Menu for a fruity Friday

Making the most of Summer's bounty, there's fruit in every course for Friday. Guests will be tucking into this light but indulgent menu course by course.

To start
Tuna three ways: seared, carpaccio, mousse

To follow
Pulled pork, wilted chicory, apple and carrot slaw, toasted brioche

To finish
Chocolate tart {chocolate cake for our l.f. and g.f guests}, mascarpone and white chocolate ice cream, strawberries.

Fast tuna salad, with love.

The only blog posts I’ve written recently have been in my head or at best a couple of scrappy notes on my phone. Today, I received a text from a dear friend, a new mum, wondering if I had any suggestions for quick suppers as she has been “living on pasta and pizza at ten o’clock”.

As the silence here has been mainly because we have also been adjusting to life with a new member of our family, it seemed apt that my first post in months would relate to that. It also struck me that of all the advice I was offered as a pregnant lady and new mum and of all the advice I have offered to others about parenthood, I have never handed anyone a quick, tasty recipe which might just save the day.  It won’t stop your baby from crying or magically help them sleep through the night but it will make you feel better even if you only eat half of it one handed.

Of course, this type of recipe is not just perfect for new mums or busy families, it’s great for busy people or new inspiration which hopefully covers everyone reading.

Fast Tuna Salad

This is so simple it’s hardly a recipe. We first ate it during a brief introduction to the 5:2 diet. That's another story. I was pretty scathing but it tastes delicious, is seriously quick to make and goes well with a side of soy-dressed or stir-fried noodles. Also great al fresco during this current Summer we’re experiencing. Edinburgh was 28 degrees C today.

Serves 2.

You will need:

2 tuna steaks

4 tablespoons soy sauce (light or dark, both work)

1 lime, juice and zest

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (if you have it, not essential)

1-2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon wasabi, chopped red chilli or peeled, grated ginger

Salad leaves

Half a cucumber, in strips or ribbons

100g cherry tomatoes, halved

4 spring onions, finely chopped

What to do:

Make the dressing by mixing or shaking the soy sauce, lime, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar and chosen hot stuff together.

If you have time, marinade the tuna for up to half an hour, ten minutes is good enough.

Wash, chop and arrange the salad leaves, cucumber, tomatoes and spring onions on the plates.

Sear the tuna in a frying pan. Cooking time depends on size of steaks and whether you decide to serve as a whole steak or in strips. As a rough guide, if you like it rare, a couple of minutes each side or 20 seconds for strips.

Top the salad with the tuna and eat, with one hand or two.

And, as I’m easing myself back to blogging maybe you can help. If you have a simple, delicious recipe that you make on evenings when you’re low on energy and time but need to eat well and would like to share it here please email us rachelandchrisrowley@gmail.com and watch this space for a some simple suppers guest posts.

For a sweet and sour Friday, in pictures.

I just love the colours yellow and orange and sunshine of course. So last night's menu was a visual treat and it seemed our jolly guests enjoyed the flavours too. Here are the rather bright photos, I hope they make you smile.

 Summer bouquet to set the sunny mood.

 Special sunflowers at the table.

 To welcome Pea and Pecorino toasts.

 Quails' eggs with Parma ham especially for Tom (who dined with us) and his wife Hannah (who sadly couldn't make it). They will forever remind us of your wonderful wedding.

To amuse Courgette and rocket soup.

 To start Seared tuna, mango salsa and honey glazed bean sprouts.

 Or avocado,  mango salsa and honey glazed bean sprouts (v).

 Bright and crunchy salad.

To follow Asian braised beef with hot and sour salad

or Asian braised vegetables with hot and sour salad (v).

Very ripe peaches ready for baking.

To finish Peach melba with Chantilly cream and raspberry granita.

Supper Twenty

For this supper we had cala lillies as deep as claret and the night sky. A family gathered to celebrate a birthday and we served our favourite fish (from Armstrong's) and finished with iced ginger meringues and a firework of our own. (It was the fifth of November afterall.)



Charlie and Evelyn's Table



Deep, velvety cala lilies.

To welcome Homemade oat biscuits with hot smoked salmon mousse or pea, pecorino and bacon.

To amuse Sweetcorn soup with truffled popcorn.

To start Our signature tuna three ways: mousse; carpaccio; seared.

To follow Our take on Bouillabaisse.

To finish Iced ginger meringue slice, pomegranate.

The birthday girl's pudding, complete with ice fountain!

Menu Twenty

This weekend there will be a birthday gathering at our table. We will be serving:

To start

Our signature tuna three ways: mousse; carpaccio; seared (last served ten suppers ago).

To follow

Bouillabaisse, homemade sourdough .

To finish

Iced ginger meringue slice, pomegranate.

Menu Ten

To start {by special request}

Tuna three ways: mousse; carpaccio; seared.

To follow

Wellingtons, carmelised red cabbage, British green beans.

To finish

Lavender creme brulee, lavender shortbread.

Menu Four

To start
Tuna Three Ways: Mousse; Carpaccio; Seared.

To follow
Rare Roast Rack of Lamb, Broad Beans, Lettuce, Peas, Potato Rosti.

To finish
Deconstructed Rhubarb, Rosewater Pavlovas.

Will there be restaurants in heaven?

There's something about the contentment and satisfaction of a good restaurant that makes me think the answer must be yes. If you mix that feeling with the discovery of a new place, in a new country and add holiday relaxation and excellent wine enjoyed with C, you have my idea of heaven on earth. We found that in Franschhoek, South Africa. Given the amount we ate and drank we should still be full now.

Franschhoek has an unbelievable concentration of excellent restaurants in a beautiful, small village and to make it even better, is surrounded by vineyards like this, wineries like this oh, and mountain views like this.

We liked it. A lot. View above from Dieu Donne by me.

With so much eating to be done, we began immediately with dinner at Bouillabaisse indulging in oysters straight up for C and with pineapple and chilli for me. Followed by open duck won tons which were so good they were impossible to savour slowly. Other highlights, and it's hard to choose highlights when nothing but passes your lips for four days, included Le Bon Vivant where we had a fabulous and creative tasting menu including rare tuna with tomato mousse, basil crisp, and onion strings and met the talented chef Pierre Hendricks (Dutch not French - confusing name). Also, Le Quartier Francais which served an outstanding everything especially the open lasagne with rabbit confit and mushroom foam. C was inspired, pretty much to the point of drooling and I'm sure his take on this dish will be coming to Charlie and Evelyn's Table real soon.
So that's why it's been a bit quiet here but we are back now with lots to share, lots to do and busy preparations for our third supper this weekend.