Kathy's Menu for September 2001

Starter : Mock Lobster Mousses

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Main Course : Lamb Braised in Beaujolais

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Pudding : White Tiramisu

Mock Lobster Mousses
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 10z(300g) pack crab sticks
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1.5 oz (43g) can of dressed crab
pinch of paprika
5floz (150ml) creme fraiche
1/2oz (15g) powdered gelatine
4 tablespoons of water
2 egg whites
4 teaspoons lumpfish caviar
sprigs of fresh dill
lemon slices

Method

1. Place 7 of the crab sticks in a liquidiser with the vinegar, crab, paprika and creme fraiche. Puree until smooth
2. Dissolve the gelatine in the water and stir into the pureed fish mixture, mixing well. Chill until almost set
3. Whisk the egg whites until they stand in peaks. Coarsely chop the remaining crab sticks and with a metal spoon, fold in to the fish mixture with the egg whites
4. Spoon in to individual ramekin dishes and chill to set. To serve, top each mousse with a spoonful of caviar and garnish with dill and lemon slices.

Lamb Braised in Beaujolais
Serves 4

Ingredients

leg of lamb weighing about 3.5lb (1.7kg)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
a few sprigs of thyme
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
a sprig of rosemary
1 bay leaf
17.5floz (0.5l) Beaujolais
4 small carrots
1 turnip
4 small potatoes
4 small parsnips
4 shallots or small onions
2 large cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon redcurrant jelly
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 220C (450F, gas mark 8). Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a shallow roasting tray and put it into the oven as it heats up.
2. Prepare all the vegetables. Scrub all the carrots, turnips and potatoes. Top and tail the carrots and turnips. Chop the turnip into quarters and chop the potatoes into four pieces. Peel the parsnips and cut them in half. Peel the shallots.
3. When the oven has heated up, remove the roasting dish and put it over a direct heat on the hob and spoon the prepared vegetables and the unpeeled garlic into the oil. Turn the vegetables to make sure they get a good coating of oil and then return the tray to the top shelf of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes, turning them over half way through.
4. Whilst the vegetables are roasting, prepare the lamb by rubbing it all over with the remaining tablespoon of oil, some salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Place the lamb in another roasting tray and when the vegetables have cooked, remove them from the oven and put the lamb in the oven and let it start to roast for 20 minutes or until it has turned a good golden colour.
5. Take the lamb out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 170C (325F gas mark 3). Spoon off any excess fat from the lamb and put the roasting tray on the hob, add the Beaujolais and baste the meat with it. Add the chopped thyme and rosemary. As soon as the wine begins to bubble, turn off the heat and cover the whole tin with foil (without touching the meat). Return the lamb to the oven and cook for 1 hour.
6. When the time is up, remove the roasting tin from the oven and transfer to direct heat on the hob. Carefully remove the foil and baste the meat well with the wine. Spoon the browned vegetables all around the lamb, season with salt and black pepper and add the sprigs of thyme and rosemary and the bayleaf. When it comes to simmering point, remove from the heat, replace the foil and return to the oven to cook for a further hour.
7. Remove the cooked lamb and vegetables to warmed serving dishes, having discarded the sprigs of herbs and bayleaf. Place the roasting tin over direct heat on the hob and let the sauce reduce. Squeeze the garlic pulp out of the skins in to the sauce and whisk this in along with the teaspoon of redcurrant jelly. Taste and season the sauce with salt and black pepper, then pour the sauce into a warmed serving jug. Sprinkle the lamb and vegetables with the chopped parsley and serve.

White Tiramisu
Serves 6

Ingredients

24 sponge fingers
1 tablespoon plain flour
3.5 oz (95g) whole blanched almonds
2 large eggs, separated
4oz (110g) icing sugar, sieved
1 x 250g tub marscapone cheese
6 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons white rum

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 180C (350F, gas mark 4). Put the almonds on a baking tray and bake for 4 - 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
2. Start to assemble the tiramisu at least 6 hours before you want to serve it. Finely chop the cooled almonds. Next beat the egg yolks with icing sugar until pale and mousee-like, then fold in the marscapone a spoonful at a time, beating all the time.
3. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff and then fold into the marscapone mixture. Mix together the milk and rum in a bowl.
4. Put 12 of the sponge fingers on an oval dish and brush with the rum and milk, repeat. Spread half the marscapone mixture over the sponge fingers and sprinkle over half the chopped almonds. Cover with a second layer of sponge fingers, moistening them with the remaining rum mixture.
5. Cover the cake with cling film, cover the marscapone mixture with cling film too and put both in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, remove the cling film and spread the top of the cake with the remaining marscapone mixture and sprinkle with the rest of the chopped almonds.

Cookery Book Recommendation of the Month

Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver
For Jamie Oliver, food is all about happy days - not just cooking superbly fresh and funky food, but good fun, great eating and top-quality time spent with friends and family. Now Jamie, one of Britain's best-loved chefs, gives us Happy Days his third book, to accompany his fantastic new series of The Naked Chef on BBC2. Jamie believes in finding the best ingredients and making tasty, easy, sociable food with the minimum of fuss. Like his first two books, Happy Days is filled with fantastic recipes for different occasions.

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