Grasp the farming script in the famous book

Another day, Netherfield also tasted this delicacy called "matsutake".

When the Bennett family in Longbourne sent the second lady Elizabeth a change of clothes, they also sent a small box of dried matsutake and a recipe for cooking "matsutake chicken soup".

Elizabeth was a clever girl, and naturally knew when to use this as a favor.

As expected, Jane recovered very quickly. When she was able to go downstairs to share dinner with the master's family, there was such a dish of "Matsutake Stewed Chicken" on the table, full of fragrance.

At the table Mr. Bingley raved about the recipes and dried matsutake that Longborn had sent.His brother-in-law didn't bother to talk, just buried himself in the soup.

Both Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley put on a "what's the matter" look, but both of them ate up the soup with a distasteful decency.

Jane took a sip of the chicken soup in the deep dish, was slightly taken aback, and frowned slightly.

Mr. Bingley saw her every frown and smile, and asked quickly, "Is there anything wrong?"

Jane showed her face tenderly, shook her head and said it was all right, and thanked Mr. Bingley's family again for their warm hospitality and care.Elizabeth also chimed in.

Only in the evenings, when the Bennet sisters were alone, did Jane talk to Elizabeth about supper.

"You mean, the dishes made by Netherfield according to the recipes taste different from those delivered at home?"

Jane nodded.

She was so impressed with the can of soup that her family sent.

At that time, she was sick and had a poor appetite, but once she drank the fragrant soup, Jane felt as if a warm current had flowed into her body, and her limbs and bones seemed to have strength.

In addition, the rich matsutake aroma, the thick chicken soup without any impurities, and the melt-in-your-mouth chicken mince are all fresh in Jane's memory.

On Netherfield's dining table, the recipe is the same, the seasoning is the same, and even the aroma of matsutake is exactly the same, but there is always something wrong with the finished product.

As for what was wrong, Jane couldn't tell.

Elizabeth hugged Jane's shoulders and said with a smile, "It can be seen that you are homesick."

Jane thought it made sense, and immediately laughed.

The Bennet sisters returned to Longbourne the next day.

Mrs. Bennet complained for a while, that Jane's recovery was too rapid, and she did not stay at Netherfield for a few more days to get on well with Mr. Bingley.

As usual, she blamed Elizabeth for taking too good care of Jane, so that Jane recovered so quickly.

But Mrs. Bennett's attention was diverted by a sudden piece of good news, which made her completely forget her nerves--the Netherfield family, including the master's friend, were to visit Longbourn in three days' time, at the Bennett home for dinner.

"We take the liberty of inviting the Bingleys."

Jane explained to Mrs. Bennet rather awkwardly, "This is also because the cook at home seems to be getting better and better."

Mrs. Bennet seemed to be overjoyed, she clapped her hands immediately, and said repeatedly: "Of course it's not presumptuous. They have taken care of you for so long, so it's only natural to invite them to a meal."

"Dear Jane, tell me, what does your Mr. Bingley like to eat?"

Since then, the Longbourne mansion has been in a state of chaos, and Mrs. Bennett's menu has been changed and changed. It was not possible to finalize the final dishes until the morning of the banquet.

But the cook is very clear that to make a delicious dinner suitable for entertaining guests, it is best to ask the little lady first whether it is the recipe or the ingredients.

The guests came after noon.

They were invited into the drawing room of the Bennetts for afternoon tea.

There, Jane and Elizabeth played the role of warm hosts perfectly, welcoming guests.

Mary rushed to sit in front of the piano, ready to play music to entertain guests at any time; Kitty saw so many noble guests ushered in her not-so-bright reception room, and was so nervous that she didn't know where to stand.

And Roland was first introduced to the Bingleys and the wealthy friend.

As she eyed her visitor curiously, Mr. Bingley and his companions also watched her—the youngest of the Bennets, who had never been seen before them.

In terms of appearance, Roland didn't have to worry at all. Even if she was not as beautiful as the gentle and charming Jane, she was at least comparable to the smart and mischievous Elizabeth.

But Roland knew that her words and deeds were easily criticized, so after she saluted the guests, she slipped away from the reception room and slipped into the kitchen.

After all, with the "anti-OOC card", if she stays in the reception room, whoever chats with her will either be lace or a hat-it won't help her image.

Her advantage lies in the refreshments served by the Bennett family.

When the butler of the Bennett family led two servants to roll out the refreshments for the guests, everyone's eyes were firmly attracted.

Refreshments are served on a three-tiered shelf, each with a plate:

The bottom layer is filled with freshly baked scones, served with cream and raspberry jam;

The middle layer holds sliced ​​cakes and finger biscuits;

The food on the top layer is so special that even people like Mr. Bingley can't recognize it.

This is a well-organized food that is pleasing to the eye—

This kind of food consists of two slices of bread overlapped with fillings such as cucumber, ham, egg yolk, shrimp paste, and lettuce heart.

Each piece of food is cut into one finger length and two finger widths. Like other foods, it can be easily picked up by hand without letting the fingers get stained with fillings and sauces. It is very suitable for afternoon tea or snacks.

However, the guests couldn't even recognize what kind of food it was, or what the name of the food was, so it was a bit embarrassing.

Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst looked at each other, and wanted to ask, but neither of them could hold back their faces.

"Mr. Bennett, these are very fresh and lovely refreshments. What are they?"

Bingley didn't have so many twists and turns in his stomach, and spoke directly to Mr. Bennett.

Mr. Bennet shook his hand honestly: "You better ask the young people for new fancy ideas. Mary—"

The expression on Mr. Bennett's face was astonishing: Next, our most knowledgeable Mary is invited.

Mary is completely unaware that this is a kind of "humor" of her father.

She stood up immediately, clasped her hands, held them in front of her chest, and stood in the middle of the reception room and explained to the guests solemnly: "This is a snack invented by John Montague, Earl of Sanwich more than ten years ago... "

Sandwich—named after the title of its inventor, is said to have been invented by the fourth "Earl of Sanwich" in the mid-18th century①.

In the beginning, it was to allow the Earl to eat and play cards at the same time when the cards were in full swing.This way he doesn't need to use a knife and fork and doesn't get his hands dirty.

It's just that in this era, although gossip spreads like a scud, new things may not be promoted so quickly.

When Rowland first mentioned the "snack" to his family, the Bennetts said they had never heard of it in Hertfordshire.

But Mary from "Bo Wen Qiang Ji" actually saw the origin of this food in a travel book.

So now there is a scene where Mary stands in the middle of the reception room and introduces the "sandwich" to the guests.

Although Mary put on a bragging posture, both the naturally sensitive Miss Bingley and the picky Mr Darcy had to admit that they had gained some new insights from the third Miss Bennett.

As for the sandwich, it was cut to the right size, which was very convenient to taste.

In addition, the emergence of salty refreshments has also overturned the pattern of afternoon tea occasions dominated by desserts.

Mr. Bingley was full of praise: "For those of you who don't like sweets so much, now there is finally one more reason to enjoy afternoon tea."

Mr. Darcy was very interested in the three-tier afternoon tea shelf:

Fine porcelain plates are placed on the three-tier shelf, and the food is placed in categories according to different categories and tastes for guests to take by themselves.

The three-tier shelf greatly reduces the space occupied by these refreshments, so it is very suitable for places such as living rooms and reception rooms, suitable for informal leisure time.The shelf itself is very light and easy to carry.

"Miss Mary Bennett, may I ask—"

It was the first time that Mr. Darcy asked Mary for advice, and it surprised everyone who knew him in the room.

"—Did you also see the shelf for the refreshments from your travel notes?"

When Mary was asked suddenly, she was embarrassed and didn't know what to say. After a while, she shook her head and said, "This is the idea that my youngest sister came up with."

"Oh!" All the guests nodded, and each looked for Roland in the reception room, only to find that she had already disappeared.

To the Netherfield guests, the youngest of the Bennets seemed to be a mystery.

As for Roland, Roland had already sneaked into the kitchen after meeting the guests.

The kitchen is her battlefield, and she wants to make N3909 famous in the future, so today is a good opportunity to promote it.

Therefore, when the sisters accompanied the guests to enjoy afternoon tea in the reception room and chatted; when the guests at Netherfield were invited by the Bennett sisters to go for a walk in the nearby pine forest... Roland stayed in the kitchen all the time.

At last it was time for dinner.

Before the main course was served, the butler entered the restaurant to greet everyone.

"Everyone, today's main dish in our house is quite special. In order to ensure that the color and aroma of the dishes will not be lost, please allow our chef to cook the last step for you here."

As soon as the words were finished, several servants each carried a huge porcelain plate and filed into the dining room.

Everyone's eyes fell on the porcelain plate: it was not a peerless delicacy in full bloom, but yellow and bare balls, which looked like lumps of dirt.

The guests were amazed—and so were the hosts.

But before they could all express their surprise, the cook, who had changed into neat attire, walked into the dining room and directed the servants to put the silver plate on the side table.

She took this small hammer in her hand, and swung the hammer to knock one of the "soil bumps".

There was a light "click", and a crack appeared on the "soil lump", and a scent mixed with water vapor rushed out of the shell, filling the entire restaurant in an instant.

This moment brought quite a shock to people, so much so that the guests and the host directly ignored that the cook knocked off the outer layer of "soil lumps" in front of the guests.

They were all so absorbed in the charming aroma that they didn't even notice that the cook smashed the solid salt shells formed after roasting coarse salt one by one, and then peeled off a piece of tissue paper soaked in fat. The spring chicken with soft luster appeared on the polished silver plate.

This is a classic dish - salt baked chicken.