Fred's Newsletter: 8.12.20

Good morning everyone,

Et voila, we are nearly there, Christmas is right in front of us and before we know it we will be sitting around the table enjoying a roast. But what roast I hear you ask?

Orders for Christmas are being taken from today and I would advise you not to wait too long, as some of the dishes below are only available in small numbers.

Well, I went a long way to bring you some very famous, tasty birds - the best I could find. When I am buying, it’s always nothing less than the best.

I’ve kept in my mind that I had to choose something that makes a change from tradition, something easy to cook and that would accommodate any numbers around the table. So poultry it is. Some Scottish, some French. I was spoiled for choice and I think the selection will please all of you.

But before I move on to the Christmas offering, let me tell you about this week’s menu. The terrine is Hebridean hogget with spinach, served with pickles and a gribiche sauce. We’ve brought back the XL scallops from Orkney as a special treat, and the fish soup returns too. There’s also a quiche Lorraine with bacon and gruyère cheese, and finally for the starters, the escargots come in a bleu d’Auvergne cheese sauce, un délice, I guarantee.

For mains, we have choux farci again, but with goose for a change and to get you in a Christmas mood. The beef short ribs will jump in the oven this evening to slow cook until late tomorrow morning, braising slowly overnight in a beef stock to be served as a chunky, earthy casserole. The confit of duck will cook in the second oven in its own fat, and will come to you sitting on a bed of Salardaise - potatoes sautéed in onions and garlic in duck fat. All of these only need to be put in the oven to re-heat, how easy is that! Our fish this week is hake steamed in a saffron sauce with mussels.

I saw how much you loved those special (rare) Sucrine pumpkins with cheese, so they are staying another week.

Desserts are plenty with a candied chestnut cream flan, a pear tarte fine with almonds pithivier, brioche butter pudding, tarte au chocolat and a crème citron petit pot, known to you as lemon posset. As if there weren’t enough sweet things, we also have a box of orangettes and citronettes dark chocolates to attend to your sweet addiction needs! We’re not naming the cheeses this week, it will be a surprise.

So now I will tell you more about the Christmas menu. I said that I have sourced a wonderful selection of poultry for you. All the birds will come oven-ready, with stuffing, gravy, potato gratin and fresh mayonnaise for left-overs, if any!

Firstly, poularde de Bresse. You would have heard of these birds from an area close to Lyon, that were made famous by chefs like Paul Bocuse and Georges Blanc. It’s a chicken you cannot avoid when traveling around this area as their white feathers are very noticeable.

Not far from the Bresse area you will find the Dombes, formerly a part of Burgundy and not only known for its breeds of poultry, it was also famous for a long time for wild frogs. There aren’t many left nowadays and they are highly protected. The wilderness and climate of the area makes it ideal for the successful breeding of top quality birds, and we have guinea fowl and turkey for you to order.

We also have some poularde from Bresse. Ok, they may have to travel a few miles to reach us in Edinburgh, but I am all for making a couple of exceptions during the year, especially at Christmas time!

From Scotland, we have large 3kg chickens from Linda Dick in the Borders, as well as smaller chickens from Robert at St Brides Farm. Both extremely good and tasty for the truly faithful Scottish customer.

But my heart this year will go to la poule noire. La ferme de la poule noire has been working extremely hard since 1995 to revive a breed that had completely disappeared. This bird goes back a long way, as far as 1500 and was very famous on notable tables in the 17th Century. It’s a tasty chicken that I’ve only had twice in my life and I want more! I would add this to the list of meals everyone must have once in a while. Perhaps not every day as it’s quite expensive, but understandably so. I have huge respect for people working hard to protect tradition, finding happiness in quality, rather than just financial reward. This is a chicken worthy of its cost by the way it's fed, and the length of its life - no less than 5 or 6 months for a ready roast. Its unique flavour comes from a buckwheat feed, the long grass and wood. A winner.

These will be easy dishes for you to cook at home as roasting a poultry cannot be simpler, but I will send instructions of course. If asked, I will happily cook for you, but only a small number! The other dishes on the Christmas menu come ready to re-heat. For example, a whole duck confit will make a nice change. You could even say you cooked it yourself and get all the thanks from your guests.

I ordered feather blade from award-winning MacDuff Beef at auction last week, supplied via Nigel from McCaskie Butchers. This guaranteed grass-fed beef is always a treat. The meat is cooked overnight in a strong red wine sauce and is very easy to re-heat. In fact, it will taste even better a day or two after it has been cooked. Shoulder ham will also be available with coarse grain mustard and gravy. The length of time it spends in the oven (roughly 24 hours) makes it so juicy and tender.

Also available will be a whole fillet of codling, or small cod. Winter is the peak season for cod when the flesh is snow white, fat and tasty. It will be pre-cooked and served on a bed of potatoes with a white wine and crème fraîche sauce including crevettes and mussels.

For desserts we have a very French, traditional Christmas log with either chocolate or vanilla and candied chestnuts. They serve two, but you can buy a few so your guests can taste both. Of course, they are served with a good portion of our real vanilla crème anglaise. Should I explain why I am mentioning real vanilla? Ok, maybe not this time, as I could easily have had another rant!

We have a little fromagerie set up for you to create your own cheeseboard, with every cheese available individually, perfect to please the small or the big appetite. We also have a few goodies to add to make it special.

Betty and I have selected some really good wine, the ones we usually have on our wine list. It is a short list, but it should please any palate. It will also include some dessert wines and cheese wines - our favourites and our own personal imports. I’m just finishing the list off and it should be online later today.

That’s it folks. But before I go, please remember one thing: food is and should be fun. Food is also very political (“shut it Fred”!). Prep ahead and give yourself plenty of time so you can enjoy being around the table with your family and guests, and not in the kitchen.

I really sincerely hope you will enjoy the dishes I have selected for you and please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need anything or some help. I am answering all emails and calls.

Finally, make sure to place your orders earlier rather than later as some things are very limited.

We shall speak again next week,

Fred