Friday Night Feast
It seems like a long, long time since I have had a good cooking session, something that was complicated in its parts but combines to make a simple dish that is full of flavour. Today I indulged myself in just that and at the end I am tired but excited and brimming with anticipation. Onto the menu:
Roasted Rack of Lamb with pistachio pesto and bacon
served with broccoli in a pistachio pesto cheese sauce, root vegetable mash and sauted cabbage.
For dessert:
Roasted Plums with maple and balsamic drizzle and Chocolate and Water Mousse.
For the Rack of Lamb with Pistachio Pesto and Bacon
2 racks of lamb
2/3 of a cup of shelled rosted pistachio
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
8 slices of streaky bacon
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Remove any silverskin from the lamb racks, season with salt and pepper and reserve.
In a mortar and pestle (or a mini food processor bowl) crush the pistachios to a very rough paste. Add in the herbs and few drizzles of olive oil. Keep pounding until it starts to come together and the texture is a lot smoother. Slather the pesto on the meaty part of the lamb racks, then lay over the streaky bacon. I like to reserve a few pieces to wrap around to hold the bacon in place.
Roast for about 40 minutes or until medium rear. Let rest 7 minutes before carving.I par cook the broccoli and the drain, placing in a ceramic baking dish in a single layer. Make a cheese sauce as per norman but add a table spoon of the pistachio pesto and pour over the top. Bake along side the lamb for about 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Root vegetable mash is the simplest thing in the world to make. Simple dice enough carrots, parsnip, potato and swede in small chunks the same size to serve everybody. Bring to a boil and simmer until cooked. Mash roughly with plenty of salt and pepper to season and a good few knobs of butter.
Roasted Plums and Chocolate and Water Mousse
Roasted plums are easy. 2 plums per person, halved and stoned. Drizzle over maple syrup and some balsamic glaze of you have it. Roast for around 30-40 minutes until softened.
Chocolate and Hot Water Mousse..
This is tricky and the main secret is to whisk as hard as you can for a long time.
Prepare and ice bath. Pleasty of ice in your largest bowl, top with water and good dose of salt. Place a smaller glass bowl inside.
Ina small saucepan, add cold water and grated chocolate in the ratio of 1 to 1.3, or for every 100 grams of water (100 mls) 130 grams of 65% or more grated chocolate. Apply the heat and begin whisking rapidly until the chocolate is melted and fully incorporated.
Remove from the heat and pour into the inner bowl of your water bath and begin whisking again rapidly. As the mixture cools, the water molecules become emulsified with the fat and eventually solidify into a light moose that has no cream andwhen you try it, just dissappears in your mouth. In this dish the key is the chocolate so the better the chocolate, the better the mousse.
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