U.S. space tourist Charles Simonyi (L) and Martha Stewart meet during a farewell ceremony at Baikonur Cosmodrome April 6, 2007. Stewart flew to the Soviet-era Baikonur Cosmodrome on Friday to wish good luck to her friend, Simonyi who is due to blast off to orbit on Saturday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Charles Simonyi, the world's fifth paying space tourist, will treat his ISS colleagues to a gourmet space meal picked by his "best friend," U.S. lifestyle maven Martha Stewart, media reports said Sunday.

    The menu includes quail roasted in Madiran wine, duck breast confit with capers, shredded chicken parmentier, apple fondant pieces, rice pudding with candied fruit, and semolina cake with dried apricots.

    Simonyi and Stewart plan the celebratory feast for April 12, which Russia observes as Cosmonauts' Day.

    The two have been friends for about a decade, and some celebrity-gossip publications have suggested they're romantically linked. Stewart's spokeswoman refused to confirm the relationship, saying only, "They're best friends."

    Martha Stewart, more familiar with product launches than rocket launches, runs a home decorating and cooking business empire.

    Simonyi, a billionare software programmer who helped develop Microsoft Word, blasted off to space Saturday. He is due to dock at the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday.

    (Agencies)