At Easter, lamb is traditionally highly prized by many families. For my version, I thought of a very light and fresh course that can be served well in the middle part of a small menu. Or at any other time – because lamb actually always goes – and this recipe is not only quick, but also completely risk-free and perfectly feasible even for a larger number of guests.
Easter actually heralds the arrival of spring. And that’s why I prefer to pair my lamb salmon with fresh light vegetables. Now Easter is so early this year that the selection of seasonal vegetables is still very small. So I dare the balancing act and combine slightly wintery products – but in a very light and fresh environment: green beans in a vegetable jus with manuka honey, underneath a very light pea cream with yogurt, small carrots, lightly roasted cabbage leaves and a lamb jus with original beans chocolate.
The Irish salt meadow lamb for my recipe comes from the colleagues of
Don Carne
. Since only a few days there is this new
Lamb
there in the online store. Finding the right producer was not so easy and required several trips to Ireland. The result is convincing! In fact, the taste that comes from the herbs and the grass in the salt marshes, regularly flooded with sea water, is very fine and strong.
For my dish, to really show off the tender salmon, they are just carefully confit in olive oil at 60 degrees and then dragged through the grill pan heated to maximum for a few seconds. This keeps it soft pink throughout.
I carefully cooked the green beans. In any case, they should still have a slight bite. Before serving, I toss the beans in a broth of vegetables and verjus, which I flavored with New Zealand Manuka honey and some thyme. This creates a nice play between acidity and sweetness.
Under the beans I hide another little green flavor turbo: a pea cream with yogurt. Completely without salt or spices. Pure, the light créme combines very well with the beans and rounds off the vegetables. In addition, you can combine a few roasted carrots and lightly tossed leaves of Brussels sprouts or a few crunchy peas.
The sauce for the lamb is also very puristic. I reduced a good lamb stock along with some light red wine. But then not bound with cold butter, but instead used 100% chocolate from Original Beans. The
Cusco Chuncho 100% chocolate
not only adds depth, but also a strong cocoa flavor, some sweetness and a hint of bitter notes that go perfectly with the lamb and vegetables.
All components can be prepared wonderfully and quietly well, when confit lamb does not matter a few minutes. Theoretically, you can also arrange all the elements on a large serving plate and simply place it in the center of the table – on the other hand, the many small-sized ingredients offer many variations for pretty arrangement. For example, I served both on a large flat plate and on a plate with a small depression. 
Confit lamb salmon with Original Beans chocolate sauce
For four people
Ingredients
- 500g lamb salmon from Irish salt meadow lamb
- 500ml lamb stock
- 125ml red wine
- approx. 20g 100% chocolate Original Beans
- Rosemary
- 1.25l olive oil
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a pot to 65°C and add lamb salmon and two sprigs of rosemary. It is essential to keep the temperature constant. Check the core temperature of the meat, depending on the initial temperature and size of the loins as well as the desired degree of cooking (ideally 55°C), this will take about 15 – 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, slowly reduce the lamb stock together with the red wine over low heat to about 50%.
Just before reaching the desired core temperature, preheat a cast-iron grill pan to maximum heat – alternatively, of course, a grill, beefer or regular pan will work. Only hot it must be. Very briefly brown lamb on both sides and let rest for a moment.
Remove the reduced lamb stock from the heat and slowly stir in the chocolate. The sauce should now not be exposed to any further heat, otherwise it will become bitter. Since the chocolate already does the job of binding the sauce, no butter is really needed – you can just stir in a little bit for a slight shine. If necessary, add a little salt to taste.
Carve the lamb into portion-sized pieces, place on or next to the beans and pea cream, and pour on the sauce.
Beans with verjus and manuka honey, pea cream and roasted cabbage
Ingredients
- 300g broad beans
- 250ml vegetable stock
- 40ml verjus
- 5g Manuka honey
- Lemon thyme
- 500g frozen peas organic
- 50g Greek yogurt
- Plucked leaves from Brussels sprouts and/or calettes
- 8 mini or baby carrots
Preparation
Allow the vegetable stock to reduce along with the Verjus to about 50% of the amount. Now add manuka honey and plucked thyme leaves and season with a little salt.
Simmer peas briefly in a little water, then puree with a hand blender and pass through a sieve. Mix with the yogurt and keep at temperature.
Sauté carrots in butter until well browned and then cook until al dente.
Blanch the beans briefly while hot and cool in ice-cold water. Now you can carefully remove the white layer to really serve only the beautiful green seeds. Toss them again very lightly in butter and the reduced verjus-honey stock.
