The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Things went much more smoothly than expected, and Mrs. Comstock did not deliberately make things difficult for them.

They soon met the butler to confirm the party time, approximate number of people, and quantity of snacks.

The housekeeper said: "The guests usually come after lunch and leave before dinner, so we only need to prepare snacks for afternoon tea, which usually don't require too much. In previous years, there would be a lot of snacks left over."

"I suggest making more this year," said Brett, who has a hunch that the snacks will be popular this year.

The housekeeper waved his hand: "No, just about the same number as in previous years."

"I'll follow your instructions." Min Xi was not greedy and did less. It was easier for him, and the customers were still satisfied with the food, which was more effective in promoting his restaurant.

Brett glanced at Min Xi and said nothing more.

The Comstock family's party would be in three days, with about fifty or sixty people. Min Xi made a list for the butler, specifying what ingredients were needed and the quantity of each ingredient required. He asked the butler to write it down clearly and have someone deliver it to the house in advance.

Min Xi and Yun Ji went to Earl Comstock's mansion a day in advance to prepare. The cookies needed to be made in advance, and if there was only one day, it would be too late.

When they got home, Yun Ji said, "Should we put up a signpost on the roadside? Otherwise, even if the customers know about our restaurant, how can they find it?"

"Seventh Brother, you are right. But none of us can write English, so let's find someone who can write to help us." Of course Min Xi can write, but he needs to maintain his illiterate persona.

Yun Ji shook his head: "That's not necessary, I'll write it. What's the name of our store?"

Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "How about calling it Yizhuo Restaurant? This name is the most intuitive and can also arouse people's curiosity."

"I think it's a good idea, let's call it this." Yun Ji began to look up the dictionary and found those English words.

He had learned French, and the Latin alphabet was similar, so he could write English. He first found something to practice several times, and after confirming that it was correct, he used a brush to write "Yizhuo Restaurant" on the prepared large wooden board, and drew an arrow on it. He placed the large board at a conspicuous intersection to indicate the direction of the restaurant, and also put up a sign with the name at the gate to help customers find the place.

After finishing all these, it was time to go to the Earl Comstock's mansion to make cookies. The two of them called a carriage and brought a steamer and a steamer basket. The steamer was a must for making custard buns. As for the oven, there was a ready-made one in the Earl's mansion, so they could use it directly.

Min Xi and Yun Ji also brought the old dough prepared the day before to rise.

The cooks in the Earl's mansion were always very busy at this time of year, preparing all kinds of desserts for the party. This year, their tasks were easier, they only had to make drinks, and other people were responsible for the desserts. The cooks were grateful, but also very curious, who shared their work? When they saw the two young Chinese guys, the cooks were very surprised. Not to mention their impressive looks, they also didn't believe that there were men who could make desserts!

Min Xi and Yun Ji were used to being watched by others, and were no longer surprised. After getting familiar with the working environment, they rolled up their sleeves and started to work.

The main task today is to bake cookies. First, knead the required amount of dough and let it ferment. Then two people will work together, one to press the mold and the other to bake.

The first batch of cookies baked were first tasted by the people in the Earl's Mansion. The cookies were cute in shape, crispy in texture, fragrant and sweet, and received unanimous praise from everyone.

The cooks ate the crispy and sweet cookies and were finally convinced that men could make such delicious desserts. They were just ignorant.

Due to the limited oven, it takes a long time to bake cookies, and the speed is relatively slow. Min Xi was worried that the kneaded dough would not be used up, so he fried some small twists. Twists and cookies are made of the same ingredients, but the taste is completely different. Fried twists are more fragrant, but only people with good teeth can eat them. This also meets Mrs. Comstock's requirement that the more varieties, the better.

They worked all day at the Earl's house, and naturally had lunch there. Instead of the bread and soup made by the cook, they made their own pancakes and used some beef and vegetables from the kitchen.

Since we are going to make it, we must not just make it for ourselves. Min Xi handed the baked cakes to the cook: "Madam, I made some pies. Please try them and see if the Countess wants to try some too."

The cook looked at the greasy pie and wondered if it was suitable for the Countess to eat. She said, "Thank you, I'll send it over." But she didn't intend to send it over.

The cook brought the pie to the dining room where the servants were eating. Everyone looked at the food in her hands and said, "What is that? It smells so good!"

The cook said, "Two Chinese cooks made the pie."

"Let me try it." A servant forked up a piece of bread and took a big bite. Then his eyes widened and he swallowed the big piece of bread in two or three bites: "It's delicious!"

When everyone heard him say this, they all held out their forks and said, "Let me have a taste, let me have a taste."

As a result, there were only five or six pancakes, one for each of them, not enough to share. The cook tried hard to protect one pancake, and she took a bite. The pancake with beef and onion filling was sweet and juicy, so delicious that it made her cry. She took two bites and suddenly remembered something, and then she really wanted to cry. People said that it was for the countess, but they ate it all. What should she do?

The cook was no longer in the mood to eat pie, so she quickly put down her knife and fork and ran to the kitchen: "Sir, do you have any more pie? The Countess said she liked it very much and wanted to have two more."

Min Xi and Yun Ji looked at the two left on the plate and looked at each other. They were not full yet, but since the Countess liked it, they could only give it up: "There are two more, you can take it."

The cook looked at them apologetically and smiled: "Thank you." It was all her fault for being careless and giving the food to others without tasting it first.

The cook brought two cakes and personally delivered them to the host's table. Lord and Lady Comstock were having lunch and saw the cook coming over with a plate and asked, "What is this?"

The cook said, "Madam, this is a pie made by the Chinese chef. He asked me to bring it to you two to try."

Mrs. Comstock looked at the two cakes on the plate and was a little surprised. Why were only two brought over? "Put them down. Let's try them."

Mrs. Comstock cut a piece of cake with a knife, put it in her mouth and took a bite: "Wow, it tastes great! You should try it."

Count Comstock took a bite of pie and raised his eyebrows: "Did you change the cook at home?"

The Countess smiled and said, "No, didn't you hear? It was made by a Chinese chef. I'm hosting a banquet at home tomorrow and I invited two Chinese chefs to come home and make desserts. This pie was made by those two chefs. It seems that they can not only make desserts, but also other delicacies."

"Which family's chef is so good? Please come to my house," said the count.

The countess's expression changed. "That's a good idea. I wonder how much it will cost to hire them."

The Earl said, "Let's ask them." He then called the butler and asked them to invite Min Xi and Yun Ji to work in the kitchen.

Needless to say, Min Xi and Yun Ji would never agree to this. Who would choose to work for someone else when they could be their own boss? No matter how good the treatment at the Earl's Mansion was, it would not pay them more than 1 pound a month. Even if they were paid 1 pound, they would still think it was too little.

The count was extremely disappointed when he received a negative answer: "Which restaurant do they work in? Let's go to the restaurant where they work to eat if we have a chance in the future."

The Countess said, "I know that. They opened a private restaurant in a small manor in the western suburbs of London. If you want to go there, let's say hello to the two guys first and then find a time to go to his place for dinner. I heard from Brett that the food they cook is very delicious. I have eaten his desserts and they tasted really good. The cake I am eating now tastes good too. It seems that his craftsmanship is really good."

"Okay, I'll go and try it when I'm done," said the count.

They were busy until the evening before they returned to their residence. Although the Countess tried her best to persuade them to stay overnight at the Earl's house, they did not want to stay in someone else's house at all. They still slept comfortably in their own beds and would rather work harder and travel more.

The next morning, the two of them rode their bikes to the Earl's Mansion. They first used the old dough reserved yesterday to ferment and prepare to make custard buns.

Making a cake requires beating egg whites, which is a big project. Fortunately, there is no shortage of manpower in the Earl's Mansion and someone can help, so the two of them were able to handle the work.

The cooks were also willing to learn, and Min Xi did not stop them from learning. They could learn if they wanted to, but he did not teach them. He did not explain the ratio of various ingredients and the specific process. Cakes, even with detailed tutorials, may not be able to make them fluffy, let alone just looking at them, unless the cooks are particularly dedicated and try repeatedly. If they can really do this, it is also the cooks' ability.

When it was noon, the Countess sent someone to ask Min Xi what he wanted to eat for lunch today, pie again?

Min Xi knew what the other party meant, so he said, "We'll have beef dumplings for lunch today. I'll steam them and send them to Madam in a while."

The dough is fermented and the steamer is hot, so it’s just right to steam the beef buns and the custard buns together.