Passport & Plate - Rack of lamb with a chocolate-pesto crust
Italy | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
Serves 2-3 people
30g of basil
30g of rocket
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
3 large squares of dark chocolate (at least 85% cocoa)
80g of parmesan
a large handful of cashew nuts
a large glug of olive oil (allow for around 3 tablespoons worth)
salt and pepper to season
x2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
x1 rack of lamb – French trimmed and with the skin removed (the butcher can do this for you!)
You will also need a small hand blender or food processor
Serving suggestion: I usually allow for 3 lamb ribs per serving, although some crazy people find two ribs enough. You can serve with anything you like, but I have found this works best with either a creamy mash potato, or a puy lentil casserole. With both of these, you can arrange your lamb around the outside, and then decorate your plate with the leftover pesto (like a pro!)
How to prepare this recipePre-heat your oven to 200 C
Start by making the pesto. Add one garlic clove, half the cashew nuts, half the basil, half the rocket, half the parmesan and one piece of chocolate to the blender, and blend until you have a rough paste. Add a little olive oil to the mix and blend again so your paste is a little wetter.
Now - taste what you have so far – very important, as pesto can be quite subjective. You still have half your ingredients left – add what you feel the dish is lacking. Are you a garlicky person, or do you prefer the richness of the dark chocolate? If in doubt – add the whole lot (you can trust my taste buds!) and continue to blend until you have a smooth-ish pesto that is about the same thickness as mayonnaise, or a bit runnier.
Once your pesto is ready, spoon one large dessert spoon out of your blender, and set aside. You can use this as a garnish on your plate later.
Add your breadcrumbs to the pesto that is still in the blender, and blend. The breadcrumbs give the pesto a crunchier texture once it is cooked, making a nice crust for your lamb.
Now the lamb: take your rack of lamb, and sear for 3-4 minutes on each side. Add some salt and pepper to the lamb at this stage too. Leave to cool, and then apply the pesto crust to the rack on the side where the skin used to be. Make it about 1 inch thick all round, and use a spoon and your hands to pat the crust on securely – a bit like making a sand castle :)
Once the lamb is fully and evenly covered with the pesto crust, pop it in the oven and leave for about 20-25 minutes. This should give you a medium cooked lamb, so if you like it well done, leave for a bit longer.
Remove from the oven and then leave to rest for a few minutes before carving. Beware that this is fiddly, and your crust may become loose and fall off in parts – just be careful, but also relax – it’s not the end of the world if it comes off a bit – it will taste delicious and that is what matters!
The story behind this recipe‘Do you know, it's a real shame not everyone has the luxury of eating dinner somewhere like this’ my housemate Casandra stated one balmy evening last summer, gesticulating enthusiastically at the view in front of us.
‘I know, it really makes the food taste so much nicer – and this is already pretty delicious’ I replied, tucking into my piled-high plate.
Et voila. The Crazy Duck Dinner Club was born.
The Crazy Duck Dinner Club is my supper-club, which I co-run with Casandra onboard the roof of our beautiful (but tiny) houseboat. The view she was gesturing to is the Richmond riverbank at sunset, reflected in the gently lapping waters of the Thames, and the food I was demolishing was a tender lamb chop, finished with a super-rich chocolate pesto.
This dish is special to me for two reasons. Firstly, it was the inspiration for starting CDDC - which has since proved one of the most rewarding experiences in my life, and secondly (in honour of that) it was the main course of our first (and most nerve-racking) event. I assumed responsibility for the dish, and I threw myself into perfecting it.
For weeks beforehand we lived on pesto, as I tried the exact blends of basil vs. rocket, cashews vs. pine nuts – desperate to make it just right. Then I had dilemmas like what cut of lamb to use, what to serve it with? And what in the world would fit in our tiny boat refrigerator and oven that would also feed 10 people!
The event went on sale, and we watched with bated breath as strangers gradually began booking to attend. We got simultaneously more excited and nervous with every booking, but when the day came, we couldn't wait to meet these 10 people who wanted to share in a slice of our river-foodie life. And as soon as they arrived I realised I was silly to worry so much about the finite intricacies of the recipe – because food is really all about bringing people together and facilitating a sharing of cultures, opinions and ideas. And that is exactly what this dish helped to do.
