In Good Taste: Spring fever
Spring rains, spring tides, spring bulbs, spring lamb. Yes! The mint's gone mad and the new potatoes are appearing. It must be time for a delicious, tender and tasty leg of lamb. This recipe for lamb with coffee, cream and sugar may seem a bit strange, yet it works extremely well and doesn't taste at all of coffee by the time it's finished cooking. Also called "Swedish Lamb", the recipe was given to me by Lady Tavistock from Woburn Abbey in England. Regular visitors to New Zealand and our lodge in Motueka, Henrietta and Robin Tavistock would often trip over the Hill to Golden Bay to visit Estuary Arts and other favourite haunts. So excited by the abundant fresh produce sold on roadside stalls, they returned to our home one afternoon with fresh corn cobs and insisted we share them for dinner that night. So, with butter running down our arms and corn stuck in our teeth, we dined like a lord and lady in a way they probably weren't often able to do.
Lady Tavistock's Lamb
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 leg of lamb
3 onions sliced thickly
3 carrots sliced thickly
375 ml hot beef stock
1¾ cup of hot strong coffee
¾ cup cream
1 tbsp sugar
Pre-heat the oven to hot (210ºC). Rub the salt and pepper into the lamb and place the meat on top of the onions and carrots in a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven. Add the coffee, stock, cream and sugar. Cover with tinfoil and return to the oven. Reduce the heat to 170ºC and cook for 90 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and continue cooking and basting for another 30 minutes. Transfer to a warm platter and rest for 20 minutes. Pour the carrots, onions and juices into a clean pan and puree with a stick blender (or press through a sieve, or blend). Taste for seasoning and serve with the lamb. New potatoes and a bowl of peas are the perfect vegetables to accompany.
Cook as many frozen peas as required. Don't use the pre-minted ones, but add a stalk of fresh mint to the salted cooking water instead. When just cooked, strain and tip into a warm serving bowl. Drizzle over some good extra virgin olive oil and crumble on some feta, a grinding of pepper and some torn mint leaves. Serve at once.
Note that this lamb is not pink but cooked through, and very, very tender. If you prefer pink lamb, reduce cooking time until done to the desired degree.
Ever made a syllabub? Sooo easy, and yet because of the fancy name it is one dessert that is often overlooked. Light and refreshing, this ginger-spiced version would be great to serve after the lamb. It's particularly nice with some poached rhubarb on the side, very pretty too served in a glass dish with a homemade ginger snap.
Ginger syllabub
1 lemon, zest and juice
150 ml ginger wine (could use a dry sherry instead)
50gm caster sugar
300ml cream
Mix the lemon zest and juice with the sugar and wine. Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside for 4 hours. Lightly whip the cream, just until thickened slightly. Strain the wine mixture into the cream and whisk together. The wine will help thicken the cream. Don't go mad now, or it will curdle. Just fold together until it holds its shape and has thickened enough to spoon into your serving glasses or dishes. Refrigerate for an hour or so to chill before serving. Serve with a ginger biscuit and some poached fruit if desired. Pears, rhubarb, berries, and feijoas all go well with ginger-whatever is in season.
Fiona Feasey
