Volume 16 Chapter 42: Creating The Menu

Keith rolled up his sleeves, “Alright, let’s do this.” Now that he had the ingredients the couple wanted, it was time to create the dishes. Sarah’s goal was simple: make the guests full and happy. She did not need the dishes to be extravagant, just for the guest to enjoy their meal.

That was something he could agree with.

The number of people attending this wedding is small as well. Even if that were the case, he could not undermine their stomachs. Gus asked, “Young Master, will we have a three-course meal?”

“Something like that. However, instead of three, we’re going to have seven.”

“Seven?”

“Mmhmm,” Keith nodded. Entrée - Fish - Soup - Main course - Meat - Salad - Dessert. That was what he was going for when asking Sarah all the questions.

“Are you planning to incorporate the dishes used during your competition?” He heard about the competition Keith had in Vastoria; he created a three-course meal that filled the guild-master and headmaster’s stomachs

“No, I don’t plan to incorporate the three into the menu; it makes little sense for what they want.” Balance. With the criteria he got from Sarah and Michael, adding those did not pair.

Plus, those dishes were a spur of the moment.

“But the main course is going to be steak.” Keith asserted: that was the one dish that both couples wanted.

“I see.” Gus nodded, “...as expected of Michael.” He could imagine Michael begging for it.

“We shall maintain a moderate portion size.” Michael was a big eater, capable of clearing a seven-course meal in 5 minutes. However, this was not the truth for others. If he made them too big for specific portions, it would destroy the harmony of their meal.

“Let’s begin.” Keith picked up vegetables, “Sarah said her favorite vegetable is beets.”

“Hmm, beets. If that is the case, do you want to incorporate other earthy vegetables like carrots?” Gus added. This was a great mix: earthy ingredients creating a rich and strong taste.

“Good. We can also add a citrus ginger dressing .” Keith clapped his hands.

“How about we grill the beets for a depth of flavor?”

“That works too.” Keith nodded, “Let’s begin.” He chopped the beets while dicing the carrots into strips. As he placed them onto the grill, the beets slowly charred before he took them off. Gus finished the dressing, and the two incorporated it together and tasted.

“Hmm? It’s an interesting texture.” “Yes.”

Keith rubbed his chin, “What if we smoke it instead? We can infuse it with a depth of flavor from the woods.”

“Then the dressing needs to be adjusted to match the depth of flavor.”

“Yes. We can make two and have them try it.” At the end, Michael and Sarah would decide which dishes to keep.

“Now for the entrée dish. I am thinking about mushrooms; we flip it upside down and place toppings on top of it.”

“Mushrooms are hearty and light: how about ground pork as the topping?” Gus cleaned the mushrooms. While the base was being prepared, Keith worked on the toppings.

“I’m thinking of bacon since it has a different texture from mushrooms. Let’s go with ground pork and bacon bits.” In a pan, ground pork and crisp bacon were fried on top.

“Some tomatoes and shallots for the vegetables.” He gently scooped some up with a spoon and placed it on top.

“Let’s try it.” Keith and Gus ate it,

“Hmm, I think it needs more acidity.”

“Indeed. I need to render the bacon out some more. It makes the mushroom greasy.” Keith sighed, “Oh, how about we add some mangoes on top?”

“It could work. But will the guests enjoy it?” Gus was conflicted. Fruit with meat. It was a swing and a miss.

“Hmm, I will ask Sarah and Michael about it. If they don’t like it, we’ll take it out as well.” This was more of a testing phase before they cemented the menu.

“Also, let’s grill the mushrooms as well.”

“Understood!” Keith and Gus worked on it. While they were doing this, Eric and the others were watching from the side, “Thank goodness we get to smell something so amazing.”

“If it were any other time, they would have attacked.” Everyone was out of the house at that moment. Michael and Sarah’s wedding was something that made everyone move.

“What are you three doing?” The head butler questioned them.

“Nothing!”

“Is there anything the matter?”

“Yes, there is, young masters.” Carter nodded, “There is more work that needs to be done.”

“It seems there’s going to be a lot of work that still needs to be done.”

“Eh?”

“Your father told you two to assist the knights in constructing the venue with the blacksmith of Ignis Hammer.”  

“…” Eric and the others could only grumble as they trudged out.