There was a King who owned a very large property in which was found the biggest dining table. It was so big that people from miles around would call in daily and eat their food sat around the table. Not everybody came at the same time, but there seemed to someone at the table all day and all night.
The King looked in one day and saw to His horror the people were eating scraps. And what was worse they didn’t seem to mind. The King, who was renowned as a charitable Monarch, called a servant and suggested that the poor people needed some proper nourishment. The servant didn’t seem impressed with this idea and the King admonished him, ‘’these are people who are hungry and have been so for so long they don’t realize how hungry they are’!
I know, I know said the King who had tried this before, but, ‘’maybe this time the people will enjoy…bake a pie!’’
A fatted calf had been hung 8 weeks previously so that should be perfect thought the servant. The finest ingredients were brought and a puff pastry of 73 layers was rolled out and kept cool while the beef was prepared. The servant called for Bishop’s Tipple to be brought as he intended make Beef and Ale pie, bœuf et la tarte aux ale as the French would call it.
Baby carrots were brought and the finest French onions. A stock had been gently simmering for four day’s. And so a delicious sauce made with mature stock and flavor-laden beef dripping was possible.
All was ready and so the pie was prepared and cooked. The aroma filled the Kings Palace and He came down to check how everything was going. He declared, ‘’fit for a King’’.
The servant left with the pie and arrived at the house where people dined.
The pie was placed at the table and he heard some whispering.
‘’Who is that’’?
‘’Some new guy and he’s brought a pie!’’
“ a pie?’
‘’Yes!, and he said it’s home made from an ancient recipe’’.
‘’He doesn’t look like much of a cook, we’ll see!’’
The servant saw the first person to take a portion of pie sit down at the table. He didn’t even savor the aroma. And instead of trying a piece of pie he took out a piece of paper, wrote a note, left it on the pie and left the table. He didn’t leave the room.
The next person in saw the note on the pie and didn’t even help himself to a portion. He went and stood with the first man and they were deep, in shallow conversation.
Throughout the morning people came and went. The table had lots and lots of plates with uneaten pie. Each piece of pie had a note on top.
Then to the surprise of the servant he saw a lady sit down and she was enjoying the aroma of the pie. She then began to eat and was thoroughly enjoying the pie. She cleared the plate and left a note.
The servant went to the table and beginning with the first note began to read.
‘’Not enough salt’’! And he calls himself a cook?
‘’Too much pepper has ruined this pie!’’
‘’This stock is out of a tin!’’
‘’This meat is not even meat, it’s TVP!’’
‘’People like him should not be allowed to bring a pie to the table!’’
‘’Who does he think he is? Baking a pie!’’
‘’This recipe is terrible!’’
‘’He can’t even translate into French properly!’’
‘’He’s not a real cook and he doesn’t know the King!’’
“Imposter, imposter’’!
The lady had left a note. ‘’The best ingredients, carefully prepared and cooked. A lovely pie, fit for a King! Thanks be to you in the Name of the King.’’
During this time a few others had tried the pie and thoroughly enjoyed as well.
By this time there was a crowd of disgruntled dinners who were shouting at the servant and calling him to speak up for himself, but every time he tried others would shout and nothing he said in defense could be heard. He began to ignore them.
Then someone shouted, ‘‘don’t eat the pie, its been poisoned!’’
And the cry went up, poisoned!, poisoned! Don’t even go near the pie, he’s a cruel murderer!
At this point a few people who had enjoyed the pie came in and had another portion. ‘’Don’t eat it’’, the others cried, ‘’its poison’’.
One of them spoke up and said, ‘’if it were poisoned we would be dead by now’’, but the opposite is the case. We feel well nourished.
The crowd hated this and turned on them also. ‘’There must be something seriously wrong with you if you can eat poison and live!’’
It’s not poison!
Yes it is poison and it will kill you!
Well it tastes perfectly divine to me!
At that point the people who had been supplying the scraps appeared and everyone gathered around the to hear what they would say of the pie man. The pie was all but forgotten by now and it was the qualification of the pie man that was in question.
Were you brought up as a cook asked one?
No replied the pie maker. I had a sudden desire to cook pies on 17th July 1999 at 10:30am. From that day on I began to study recipes from Le Guide Culinaire by Auguste Escoffier. Known as the bible of food preparation.
I also studied French Cuisine in a formal manner in which I was introduced to French Culinary Terms and was given a toque to wear. I’m not a cook I’m a Chef de cuisine.
This, for some reason, made matters worse and they began to criticize and question his translations in French as well as his food preparation skills. He say’s he is not a cook and yet makes a pie? Why does he call himself a Chef de cuisine we all use the term cook and have done so forever! Now he wants to change the name cook into Chef de cuisine.
Every day the servant reported back to the King and every day the King told the servant to prepare other meals. It was the same every day. Hardly any eating, lots of notes, and of course much complaining.
Many years later the King held a wedding banquet for His Son and the people who had complained heard about it and tried to gain access, but as they appeared at the door a servant saw them. By the clothes they wore and the expressions on their faces they would not enjoy the fare and they were denied access.
….verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
The King looked in one day and saw to His horror the people were eating scraps. And what was worse they didn’t seem to mind. The King, who was renowned as a charitable Monarch, called a servant and suggested that the poor people needed some proper nourishment. The servant didn’t seem impressed with this idea and the King admonished him, ‘’these are people who are hungry and have been so for so long they don’t realize how hungry they are’!
I know, I know said the King who had tried this before, but, ‘’maybe this time the people will enjoy…bake a pie!’’
A fatted calf had been hung 8 weeks previously so that should be perfect thought the servant. The finest ingredients were brought and a puff pastry of 73 layers was rolled out and kept cool while the beef was prepared. The servant called for Bishop’s Tipple to be brought as he intended make Beef and Ale pie, bœuf et la tarte aux ale as the French would call it.
Baby carrots were brought and the finest French onions. A stock had been gently simmering for four day’s. And so a delicious sauce made with mature stock and flavor-laden beef dripping was possible.
All was ready and so the pie was prepared and cooked. The aroma filled the Kings Palace and He came down to check how everything was going. He declared, ‘’fit for a King’’.
The servant left with the pie and arrived at the house where people dined.
The pie was placed at the table and he heard some whispering.
‘’Who is that’’?
‘’Some new guy and he’s brought a pie!’’
“ a pie?’
‘’Yes!, and he said it’s home made from an ancient recipe’’.
‘’He doesn’t look like much of a cook, we’ll see!’’
The servant saw the first person to take a portion of pie sit down at the table. He didn’t even savor the aroma. And instead of trying a piece of pie he took out a piece of paper, wrote a note, left it on the pie and left the table. He didn’t leave the room.
The next person in saw the note on the pie and didn’t even help himself to a portion. He went and stood with the first man and they were deep, in shallow conversation.
Throughout the morning people came and went. The table had lots and lots of plates with uneaten pie. Each piece of pie had a note on top.
Then to the surprise of the servant he saw a lady sit down and she was enjoying the aroma of the pie. She then began to eat and was thoroughly enjoying the pie. She cleared the plate and left a note.
The servant went to the table and beginning with the first note began to read.
‘’Not enough salt’’! And he calls himself a cook?
‘’Too much pepper has ruined this pie!’’
‘’This stock is out of a tin!’’
‘’This meat is not even meat, it’s TVP!’’
‘’People like him should not be allowed to bring a pie to the table!’’
‘’Who does he think he is? Baking a pie!’’
‘’This recipe is terrible!’’
‘’He can’t even translate into French properly!’’
‘’He’s not a real cook and he doesn’t know the King!’’
“Imposter, imposter’’!
The lady had left a note. ‘’The best ingredients, carefully prepared and cooked. A lovely pie, fit for a King! Thanks be to you in the Name of the King.’’
During this time a few others had tried the pie and thoroughly enjoyed as well.
By this time there was a crowd of disgruntled dinners who were shouting at the servant and calling him to speak up for himself, but every time he tried others would shout and nothing he said in defense could be heard. He began to ignore them.
Then someone shouted, ‘‘don’t eat the pie, its been poisoned!’’
And the cry went up, poisoned!, poisoned! Don’t even go near the pie, he’s a cruel murderer!
At this point a few people who had enjoyed the pie came in and had another portion. ‘’Don’t eat it’’, the others cried, ‘’its poison’’.
One of them spoke up and said, ‘’if it were poisoned we would be dead by now’’, but the opposite is the case. We feel well nourished.
The crowd hated this and turned on them also. ‘’There must be something seriously wrong with you if you can eat poison and live!’’
It’s not poison!
Yes it is poison and it will kill you!
Well it tastes perfectly divine to me!
At that point the people who had been supplying the scraps appeared and everyone gathered around the to hear what they would say of the pie man. The pie was all but forgotten by now and it was the qualification of the pie man that was in question.
Were you brought up as a cook asked one?
No replied the pie maker. I had a sudden desire to cook pies on 17th July 1999 at 10:30am. From that day on I began to study recipes from Le Guide Culinaire by Auguste Escoffier. Known as the bible of food preparation.
I also studied French Cuisine in a formal manner in which I was introduced to French Culinary Terms and was given a toque to wear. I’m not a cook I’m a Chef de cuisine.
This, for some reason, made matters worse and they began to criticize and question his translations in French as well as his food preparation skills. He say’s he is not a cook and yet makes a pie? Why does he call himself a Chef de cuisine we all use the term cook and have done so forever! Now he wants to change the name cook into Chef de cuisine.
Every day the servant reported back to the King and every day the King told the servant to prepare other meals. It was the same every day. Hardly any eating, lots of notes, and of course much complaining.
Many years later the King held a wedding banquet for His Son and the people who had complained heard about it and tried to gain access, but as they appeared at the door a servant saw them. By the clothes they wore and the expressions on their faces they would not enjoy the fare and they were denied access.
….verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.