Métier Book Club: March 2021
Extra! Extra!
19 March 2021
What We're Reading
This month we are reading one of this spring’s most anticipated new novels; Double Blind by Edward St Aubyn. He has been a firm favourite with the Métier team since the publication of his Melrose books and the brilliant and bingeworthy TV adaptation Patrick Melrose, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
In Double Blind, St Aubyn takes us to all the places we want to visit right now – Cap d’Antibes, Big Sur, the English countryside and Umbria. Whilst doing so, he unfolds a remarkably rich plot where his characters engage with a range of truly fundamental and pressing questions about ecology, genetics, neuroscience and consciousness studies.
This is a book that leaves the reader, not only intellectually enriched but buzzing from the beauty and pleasure of the text. Double Blind is a book of big ideas that also has a big heart.
Edward St Aubyn will be signing copies especially for Métier’s clients and we will include Double Blind with every purchase, world-wide, until the end of March.
What We’re Watching (and looking forward to!)
Of all the cancelled cultural events during this past year, one that is particularly close to our hearts and that we can’t wait to experience once new dates has been released, is the dance collaboration between The Pina Bausch Foundation, Sadler’s Wells and École des Sables. A newly assembled company of dancers from a range of African countries was set to tour internationally performing Bausch’s iconic The Rite of Spring and Common Grounds, a newly commissioned work created by dance legends Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo. (With the former being dubbed “the mother of contemporary African dance” and the latter being the star in many of Bausch’s early works, the result was set to be electric.).
Whilst we wait, we will curb our dance cravings by watching Pina, Wim Venders’ trilling cinematic love letter to the late Bausch, this moving behind-the-scenes-footage of Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo from their rehearsals and finally this excerpt from The Rite of Spring performed at dusk on a Senegalese beach.
What We're Drinking
This month, we’ve asked Rob at Buon Vino to put together a wine package inspired by the notion of ‘new beginnings’. The result are three stunning wines, especially selected for Métier’s clients, perfect for toasting the arrival of spring! We have also created a tasting video where Rob gives us some dazzling insights about these gorgeous bottles and the passionate winemakers who’ve created them.
What We're Cooking
Rose Ashby, the formidable Head Chef at Spring restaurant in London’s Somerset House has generously shared a recipe brimming with flavours from the new season that is upon us. There is no question what we will cook for supper this Sunday. Spring has spung!
Roasted poussin with Jersey Royals, asparagus and sauce gribiche.
Ingredients:
FOR THE POUSSIN
1 poussin, spatchcocked by your butcher
1 lemon
1 red chilli
10 sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper
FOR THE JERSEY ROYALS
A small handful of dill leaves, torn
A small handful of tarragon leaves, torn
1kg Jersey royals
200g butter
Salt and pepper
FOR THE ASPARAGUS
2 bunches of large English asparagus
A small handful of tarragon leaves, torn
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
FOR THE SAUCE GRIBICHE
300g mayonnaise, homemade ideally but shop bought is fine
40g cornichons, chopped
40g capers, washed and chopped
3 tbsp chopped dill
3 tbsp chopped tarragon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 hardboiled egg, chopped
Sea salt
The juice of half a lemon
Method:
1. Marinade your poussin with thin slices of lemon, thyme leaves, chopped fresh chilli, lots of salt and olive oil. You can do this overnight if you have time but one or two hours will be sufficient.
2. Pre heat your oven to 190C, take your poussin out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for half an hour or so to ensure an even cooking. Place the poussin on the middle shelf of your oven for 20-25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, wash your Jersey Royals and place in a pan with cold water and salt. Pop a lid on and boil for 15-20 minutes, or until tender.
4. Now make the sauce gribiche by combining all the ingredients together, adjust with salt if you need to. You can make this the day before if you would like to, just cover and keep in the fridge until you need it.
5. Take your chicken out of the oven and leave it to rest. Your potatoes should also be cooked now, drain the water away and gently crush each potato, add the butter, herbs, salt and pepper and give it all a good stir.
6. Finally boil your asparagus for 1-2 minutes, drain and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
7. Arrange the poussin, asparagus and potatoes on a platter and serve with the sauce gribiche.