Fred's newsletter 6.4.21

Coco: mannequin félin

Bonjour mes amis,

Easter weekend is done and dusted; once again celebrated with limited friends or family. I was lucky to have my two children Matilde and Camile at home for a late lunch on Sunday. It was a very intimate and felt like a very precious time. Betty was very happy too. Yesterday it was back to normality with orders, menus and paperwork, just like a normal Monday. But as the sun was shining I did manage to steal away for a ride on my old motorbike. It had been too long since I had the opportunity.

I managed to get to Newton Garden on Saturday after a couple of deliveries and a bit of a tidy up at the restaurant. I arrived full of good intentions and took a tour around. The sun was shining, and it was warm and dry. Coco the cat followed me everywhere, wanting to play. Sometimes I think he has a little bit of a canine blood in him as he often behaves like a wee dog. I’m quite sure I heard him barking.

I soon felt motivated to get on with some sowing and planting, continuing until I dropped. I actually did lie down on the grass for a nap, with Coco keeping me company. 45 minutes later I awoke with sunburn on my forehead and a still-asleep cat on my stomach. I had to leave, but the little poser remained, paws up, modelling for the camera. Cat life can be tough.

I enjoyed the menu last week, particularly the milk-fed lamb. The Soissons beans were moist and tasty, and the lamb was well-flavoured too. The black pudding was melt-in-the-mouth with just enough kick from the spices. I hope you all agree.

In this week’s nibbles section, I have added a sharing cheese and charcuterie platter. It would make a good meal for two, or a satisfying pre-dinner bite for a party of 4. You can enjoy it with a bottle of merlot at giveaway price, or choose a slightly more refined wine from our list if you prefer.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that our classic fish soup is almost always on the menu, and for good reason: we cannot make enough of it and it’s our best-seller no matter what time of year it is. So why should it come off the menu?

Also for starters, we are making white pudding with Orkney scallops using veal fillets as a base, rather than white fish. It will be well seasoned with marine dry spices, a very subtle in flavour. I plan to keep some for myself for the weekend.

There’s asparagus again, this week served very simply with a Newton Garden chive crème fraiche. I’m still sourcing from Spain, but I’m told the Scottish asparagus season isn’t far off. Watch this space.

Garlicky snails with parsley and croutons are still there, and our famous steak tartare makes a return. It’s the perfect weather for it. Add a green salad and a nice pinot noir (may I recommend Domaine Schwach from Alsace on our wine list) and it's a winner. It makes a good sharing (or not) starter, and will satisfy plenty as a main course.

On to main courses. The civet of wild rabbit should please all the game lovers out there. I’m using the back legs and saddle for it, saving the front legs and trimmings for a terrine for next week’s menu. I’m also preparing a North African tagine with lamb shoulder from East Lothian, The Brand Family to be precise. This will be cooked very slowly, almost confit, with dried fruits, prunes, dates, almond flakes, tomatoes, diced vegetables, spices and olive oil – offering you a slight change to the classic French casseroles. It will be accompanied with olive oil couscous, with a bit of butter too. I also get all our duck eggs from The Brand Family, whose kids are in charge of the ducks. I love the story (you can read a few words from them here). We use duck eggs for all our patisserie needs: pastry, crème anglaise, etc, etc. Mayonnaise too.

We are taking delivery of some outstanding chickens from St Bride’s farm today. They are free-range exisiting on a diet of mainly grass, and are able to wander around with lots of space to play. Robert Morris is a long-time friend of l’escargot and I love his way of rearing poultry. We have hopes of getting hold of some guinea-fowl and fresh duck soon as well (please Robert! 🙏 ). He’s written a few words for us – do have a read. Back to the chickens, I will cook them Basquaise-style, with sweet peppers, red onions, chorizo and sweet chillis from Espelette to finish the dish.

I’ll be cooking some Aberdeen Angus feather blade in the oven from this afternoon until mid-morning tomorrow and I’m expecting a great result. The beef arrived from Nigel of McCaskie’s Butcher in Wemyss Bay, and I cannot praise Nigel enough for the great job he is doing. His buying and sourcing credentials are first class. A very good example for other butchers out there. For fish fans, this week we are expecting cod, that we will steam with a leek and saffron sauce.

On the desserts, I’m introducing a duck egg and vanilla petit pot with biscuits. We have received great feedback for the recent petit pots, with many complimenting them as refreshing, light and tasty - thank you. The tarte aux poires stays as we are nearing the end of pear season, so enjoy it while it lasts. The rich chocolate nemesis is ideal for the gluten-free, and there’s also a rhubarb crumble, praline brioche and butter pudding, a cheese plate, griottines in Kircsh and prunes in Armagnac.

Mes amis, as usual, thank you for your orders and all the emails, keep sending them. I appreciate your criticism as much as I love your kind words.

Be safe and gourmand.

A bientôt,

Fred