Leg of Lamb Ravioli

White Pepper Béchamel, Blood Orange Gastrique, Hazelnuts, Thyme, and Smoked Kentucky Bleu

Chef Christian Dortch of Georgie by Curtis Stone | Dallas

Adapted by StarChefs | November 2021

INGREDIENTS:

Braised Lamb:
Yield: 25 servings
30 grams chile powder
6 grams fennel seeds, toasted then ground
2 grams cardamom, ground
2 grams cloves, ground
One 2.2-kilogram Australian leg of lamb, patted dry
Olive oil
350 grams roughly chopped tomatoes
200 grams roughly chopped shallots
50 grams garlic cloves
One 750-milliliter bottle of dry red wine
500 milliliters chicken stock
5 grams thyme
5 grams rosemary
1 bay leaf

Lamb Filling Farce:
350 grams chicken breast, large diced
150 grams heavy cream
1 egg
5 grams chopped chervil
10 grams chopped chives
Zest of 1 orange
¼ stick cinnamon, finely grated
Kosher salt

Ravioli:
Yield: 10 servings
275 grams 00 flour
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
15 grams olive oil
Egg wash

Orange Gastrique:
750 milliliters fresh blood orange juice
1 stick cinnamon

White Pepper Béchamel:
1 medium-sized shallot, halved
4 cloves
1 liter milk
60 grams butter
25 grams olive oil
50 grams flour
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground white peppercorn
Salt

To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
50 grams butter
25 grams hazelnuts, toasted then roughly chopped
50 grams broccolini florets, blanched 20 seconds
3 grams thyme leaves, fried 12 times
5 grams smoked Kentucky bleu cheese, small crumbled

METHOD:

For the Braised Lamb:
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, mix to combine chile powder, fennel seeds, cardamom, and cloves. Generously rub the leg of lamb with the spice mixture until fully coated. In a medium-sized Dutch oven over medium flame, add enough olive oil to almost completely cover the bottom of the pot. Once the oil is hot, add lamb and sear on all sides until lightly caramelized. Remove lamb from Dutch oven and set aside. Add tomatoes, shallots, and garlic. Gently sauté until the tomatoes release their juices. Add red wine, chicken stock, and herbs. Return lamb to Dutch oven, cover, and place in the oven. Braise 4 hours and 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes. Place lamb in a large mixing bowl, pick out herbs, and transfer all residual braising liquid, tomatoes, and shallots to a Vitamix blender. Blend until smooth. Using a fork, shred the lamb. Add blended mixture to the lamb and mix to incorporate. Reserve.

For the Lamb Filling Farce:
In a food processor, add chicken, cream, and egg and purée until smooth. Pass chicken farce through a tamis to remove any sinew. To the Braised Lamb, add chervil, chives, orange zest, and cinnamon and stir to combine. Season with salt. Add chicken farce to the Braised Lamb mixture and mix until well combined. Let chill in the fridge. Once cooled, portion farce into 25-gram discs, ensuring no air pockets. Reserve.

For the Ravioli:
On a clean work surface, create a mound of flour with a well in the center. Add whole eggs, yolks, olive oil to the well and slowly mix to incorporate into the flour. Bring dough together and knead until tight, about 10 minutes. Wrap and let rest 1 hour. Cut dough into quarters and keep them until needed. Starting with the first quarter, put dough through a pasta roller until it can run through the smallest setting. Lay pasta out on a work surface and, using a 6.5-millimeter ring mold, cut out round shapes, keeping punch-outs covered so they don’t dry out. Repeat with remaining quarters of dough. Place 25-gram portions of Lamb Filling Farce between 2 dough punch-outs. Lightly brush with egg wash then seal ravioli around the Lamb Farce Filling, ensuring no air pockets. Lay on a semolina-lined sheet tray until ready to boil.

For the Orange Gastrique:
To a medium-sized pot, add orange juice and cinnamon. Reduce slowly until the liquid becomes viscous and weighs 250 grams. Remove from heat and reserve.

For the White Pepper Béchamel:
Using a blow torch, char shallot until it takes on color without burning. Stud charred shallot with cloves. In a pot, bring milk and studded shallots to a simmer. Remove from heat and reserve. In a separate, heavy-bottomed, medium-sized sauce pot, melt butter and olive oil. Add flour and, using a wooden spoon, cook roux until it takes on a touch of color and a nutty smell. Add half of the warm milk and whisk vigorously until combined. Add remaining milk and bring to a very light simmer. Once completely thick, strain through a chinois. Season with nutmeg, white peppercorn, and salt. Add béchamel to an iSi gun and charge twice. Keep in a warm water bath until ready to use. 

To Assemble and Serve:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in 3 Ravioli and cook 4 minutes and 30 seconds. In a medium-sized sauce pot, bring butter to noisette. Add hazelnuts, broccolini, and Ravioli. Add about 50 grams of White Pepper Béchamel to the center of a serving plate. Place finished Ravioli on top and dress with 5 grams Orange Gastrique, fried thyme, and bleu cheese.

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