A Spring Luncheon with Anne Scharrenborg
A charming afternoon in a Netherlands garden with our lovely guest host, Anne Scharrenborg, featuring spring florals, craft cocktails & seasonal ingredients.
Hi! My name is Anne, and I am thrilled to be joining Camille and Le Supper Club for a spring themed collaboration. A little something about me. I’m from the Netherlands, 25 years old and Camille and I connected over a shared love for pretty table settings and all things artistic. I enjoy immensely putting together the floral centerpieces, browsing for vintage tableware, and handcrafting menus. This particular appreciation of hosting and a profound love for aesthetically beautiful tables brought me and Camille together, which resulted in this seasonal collaboration. For me, when it comes to a good table setting and an exceptional get-together, details matter.
The theme of this festive setting was a spring lunch and it is exactly what you would have in mind. A bit of sunshine, a gentle breeze, bright,colorful flowers and, of course, cocktails.
Meet our lovely host, Anne Scharrenborg in her charming Netherlands garden.
My aim was to bring together in-season vegetables and fruits and construct a three-course menu of light dishes, both elegant and rustic. Although an eclectic menu, I have tried to use as many locally sourced ingredients as possible, such as asparagus, strawberries, radish and rhubarb. In the tablescape, the spring theme appears in the white and burgundy floral tablecloth. The combination of the red with the vintage plates and flower vases calls for a simple napkin, but of course not too simple. The edges of the napkins are sculpted, a perfect combination with the feminine touches on the table.
It’s the menu cards where I can really let my creativity flow. I hand painted the aquarelles on the back of the menu cards - I chose pears to manifest a little bit of summer for this spring lunch. The menu cards were printed on Gmund cotton paper, a wonderfully thick yet light cut of paper, which made it possible to letterpress text into the menu cards resulting in a perfectly elegant and artistic introduction to the luncheon.
For the first course, I opted for a ceviche of cod, radish, chioggia beets and blood orange, pickling the radishes and beets the day before. The cod was cured in the juice of both lime and blood orange for about 45 minutes before serving, resulting in a lovely and fresh dish, with the surprise addition of some chili for just a little kick.
When I host friends for lunch, I always try to spend as much time as possible in their company , rather than in the kitchen. This asparagus & ricotta tart serves that requirement perfectly, as most of it is make-ahead friendly. Requiring minimal mise en place, the assembly takes only a couple of minutes and while it bakes in the oven, you can sit back and enjoy the company. It’s as easy to make as it is delicious: the lemony ricotta beautifully complements the roasted asparagus, the flaky (gluten free) puff pastry adds a little crunch, and the herbs make for extra freshness. The recipe is from Julius Roberts’ latest book, be sure to check him out!
Cod ceviche with radish, chioggia beets and blood orange
I really love making cocktails and I like to experiment with new combinations or techniques. This time, I wanted to try clarifying a negroni, a technique which I had heard of but never done myself. As this is the perfect time for rhubarb, I made a vanilla and rhubarb infused negroni, which I then clarified using heavy cream. The result was a beautifully rounded and soft cocktail, still keeping the fresh tanginess of a negroni but also carrying subtle hints of vanilla. As a slight nod to the Netherlands, I also served my own interpretation of a Dutch Ambassador cocktail with orancello and Dutch gin. In the non-alcoholic realm, I included a non-alcoholic G&T and a delicious, homemade citrus and hibiscus iced tea.
I got some fresh strawberries from a nearby grower and decided to serve them with a panna cotta, which I think is a particularly elegant dessert when done right. I’ve kept the panna cotta very simple, and served it with roasted strawberries and black pepper. Roasting your strawberries is a nice way to zhuzh up this dessert! It concentrates the strawberries’ natural sweetness and the black pepper provides an interesting contrast. Add a tiny (and I do mean TINY) splash of rosewater to the strawberries as soon as they get out of the oven for even another layer of flavor.
The beauty here is that you can (and should) make your panna cottas one or two days before the event. Then, whenever you’re ready, pop the strawberries in the oven for 15 minutes and you’re golden.
Cod ceviche
Asparagus and ricotta tart
Panna cotta
Clear as Day - Clarified Aperol Negroni
Cod Ceviche
Ingredients (serves 6)
400 g fresh cod
2-3 limes, zest and juice
1 blood orange, juiced
3 cm piece of ginger, grated
200 mL white vinegar
200 mL water
1-2 tbsp (25-50) grams caster sugar
8-10 small radishes
1 red chili (or more, that’s up to you)
1 chioggia beet, or any other beet suitable for raw consumption
Extra virgin olive oil
Decoration: I used edible flowers and microgreens, but feel free to pick your own garnish
Method
This recipe calls for a little time management, as it is best to start pickling the greens some time in advance, and the fish needs to cure for about 30 minutes before serving.
Start well ahead of time. Mix the water, vinegar and sugar and put over a gentle heat. Take off the heat as soon as all the sugar has dissolved and let it cool completely in a sealable container.
Peel and finely slice the chioggia beet, wash and finely slice the radishes. Add to the water and vinegar mixture, seal the container and leave to pickle until assembly time.
Roughly 30 to 45 minutes before serving, get started on the fish. Finely dice the fish and add to a shallow bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the lime juice (don’t forget to zest the limes before you juice them!) and the blood orange juice. Grate the ginger into the same bowl, finely slice the chili and add as well. Mix thoroughly and taste, maybe add some sugar or a pinch of salt until you are happy with the result.
Add the marinade to the fish, saving two or three tablespoons of the marinade to be used, come serving time. Leave to cure in the fridge for about 30 minutes. You can go longer, but it might make the fish firm up more. I don’t particularly like that, but it’s all up to you!
Assembly could not be easier: spoon the fish on plates, drape over the pickled beet and radish slices. Finish with a splash of olive oil, lime zest and a bit of the saved marinade. Enjoy!
Asparagus and Ricotta Tart
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
250g ricotta
50g goat’s cheese (don’t like goat’s cheese? Grated parmesan will do just fine)
1 lemon
Bunch of fresh mint
Bunch of fresh chives
1 sheet of gluten free puff pastry
2 bunches of green asparagus
olive oil
1 egg
Method
This is a recipe by Julius Roberts, from his book The Farm Table. You can make the ricotta mixture ahead of time, store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Preheat your oven to 200C (ca. 400F).
Finely chop the herbs. In a bowl, whisk together the ricotta, goat’s cheese, zest and juice of the lemon, and about three quarters of the herbs (the rest is for serving).
Roll out the pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Score the pastry about 3 cm from the edge, going all around, making sure not to cut all the way through.
Snap the woody ends off the asparagus, try to make them as even in length as possible.
Spread the ricotta mixture out on the pastry, staying within the lines you just drew.
Lay the asparagus on top, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Whisk the egg and brush the border of the pastry. This ensures a golden crust.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up nicely and has picked up a beautiful golden color.
Sprinkle over the remainder of the herbs and serve right away.
Panna Cotta
Make the panna cotta at least the night before, as it needs time in the fridge to set. Here, I used vanilla to infuse the cream, but it might be fun to experiment with other flavors!
Ingredients (serves approx. 6)
250 mL high quality double cream
150 mL whole milk
80g caster sugar
3 leaves of gelatine
100 mL buttermilk
1 vanilla pod, halved, seeds and pod both go into the cream
500g fresh strawberries
Black pepper
A few drops of rosewater (optional!)
Method
Heat the cream, milk, vanilla (both the seeds and the pod) and sugar in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissipated. Just when it starts to steam, take the pan off the heat.
Put cold water into a bowl and soak the gelatine leaves for 3-5 minutes.
Squeeze all the water from the gelatine and add to the hot cream and stir through.
Add the buttermilk and give it a final stir.
Pour the mixture through a sieve and pour into 6 ramekins, small bowls or glasses, or whatever other cup you like. Seal with clingfilm, pressing it into the cream. This stops a skin forming on top.
Let the panna cotta sit in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight.
A half hour before serving time, preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and clean the strawberries.
Pour the strawberries onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle over one or two teaspoons of sugar and crack over some black pepper. Toss to coat the strawberries evenly, making sure the strawberries are in a single layer.
Roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a shallow layer of water to a boil in a wide pan.
Take out of the oven and when still hot, and sprinkle over a few drops of rosewater - this is optional! I love it, but not everyone is a big fan of rosewater.
Dip each panna cotta mold in the boiling water for a couple of seconds. Be careful not to let the water touch the pudding. Then, put a serving plate on top and flip, so that the pudding plops out. If it doesn’t immediately work, you might want to give the upside-down mold a little shimmy. It should come out nicely.
Serve with the strawberries and garnish with some pretty, edible flowers or mint leaves.
Clarified Aperol Negroni
I love the bitterness of a negroni, but to some people it might be a tad too bitter. This negroni, using Aperol instead of Campari, and infused with both rhubarb and vanilla, is a lot less bitter than the OG. However, the clarification process takes the edge off even further. By running the cocktail through dairy - such as cream, milk or custard - any impurities are removed, making it clear. It removes any of the grittiness, leaving a silky smooth, visually appealing cocktail. It was the first time I tried this technique and I have to say, it did not disappoint! Start making this during the week running up to the event, so that it has time to infuse and subsequently clarify. The filtration process itself takes a couple of hours as well, tallying up to a total of almost two days from start to finish altogether. However, when you’re done, you can store this for quite some time in the fridge.
Ingredients (serves 6-8)
200 mL Aperol
200 mL red vermouth
200 mL gin
2 stalks of rhubarb
1 vanilla pod
400 mL of heavy cream
Also needed: 2 or 3 fine coffee filters and a sealable container or jar
Method
Chop up the rhubarb in pieces that will fit in the jar or container, and put them in said jar.
Mix the Aperol, vermouth, and gin and pour into the jar. Half the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and add both the seeds and the pod to the mixture. Leaf in the fridge at least overnight, the longer the better.
At least a day before the event, pour the heavy cream in a different container and put the negroni mixture through a sieve. Then, pour the alcohol into the cream - for some reason, this works better than when you pour the dairy into the alcohol. Leave in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight. Again the adage is: the longer the better.
Filter the drink using a coffee filter. You might have to strain it twice, but it should leave you with a silky smooth, delicious drink. Serve over ice.
