Anathème la Maîtresse

KATORSE

Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy, 1992

Maureen was about to grill her spiced sirloin when she yelped and realized she had forgotten thyme on her shopping list and surprised Poca, who was focused on a mixture of cream cheese and mulberries from Theo's vineyard according to her instructions for the dessert.

"What is it, Heather, Lady?" Poca asked attentively, eyeing her like she was a ticking bomb that could explode any minute

"I'm sorry for startling you, Poca. I forgot the thyme to grill the steak with, do you know if there are plants that smell good around here?" She's putting back the sirloin and watching as Poca perked up before disappearing with a silent pop

"These the only sweet-scented plants that usually Lady Nott uses to cook, Heather, Lady." Poca popped back to the kitchen, beaming all the while with three different plants on each hand

"You are a rescuer." Maureen sighed in relief before explaining, "In your left hand is basil and mint, either is suitable for the dessert you are currently making and in your right hand is rosemary, similar to the thyme I need, thank you Poca."

Maureen immediately grills two marinated sirloin steaks over medium heat for 30 seconds and savored the searing sound from the cooking meat before flipping for another 30 seconds and adding lightly pounded garlic for extra flavor, then she's gonna flips the meat every minute so they cook evenly.

She put in the washed rosemary, and a generous spoon of butter to baste the steak, after the aroma of rosemary and butter stuffed the air, she lifted her medium-rare steak and sliced ​​it diagonally into bite-sized pieces. 

After arranging it on 4 full-of-steak short plates, and letting it cool while grilling the bagel for dessert for about a minute and a half, she spread a little orange jam on each piece of meat and topped it with gorgonzola cheese like a sandwich, and floated the short plates to the dining table for five people near the bar stool.

Next, she ask Poka to help spread a generous amount of mulberry cream cheese on each bagel, while she add fermented peach and basil to each cream cheese spread bagel, and placed it on a luncheon plate.

Once the dessert was done, she's floating it to the table too, and asked Poka to call Theo and Fabio, who were discussing potential business opportunities this summer, while she cleared up the commotion she caused in the kitchen.

She yelped for the second time that afternoon when a hand paused her from washing the dishes, "Let's eat first, I'll wash it later." Theo's voice filled her ear

"But, the pan's gonna get greasy, and-"

"None of that, now. I'll make sure it's not greasy when you're gonna use it again." He turned off the tap and pulled her to the dining table

As she was about to sit down, she noticed Poca walking toward the kitchen. "Poka, where are you going? Theo said to clean the kitchen later, for now, eat first." She mimicked Theo's voice for the latter part, unaware of the incredulous gazes of Theo and Fabio aimed at her

"Poca will eat in the kitchen, Heather, Lady."

"Why?" She tilted her head to the side

"It was the master's rule for us, house-elves, Heather, Lady." Poca glancing towards Theo, then Maureen in cofusion

"But the rules of your master Theo are different, Poca, he's special, don't you agree? So let's quickly sit down, so we can start eating." Maureen stated imploringly while holding her battle of defiant gaze with Theo 

"Please sit down Poca, let us eat." Theo, eventually, look away with a sigh, Maureen would have thought Theo was annoyed that she dared to challenge him in front of his workers if not for a slight upward twitch of his lips when he shoved the steak into his mouth, Maureen beamed and encouraged a wide-eyed Fabio and a timid Poca to take a bite, too