camera. "And it will be a surprise."

The fruit jellies were pulled out of the fridge and carefully stacked and plated. The pies and roll were taken out of the oven. A pastry was laid on each plate and left to cool, though the top looked a little... bloated. The roll was then sliced into little coin shapes and positioned beside a pie. And finally, the vegetables were dipped in the boiling oil until they were deep fried.

--------------------

When Ruth managed to finish plating her dishes, she proceeded to write her explanation until it was her turn to present her meal. Swallowing for the sake of drama, Ruth gathered her notes and loaded her tray with her food. At the judges' table, she lifted: "My meal comes with a bit of a twist. My appetizier appears to be something you would find as a dessert. I present my Fortune Cookie Mashermosas"



With a nervous smile, she pulled out her next notes For the Main Course, I have prepared quest beast tarts with quest beast coins in case you come across the "To Continue, Insert Coin" screen. It was at that moment that the top of the pie gave up and burst, letting the steam that built up inside it finally escape. Ruth broke into a cold sweat and hoped to jack that the judges would think it was intentional, or they would be distracted by her side dish. It's a Invisible Surprise! she'd written with extra emphasis on the surprise.



And finally, came her dessert. "For my last dish, I have here fruit gummies in the form of our usual main dishes. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza, with some grue beer."



She lifted another card "YOU HAVE DOOMED US ALL", looked down, and hastilly flipped it over to read "ENJOY". Quickly and quietly, she bowed and scurried back to the kitchen.

Soren had been able to wipe the oil off of his chest when the judges had went to the next contestant, and now he merely waited to move on to the next round. He was a horseman, he needed to do his clan proud, and he did that by simply standing stoically as he advanced to the finals, and then posing when they came back from commercial break. It was simple really, a seemingly casual stretch that lengthened the lines of his body and would be appealing from really any angle.

As soon as they said they were to create a meal, Soren’s mind was whirling with ideas. There were apple muffins, apple pies, apple tarts, caramel apples, apple salads...the options were endless. The hardest part would be actually setting a menu, and so he strode hastily toward the pantry, not at all afraid to use elbows to get what he wanted. He spotted a Tea Deer and remembered a dish he had made with it before, and now he knew what to do. The creature squirmed in his grasp as he hauled it around under one arm, snagging a few Apple Cider Drinkits along with some other ingredients before hustling back to his station.

Immediately the stallion got to work. Ordinarily with this dish he would let it sit for hours before cooking it, and he simply didn’t have that kind of time. He slit open a drinkit and held it over a pan, letting the Fear-laden cider that flowed through it’s veins run out before squeezing it a few times and reaching for the next one. That went on the stove with some water, salt, and black and red pepper, which he let warm while he went back to the pantry to get some yellow sugar shards, selecting the darkest of the little blighters to add to his saucepan. He rather enjoyed listening to it’s soft screams before it finally melted while he worked on breaking down the Tea Deer. All he really needed was the loin, and he carefully carved it out before breaking it down into chops, knowing they would cook faster and absorb more of the liquid he was going to be marinating them in. The liquid in the saucepan had barely started to bubble so he pulled it off the heat, pouring it into a big bowl over several ice totems to quickly cool it, as well as spread out the marinade. With that fairly cool he put the meat into it, hoping the flavors would permeate the meat while he worked on his other dishes.

He knew that the next longest dish would be dessert. He couldn’t settle on a simple pie, even though they were one of the tastiest treats known to pony, so he needed something to impress. Grabbing a pan he moved back to the pantry, hunting until he managed to find some tart treat apple spices. He didn’t bother actually taking the minipets, but instead ripped away all their little green apples and bared his teeth at them when they reached for them with their little paws. Then he went back to the sugar shards, aiming for several clear ones this time before returning to his station.

The apples he quartered and cored, then cut into wedges. In a glass pie pan he had greased generously with a porifera draconis oil he put the wedges in a circle, then wedged several last wedges into the center. On the stove he used a small sauce pan to put his new sugar shards in, adding in just a bit of water. It was only after he had that started that he realized he had some time before he’d actually need to take that off of the pan, so back to the pantry he went, gathering the rest of the ingredients for the cake so he wouldn’t have to make any more trips until it was safely in the oven.

The sugar shard had melted, and the liquid was starting to bubble, but it was still clear, so Soren moved onto the next prepping steps. The oven he turned on to preheat, then starting mixing together dry ingredients. A dash of salt, a pinch of baking powder, and that all mixed together with the finest fairy cake flour they had to offer. In large bowl he put in a Flox Sugar and some butter, letting it sit while he checked on the boiling sugar. It was no longer clear, but it was a light tan rather than the warm amber he was looking for. Letting out an annoyed huff he went back to arranging his station, getting the two Unchecked Eggs he would need ready, then making sure his sour-tempered Partypaca Cream was secured next to his tart minipets.

Finally his boiling sugar was starting to get close, and now it seemed to heat rapidly now. It probably seemed as if he was just standing there, staring at the pan, and that was exactly what he was doing. Finally he deemed it finished, and it pulled the pan from the burner, giving it a swirl before pouring the bubbling sugar directly on the apples. It continued bubbling away, the remainder already starting to harden in the pan, and he nodded, satisfied before starting to work on the batter.

He was please to be working with inkling cow butter, rather than the more common Froms cow butter, and that was part of the reason he was here. Access to high quality ingredients. So as he worked he munched on some leftover pieces of apple from the cake, creaming together the butter and flox sugar until it was light before adding in one of the unchecked eggs. Some of the Fear seemed to be trying to flee the mixture, so he put his muscles to use, beating it back into the batter before adding yet another egg. He stopped for a minute, zesting a bit of the tart treat lemon over the batter as it squirmed and squealed, then cutting into a tart eon vanilla bean and adding a bit of it’s Fear to the mix. Last but not least he put in some of the sour Partypaca cream, and that was when he really got to work. The sour disposition seemed to be trying to turn the mixture, and he let a bit of his Fear build up, scaring the batter back into submission. Once it was well mixed it was time to add the dry ingredients a little at a time until it was just mixed.

By now his sugar had cooled a bit on the apples, and putting the batter on top wouldn’t cook it on impact. He poured it over and then smoothed it out to the edges with the knife. The batter basically filled the pan, but it wouldn’t rise too much in the oven. He popped it in, glancing at the clock to see what time it was and when he would need to take it out and nodded, he was more than on time for this.

Now it was simply time for prepping everything. He wanted his meat to marinate as long as possible, and his appetiser to be as fresh as possible. Another trip to the pantry had him walking slowly back, trying not to let any ingredients fall or escape as he made his way to his station. He started breaking down baby Nekogiri, collecting the Fear-laced rice and setting it aside with some Tart Treat Coconut.
In another area he collected some Apples and Oranges, then started to work on another ingredient. He blended together several Gummi Spiny Nuts until they made a rich paste like a butter. That he arranged into thirds, leaving one part plain, mixing the second part with a Half Oz Milk, and the other with a Half Oz Mint to give them different flavor profiles. Putting another Tart Treat Coconut over by them he went ahead and started one of his sides.

He sliced yet more pilfered apples from the Tart Treat Apple Spices, and then added in a couple of sliced Apples, their Orange counterparts tossed in the trash. Those with a dash of cinnamon and some more Inkling Cow butter went into a nonstick pan, and he let that start to cook down while he checked on his cake. It was going along well, but it still needed some time so he went back to the dish on the stove. A lovely apple smell was filling his station, and he added in another dark yellow sugar shard to help caramelize the dish. Once it was fairly broken down he set it aside, knowing it would easily warm up when it was time to plate his entree.

Now his cake was ready, and he took it out carefully, watching through the glass as the sugar inside bubbled along. It was hard not to lick his lips and dig in, but he set it aside to let the sugar firm up just a bit before going to get his grill ready.

There was no actual grill, but there was a grill pan, and he sighed and put it on the stove. Not perfect, but he could make it work. He double-checked on the meat, and it looked okay. The Tea Deer had a fairly mild flavor, and the brine would pull out any gamey taste. He went ahead and put a pan with a bit of water on the stove, getting the heat on it before turning back to the cake.

Before it actually cooled he needed to invert it onto a platter. He selected a blue and cream colored one from the plating area and hussled back to the cake. Centering it over the pie dish he flipped it toward himself, then let it rest. The cake slowly loosened and fell down to the plate, all except for a couple of apples. Giving them a glare to show how displeased he was he got out a knife, easing off the few apples and placing them back where they should go before giving the dessert a dusting of Flox Sugar. How horribly festive.

Now it was time for most things to happen at once. A bit of finely sliced coconut (for texture) and the rice went into the water heating on the stove, and as soon as it started boiling he added in a variety of seasonings and moved it to a simmer before covering it and turning to the Tea Deer. He took the pieces out of the brine, rinsing them with cold water and patting them dry before greasing the grill pan and putting them on. He covered the pan with a domed lid to keep the heat in, knowing they should cook at a low heat. For the next several minutes the stallion was fairly relaxed, stirring at the rice mixture occasionally and sampling a piece of the apple side dish to make sure it was seasoned properly. After a while he turned the Tea Deer, noting the grill marks with a smirk. They were close to being done, so he put a bit of heat back on his apples, bringing them back up to temperature. His rice finished he put a lid on it and took it off the heat, then pulled off the Tea Deer, stacking them onto a platter with a pair of antlers twined together for a bit of garnish.

All he had left was his appletiser. Appetiser. More Apple and Oranges were separated on his cutting board, and the apples he quartered and cored. With a few knife swipes he opened up the segments, devouring the pieces he cut out as he went along. The openings he stuffed with his different Gummi Spiny Nut mixtures. Shaving some coconut he added some crunchy garnishes and then those he arranged in trios on green ceramic plates.

Somehow he had extra time, and he wasn’t going to waste that. Another Apple Cider Drinkit was drained into a saucepan, and some cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and just a squeeze of Orange was added in to make a nice rich cider. In another pan a few sticks of cinnamon from a young Apple Cider Drinkit went in with a sugar shard and some water to make a cinnamon simple syrup. Into a goblet went a few blueberries from a Tart Eon Blueberry and then a bit of the cinnamon simple syrup, and those goblets put on a tray for the judges with some sparkling apple cider for the entree portion. The wassle went into mugs, to be served steaming with the cake. And now, time was winding down. The cake was sliced and plated onto thin glass plates, the rice put down on more of the green ceramic plates as a bed for the Tea Deer and the apples to the side, the syrupy sauce from the juice ready to be slurped up or for the Tea Deer to be dipped in.

He was ready for the judges.

When it was finally his turn to present he moved forward confidently to face them. Some may not have recognized him as the contestant they had seen in rounds past, primarily because he actually had his shirt on this time. Disappointed fan fillies were likely, but for certain persnickety judges he wanted to make sure they knew this was all about the food.

Which meant he actually had to sell it. The stallion was actually going to have to talk about his food, and he was ready to break his normal silence. He waited for a moment to let them all get a look at his dish before speaking, his voice loud enough to be heard but pitched low, husky, and easy, with a bit of a flirtatious air. This was a voice he hadn’t really used on anyone but Neru since he had become her guardian, but if there were any horsewomen watching there were probably a few (dozen) that would recognize the seductive tones. “On the plate in front of you are Triple Crown Stuffed Apples and Oranges sans the Oranges. Each one is a winner, some savory and some sweet. Go ahead and indulge, the filling is pureed Gummi Spiny Nuts, one with milk chocolate added, and the other with a burst of mint chocolate. To juxtapose the creamy filling the Apples will provide a crisp burst of Fear and the Coconut Tart Treat adds both whimsy and a bit of crunch.”

More than one judge may have been the recipient of a wink or a lingering gaze. Sure, it was all about the food, but again, he had to sell it.

The entree was served, and now that his vocal cords were getting warmed up he moved into the description easily. “Resting on a bed of seasoned Nekogiri rice and coconut slivers is a juicy Apple Cider Brined Tea Deer Chop cooked to perfection. On the side are two types of apples slow simmered in their own juices with sugar and cinnamon. Feel free to eat the juices on their own or dip a bit of your Tea Deer chop into it. This is paired with a sparkling apple cider. In your glass will be a bit of cinnamon simple syrup and some blueberries to add an extra level of Fear to the drink.”

Now on to the dessert, and this was where it could really speak for itself. Mysteriously enough there was none left other than the plate the film crew was using for glamor shots and the plates in front of the judges. Oddly enough there was a stray crumb or two on Soren’s shirt. “This is a Tart Treat Apple Spice Cake “Tatin.” The sugar was cooked until it almost caramelized, and during the baking process soaked into the cake. It is a sweet cake, but you’ll find that the Tart Treat Lemon lifts the cake so you can just keep going.” That was said with an obvious wink and eyebrow waggle. Stamina. It was important. “The drink is Wassle, Apple Cider Drinkit with a bit of orange and spices. Enjoy.” The last word was almost a purr, and then he was done. He had received a more-than-slightly filthy look from one of the camera women, so he was pretty sure he had nailed the seductive tone and the rest was up to his plates.