Blogs

Autumnal Supper Club

Last Friday night saw the second Arbutus Supper Club up and running and it was a brilliant night. After a few minor hiccups the previous day with not very successful shopping leading to a slight menu change, I couldn't have been happier with the end result. The main course was due to be baked sea bass and I was really hoping to get two lovely big fish to bake in the oven stuffed with all sorts of delights but as I couldn't find a fish big enough in any of the fishmongers I went to I had to settle for poached fillets instead, which was a lovely substitute even if it wasn't exactly what was advertised! 

The evening started with a glass of sparkling wine and some apple chips and spiced nuts by the fire to help us get in the autumn mood (the unseasonably warm weather was ruining my Autumn theme!) The apple chips were a huge success. Very easy to make and absolutely delicious. They were all gobbled up with none left for me after. I highly recommend them. And they're relatively healthy too.

The starter was a duck terrine from the River Cottage with homemade chutney and sourdough bread. I'm a particular fan of this terrine. Again, it's quite simple to make and looks very impressive when you turn it out so it's great for dinner parties. And it can be made the day before giving you one less thing to stress about on the day itself. Winner.

The poached fish was lovely and I was really happy with the celeriac mash. The celeriac added a really nice sweetness to the potatoes which worked really well. The main was finished off with simple greens, wilted and then dressed with salt and butter. A garlicky tarator sauce was served for those who wanted an extra level of flavour with the fish. I hadn't come across this sauce before, or at least I thought I hadn't. It's very similar to humous, but made without the chickpeas. I found it in a recipe for the baked sea bass that I was going to do and the one I made had bread and pine nuts in it. Further internet searching has come up with lots of tahini based recipes for this dish and the more I read about it the more familiar it became. It's one of those ones that I've eaten loads of times in mediterranean restaurants but never known what it was called. Now I know. Anyway, it was an interesting accompaniment and the sharpness of it worked well to cut through the fish.

I had never cooked a pumpkin pie before Friday and was a little nervous about how it would go down, especially since I had no idea what it tasted like before I served it. I had a real live Canadian at the table and two of my other guests had family in the states and all three assured me it was very much like the real thing, so I took them at their word and was delighted. It was simple enough to make. I blind baked the pastry, but I'm not sure this was necessary and probably would bake it raw the next time. I also used a butternut squash instead of actual pumpkin as this was recommended as a tastier alternative by a lot of the recipes I read. I'm not sure if it would go down as my favourite desert of all time but it was perfect to finish to my Autumn celebration and there was none left at the end to wound my ego.

The thing I enjoyed most about my second supper club was how different it was to the first one. The first was in the height of summer and attended by friends of mine, who all knew me obviously, but not necessarily each other. It was a hectic affair, not least of all because it was all so new to me, but there was an excitement in the air that comes with a new venture and the summer sense of possibility pervaded. This time round I had two guests who had been before, two guests who I didn't know and three who were friends but were new to the club. It was a much more relaxed and laid back affair for many reasons. The time of year, the fact that it was on a Friday, the experience of the first event behind me and most importantly the unique combination of guests all came together to create a special atmosphere, totally different to the first time round. This to me is what supper clubs are all about. The food is merely a catalyst, hopefully a very tasty one, which allows people to come together and have an experience that is totally unique to that time and place. What more could you want? Can't wait for round three.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Inaugural Supper Club



So I'm finally getting my breath back after what was a brilliant weekend of food. I'd just like to say a huge thanks to all my guests who made last Saturday's dinner such a huge success and also an enormous thanks to my very dapper butler for the evening, Ed. I guess all good things come to those who wait!

I thought I'd throw a few of the recipes your way and also give you the run down of where I sourced the produce and what went into the whole evening.

Going back in time, this was Thursday...

Picked up the meat for Saturday's dinner today from Ennis's butchers up in Rialto. A really good local butchers, and surprisingly good value. Great to get the bones thrown in as well, which are currently bubbling away in the kitchen to make the stock for the tagine, which I'm going to make tomorrow, time enough to give it a good stew overnight to get the most out of all those lovely spices. The meat is currently in the fridge soaking up the spices that will give the dish it's delicious flavour, lots of cumin, paprika, cayenne and tumeric - it smells great!

Then Friday....

I'm very excited and can't wait to start cooking. I've tried as much as possible to keep out of the supermarkets for this one and get my ingredients from independent retailers and markets. Here's a run down of what I've been able to find. It's amazing what's out there when you put in a little leg work! (although with all this rain, those legs do tend to get a little wet).

I'm very lucky to be surrounded by a great Asian community and the local shops are stuffed with all the spices, pulses, grains, and treats a girl could want, so a short trip round the corner was all I needed to stock the press with the required spices for my menu. Is it wrong to get excited about buying spices?

For the record, you get twice the amount for half the cost of the supermarket variety and I'd put money on them having a better flavour. I was also able to pick up the Rosewater for my dessert. ( got my inspiration here, but the Rachel Allen recipe worked really well with the Rosewater, about 2 teaspoons, also tried a river cottage recipe but the yoghurt made it a bit too tart for the rose water!) Amazingly they had three different options to choose from. It's great to see the choice of produce in Dublin increasing with the influx of different nationalities. When I first moved home from London I pined for the Turkish shop we used live over, with it's fresh veg, broad bean crisps (if you can find these, you'll never stop eating them...on second thoughts, maybe don't go looking!) and delicious kalamata olives and vine leaves, all cheap enough to buy for everyday use. There were few shops like it here but what there was were badly stocked. But, happily, the last year has seen a huge change and I for one am loving it.
Finally to Saturday, which was one of those beautiful Dublin mornings, where everything looks ten times brighter and lovelier than on an average day. Got out to the market good and early just as the city was waking. Down to Pearse Street to see what they had to offer. It's a lovely market, quite small, but with some great sellers and welcoming atmosphere. I got my veg from Ballinroan farm and a few leaves and spinach from Bogach farm. It wasn't cheap but it was all organic and for the salad leaves it was definitely worth it for the taste. Being the cheese fiend that I am I couldn't leave without taking a little bit of cheese from Mossfield farm for my lunch, which was really delicious. Then, a quick trip in to Temple Bar Market, which, while beautiful and interesting is a little prohibitive price-wise for regular shopping. However, I braved the tourists to pick up some olives and vine leaves. Last stop was on Aungier Street for the Baklava. Picked it up in a little ethnic supermarket. Great value and delicious. I really do love these shops. in fact I think I'm a little obsessed.

All that was left was a quick trip to the mammy's garden to get flowers for the table and a few treats for the salad and the job was done.

So, the results? I really enjoyed making all the food and shopping for it. Nearly all the plates came back clean, seconds were had and smiling faces were many. I choose to take that as a good sign.