Gourmet Emperor: Master Of Culinary World 107 Arrange Menu

I take the tray with the plate full with garnished vegetables and fruits to my room. When I arrive there, n.o.body is around so I can put the tray on the table without anyone curiously asking 'what is that?'. Actually, I also want to eat in dining room with my father and family, but that will make my girls eat on their own room because they can't join and sit on the same table with me in the dining room. Although we have a close relations.h.i.+p, still some manners must uphold. There's should be a boundary between master and servants (although I already consider my maids like my girlfriends, not servant), so I decide will eat in the dining room only once in a while.

While waiting my girls bring dinner to my room, I decided to start arranging the schedule and events for Earl Stamfort welcoming party. I also already promised my sister about the guidance for her job as the host later. So I need to make it and give it to her tomorrow when I pick the underwear which I ask my sister to modify before. I sit on my desk, take a sheet of paper and the quill and start to write the schedule.

First thing I write is what we should do when Earl Stamfort arrives in our castle, and what needed to execute that action. I don't have any ideas who n.o.bles traveling for long distance in this world, so I make a rough picture based on the movie or story I watch/read in my previous world. I imagine they're traveling on horse carriage in the land road which far from word 'flat'. The trip must be full with shaking and jumpy when they crossing the uneven road, that must be tiring. They also not come with one or two carriages only, they should also bring cart for logistics during the trip, same like when I go to the beach for salt making but the scale might be bigger. If they arrive some hours before the lunchtime, I guess it would be better if we gave them time to rest and refres.h.i.+ng. From this, I make two events for arrival time, first, welcoming ceremony in the front yard. Red carpets, flower shower maybe good enough for this welcoming ceremony but if we don't have enough flower petals for flower shower, maybe some flower bucket will do. Also, I must prepare servant to handle the carriage and bring it to stable and maids to show the guests the room where they will sleep later. My father should give a speech to welcome Earl Stamfort too in this welcoming ceremony.

Alright, the welcoming ceremony I consider done. Next is when the lunchtime arrives, what should we do before, during and after lunch? Also what kind of dish I should prepare for lunch since I also should prepare the menu for the banquet in the evening. I'm thinking about make a full course menu for the lunch, but full course menu also varies in number. From the simplest 1 course menu which consists only main menu to the lavish eleven-course menu that ever served for t.i.tanic pa.s.sengers on her unfortunate sailing. Our current full course in castle only 2-3 course menu but for this event, I wish I can serve at least 5-course menu. In my previous world, common full course is 3-7 course menu which consists of:

• A three-course meal usually has an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert.

• A four-course meal might include a soup, an appetizer, a main course, and dessert.

• A five-course meal can include a soup, an appetizer, a salad, a main course, and a dessert.

• A six-course meal usually includes an amuse-bouche, a soup, an appetizer, a salad, a main course, and a dessert.

• A seven-course meal includes an amuse-bouche, a soup, an appetizer, a salad, a main course, a dessert, and a mignardise with coffee or tea

With this kind of menu, I must select the suitable course to make sure I will not lack menu to serve during Earl Stamfort stay in our castle. I want to serve a different menu each time we have a meal, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But my problem is time to teach the cooks in the castle for new recipes are limited. Even they know many recipes, it would take time for them before they can make a perfect dish from those recipes. Also, some ingredients for a certain dish is limited like the bird nest, for example, I only bet on their ability to cook for this dish after showing them how to make the dish once. I just hope they won't disappoint me with their cooking skill.

With that kind of thinking, I start to make a list of the menu that can be made in the kitchen, with rank from easy, medium, to hard level. Easy means the ingredients are easy to get here and also the dish easy to make like porridge for example. Medium means the ingredients are easy to get but to make the dish need certain skill and process. Hard means the ingredients are hard to get and the cooking process needs excellent cooking skill.

Another thing I need to know is how much knowledge the castle cooks had for cooking techniques. How deep is their knowledge of meat processing? Like bake, grill, fried, stew. If they have this kind of knowledge, at least they able to make 4 different dishes. I should ask them about their cooking techniques tomorrow.

* KNOCK KNOCK*

Knocking sound in the door wakes me up from my deep thought.