WINTER menus
Roast for 30 minutes until golden brown. Lower the temperature to 120°C. Baste
Poached winter fruits
the shoulder of lamb every 20 minutes or so for 1 hour (*5). Now remove the lamb
from the oven tray, spoon out the fat, add the wine and water, and bring to the boil in spiced wine
on the hob. Put the lamb back into the tray, cover loosely with tin foil (*6) and roast in
the oven for a further 4 hours at 110°C. “This dessert recipe demonstrates the technique of poaching.
The exchange of flavours produces delicately spiced fruits and an
Cooking the braised vegetables aromatic juice, which is delicious served warm or cold.”
Sweeten the vegetables on a medium heat, in a large cast iron pan, in the olive
oil with a little seasoning for 5 minutes. Add the water and cook with the lamb Difficulty rating:
at 110°C for 2 hours taste and correct the seasoning. Serves (Yield): 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serving Cooking time: 40 minutes
Remove the lamb from the oven, strain the juices, spoon out any fat and
serve into a sauceboat, place on the table to be carved in front of your Planning ahead
guests. Serve the braised vegetables from the cast iron pan. This dessert should be made a day in advance.
Chef’s notes (*) Ingredients
*1 5 hours may seem a long time but the lamb is cooked at a very low temperature For the red wine jus
to make the meat tender, moist and full of flavour. Alternatively, you could set the 1 bottle red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon
oven to just 65°C and decrease cooking time to 12 hours. 250g water
*2 As a team, we have selected 3 suppliers which are all organic: Rhug 150g sugar, caster
specialises in highland lamb and the breeds we use are Beaulah, Cheviot and 1 vanilla pod cut in half, 2 drops of vanilla extract
Ewe Rouge, which are all crossed with the Welsh lamb. Laverstoke Park, with ½ cinnamon stick
whom I have worked with for the past 7 years, is organic and currently converting 1g pepper, black
to a biodynamic system. The breeds we have chosen are Lleyn and Hebridean. 2 bay leaves
Then there is my dear friend Colin Ring, who has worked at Le Manoir for the last 2 cloves
20 years, and is also a farmer with an excellence breed of lamb that he grazes on 2 slices lemon, skin on
Le Manoir grounds. Early in the season between March and April, I use French 2 slices orange
lamb from the Pyrenées.
*3 The roasting and caramelising of the bones and trimmings will provide a For the fruits
delicious jus, and also provide a support for the meat, allowing the heat to 1 quince, peeled, cut into 4 segments, cored
circulate. 4 ripe pears (Williams preferably), peeled and quartered
*4 I like to boil the wine to remove the alcohol before adding to the meat. It 1 baby pineapple, peeled and cut into 4 segments
intensifies the desirable flavours and removes the alcohol, which can leave 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and cut into 4 segments
an unpleasant flavour in the mouth. If you over reduce the wine, though, you 8 Agen prunes (optional)
will lose the freshness and acidity.
*5 The basting will help to provide colour and flavour, and the juices mixed Method
with the fat caramelise the meat. Bring the red wine to the boil for approximately 1 minute, before adding the
*6 The foil is placed loosely on the shoulder of lamb to retain moisture and water and all the other jus ingredients. Turn the heat down, add the quince
prevent the meat from drying out. segments and simmer gently for approximately 10 minutes (*1). Add the
pears, pineapple and apple segments, cover with a disc of greaseproof
Variations paper and poach for a further 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature, add
The cut of lamb can be replaced by any braising cuts, such as shin of beef, the prunes, if using, and refrigerate.
silverside, brisket and blade and you can use any mix of your favourite
herbs. To serve
You could add parsnips, turnips and yellow beetroot; all perfect Arrange the fruits, spices and red wine jus in a large dish, serve cold.
accompaniments to a roast. Some whole cloves of garlic simply roasted in a
little olive oil would also be delicious. Chef’s notes (*)
*1 By boiling the wine you will remove the bitter alcohol taste and leave the
deliate fruity qualities of the wine.
*2 It is important that while the fruits are poaching, the liquid does not come to
a boil; the heat and agitation would damage the delicate flesh of the fruits.
Variations
om
Any other seasonally available fruit would be a welcome addition, but be sure
f
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to adjust the cooking times for more delicate fruits, such as blackberries,
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w
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which only need 8 minutes of poaching.
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©
30 RAYMOND BLANC’s SEASONS www.raymondblanc.com
RBS5_WntrREV.vp.indd 30 1/12/08 11:40:55 am
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