Fred's Newsletter: 27.10.20
Hare terrines just before they went in the oven.
Good morning,
I was correct last week when I said we wouldn’t see our doors open this week. I’m not sure we will see them opening next week either. It’s all a bit up in the air and many of our neighbours in Europe are going back into serious lockdowns or restrictions. Whatever happens, we are continuing with our l’escargot at home menus for the foreseeable future. So let me tell you what you can expect this week.
On Thursday morning we’re expecting a delivery of fresh Eyemouth crabs. They will be dressed and seasoned with home-made mayonnaise – it’s one of our tastiest dishes. I’ve said before that fresh langoustines with mayo is my all-time favourite, but fresh crab comes a close second. Fresh mayonnaise is possibly the best sauce ever. I am saying fresh, not that unhealthy, oily stuff that comes in a jar.
Like me, I know many of you anticipate the arrival of Vacherin Mont d’Or cheese. It sits solitary on the menu, simply served with a few slivers of garlic, a little rosemary and a delicious fresh baguette. It’s such a great, naturally tasty product it doesn’t need any add-ons. It will satisfy your taste buds as it is and makes for a great sharing meal on its own.
Staying with cheese, I’m very pleased to bring you the first taste in Scotland of Hervé Mons ‘Barriquet’ goat’s cheese - the first cheese made at the cave in France where Hervé and his team usually mature cheese. They have made many, tasted and tested, and finally arrived at a good result. You will be amongst the first to taste it in Scotland. We’re serving it with the beetroot starter. Please send feedback!
This week’s terrine is hare with Armagnac and it is very tasty. They were cooked last Friday, so they will soon be ready to appreciate.
Moving on to the casseroles. The Hebridean mutton arrived from Ardoch Farm last week and we butchered all the loins, including the legs, ready to fill. We left the shoulders to marinate slowly over the weekend with olive oil, sea salt, rosemary and thyme. They will get confited today and will stay in the oven until tomorrow evening. Tomorrow morning, the rest of the meat will get turned into caillettes with spinach, and I will be making haggis. Click below to watch a film of me making some a few years ago. Jack Cuthbert of Ardoch Farm has kindly written a few words for us [see next post] – and you will also be able to watch him on TV very soon!
The beef cheeks have been soaking in red wine since Friday and will be seared today. They’ll go through a two-stage cooking process of 2-3 hours, with a break of 12 hours in between.
Still on this week are cockerels from Linda Dick. You may have guessed by now that I am a very keen supporter of her farm, Hamildean near Peebles in the borders. This week, I will completely bone out the birds, then roll and stuff them with a prawn and chicken filling, then they will slow cook in a stock made using prawn shells on a low heat. To be served with the prawn sauce, sounds good?
Ham shoulders, also known as Boston butts, have been soaking in salted, flavoured water since last week, and they will be poached with cured pork belly and ham hock. This will give me a great stock to use to cook lentils for this dish known as petit salé. It will then be joined by duck and pork Toulouse sausages (home-made of course). I will send a little pot of Dijon mustard with it as that’s how it should be eaten.
Finally, for the fish-lovers, I am making a soup with crab, fish and prawns to be served as a bouillabaisse along with rouille sauce, croutons and grated cheese. The fish will be lightly cooked on Friday morning just before the collections and deliveries – and whilst you can keep in your fridge for 2 or 3 days - I do recommend eating it the same day to enjoy the freshness. Right now I don’t know what fish will be available from Welch Fishmongers, but I am guessing and hoping for some monkfish, maybe plaice and gurnards. We shall see.
There’s no change to desserts as I think they are really great and easy for you.
I was chatting to Niall Morrison, one of our Instagram followers last week, offering him advice as he recreated our steak tartare at home. He was meant to be joining us at the restaurant for an anniversary dinner. I think he did a pretty good job!
A couple of you have asked about steak tartare, and I did make one last week as a special request. So I’m asking: how many of you would like to see it on the menu? You would need to do the mixing yourself though. Any takers? This could be fun to do at home so let me know.
Let’s hope we can open l’escargot bleu as normal from next week, but we shall continue the take away anyway as I know lots of you have been ordering week after week. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you again. Betty and I are extremely grateful for the support received since we started l’escargot at home.
Keep on reading for a few words from someone, who like me, is passionate about food, its history, and its provenance.
À bientôt,
Fred