Fack! A perfectly good post down the cyberhole after a frozen firefox. I think I’ll go and sulk and fill in the bits later when I get a moment/cheer up.
Butterflied Leg of Lamb Medallions with Garlic and Tarragon Cream Sauce.
Served with a Tian Provençal (up top)
The sauce was made by roasting two heads of garlic then adding the pulp to double cream in a saucepan and reduced with fresh tarragon added. Roasting removes much of the garlic’s pungency and accentuates its sweetness.
This was served with a Tian Provençal which is kind of like a rataouille pie but without the capsicum, which is fine by me. It is also completely vegan, which is rather special. The eggplant is peeled into strips and blanched to make the lattice and fried strips of eggplant make up the sides of and the base. The filling is small cubes of zucchini sauteed with finely chopped onion, garlic and mint. A bit of baking paper in the base of the cake tin (or a tian if you’ve got one and then cooked covered with foil, like a creme brulee, in a water bath for 20 minutes in a hot oven. For a cooking note you might want to consider the effects of having a water bath while roasting something else. No? Inverted onto a plate. The topping is skinned and deseeded tomatoes and finely chopped spring onions cooked in a frypan until thick with the liquid gone. It looks a little like a chocolate cake which makes it perfect for disappointing children.
Red Extravaganza Pear Tart with Fig and Brandy Ice Cream
The inspiration for this came from J and her Macadamia Tart. As is quite clear, I wasn’t inspired, obviously enough, to make an immaculately presented dessert but noticed that if I made a batch of custard, I could use it for the the tart and then use the rest for the ice cream and save myself a valuable bit of arsing about time.
To make a creme anglais you split a vanilla pod down the middle, let it simmer in a cup of milk in a saucepan. Meanwhile whisk two egg yolks with 100grams (yeah yeah I bought a scale) of sugar until “it forms ribbons when lifted”. Take out the vanilla pod and then add the milk to the yolks in a steady stream stirring constantly. Put it all back in a saucepan and heat gently until it thickens “until you can draw a finger down the back of a spoon and leave a clean line”, stir constantly. If you don’t, and it never ever has, and you get some lumps, just run it through a sieve. That’s your custard/creme anglais.
Add a cup of thick cream and put in the fridge. If it’s cold it’ll work more quickly in the ice cream maker. Now for the brandy fig bit. Chop up two ripe figs and macerate them in enough brandy to cover for a few hours. You can then work off the alcohol by bringing the mix up to the boil in a fry pan. Add this to the creme anglais in the ice cream maker and watch it go round until ice creamy. You don’t have to watch it, but it is kind of compelling – more so than Dancing with the Stars.
The tarts… ahh pate sucree, bit of custard, chopped pear, in the oven blah blah blah.
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I friggin hate when that happens. I’ve labelled mine the posts that never was (were).
Look forward to reading it when you’ve struck up the courage to repost.
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What a lovely meal! I am intrigued by the “butterflied leg of lamb”. I have no idea what you mean, but I can imagine a perfectly roasted leg of lamb flying away.
A shame for your post, I wonder where they go when they disappear like this? -
Sigh yes I know I was gutted, the magic is gone, but I’ll give it a go, maybe I’ll explain the lamb.
They go to Japan where they are broken down into ones and zeroes and used as code for speaking vending machines.
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And what a saucy little minx it is.
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Fack indeed! Canadian Mom Writer gave me a tip about writing posts, always write in Word first, then copy and paste to your blog. No more tears.
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Hey avatar
Not saucy enough.
T
Very wise -
your fig & brandy icecream sounds divine…any chance you’d want to share the recipe?
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Jules
No, *this* sounds divine
Turn around
stand up like a man and look me in the eye.
Turn around
take one final look at what you’ve left behind.
Then walk away from the greatest lover you have ever known.
yes
walk away
you’re telling me
that you can make it on your ownBy yourself all alone without my help
mister
you just made a big mistake.
You think you’re a man
but you’re only a boyYou think you’re a man
you are only a toy.
you think you’re a man
but you just couldn’t see
You weren’t man enough to satisfy me.I’ll have the recipe up by tomorrow (it’s actually pretty easy)
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Easy — if you’ve got an ice-cream machine!
It really was a speck-tack-you-lar dinner and I am still thinking fondly of it as I munch on dry muesli from the packet. Mnnnmnmm.
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Yeah take that dry muesli!
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Sounds like something Matt would really like.
Hey…in case you hadn’t heard; I’m hosting EoMEoTE this month! I do hope you’ll join in…
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thanks for the icecream recipe… will give it a go… not so sure about your poetry…
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Good luck. I forgot to add that you can add a bit of sugar to taste while the figs are in the pan.
Poetry like that is well beyond me, as much of this site is just nicked stuff, I should point out our Rimbaud of the Pink Flamingo
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Stephanie
Dry muesli.
Another month! You make a great hosty. -
Hi Spicee.mmm i love tarts,thats what wozza calls me.In a lovin way of corse.(have you notised im bein normal,like everyone eles.)
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yes I have noticed, did you notice my haircut.
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HUH?haircut………..
Please go easy on me spicee,you make me nervoushe then i say stuffin stupid things.
have you had your hair cut? -
um.yes i like your haricut.
you look handsume. -
it’s like infinity plus one.
Bit elvisy this time
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hi anthony, looks real immaculate to me! i’m secretly relieved to hear i am not the only one who spends the 30-odd minutes of ice cream making time observing the ice-cream
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I hate it. The ice cream’s all runny and the bit of pear fell over and I couldn’t even be bothered to put it back up.
That’s great J. I think it comes from being transfixed by the donut maker at the department store as a kid.
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hi spicee.
Elvis is cool.
:)
gastroenterwritenment
manthatcooks is an irregularly updated and occasionally informative foodsite for people who have, or would like to have, moved on from say … toast.
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