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Rack of Lamb en Croute

Rack of lamb coated with a mushroom duxelle, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden

Ingredients:
Lamb racks (get it frenched by the butcher, 6 bones - fat and sinew removed)
1 piece puff pastry (rolled 2-3 mm thickness, large enough to cover rack of lamb) 17.8 oz

Savory pancakes:
2 large pieces
Eggs-6 each
Flour-3 ½ oz
Whole wheat Flour 1.75 oz
Milk-7.87 fluid oz
Water 8 ¾ fluid oz
Fresh mixed herbs
Salt and pepper as needed

For the Duxelle:
Mushrooms, chopped ½ lb
Shallots, chopped-2 pieces
Olive oil-1 fl oz
Garlic, crushed-1 clove
Parsley, chopped-1/4 bunch

Lamb Sauce: (See Recipe Below)

Chicken Mousse:
Chicken meat (pureed, passed through a fine sieve)-8 oz
Egg white-2 pieces
Heavy cream-1/4 fl oz
Salt and Pepper-as needed
Cayenne-as needed

Preparation:

Savory pancakes:
Beat eggs firmly and slowly mix all other ingredients into it, pass through a fine strainer and let it rest for at least one hour.

Lamb Sauce:
Prepare lamb sauce as per recipe below.

Duxelle:
For the duxelle, heat the olive oil in a suitable pan, sweat off the shallot until soft, then add the garlic and chopped mushrooms.
Cook over high heat stirring often until the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushroom is dry. Season with salt and pepper, add the chopped parsley and allow to cool.

Chicken Mousse:
For the chicken mousse, mix the egg whites with the passed chicken really well over ice. Add the double cream little by little, season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Poach a little mousse in water to check the consistency and seasoning, adjust if necessary.

Procedure:
Mix the mushroom duxelle with the chicken mouse. For the best end, heat a suitable pan, place on a wire rack and cool.

Take a piece of puff pastry large enough to cover the best end of lamb. Brush the pastry lightly with eggwash. Trim the pancake and place on the pastry, Spoon some duxelle onto the crepe and spread slightly. Place the sealed rack on top of the duxelle with the bones upwards.

Place some more duxelle on top of the rack and spread. Roll the pastry over the lamb. Cut in between the bones and bring the pastry up between them, seal with a little eggwash.

Eggwash the end and bring the pastry up, trimming where necessary to prevent the pastry from becoming too thick where it overlaps, then chill. Eggwash the lamb and mark for presentation.

Place on a greased tray and cook in a preheated oven at 190°C for 15-20 minutes depending on the ordered caisson.

To finish the sauce, bring to a boil, add fresh butter a little at a time, check seasoning, pass into a saucer, and add a little julienne of basil.

Place the lamb on a presentation tray with pomme fondant. Garnish with vegetable rose and watercress, brush with clarified butter and serve with the sauce and vegetables on the side.

The lamb is then carved and plated in the restaurant by the waiter.

Lamb Sauce (For Rack of Lamb En Croute)

Ingredients:
1st reduction…
Lamb Stock:
3 lbs lamb knee bones
7 oz fresh tomatoes
5 oz carrots
5 oz leeks
5 oz onions
1 bouquet garni
4 oz tomato puree
3 qt water (approximately)

2nd reduction… (Approximately)
1 qt lamb stock
2 oz chopped carrots
3 oz chopped celery
3 oz chopped onions
3 oz chopped leeks
4 oz white wine
3-4 oz fresh chopped tomatoes
Thyme and rosemary- to taste
Lamb trimmings

Preparation:
Use only lamb knee bones from the butcher; do not accept any other bones!

Roast the bones in the oven until golden brown.

Roast the vegetables in the tilting pan until good color.

Separate the bones from the fat and put them together with the vegetables.

Add the tomato puree and roast for about 7 minutes, then add the water and the bouquet garni.

Do not add any wine!

Do not add any flour or cornstarch.

Cook at least 24 hours, remove the bones from the stock.

Make next day a second reduction with some roasted vegetables and white wine, thyme, rosemary, lamb trimmings and the lamb stock.

Reduce until ¾ and pass thru a fine strainer.

Season with salt and pepper.

REMEMBER…NEVER USE ANY FLOUR OR CORNSTARCH!!!