Texture of Lamb

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

This year, Ascot racecourse will be celebrating its 300th anniversary and for the Royal Meeting in June guests will not only be treated to the best in racing but an opportunity to indulge themselves in the finest culinary creations, designed by Steve Golding (Executive Head Chef at Royal Ascot).

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 x 8 Bone Rack of Lamb (Trimmed and cut into cutlets)
8 x 150gm Neck Fillet of Lamb
8 x Baby Shank of Lamb
3 x Baking Potatoes (Peeled)
16 Baby Carrots (Peeled)
500g Samphire
1 x Whole Garlic
16 x Dried Morels (Place in water overnight)
2kg Plum Tomatoes
200g Shallots
1 Head of Celeriac (Peeled)
100g Butter
6 pints Beef Stock
2 large Onions (Peeled)
2 large Carrots (Peeled)
2 Leeks (Cleaned and washed)

Meat preperation

Seal lamb cutlets in a hot pan and set to one side then cook in oven on 180ºc for 8 mins just before serving.
Trim neck fillet and seal.
Place in an oven dish ready to braise.
Dice 1 onion, leek and large carrot and put over the top of the neck fillets.
Trim lamb shanks and seal.
Place in a separate oven dish ready to braise.
Dice 1 onion, leek and large carrot and put over the top of the of the lamb shanks.
Put 3 pints of beef stock in each dish and cover with foil.
To cook the neck fillet and shanks place in the oven on 160ºc and cook for about 1 hour until soft..
When cooked remove from oven and drain each dish and set to one side keeping them hot..
Then reduce the stock from both dishes until thick, ready to use as your sauce..

Vegetable Preperation

Take the peeled potatoes and cut into 8 round discs about 2cm thick and 4cm wide, seal in pan and cook in oven until soft.
Blanch plum tomatoes and peel.
Dice 200g shallots and the tomatoes, and chop 2 cloves of garlic.
Place the shallots garlic and tomatoes in to a pan and cook over a low heat for about 20mins until it looks like a chutney then take off the heat.
Take the peeled celeriac and chop.
Place on the stove and boil until soft.
Take off the heat and drain.
Mash in to a purée with a little butter, salt and pepper.
Wash samphire and cook in a little butter in a pan until soft but still green add a bit of pepper.
Blanch baby carrots in water until cooked.
Drain the morels and heat in a little of the sauce.

To Serve

Use a rectangular plate (12inches in diameter).
Plate round potato first.
Place a small amount of Samphire.
Next to that place a small amount of the tomato chutney.
Place the cutlet on top of the potato, the neck fillet on top of the samphire and the shank on top of the tomato.
Each side of the neck fillet place a baby carrot and a morel mushroom.
Then on top of the neck fillet place the celeriac purée.
To finish pour over a little sauce.