For our red return, in pictures

We kickstarted our flurry of Summer Suppers with this one. It brought together a happy, bubbly, interesting and interested group and it made our hearts sing. We showcased some delicious Scottish flavours and some beautifully brilliant red tomatoes, pops of pink rhubarb, super strawberries and sensational elderflower, which did it's magic to leave a lasting impression on the ice cream and the guests.

80

The weeks have flown by since we celebrated a very special friend's, very special 80th birthday. We created a feast of his favourite things, he brought some delightful friends and family and some excellent wines and asked us to cook but also unusually to join the diners for dinner. It was such a happy celebration with a room full of love and laughter, old memories shared and new ones made. 

Would you like to see?

Prepped.

All flowers bright, sunny and beautiful.

The new Charlie and Evelyn's Table by candle light.

To welcome: Stilton gougeres.

Soft-boiled Quail's eggs with asparagus tips, bacon and hollandaise.

To amuse: Prawn and fennel bisque.

To start: Scallops, pea puree, snow pea shoots and pancetta crumbs.

To follow: Pan-fried duck breast, confit duck leg, beetroot dauphinoise, wilted spinach, buttered mushrooms.

To finish: Classic creme caramel, braised rhubarb and vanilla cream.

Recipe for walnut and honey soda bread.

Sometimes, guests request our recipes and I often have very good intentions to share them and then, they don't quite make it to the blog. So, here is one which is often requested, if there's another that I've promised and it's never appeared, please leave a comment below to remind me and I'll do my best! Thanks to Edinburgh Cake and 21st Century Urban Housewife for prompting the eventual posting of this one.

Back to the bread, Chris baked these loaves last week and will bake them again in the morning. We have a couple of books from the River Cottage Handbook series and for this he uses handbook three, Bread. 

The recipe is very similar to the one at the link and copied below (for those too lazy to click). 

In terms of our tips, Chris doesn't warm the honey and water, he just adds them together and he finds that 275ml is more than enough water (but see how you find your dough). He also told me to mention that he kneads to a firm dough, not a soft dough as Hugh suggests and tends to make two round loaves from these quantities baking only for 20-25 minutes as that's when the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the base and is ready. Be warned, this bread won't last long and there's no danger of it surviving past 24 hours in our house!

Served with duck rillettes and plums last weekend.

Walnut and honey soda bread by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Sweet and savoury at the same time, with an incredible depth of flavour, this quick bread is wonderful with cheese. Serves six.

200g walnuts

200g honey

500g wholemeal flour

4 tsp baking powder

10g salt

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ gas mark 6 and lightly oil a baking sheet. Divide the walnuts into two roughly equal piles. Put one half into a food processor or a mortar, then crush to a coarse powder. Using your hands, break the other pile of walnuts into large, rough chunks. Put the honey in a pan with 300ml water and heat gently until the honey dissolves.

Put the flour, baking powder, salt and all the walnuts in a large bowl and combine. Pour in the honey water and mix to a soft dough.

Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, shape it into a rough, round loaf and place on the oiled baking tray. Slice a deep cross into the top, going almost right the way through to the baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Remove, set aside to cool and serve immediately - at the very latest, eat within 24 hours. 

The same bread with duck rillettes and rhubarb, earlier this year at a private dinner at Hoscote House.

For the changing season (and for Jimmy and Nell), in pictures.

Tonight’s supper saw the very welcome return of friends, cake ladies and a couple of guests new to home supper clubs.

Usually, we begin our evening with a brief introduction to the real Charlie and Evelyn, but this time, they needed no introduction, as the guests were already familiar with the story. Instead, we introduced Chris’s maternal grandparents, James and Ellen (or Jimmy and Nell as they were affectionately known). 

This picture was taken on their wedding day and, like Charlie and Evelyn’s, sits on the mantelpiece in the dining room and watches over our suppers. The reason for a special introduction tonight was that remarkably, today would have been their 73^rd wedding anniversary. Something worth sharing and celebrating!

Tonight also broke several records.

First, for range of drinks served from G and T, cocktails, and fizz to cider, wine, coke, milk and water finishing off with “Baileys”! A great opportunity to showcase a good proportion of our glassware collection which brings me to the second record, number of glasses used. Total: 42.

And finally, a new record for Miss E. Tonight was the first supper club that she decided, the party really was too good to miss. How on earth she wasn’t sleeping at midnight is a mystery, surely it means a lie in tomorrow. Surely…

Anyway, enough of the history and the record breaking, here is the food:

To start: Duck rillettes, plums, homemade honey and walnut soda bread.

 To follow: Beef stroganoff, buttered pappardelle, chilli green beans.

 To finish: Baked apple crumble, rhubarb compote, coconut custard.

With coffee: Mini meringues

 Honeycomb truffles.

 E's still awake. How?

Almost midnight, post supper club supper. Left over bread, butter, delicious jam (a greatly appreciated gift from this kind lady who knows what it's like not eating until guests are full) and a cup of tea. 

Please share your thought by leaving us a comment, it will make for a happy Sunday.

Cake miracles do happen.

Last night, the Edinburgh Cake Ladies, got fruity at Craigie’s Farm.

Despite suffering from terminal lateness, it was a surprise, even to me, that, at ten to six (event starting at seven) we actually only had one egg at home! After a frantic dash to the shops and some very “focused” cake baking, the cake was in the oven and definitely going to be served warm. 

I had originally planned to bake Bill Granger’s banana upside down cake, but decided to change when I revisited the brief and noted the fruity theme was actually in celebration of the fabulous fruit at Craigie’s (not many bananas in their polytunnels). So, I baked Sarah Raven’s sharp and sweet rhubarb upside down cake with toasted almonds and by some minor miracle, it worked and arrived at the Cake Ladies gathering, still warm and only 20 minutes late!

 

It was a great evening with some fantastic cakes and some very friendly new and old Cake Ladies. Every event is different and each venue adds something unique but each time I get a place, I know I’m in for a treat and that the treat continues with a sugar hangover countered only be a sugar top up and more cake the next day!

Chocolate celebration cake of Great British Bake off fame (certainly not one to be attempted last minute).

Swedish fruity delight.

Strawberry sponge.

Layers of raspberry and white chocolate goodness.

 Nectarine and cinnamon cake. 

Summer fruit drizzle cake.

Blackcurrant streusel cake.

And to get me through Thursday (you know just in case I was stranded in a flood or something).

The one with the baby and the dog...

It is not usual that we welcome tiny babies or dogs to our supper club. Exceptions can rightly be made 

for friends who are new parents with lots to celebrate and who are currently doing a fabulous job of pouring all of their love and energy into their beautiful boy rather than cooking. That's where we come in. 

With this menu, we used as many pregnancy forbidden ingredients* as we could think of to reward and indulge the birthday girl and new mummy.

The Table.

To welcome Dunsyre blue* mousse, homemade buttery oat biscuits.

To welcome Prawn*, cucumber, mint and feta* spoons.

To amuse Locally foraged wild garlic soup.

To start Asparagus, pecornio shortbread, with or without Parma ham.*

To follow Beef fillet*, mushroom gratin, watercress and spinach puree and potato Dauphinoise.  

To finish Rhubarb and orange tarts, marscapone cream.

Hairy Maclary, the real one.