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Assiette of lamb

This is a real celebration of the amazing variety of tastes and textures that come from one beast. Like many of Raymond Blanc’s restaurant dishes, it is what he calls “complicated simplicity”. Simplicity is the key; good quality ingredients cooked well stand up and speak for themselves. You need only serve some of the elements below if you are daunted by preparing the complete dish. Serves 4. From Raymond Blanc Kitchen Secrets (S2)

For the oven-dried tomatoes
4 plum tomatoes, cut into quarters (San Marzano or Roma varieties are ideal for this as they have few seeds and low acidity. Cherry tomatoes cut in half would do as well)
extra virgin olive oil, for preserving
For the black olive tapenade
100g/4oz pitted Kalamata olives
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp water
For the braised shallots
4 banana shallots, peeled with the root intact
1 sprig thyme
2 pinches sea salt
2 whole black peppercorns
2 tbsp olive oil
For the onion and garlic purée
3 tbsp olive oil
4 medium onions (700g/1lb 9oz), finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely sliced (use 12 cloves if you are using new season garlic as the flavour is more delicate and gentle)
4 sprigs thyme, leaves only
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch freshly ground white pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the meat
a selection of lamb cuts from Raymond’s other lamb recipes (see Top recipe tip below)

For the oven-dried tomatoes, preheat the oven to 100C/210F/Gas ½.

Place the tomatoes on a baking tray, cut sides up, and bake in the oven for two hours.
Leave to cool at room temperature then place in a small container and cover with the olive oil. They will keep like this for up to a week in the fridge.

For the tapenade, put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Stir once or twice, then pulse again to ensure an even purée.

Put the tapenade into a small container and store in the fridge until required. It will keep for 2-3 days.
For the braised shallots, put the shallots, thyme, salt, peppercorns, 400ml/14fl oz water and one tablspoon of the oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a boil.

Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 40 minutes, stirring from time to time, or until the shallots are soft but still hold their shape. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.

Once cool, slice each shallot in half lengthways and pat dry with a clean cloth or kitchen paper.

Heat the remaining oil in a medium frying pan and cook the shallots, cut side down, for 1-2 minutes or until they have turned golden-brown and started to caramelise. Set aside and keep warm until needed.

For the onion and garlic purée, if you are using dried garlic, blanch the cloves in about 1 litre/1¾ pints of boiling water for 5 minutes to remove some of its harshness.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a low heat and add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.

Cook over a very gentle heat for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, taking care not to let the onions take colour or the purée will become bitter. This slow cooking will convert the natural starches in the onion and garlic into sugars, giving a wonderfully sweet purée.

Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Blend in a liquidiser or food processor to a smooth, velvety purée. Stir in the extra virgin oil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground white pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Reheat the jus from the slow roast lamb recipe and keep warm.

Place the slices of lamb shoulder, the cutlets and the braised shallots in a roasting pan and re-heat in the oven for four minutes.

When you are ready to serve, cook the lamb’s liver according to the instructions in the recipe linked to in the ‘tips’ section of this recipe.

Remove the liver from the pan when it’s cooked and let it rest in a warm place while you quickly dress the plates.

Spread a little tapenade to one side of the warmed plates and arrange the shallots and tomatoes on top. Spoon the onion purée near the centre of the plates and arrange the lamb shoulder, cutlet and liver on top. Pour the jus from the slow roast shoulder of lamb over and serve immediately.

Notes

Raymond’s assiette of lamb in the programme uses the meat from four slices slow roast shoulder of lamb , one rack of best end lamb and four slices lamb’s liver. The oven-dried tomatoes and tapenade can be made days in advance and the slow roast shoulder and best end of lamb can be cooked hours ahead and reheated just before you serve. The liver could be replaced with lamb’s kidneys or sweetbreads. Serve this dish with any seasonal vegetables. Grilled aubergines, green beans or fresh flageolet or haricot beans would all work very well. Do not use extra virgin or virgin oil for the onion and garlic purée as the delicate flavours of these are destroyed at temperatures above 40C/104F.