Rack of Lamb, with confit Lamb Belly & Cauliflower Puré
Restaurant: Cava, Galway
1 Middle Street Mews,Middle Street, Galway
Telephone Number for Bookings: +353 91 539 884
Chef: JP and Drigín
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Cooking time: 3 Hours
List of Ingredients: Tapas
Method:
Serves Four
Ingredients
-
1 rack of lamb
-
1 lamb’s belly
-
1 large head of cauliflower
-
150g salted butter
-
fine sea salt
-
150g flaked almonds, toasted
-
500ml milk
-
rapeseed oil
Method
1. For the lamb belly: season the lamb belly with sea salt and allow to stand at room temperature for 1hr. Dry off the salt and place the belly in a roasting tray and cover with the rapeseed oil. Cook at 140°C for 3 – 4hrs or until a knife passes easily through the belly. Allow to cool slightly and remove the belly from the oil. Take bones from the belly. They should come away very easily. Wrap the belly in cling film and allow to harden in the fridge, overnight if possible.
2. For the lamb rack: French trim your rack and cut into eight cutlets. Season with some salt and allow to stand at room temperature.
3. For the cauliflower: cut the cauliflower into four, reserving eight nice florets. In a large pot, gently melt 100g of the butter until it begins to foam. Add the rest of the cauliflower including stems to the butter and fry briefly and then cover with milk. Do not brown. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover with some greaseproof paper (cart-touché). When soft, strain the milk from the cauliflower. Season with salt and add the flaked almonds. Blend in a food processor until smooth, using as much warm milk as required to achieve a silky smooth consistency. Cook the rest of the florets very slowly in foaming butter in a separate pan until nicely brown and nutty. If you want you can dry some slices of cauliflowers florets in a 50°C oven for a few hours. These thin florets make a lovely crispy garnish.
4. To serve: place a dollop of the cauliflower and almond purée on the plate and spread it over to one side. Grill two slices of belly and place them on top of the purée. Pan-fry the lamb chop to medium-rare and rest for a few minutes. Place on top of the belly. Arrange the florets around the lamb and garnish with the dried cauliflower.
