Scorched!
By Millen Shah
Sizzle, sizzle, pop! Watching the batter bubble on pancakes is one of the many things I love about cooking.
“Joshua, did you burn the pancakes again?” yelled my sister Sophia from upstairs.
I looked at the pan. “Oops!” I tried to fix my mistake by flipping the pancake and buttering it, but the smell just worsened. I turned off the stove and quickly took the pancake off it. Dad came in and turned off the smoke alarm. That burnt smell made me lose a bit of hope. In a few weeks, I would be going to the Pasadena State Cooking Competition.
As I swirled the whipped cream on, my sister came downstairs and instantly grabbed the pancake mistake.
Before I could say anything, she took an enormous bite and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! This is the best thing you have ever cooked, Josh!” She smiled, adding, “You must make me another one!”
I love cooking for my family, for it brings me joy. In a few weeks, I was about to go to the Pasadena State Cooking Competition, my first cooking competition. I was really excited but also nervous. I tend to forget what is cooking, and sometimes, things get burned.
I loaded up the pan with more spoonfuls of batter and cooked them. As I flipped them over, I closed my eyes and then… pop! The bubbles sizzled as I looked at one of my perfectly cooked coconut pancakes. The fluffiness from the bottom was perfect. I wished I could take this perfection all the way to Pasadena.
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
“Welcome to the 51st Junior Pasadena State Cooking Competition!”
Ten kids were competing in the competition, standing in front of the ten ovens, refrigerators, and stoves while the Master Chef Bouttierie announced, “These chefs had rocked their respective cities with amazing chef skills. Now it is time for them to show the state what they can do.”
“Now test out your kitchen tools!” the other judge said. I turned the stove on and cut a bell pepper. I set it on the pan and it immediately sizzled like bacon.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
“This stove and oven heat up really fast!” I whispered to the next contestant. He only nodded. I would have to pay even closer attention to not burn anything! I was cooking in luxury. There were so many smooth pans and even a robotic sweeper. Just before the kids in the competition could sneak in some cooking, the head chef, Chef Bouttierie from Bouttierie Culinary Academy in Paris, got their attention.
His voice boomed, “These young chefs are ready to make some delicious meals today, but before we go on, we need to put in place the rules and guidelines for this competition. Today’s theme is ‘Casual Dining’. By the end of these ninety minutes, we expect them to have made an appetizer, entree, and dessert that will feed four people. We have provided them with every cooking ingredient needed, but they will also be allowed to pick four ‘special’ ingredients to use in their original dishes. Once that is done, they will present their culinary creations!”
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
I quickly ran the walk-in refrigerator with a tray and grabbed a giant purple onion, a bag of shredded coconut flakes, a bag of mini marshmallows, and a package of imported Italian mozzarella cheese. I was going to make an appetizer: “Toast with Cheese Dip”, and the entree would be pizza with onions. The dessert would be Marshmallow Coconut Cake.
I rushed to preheat the ovens. I washed my hands, put on my apron, and got out the kitchen tools.
The knives were so sharp, sharper than butcher knives. I’d have to be careful or I wouldn’t return home with all ten fingers. I focused on my breathing and set to work chopping.
First, the pizza dough. I mixed the flour, yeast, and water. Then, I kneaded it and set the dough aside to rise for thirty minutes. Other kid chefs were already working on their entrees. I glanced at my neighbor, Jr. Chef Liam. “He’s making spaghetti, adding gorgonzola cheese. It already smells so good. It is going to be hard to beat his creations. I should have done something simpler like him!” I thought.
I rushed to prepare the pizza tomato sauce. Ouch! It happened. I cut myself! Good thing the tomato sauce was red. I rushed to the first aid station for a band-aid, and then, finger throbbing, rushed back to keep working on the tomato sauce. When I finally finished the sauce, I put it aside. Then, I kneaded the dough, rolled it out, and put it on a baking sheet to rise. The competition timer clock showed only sixty minutes left!
I decided to make the cake batter next, mixing together the flour, eggs, sugar, milk, and half the coconut flakes. I poured it into a cake pan, put the cake pan in the oven, and set the oven timer with forty-five minutes left to cook on the competition clock.
Whew! Now to start the appetizer. In my fridge, I found a package of cheddar cheese. On the spice rack, I found chili powder. I put these in a blender with a bit of milk to make it a liquid, then I set the blender aside. I would make the toast last minute. This was getting complicated! “I sure hope I don’t mess up and forget anything,” I thought. “What is next? Oh yeah! The pizza.” I really had to hurry now!
I pushed it down one last time and spread the pizza sauce on. Then, I put on the slabs of mozzarella cheese. I was about to put the baking sheet with the pizza in the oven when the timer rang for the cake.
I quickly did some calculations, and then decided that I would put the pizza in the oven and then take the cake out. After I turned the cake timer off, I returned to my oven and noticed the red onion sitting on the counter untouched. I stopped to quickly slice the onion rings and arrange them on the pizza. I then slid the pizza into the oven and was going to reset the oven timer. But then my eyes were in a pool of tears from the onion fumes, so I ran back over to the first aid station to get eye drops.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
All of a sudden I heard Chef Liam exclaim, “Joshua! Something is burning!”
I could see the smoke escaping from the oven. I quickly rushed back to pull the cake pan out. Oh, shoot! It was burnt! Now what should I do? There wasn't time! I’d think about it later.
Just as I was thinking of how to improvise, Chef Boutterie reminded us, “Chefs, you now have twenty minutes to complete your meal.” I was sweating with panic. Suddenly, I had an idea, I would frost the cake and add marshmallows and the second half of the coconut on top to disguise the burn. Quickly, I assembled the marshmallows and coconut on top of the cake. As I returned the cake to the oven, I burned my fingers!
“Ow! That hurts!” I exclaimed as I sprinted to the first aid station again to get more bandaids.
I was putting them on when Chef Boutterie came by and sternly warned, “Something else is burning, Monsieur Joshua!” I could guess that he was deciding my fate as a chef at that very moment. Another dish was scorched! What was burning now?
I had already taken the cake out, so what was it? Oh no! I forgot about the pizza! I rushed to the oven to take out the pizza. I smelled the charred crust. It didn’t smell bad. Actually, something smelled really good.
secret techniques). I quickly caught my breath and went over to the oven. For some reason, it was still on! I looked at the oven timer and it said 40 minutes remaining! I had forgotten to reset the oven timer after the cake! I had only wanted it to broil the cake top for five minutes! I opened the oven to see the cake. It was charred all over, and the top looked like some paper had caught on fire! My mind raced.
I heard the toaster bell ring. I took out the toast a bit late. The toast was slightly singed but I hoped that the extra crispiness would make it taste good. I quickly arranged it on the plate with the cheese dip, then quickly grabbed the cake and set it on the counter.
I had just finished slicing the pizza when Chef Boutterie announced, “Les mains en l’air, hands up! Stand away from your meals!”
Boutterie and his colleague Chef Manon approached the first junior chefs. After taking a bite of each of the first eight contestants’ failed creations, they were quickly eliminated. The chefs took off their aprons, then walked off the stage feeling bummed. That left the last two contestants; Liam and I. Chef Boutterie approached Liam first.
“What have you cooked today, Chef Liam?”
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
“I have made an appetizer of Croquettes with Garlic. My entree is Spaghetti with Gorgonzola a la Francais, and my dessert is Gateau Chocolat,” he replied professionally.
Each chef took a bite out of the dishes.
“Mmm! Nicely spiced,” Chef Manon commented on the spaghetti.
“These croquettes are very tasty,” Chef Boutterie added.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
After both had tasted everything, they whispered to each other to discuss their scores. When they broke their huddle, Chef Boutterie announced, “Amazing job, Chef Liam, your food was délicieux.”
Chef Liam pumped his fist in the air in triumph.
“However,” Chef Manon continued, “we were looking for something with a bit more unique flavor, more irrégulier.”
Chef Manon smiled, and with a serious face, headed to my kitchen. Now it was my turn to show off my creations. I stood still in my kitchen, staring at my blackened meal. The black scars all over the cake made it look like a volcano oozing lava. In an instant, I realized that what I made was not such a failure after all!
“So what have you created today, Chef Joshua?”
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
“For the “Casual Dining” theme, I have made a charred meal,” I announced with pleasure. “For the appetizer, you will enjoy Charred Toast and Cheese Dip, followed by Margarita Pizza with Blackened Onions, and for the sweet course, Coconut Cake with Roasted Marshmallow Topping.”
Chef Boutterie took a slice of the toast, dipped it in the cheese dip, and took a bite.
“De bon goût, that was very good!” Next, he took a nibble out of the pizza. “Croquant! So crispy! And the blackened oignon and charred crust add a unique saveur.” Lastly, he took a slice of the cake and rolled it around on his tongue. “The combination of the gooey, roasted marshmallow topping with the toasted coconut is magnifique!” Chef Manon nodded in agreement.
The two chefs conferred in hushed tones about my meal. When they were done, Chef Bouterrie exclaimed, “That was incroyable!” He turned to the camera and announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the 51st Junior Pasadena State Cooking Competition is Chef Joshua Elrod!” Chef Manon put the winner's chef hat on my head as the studio crowd applauded.
And that’s how I became a very popular chef in Pasadena, so popular that two weeks later, I was invited to Chef Boutterie’s cooking academy to teach his students how to cook my unique creations. I taught them how to ignore the timer to scorch their dishes.
“Did you know that some of the greatest foods in history have been made by accident? Take the chocolate chip cookie. It was invented by mistake. So don't be afraid to try something new in cooking. Your mistakes might become your next culinary masterpiece!”
