Braised and Roasted Lamb

Braised Lamb Neck, Roasted Lamb Loin, Farro, White Balsamic, Pickled Ramps, and Shallot

Chef James Kent of Crown Shy | New York
Yield: 3 1/2 pounds of picked meat

Adapted by StarChefs | December 2020

INGREDIENTS:

Braised Lamb Neck:
(Yield: 3½ pounds picked meat)
Neutral oil
500 grams chopped carrot
500 grams chopped shallot
1 kilogram chopped onion
4 liters red wine
15½ pounds Aussie lamb neck
Salt
Black pepper
Grapeseed oil
4 quarts chicken stock
Activia plain yogurt

Boiled Farro:
(Yield: 1 quart)
500 grams farro
10 grams salt

Puffed Farro:
(Yield: 1 pint)
Salt

White Balsamic Pickling Liquid:
(Yield: 2 quarts)
1 kilogram white balsamic vinegar
100 grams salt
400 grams sugar

Pickled Ramps:
(Yield: 2 quarts)
600 grams ramps

Lamb Sauce:
(Yield: 6 quarts)
300 grams sliced shallots
6 white peppercorns
150 grams Sherry
3 kilograms roasted Aussie lamb bones
3 liters chicken stock
5 quarts chicken jus
1 bunch mint

Roasted Lamb Loin:
(Yield: 4 portions)
Aussie lamb loin
Salt
Black pepper
20 grams grapeseed oil
2 cloves garlic
6 sprigs thyme
10 grams butter

To Assemble and Serve:
(Yield: 2 portions)
5 grams shallots (4 grams brunoise and 1 gram chopped)
50 grams butter
Chicken stock
20 grams shelled, blanched, peeled, and halved fava beans
White pepper
4 chive flowers
3 micro chervil

METHOD:

For the Braised Lamb Neck:
In a large pot over medium heat, roast carrot, shallot and onion in neutral oil until onions are soft and translucent. Add tomato paste and roast until caramelized. Add red wine; cook off alcohol and reduce by 25 percent. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool in an ice bath until below 40℉. In a large, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, or metal vessel, pour marinade over lamb neck and let marinate in fridge for a minimum of 24 hours. Remove lamb neck from marinade and heavily season with salt and pepper. In a large pan over medium heat, sear lamb neck in grapeseed oil on all sides until golden brown. Remove the lamb, draining its fat, and deglaze the pan with lamb marinade. Return lamb neck to the pan and cover with remouillage. Braise in oven at 350℉ until tender. Strain braising liquid and transfer to a saucepan. Over medium heat, cook braising liquid down until it can coat the back of a spoon. Transfer 25 percent of braising liquid to a stainless steel, ceramic, glass, or metal vessel and reserve for lamb sauce. Transfer remaining braising liquid to a hotel pan with cooked lamb meat to cool until set. Transfer to a vacuum bag, seal, refrigerate, and reserve.  

When ready to serve, pick lamb meat, discarding fat. In a large bowl, season lamb with salt and stir in Activia. Transfer 1½ kilograms of lamb neck to a quarter sheet tray lined with parchment and compress. Cut into 70 cubes and reserve.

For the Boiled Farro:
In a large pot over high heat, bring farro and 900 grams salted water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook farro until al dente, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Drain and transfer farro to sheet trays. Chill in refrigerator.

For the Puffed Farro:
Preheat oven to 150℉. Lay 200 grams Boiled Farro out on a sheet tray and cook until dry but not completely dehydrated, about 1 hour. Transfer to a colander and sautée at 400℉ until puffed. Cool on tray lined with paper towel. Season with salt. Reserve.

For the White Balsamic Pickling Liquid:
In a large pot, combine all ingredients and 400 grams water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Chill over an ice bath. Set aside. 

For the Pickled Ramps:
Add ramps and 200 grams White Balsamic Pickling Liquid to a vacuum seal bag. In an oven with convectional heat, cook sous vide 6 minutes at 95℃. Cool over an ice bath. Reserve.

For the Lamb Sauce:
In a large pot over medium heat, sear shallots and peppercorns. Deglaze with sherry and reduce until all liquid is dissolved. Add stock and jus; bring to a simmer and cook for 3 hours. Add mint and remove from heat. Let cool 20 minutes. Strain and transfer to pint containers. Reserve.

For the Roasted Lamb Loin:
Season loin with salt and pepper. In a large pan over medium heat, sear lamb loin on all sides until browned. Add garlic, thyme and butter and baste until cooked to medium. Remove from heat and rest 10 minutes. Carve into 6 pieces; set aside.

To Assemble and Serve:
To a pan over medium heat, combine 50 grams Boiled Farro, shallot, butter, and enough stock to make a glaze. Stir in 20 grams chopped Lamb Neck, 2 grams chopped Pickled Ramps, fava beans, salt, and pepper. Transfer to serving plates and coat with some Lamb Sauce. Top with slices of Roasted Lamb Loin and compressed cube of Lamb Neck, 20 grams Puffed Farro, chive flowers, chervil, and 2 whole Pickled Ramps.

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