Our next candlelit dinner is just around the corner and I’m busy doing a lot of the prep work for that today. The evening is sold out, but we do have our final instalment of our ‘by candlelight’ series on 18 April when we will be delving into the spring larder. Book tickets now to avoid disappointment!
Here’s a little insight into what’s going on
Canapés
• Old Bay-cured Loch Etive trout tartlette with an avocado mousse
I’ve cured the trout in Old Bay seasoning for 24 hours with some Maldon salt and it’s given the fish a lovely red hue. I haven’t used Old Bay with trout before, but I did use it for cooked salmon and it was lovely. I’ve just washed the trout, and it smells phenomenal!
Loch Etive is a really deep loch and these trout are given free reign, which is great. They’re deep swimmers so they have a really good fat content. As they say: “more fat, more flavour!”
• Cumbrae oyster with pickled cucumber and a coriander dressing
I love using the Cumbrae oysters as they come from fresh, cold water on the west coast of Scotland. The Atlantic current goes through, brings up a lot of silt and they absorb all the great flavours. I’m doing a coriander dressing and some pickled cucumber on top. It’s fresh, vibrant, does what it says on the packet!
• Grilled langoustine tails with a langoustine emulsion
Instead of the polpette di baccalà which I was planning on doing, I’ve got some langoustine tails, which I will grill on the plancha. I’ve roasted off the heads in some oil, and then taken that to make an emulsion with some farm eggs, a bit of salt and some honey to sweeten it up.
Starter
• Lemon sole meunière with a rocket gremolata, smoked eel and sea herbs
This is all about lemon, butter and parsley. Traditionally it’s floured and fried, but I am doing it a little differently. I’ll make a brown butter, lemon and parsley sauce, chill it down and then brush the filets with that. I then plan to roll them up, skewer them and bake them in the oven.
The rocket gremolata (I had planned a wild-nettle gremolata, but we’re still a bit early) has lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and some extra-virgin olive oil in it and it’s a wonderful versatile sauce. I’ve used it with beef carpaccio before and it’s delicious. I’ve smoked off some eel in our smoker and I’ll be using dill, chervil and chives. I went out to get some sea herbs, but they alluded me on this occasion!
Main course
• Confit North Sea cod and St Andrews bay lobster ravioli with a leek jam and a smoked beurre blanc
I’m cooking the North Sea cod in lemon oil and then I’ve got the lobster ravioli with that. You mix chervil, lemon and dill and I’ve used the off cuts of the trout to make a fish farce mousse. I’ve then chopped up the claws and tails and folded those through it.
Pudding
• Caramelised white chocolate mousse with a passionfruit glaze, dulce de leche and a passionfruit sorbet
I’m boiling the passion fruits at the moment, and they remind me of when I was a kid.
My primary school had a huge wall of them and, on the way to school, you could pick them off the side of the road. I love white chocolate (they did call me the Milky Bar Kid in school!) and I’m roasting that off to give it a darker colour before making a mousse out of it.
I can’t wait to see those that are coming and do get booked in for our next supper club, which I’ll be doing the menu for next week!
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