I cooks lamb rump sous vide and serves it with some elegant accompaniments; including a sweep of cauliflower purée, cauliflower couscous with raisins, caramelised cauliflower florets and an unusual chocolate jelly. Lamb and chocolate may seem a strange combination, but the earthiness of the chocolate balances the muscular flavour of the meat perfectly.

Prep Time

    •    Prep and cook time: 2 hours 15 minutes, plus setting time
    •    Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

For the lamb rump:

    •    extra virgin olive oil
    •    4 sprigs of fresh thyme
    •    4 lamb rumps, 225g each
    •    4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

For the chocolate jelly:

    •    3g of agar agar
    •    230g of chicken stock
    •    80g of bitter chocolate, chopped, plus extra for grating

For the cauliflower purée:

    •    50g of butter
    •    300g of cream
    •    200g of chicken stock
    •    1/2 onion, finely sliced
    •    1 garlic clove, finely sliced
    •    1 cauliflower, washed and sliced

For the caramelised cauliflower:

    •    salt
    •    pepper
    •    25g of butter
    •    1 cauliflower, washed

For the cauliflower couscous:

    •    salt
    •    rapeseed oil
    •    1 cauliflower, washed
    •    100g of golden raisins
    •    30g of pancetta, small dice
    •    1 pinch of chives, chopped

For the vinaigrette:

    •    salt
    •    240ml of extra virgin olive oil
    •    60ml of white wine vinegar, good quality

For the baby globe artichokes:

    •    salt
    •    extra virgin olive oil
    •    2 baby globe artichokes, cooked

To serve:

    •    1 handful of sorrel
    •    100ml of lamb jus, warm

Method

1. Begin by preparing the chocolate jelly. Heat the chicken stock in a small saucepan until it reaches a simmer, then add the chocolate and whisk to melt. Mix thoroughly and leave to cool.
   
   
   • 230g of chicken stock
   • 80g of bitter chocolate, chopped, plus extra for grating
     
     
2. Gently whisk in the agar agar, bring to the boil, while stirring, then pour into a shallow tray. Allow to cool and place in the fridge to set while you prepare the other elements.
   
   
   • 3g of agar agar
     
     
3. For the cauliflower purée, melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add the sliced cauliflower, cook until golden and caramelised, then add the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is soft and tender.
   
   
   • 50g of butter
   • 1/2 onion, finely sliced
   • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
     
   • 1 cauliflower, washed and sliced
   • 200g of chicken stock
     
     
4. Continue to simmer until the stock reduces by half. Add the cream and reduce by half again, remove from the heat and transfer to a blender. Blitz until smooth, pass through a fine strainer and set aside until required.
   
   
   • 300g of cream
     
     
5. Preheat a water bath to 58.5˚C
   
   
6. To prepare the lamb, trim off the fat and score the flesh (optional). Seal in either 1 large vac pac bag (making sure the lamb pieces are not overlapping) or 4 small bags, with extra virgin olive oil, thyme and rosemary. Cook in the water bath for 45 minutes.
   
   
   • 4 lamb rumps, 225g each
     
   • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
   • 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
   • extra virgin olive oil
     
     
7. Meanwhile, prepare the caramelised cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets and blanch in salted boiling water until tender, for approximately 2-3 minutes. Strain and cool in iced water.
   
   
   • 1 cauliflower, washed
   • salt
     
     
8. Drain well and set aside. Add the butter to the frying pan and make a very light beurre noisette. Add the florets, caramelise until golden brown and season.
   
   
   • 25g of butter
   • salt
   • pepper
     
     
9. To prepare the vinaigrette, simply whisk together the vinegar and oil, season to taste and store in a squeezy bottle until required.
   
   
   • 60ml of white wine vinegar, good quality
   • 240ml of extra virgin olive oil
   • salt
     
     
10. For the cauliflower couscous, soak the golden raisins in boiling hot water for 20-30 minutes, strain and set aside. Dice the pancetta into 6mm chunks and finely grate the cauliflower.
    
    
    • 100g of golden raisins
    • 30g of pancetta, small dice
    • 1 cauliflower, washed
      
      
11. Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add a small dash of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pancetta and fry until caramelised. Then, add the grated cauliflower, season to taste and finish with a good pinch of chopped chives. Finally, add a dash of the vinaigrette to taste and the raisins.
    
    
    • rapeseed oil
    • 1 pinch of chives
    • salt
      
      
12. Halve the artichokes, spoon out any remaining flesh and season with salt. Sauté in a hot pan with a little extra virgin olive oil until golden.
    
    
    • extra virgin olive oil
    • salt
    • 2 baby globe artichokes, cooked
      
      
13. Once the lamb is ready, remove from the water bath and vac pac bag and dry off any excess moisture with kitchen paper. Seal in a hot pan with a small dash of rapeseed oil until golden brown on all sides, remove and place on a board ready to carve.
    
    
14. To serve, slice each rump into 2 pieces and serve onto plates on top of the cauliflower couscous.
    
    
15. To each plate, add a dollop of the purée, caramelised cauliflower florets, chocolate jelly cubes and some sorrel. Drizzle with the jus and serve immediately.
    
    
    • 100ml of lamb jus
    • 1 handful of sorrel

This great family recipe is thanks to Great British Chefs Recipes at https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/sous-vide-lamb-rump-with-cauliflower-couscous-chocolate-jelly