Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Concert

Achieved the assignment.

That was clearly a story related to the homework of finding a way to eliminate Britain's three worst dishes.

The first was jellied eel.

The worst dish everyone unanimously picked. This was naturally solved by proposing a new cooking method of grilled eel, more delicious and advantageous even to merchants.

Now except for a few stubborn ones people looking for jellied eel almost none to the point popularity plummeted.

If supply decreases demand also decreases, demand decreases so supply falls again due to the virtuous cycle jellied eel might completely disappear from London within a few months at the earliest.

And this time's fish ball.

Although not sniping a specific dish, a fatal side effect (?) of the overall quality of London cooking rising as London citizens used my fish ball like a multi-purpose seasoning arose.

Thanks to that the taste of low-quality dishes one doesn't know if monster dishes like fish pie, or dishes that were extremely bland like pea soup started changing overall, so it seemed words of counting as achieving one assignment with that.

Stargazy pie would also be included in fish pie, right? In this atmosphere people who made that terrible monster dish with fish heads sticking out now seem like they'd make fish ball, but up to there one couldn't know yet.

Then how should the last one be done?

Choosing 3rd is harder than 1st.

Kidney pie made with cow kidney? Haggis made with sheep heart? Faggot made with pig intestines?

All three are terrible? How handle foods with bizarre ingredients?

"...Second is here Auguste Escoffier earnestly requested wanting to share the essence of the secret sauce he found while researching French cooking with you, so I called you to introduce directly. But Sir Durand, are you listening to my words?"

"Ah, yes, yes. Listening well."

Suddenly what secret sharing?!

Is it researching French cooking together? I don't have particularly deep knowledge in Western cooking?!

As soon as Chairman Balfour's words ended, Mr. Escoffier who was sitting quietly raised his hand and obtained the right to speak.

"In fact, from the first time I met a strange familiarity was felt. As if the voice is very similar to a benefactor I served in the past—"

"Escoffier. Here isn't a place to share private talk. Refrain from useless words."

"...Sorry, Chairman. I misspoke beyond my place."

Voice is similar.

Considering that Mr. Auguste Escoffier came over to Britain after the French royal family collapsed, he might have discovered some element one can reminisce in my biological father's bloodline.

But certainly as the chairman said, it was a story completely unrelated to the current me.

Moreover time would have flowed as much as my age, it also seems he made some mistake. Even if mountains and rivers change two or three times how remember even the voice tone?

Mr. Escoffier shortly apologized then entered the real main point.

And that was a story that for me considerably made goosebumps rise sharply on the spine.

"While collecting long-standing court cooking ancient books and research materials coming down from the Sun King era, I found a special brown sauce with very rich and deep taste, and even succeeded in perfectly reproducing that. Now no one makes it so it was discontinued, but I saw tremendous cooking possibilities here. Teacher Durand. Please won't you research this sauce together with me?"

W-wait a moment. I think I heard something tremendously important words now?!

Surely...

"...May I ask what the name of that sauce is?"

"The name of this sauce was already lost. So I dared to newly attach. In the sense of concentrating brown stock until reduced by half and exploding the taste... It's French of demi (half)-glace (glaze). Is it okay...?"

My demi-glace sauce? Is this real?!

I knew the fact that Escoffier made that sauce but I didn't know he'd even propose researching together with me!

If soy sauce is the cheat key in Eastern cooking, the cheat key of Western cooking was exactly this demi-glace sauce!

The god's sauce that increases umami two times, three times no matter what meat one puts on. My fish ball can't even present a business card.

But the making method is too difficult and complex and the yield is also not good so ordinary homes absolutely can't make. Even skilled Michelin chefs if told to make directly shook their heads. At least the factory-made demi-glace sold in modern times brings out a taste one level below the authentic manufacturing method, but even that was a cheat key!

Literally the ultimate king sauce of French cooking coming down only as legend, that no one could reach the high point unless the creator Escoffier!

The brown sauce of hamburger steak or Western-style tonkatsu familiar to Koreans, that's factory-made demi-glace. And the brown color of high rice, that's also demi-glace. Looking at Japanese curry sometimes there's one where not yellow but brown lingers and high-class taste comes out, that's also mixed with demi-glace.

Beef bourguignon or beef Wellington counted as the best beef dishes a person can make originally used espagnole or red wine sauce, but after demi-glace was invented chefs created recipes utilizing this sauce and spread widely to the point the taste was firmly recognized!

If the making method wasn't bizarrely difficult it would have been popularized in a much wider range but...

Ugh, too burdensome so my insides churned!

Now proposing researching the utilization method of demi-glace sauce together with me, right?!

If quickly accepting that proposal here now won't my name also rise together with Mr. Escoffier as a pioneer of modern Western cooking?! I'm not a person worthy of that?

Mr. Escoffier seeing my expression thought he was rejected and hurriedly shouted.

"There's also another sauce you might be interested in! I'll also share other French traditional sauce recipes I organized! Please share your insight into cooking with me too!"

"Honestly speaking my skill is too lacking so I can't follow..."

"T-that can't be!"

"Sir Durand, your humility is also excessive to that point!"

No, it's real!

These people now no matter what I say clearly won't believe!

Somehow the influence due to my fish ball seemed too overestimated.

Like that pushing and pulling several times in the end I raised my hand.

"Good. Then, please come find my restaurant within a quick date. At that time let's talk in detail again."

"Thank you for permitting."

The person who should thank was rather me.

Ahead the master of cooking that chefs of various countries in the world will bow and revere as a spiritual teacher why coming out so low posture to me I couldn't know... but I had no choice but to think that much bubble was full on my name.

Anyway Chairman Balfour also coughed ahem and spat out.

"Sir Durand, as far as I know your cooking skill was accumulated purely by self-study I heard... Since Escoffier is a master of French haute cuisine if the two exchange together you can also grow one level more. And that would soon be the development of British cooking too! Anyway introduced in that sense so don't have too big a burden."

The words just said are a hundred times burden?!

I didn't have a sense of responsibility or mission of developing or improving British cooking. In fact such parts were completely unrelated to me! I was just an ordinary chef!

Just somehow it flowed well like this.

Having modern people's knowledge and way of thinking in this era itself was like a cheat, so in a way one could say a natural result but... in my own way I was struggling trying to break through hardships and adversities with all my might.

Otherwise how did I crawl up this much from a poor lower class family in London?

So Chairman Balfour's just remark, I decided to just hear with one ear and let flow.

"This level seems sufficiently acquainted. Escoffier, you return now."

"Thank you, Chairman. Teacher Durand, then I'll come find again soon. When that time comes I'll also bring my lifelong masterpiece 'Cooking Guide' so please definitely evaluate. I also want to experience that spicy taste dish of yours. Then."

Mr. Escoffier politely greeted again then disappeared.

Came all the way here just to say exactly those words now...? Even if coming directly to my restaurant I would have met!

A middle-aged man with graying hair coming out so politely was a matter one absolutely doesn't get used to.

As expected pre-modern society Britain! Since Chairman Balfour a high noble and power holder keeps calling me 'sir' and respecting, Mr. Escoffier also seemed to be mistaking me for some high noble somewhere.

Well looking at the secret of birth it's not particularly wrong words... No why is my life story so complex and winding!

My mind is still a modern person but this and that keep interfering so cognitive dissonance arises!

Chairman Balfour drank one sip of tea, then frowned and put down the cup.

"Now outsiders also disappeared, so I have to enter the main point."

Until now it wasn't the main point?! Who drags the introduction this long?

Chairman Balfour took out a pocket watch from his bosom and briefly checked the time.

"You, no schedule behind? Then go for a stroll with me. There are a few more people to introduce today."

###

Saying go for a stroll?

Because it was words Chairman Balfour just casually threw, I just thought of it as a stroll degree of wandering around the surroundings ordinarily.

But that his words were actually close to irony, I could barely realize only after almost reaching the destination.

The place the splendid carriage we rode arrived was, a place I had only watched from a distance while living in London until now.

Westminster in the very center of London.

And Buckingham Palace standing alone in the middle of a wide square with only low buildings around.

In a word it was words of arriving at the heart of the British Empire.

As much as the current world's strongest power is the British Empire, the splendor of Buckingham Palace was also to the point matching that prestige, so even just glancing there was considerable dignity.

I also toured Buckingham Palace in my previous life but honestly now was much more overwhelming than then. Well modern Buckingham Palace was nerfed modestly after being bombed several times during the world wars and now was the original as is.

First the front gate iron gate was painted with vivid gold and cream color and created tremendous pressure.

And the artworks and sculptures gathered from all over the world, the appearance as if abandoned randomly here and there in the garden because no place to put also somehow looked like a kind of device flaunting that wealth and power.

Like a feeling that this level can be abandoned randomly no problem because rotten? Or did they move briefly for internal repairs or something?

Anyway it was a great atmosphere. Even His Majesty Edward VII the owner of the palace mainly resided at Clarence House saying burdensome to that point.

The guards guarding the front gate saluted toward the carriage, and the carriage ran a bit more and arrived at the back of the palace.

But, who on earth are they introducing at Buckingham Palace?!

"You, you don't have to make such a burdensome expression. It's nothing special."

Saying nothing special and bringing even to Buckingham Palace?!

The heart wanting to refute surged to the end of the throat, but thinking this person isn't the Earl of Derby I just swallowed.

Now he was treating me kindly but I didn't forget the warnings Mr. Henry or Mr. Doyle gave previously.

Just looking it was so. A personality that looks fussy, hard and sharp speech. If I answered even one word wrong it seemed he'd cut with words right away!

"Thinking about it Sir Durand Buckingham Palace is the first, right? But you said you went to Windsor Castle?"

"Well... It was so."

"Then you would have met a few royal figures too?"

"Yes, I have acquaintance with Princess Louise."

"Hmm, with Princess Louise...? You, feet are wider than thought?"

Thinking about it what is Princess Louise doing now?

After parting like that last time I heard she occasionally stops by our house on Baker Street and chats then disappears.

Of course information the newspaper boys monitoring near our house conveyed.

The birth certificate Princess Louise conveyed was sleeping in the safe of the restaurant, for the time being I had no thought of taking it out.

Until my thoughts are completely organized I was thinking of keeping everything secret.

Anyway I chased Chairman Balfour half a step behind.

Because of the light reflecting from the complex chandeliers and gold leaf decorations hanging all around my eyes were dazzling to that point.

Moreover the carpet patterns spread all over the floor were too many so distracting.

Walking like that somewhere a concert seemed to be held, instrument sounds echoing on the high corridor ceiling gradually flowed in.

Is this really a concert?! The sound is gradually getting louder?

"Oh dear, I came matching the time but already started."

The place I entered following the chairman's back was, the most high-end and splendid classical style large hall among what I've seen until now.

And on the stage located in the center a man wearing a tailcoat was playing a soft and lyrical piano piece.

It wasn't difficult to recognize what music.

Because it was a piece often played at my restaurant in my previous life.

Debussy, Clair de Lune, Moonlight. The representative work of 20th century impressionist music.

And this would have been a score not yet published in terms of timing?!

Then is that man in the tailcoat Claude Debussy himself...? Moreover now playing an unpublished new piece?

Surprise also momentary. I habitually quickly scanned inside.

The audience wasn't many.

First a familiar face, His Majesty Edward VII.

Eyes met with His Majesty who turned his head at my presence and I hurriedly bowed my head and greeted.

And one old gentleman sitting holding a cane.

Besides that a few eye-catching figures wearing neat formal uniforms.

All seem people who do a tune somewhere...

Is it okay for me to come find such a place?!