Chapter 10: Bouillon de Lgumes and Clear Soup

At last, its only two days before the banquet being attended by the four Grand Dukes. The whole Renalier estate is buzzing with activity.

In the four Grand Dukes banquet, its not only the Dukes who will be attending; their subordinates and even their servants numbering close to a hundred people in total.

Starting from tomorrow, the guests of honor will arrive in sequence. And then, each of them will require their own special hospitality, which is why this kind of busy atmosphere isnt strange form.

Head chef Kurt! Would this be appropriate for the preparation?

I finished the stock. Please taste it!

Right now, Im in the kitchen hall. Over here, the chefs of the Renalier house are receiving my instructions. After all, having more people means having more hands. Its impossible for me to prepare all the staffs duties on my own. And as expected, even without considering the servants of the guests, just the subordinates of the four Grand Dukes have surpa.s.sed thirty additional people already.

I dont make them just by myself; on top of letting the servants help me out, I have to drill the cooking methods into them as well. As expected, though. Being a chef in this place means that their skills as chefs are first rate. Anyhow, besides the elites that Margrave Fernande handpicked and brought as my helpers, I also have the help of the prided chefs of d.u.c.h.ess Renalier. They quickly grasp the gist and remember them.

However, I still personally made the servings intended for the four Grand Dukes on my own, because I want to prepare the best of the best for them.

At the same time, theres also the dessert, my chocolate cake specialty. If any troublesome mishaps occur in that, theres no one else who can handle it but me, so I must make it by myself from start to finish.

The cakes taste will deteriorate in one day after being fresh out of the oven. Frankly speaking, I want to make them all on the exact day, but theres not nearly enough time for that. Thats why, other than those that will be served for the Grand Dukes, I will make everything one day before. When I think about it, in reality, today is the deadline to drill all the necessary techniques into the other chefs. The time is running tight. Still, after being instructed for a few days now, they finally shape up.

Yosh, the fishs preparation there is great. The soup is yes, the sweetness of the vegetables are drawn out. But, the herb bouquet. It needs to be better. Add more parmesan.

If they keep this up, they should be able to perform well in the day.

I open the paper that contains the recipes.

Appetizer Tuna Tartare Steak and Deer Liver Pt

Salad Steamed Sh.e.l.lfish and Tomato Salad with Deluxe Sauce

Soup Deer Medicinal Soup

Fish Dish Eel Soup in Puff Pastry Pie

Meat Dish Roasted Jade Duck

Dessert Deluxe Chocolate Cake

Overall, the main purpose is to keep the fat content low while raising the appet.i.te.

For the cooking in this era, the tastiness of a dish equals the amount of grease. Thats why, I intentionally turn away from the fat content.

It is exactly because they are accustomed with greasy food that my skills will be the determining factor. That kind of full course dishes must be yet unknown to the four Grand Dukes. Delicate dishes that will showcase the natural flavor of the ingredients and bold preparation that will astonish the guests; those are my cookings forte.

Yosh. Everyone, gather around. Lets taste the soup.

The soup this time is made through quite some time and effort. I pile up the vegetables and herbs of various kinds, and then extract the flavor for a whole day long. Bouillon de Lgumes. With a technique that recently got extravagant praises in French cuisine. Its the technique for a vegetable-based stock.

Im not using herbs just for the taste. It is said to heal the stomach of those n.o.bles who are so used to eating extravagant dishes day after day, accelerate their digestive system as well as used as medicine for internal disorders. I chose this dish to create the effect of making the dish afterwards even more delicious, efficiently so. This soup is a delicious and edible medicine. The role of the Soup in a full course meal isnt simply as being delicious. It has to lead to the great flavor of the next dish. This vegetable soup is delicious on its own. However, theres a little bit more to it.

Typically, soup is carefully boiled for a long time. But this one is not just about that.

The western soup is the same as here, typically prepared by boiling the ingredients until they turn into a rich soup. According to that theory, this cooking is finished after boiling the vegetables for a long time, like now. However, this is a deer soup. The real deal has only just begun.

Look at it. Its the soup technique of the Far East.

I shave the

s.h.i.+kabus.h.i.+

that I brought here with a knife into transparent flakes. s.h.i.+kabus.h.i.+ is made from the most delicious hind legs of a deer, then dry aired and cured until it looks like bonito flakes.

Due to the curing process, the flakes version has overwhelmingly stronger umami than the raw meat. Even the Western world recognizes this method, the bonito flakes have that fishy smell that they cannot accept.

This

s.h.i.+kabus.h.i.+

is the counter-measure for that issue. It doesnt stink and it has strong umami;

s.h.i.+kabus.h.i.+

is suitable for any kind of cooking.

I heat it up before pouring the vegetable soup into a small pot. And then, I add the thinly transparent s.h.i.+kabus.h.i.+ into it, and stir it for about ten seconds. Thats all it takes. Its the so-called clear soup method. Its enough to draw out the umami, and with such a short time, it wont cause any bad smell from the meat. The moment the

s.h.i.+kabus.h.i.+

is heated up, it will still ooze the wild game smell, after all. But with this, I can make a clear soup wherever I am. Its still necessary to carefully boil the vegetables to pull out all those delicious flavors, but for meat, this method is better to obtain the umami without making it smell raw. Its truly a soup that combines the Western and j.a.panese.

Drink it up.

When I speak like that, the surrounding chefs look bewildered. Their heads cannot catch up to the foreign cooking method.

I shall be the first to try.

Head chef Venaritta took a step forward, then received a small plate from me. He sipped the soup.

Delicious. I see now. So we can actually draw out the meats umami and vegetables sweetness to this extent. With the slowly boiled vegetables as the base, you sharply add the meats umami in an eye-opening harmony. Theres no wild game smell at all, which must be contributed to the unboiled method. Wonderful. This kind of soup is a new invention. I feel moved and will remember it well. Boys, what are you dallying around for!? Quickly drink that. Youll learn well.

With those words, the chefs started to drink from the soup that they had gathered before.

So this kind of flavor does exist. What a perfectly clear taste.

With only ten seconds I can taste the meats umami to this extent.

So it can be this delicious even without b.u.t.ter or oil?

The fellow chefs voiced out their impressions. Those sound like good reactions. The soup I made this time is exactly a foul play, though. Bouillon de Lgumes, the latest method from the French cuisine world; the most advanced ingredient,

s.h.i.+kabus.h.i.+

; moreover, the clear soup method of j.a.pan. Also, the techniques to combine them with medicinal cooking knowledge. For the chefs of this world, its a soup that they absolutely cannot create.

My, my. I thought I wouldnt be surprised by anything that you brat made, but Im still struck dumb. There will be hidden surprises in the other dishes too, wont there?

Of course there will. This is a soup that will make the main dish s.h.i.+ne until the very last moment, just a minor performance.

The other dishes are elaborately planned with everything that I have as well. However, if its only about causing pure astonishment, this soup has to take the crown. It is completely different than the custom here.

Serving this to these chefs is deliberately planned so that they will have an easier time of listening to me afterwards. With that out of the way, if I make the dishes that will blow away their stereotypes, the chefs will instantly soften up to the idea. This should make their work after this become easier.

Everyone, we dont have much time. Lets keep doing the preparations!

To my voice, they

Ooou!

Everyone in this place answers with the yell of their fighting spirit. One by one, they receive my training towards their performance and the cooking instructions. With this pace, we can somehow prepare everything up to the real event in time, Im sure.

Credits:

Raws

Bouillon de lgumes au tofu from Notrefamille.com