The Chef's Kitchen

View Original

Australian Lamb Loin

Ingredients:
4ea. 6 ounces portions of Lamb Loin with fat cap (see local meat butcher)
1 cup Fiddle head ferns
1 cup Fava beans
1 cup English peas
1 cup White pearl onions
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tb Parsley, mince
2 Tb Chervil, mince
2 Tb Tarragon, mince
2 Tb Chive, mince
1 tea. Garlic, mince
½ cup White Wine
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
3 ounces Sweet Butter

Method:
Preparing the Vegetables:

Fiddle Head Ferns: Wash the fiddle head ferns very well, and then blanch the fiddle head ferns in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Then shock in an ice bath and reserve until serving.

Fava Beans: Peel the outer pod from the bean, and then blanch the fava beans in a large pot of salted water until tender, about 2 minutes. Then shock in an ice bath and reserve until serving.

English Peas: Blanch the peas in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then shock in an ice bath and reserve until serving.

Pearl Onions: Peel and slice the pearl onions into little rings. Lightly sweat the onions with some sweet butter until tender with no color. Season with salt and pepper, and reserve until serving.

Cooking the Lamb:
Heat a large Fry Pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add 3 ounces of cooking oil to the pan. Meanwhile, season the four loins with salt and pepper, and then place fat side down in the pan. Reduce the heat to a medium setting and slowly cook the lamb. It takes about 4 minutes on each side for a medium rare temperature (add 2 minutes on each side for higher degree’s in temperature.) After about 8 minutes, remove from the pan and allow the lamb to rest for about 8 minutes. The rule of thumb is to rest the meat the same amount of time you cook the meat; prolong cooking techniques are the exception.

Finishing the Dish:
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 Tb’s of sweet butter followed by the garlic.  Lightly brown the garlic in the butter and then deglaze the pan with the white wine. After about 3 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients (everything except the lamb.) Allow to simmer for about 3 minutes. While the sauce and vegetables are heating up, return the lamb to a hot pan for 30 seconds on each side, enough time to heat the lamb. On four plates, spoon the vegetables and sauce equally around. Then slice each lamb loin and arrange the slices in a fanning shape over the vegetables and sauce.