Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Bet

Mother sauce.

The beginning and middle, and the end that penetrates the entire modern French cooking philosophy.

To the point there are even words that cooking without mother sauce is not French cooking an indispensable core element in French food history, but from the start mother sauce didn't stand at the center of French cooking.

Even until the Middle Ages French cooking was considerably rough and coarse.

Sauce was also just mixing spices with wine, vinegar and sprinkling on meat all.

There were many recipes where the balance of taste was broken by using spices too excessively.

The food of rough Frankish macho men transforming into that of refined and elegant nobles was, from the 17th century when one ingredient started receiving attention.

Roux.

A mixture made by mixing flour and butter together, that played the role of adding thick concentration and texture to the sauce.

From here naturally derived mother sauces as many as three.

Béchamel made by mixing milk in white roux.

Velouté made by adding meat broth to blond roux.

Espagnole with meat broth, tomato paste even put in brown roux.

Plus Hollandaise and Sauce Tomate that don't use roux combined five sauces.

Because other French sauces derived from these five sauces reached dozens, they came to be called mother sauces combining them.

Still until now the concept of mother sauce isn't clearly established, and the cooking methods of each region of France are still in a fragmented state.

The genius chef who organized this confusion and established the concept of mother sauce, and made systematic cooking methods and established the true identity of French food culture is exactly Auguste Escoffier.

The book 'Le Guide Culinaire' he published in 1903 becomes an immortal achievement to the point of being counted as a classic of Western food history even in modern times a hundred years later.

Not only that.

Demi-glace that is often sprinkled as tonkatsu sauce in Korea is also a sauce this person first mentioned and became known.

The rules that prohibit smoking and drinking in the kitchen, and must maintain dignity as a chef Escoffier also strongly insisted and generalized.

Because his touch reached even the improvement of kitchen environment, all matters regarding management not only cooking he was famous until modern times that talk.

Besides that he created the world's first gourmet association Ligue des Gourmands, or planned the world's first international gourmet event 'Dîner d'Épicure'.

Simplifying the exaggerated cooking techniques of haute cuisine and preaching the philosophy of valuing only the taste of ingredients, attempting presentation of cooking directly in front of guests etc... There were countless intertwined anecdotes.

Later the influence of him who raised the social status of chefs was truly great. The reason he later received the Légion d'honneur medal for the first time as a French chef was also because of this.

However still the period when his fame hasn't risen to the worldwide stage. Of course, thanks to excellent skill he was selected as the head chef of Savoy and Carlton Hotel, but still only that.

To succeed as a celebrity one needs not only one's specialized field but also social influence.

For example like Conan Doyle causing a mystery novel boom and giving inspiration to numerous writers.

That is, now I absolutely had to save this person! At least until this person puts out 'Le Guide Culinaire' to the world!

No, what confidence is it to hang a provocation on a guest that a 5th ranking power person of Britain personally said he'd treat and called?!

Blood was gradually gathering on the Chairman's face! Emergency, emergency situation!

So I first had no choice but to mobilize all existing words and non-existing words and turn his interest!

"Chairman, since poisson (fish dish) came out this time, the next plat principal (main dish) will definitely be viande (meat dish). But would you believe if I can guess what the next dish is?"

"...Guess the next dish? Don't joke."

"It's not a joke. How about a light bet as pre-meal entertainment?"

"Bet? What kind of bet?"

"If I match, after the course ends call the chef and hear the explanation of how he composed the course. If I get it wrong, I'll inform in advance what the next British dish I'll eliminate is to the Chairman. Then there will be fun of appreciating."

"Interesting. Continue."

The Chairman's voice was full of suspicion, but the real emotion was clearly revealed in his eyes.

Finally the eyes laughed! I inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

Types whose words and thoughts always come out opposite are quite tricky to deal with. It felt like lifespan shortened a bit.

So can I really guess what dish will come out?

I'm not a god how would I know?!

But if not this level of unconquerable difficulty there was no means to draw interest so I just blurted and saw.

The rest I had no choice but to solve with improvisation.

If matching it's good, if not becoming a laughingstock briefly is over.

But it wasn't that there was no believing corner at all. For now I roughly guessed even up to who the chef is, right?

This was a tremendously big clue.

"Chairman, by any chance do you know the method used when surprising a person the most?"

"Surprising? How?"

"That's making them relax first. There's no time a bigger repercussion comes out than when surprising a relaxed person."

"It can be. What relation is that?"

"It's the same in cooking. The chef who designed this course dish is throwing various baits and stealing our gaze, and hiding what he really wants to show."

"Bait? These foods?"

The Chairman's gaze headed to the half-disappeared sea bream butter fry.

"In French cooking sauce is the core. There's no room for different opinion. So usually every one or two courses they place dishes where sauce is valued, or compose as a course where sauce is the center from the start. All the French restaurants in London I've been to were like that."

"Hmm..."

If French cooking from amuse-bouche they cover with sauce, or at least from entrée mother sauce had to come out.

Even if the concept of mother sauce isn't established, it wasn't that they don't use at all.

Rather it was right to see there were many cases of using more excessively because there's no accurate concept. For now to me it was like that.

"But the escargot, consommé, meunière that came out until now all had almost no sauce or weren't the main. I don't see this as coincidence."

"Indeed. The explanation until now fits reason. Then does Sir Durand think excellent French sauce will come out in the next main dish?"

The shock due to reversal at the climax, and the method of fulfilling expectation in another direction and arousing bigger emotion.

How did I notice this? Because I also enjoyed using such things.

And this was an original composition method one couldn't even imagine in the current era.

It was the sound of an idea only a genius like Auguste Escoffier would do.

Even a very small bud of suspicion, trampling with the bait of cooking skill that reached god level, and the real one intending to reveal in the fourth dish.

But I slowly shook my head at Chairman Balfour's question.

"No, Chairman. Rather it's the opposite."

"Opposite?"

"Yes, I have the conviction that sauce won't be used even in the fourth dish."

"For what reason? Didn't you say if giving reversal at the fourth the shock would be big?"

"Right. But if he's a really excellent chef, he would have considered even the fact that we inferred up to here. And there twisting once more and trying to give real shock."

"Wait, didn't you just say you'd match the dish? Then doesn't the range become too wide?"

If a gourmet who enjoys French cooking, they eat even caring up to what golden ratio the mother sauce was manufactured.

Because the charm of mother sauce is that texture and aroma change a little according to the chef's blending method.

So really delicious mother sauce the blending method itself becomes a secret.

But if Auguste Escoffier puts out a French course dish that doesn't use mother sauce? And if considering treating cooking against a person called me?

From here it was the realm of gambling with high probability.

First the fact that this person sends a message to me had to be certain. Only then my deduction would make sense.

"I'll match only the ingredient for sure. It's pig belly meat."

"Pig belly meat... Isn't it the ingredient of that Durand Grilling dish of yours? You're talking about that part used for bacon?"

As expected the Chairman also knows Durand Grilling. Since there was no mention I thought he didn't know.

Suppressing the heart of wanting to hide in a rat hole, I continued the words.

"Yes, my dish is a style of quickly raising firepower and grilling, but if it was me, instead of imitating my signature dish I think I'd use a completely opposite cooking method. If doing so one thing comes to mind."

"What is that?"

I inwardly, recalled what I most want to eat now.

Korean-style pig suyuk. And French people also love suyuk series dishes not inferiorly.

But not doing suyuk with pig belly meat like Koreans, they mainly used front leg meat like other European countries.

Still if a creative chef like Escoffier, even using pig belly meat it's not strange. But the exact name of such a dish I also don't know.

From the start French dishes would be over a thousand how would one memorize all that?

But if in a guessing style one can somehow make it make sense.

"Slowly cooking pig belly meat... Boiling would be the best. It will be a dish of soaking pig belly meat in wine and slowly boiling. Please watch if my prediction is correct. Up to here."

The real reversal would be Escoffier the father of mother sauce putting out a dish that doesn't use mother sauce, but since 'Le Guide Culinaire' hasn't been published yet I didn't bring those words out of the mouth.

"I see. It's a persuasive guess. If your words are correct, I'll greatly praise. Rather because it seems you'll match I became more surprised. Haha!"

The Chairman also seemed to have realized something from my words. Since he also would have enjoyed Escoffier's cooking at Carlton Hotel usually, he would have easily noticed the fact that the course composition is strange.

That difference might rather have displeased the Chairman. He expected the familiar dish he usually received, but putting out a completely new one he would have been flustered.

But already the situation of bringing out words that the head chef developed a new recipe and course, the moment denying that the Chairman himself becomes a fool so he was boiling due to face.

When I frontally pointed out the fact that there's another excellent intention in the course the Chairman also realized that and became a soft attitude again.

Whether the chef is Escoffier isn't certain yet, but I definitely saved one person's life. Phew.

A moment later, the serving cart was pushed in.

And the food that came out from there, really this was coincidence, but it was no different from my thought.

A pig belly meat dish slowly boiled in Bordeaux red wine and colored bright red.

The caramel shining on the surface looked very appetizing.

To the point one feels it was boiled with precise technology just looking at a glance.

No matter how much a dish made with pig belly meat that Europeans disdain, with this level it's the realm of art.

As soon as Chairman Balfour confirmed the dish he stood up from the seat and started slowly clapping.

"Really surprising, Sir Durand. You, gradually becoming a more coveted talent. Excellent insight."

"It's excessive praise. It was just a bet. Please eat before it cools."

"Hmm. I hope you use that ability for the British Empire sometime too."

The food was literally first-class. The Chairman also continuously blurted admiration.

"Certainly this main dish is a different dimension from the dishes usually eaten. Such delicious pig belly meat dish is the first..."

The boiling was perfect to the point the suyuk I treated to the Earl of Derby at Windsor Castle feels lowly.

The gap in skill. If this severe only awe comes.

As expected the god of cooking, hmm.

So the nameless white mold cheese that came out as finish, and the famous signature dessert peach melba and macaron didn't even remain much in memory.

"Good, you won the bet. Then requesting the manager and meeting the chef who treated this excellent course dish... Hmm?"

Before the Chairman finished the words the guest room door opened.

And the person who entered, was a man wearing a white chef's hat.

"Head chef. What's the matter? I didn't call."

The Chairman who until just now was going to call but pretending not.

I simultaneously met eyes with that person.

This man is Auguste Escoffier, the master of haute cuisine and the god of French cooking?