Slow Cooked Breast of Lamb - And a Pinot Noir

Slow Cooked Breast of Lamb, Pickled Red Onion, Mint Crème Fraiche and Spring Vegetables Created by Le Cordon Bleu, London to enjoy with Louis Latour Les Pierres Dorées Pinot Noir

Serves 4

Slow cooking the breast of lamb makes for a tender texture; here it is marinated and slow cooked in duck fat creating a rich flavour which is complemented the sweet-pickled onions and finished with green spring vegetables and a refreshing minty crème fraiche.

Slow cooked breast of lamb

6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

finely chopped rosemary leaves

10 g Maldon sea salt, 

500 g lamb breast off the bone, duck fat to cover (about 1 kg)

150 g flour

2 eggs beaten

500 g Panko breadcrumbs 

Mix garlic, rosemary and Maldon sea salt to combine and rub into the lamb. Leave in fridge for 3 to 6 hours. Wash lamb with cold water to remove the salt mixture and pat dry. Melt duck fat in a pan over a low heat. Place the lamb in a deep oven proof dish and pour over the warm duck fat and cook in oven at 150˚C for 3 hours until soft and tender. Allow lamb to cool before removing from fat. Roll the lamb tightly in clingfilm to make a cylindrical tube shape. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, until firm. Slice the lamb into 8 equal sized disks. Coat lamb in a thin layer of flour, then beaten eggs and finally breadcrumbs. Season and refrigerate until required.

Pickled red onion 

10 g granulated sugar

20 ml red wine vinegar

30 ml water

1 thyme sprig

1 red onion peeled and thinly sliced

Put sugar, vinegar, water and thyme in a pan and bring to a boil. Add onion and continue to boil for another minute. Remove from heat, lid pan and leave to infuse. When cool remove the red onion and discard the liquid.

Mint crème fraiche

50 g mint washed and finely chopped

200 g crème fraiche

Mix mint with crème fraiche and season. Set aside.

Spring vegetables

12 asparagus spears peeled

100g broad beans

100g peas

60g lambs lettuce washed

½ bunch French breakfast radish thinly sliced lengthways

20 g butter

Bring salted water to a boil in a saucepan and cook each vegetable separately so they retain a ‘bite’, around 3 minutes for asparagus, 2 minutes for broad beans and 1 minute for peas. Drain, refresh and set aside. Pod broad beans from their skins. Set aside with lambs lettuce and radish.

To serve: Heat oven to 200˚C. Cook lamb for around 20 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden brown and crispy. Reheat asparagus, peas and broad beans in a pan with butter and a tablespoon of water. Season to taste. On each plate, arrange warm vegetables, with two discs of lamb (per person), and top with radish slices, lambs lettuce and pickled onions. Finish with dots of mint crème fraiche.

Wine recommendation: Louis Latour Les Pierres Dorées 2018