As a cook, it would be sensible to know your timings. With most things; stews, soups, cake, my timings are usually good. I am familiar with these things. I know when they look right, taste right, and are ready to eat. And so, I trust my instinct. When it comes to roasting meat, however, timing scares me. I have many goals when it comes to cookery, and one of my most ambitions, and perhaps extravagant, is that one day, some day, I’d like to buy a whole fillet of beef, and roast it, and know, or trust, that when I take it out of the oven, I’ll know it’s perfect.
Until then, I am trying, really trying, to become confident in roasting meat. I live with a vegetarian, so if I buy meat, I know I’ll have to eat it all myself. It’s not often, therefore, that I get a piece of meat big enough to roast.
It is fortunate for me, therefore, that a friend of mine, a keen meat eater, has recently moved to London, and was free for a Sunday supper. It is unfortunate, however, that my work schedule means I have to work until six in the evening every Sunday this month, so the perfect roast still eludes me., but a rack of lamb, well, it doesn’t take too long to cook, does it?
I read somewhere (probably nigel slater) that summer lamb is an often-ignored treat. When I think about it, that makes a lot of sense. I am the type of girl who prefers a rump steak to a fillet. I appreciate a tender piece of meat, and, through a rudimentary knowledge of biology and butchery, I understand that the tenderest meat is that which hasn’t done much work. I also understand that tougher meat has more flavour. So although the lamb of summer is not as tender as those little baby lambs of spring, it has more flavour. And, at my butcher’s at least, is it infinitely cheaper.
So, there I was on Sunday afternoon. My rack of lamb had been marinading whilst I was out, I got home and preheated the oven, let my lamb warm up a bit out of the fridge, and, well, I’d never roasted a rack of lamb before.
In conclusion, my timing was off. I had to put my lamb back in the oven not once, not twice, but three times. When it came out the final time, however, it was delicious. Honestly, I was surprised. I think we were both surprised. I’m not sure I learnt any lessons about roasting meat, because my rack of lamb was probably in the oven for around 25 minutes, which seems like an awfully long time for a mere pound of lamb. It came out pink, tender, and tasting like lamb. So, I will post the recipe, and emphasise that most people are probably better at this that me, and so will know how long their own rack of lamb will take in their own oven.
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
For two
A rack of lamb
Dijon mustard
For the marinade
Olive oil
Tablespoon of Dijon mustard
Thyme, finely chopped
Rosemary, finely chopped
Parsley, finely chopped
two cloves of garlic, finely chopped
For the crust
Breadcrumbs
Parsley
Thyme
Rosemary
Parsley
3 cloves garlic
Let the lamb marinade, preferably all day, but for at least an hour
Preheat the oven to 200°C
Get the lamb out of the fridge around half an hour before cooking.
Shake off the marinade, and sear the meat in a hot pan.
Let the lamb rest for 5-10 minutes.
For the crust, process garlic and herbs until they are all well-combined and mix with the breadcrumbs.
Brush the lamb with mustard, roll in the crust until it is coated.
Put in the oven for however long a rack of lamb takes.
Tomato and Fennel salad
For two
Six to eight cherry tomatoes
1 bulb of fennel
1 courgette, sliced
thyme
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
preheat the oven to 170°C
lay most of the tomatoes, cut in half, on a lightly oiled baking tray, scatter with a few thyme leaves and some salt and put in the oven for around half an hour, or until semi dry.
Cut the fennel into wedges and cook in a pan with a little water and a knob of butter.
When soft, add the courgette.
Add the dried tomatoes and the rest of the fresh tomatoes.
Dress with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some salt and black pepper.
So that was the main, but what would a sunday lunch be without a crumble? And what would a summer lunch be without some cherries? And so a cherry crumble was the perfect end.
Cherry and Almond Crumble
For four
600g cherries, stalks and stones removed
two tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of cornflour
4 tablespoons of water
juice of half a lemon
120g plain flour
85g butter
3 tablespoons caster sugar
4 tablspoons ground almonds
4 tablespoon flaked almonds
Preheat the oven to 180°C
In a pan, heat the cherries over a low heat with the water and sugar for around ten minutes.
Take out two teaspoons of juice from the pan and mix with the cornflour until it is completely dissolved, and then add back into the pan.
When the syrup thickens, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice
Rub the butter and flour together in a big bowl until it resembles very small pebbles Add the sugar and the ground almonds and stir in.
Scatter on top of the cherries, followed by the flaked almonds.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crumble has browned slightly and the fruit is bubbling.
Serve with cream.
