Honeyed Lamb With Cider Gravy Food

LAMB SWEETBREADS IN A HONEY AND SHERRY VINEGAR GLAZE

Steps:

• Soak the sweetbreads in cold water to cover for 2 hours, changing the water 3 times. Drain and place the sweetbreads in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and add the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the sweetbreads and immediately plunge them into a bowl of cold water. After 3 or 4 minutes, remove and drain the sweetbreads on paper towels. Separate into lobes, with the natural partitions, and remove the tubes and connective tissues. The pieces will be approximately 2 by 2 inches.
• In a large skillet that will hold all the sweetbreads in a single layer, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the sweetbreads, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and increase the heat to medium high. Cook, without stirring for about 3 minutes, then turn the sweetbreads to the other side. Continue cooking until golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
• Add the onion and shallot to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the vinegar and sherry, increase the heat to high, and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the beef broth or veal stock and simmer until again reduced by half, to just under 1 cup. Whisk in the honey and the butter and return the sweetbreads to the pan. Turn them in the sauce until heated through and nicely glazed, and serve immediately.

CIDER & HONEY ROAST LAMB LEG

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220C/ Gas 7. Weigh the lamb and calculate the final cooking time at 12 minutes per 450g for medium rare, 15 minutes per 450g for medium.
• Score the fat around the leg of the lamb in a criss-cross pattern, drizzle with a little olive oil, then rub all over with salt and pepper. Place in a deep roasting pan and scatter the garlic and thyme over and around. Pour over the lemon juice and drizzle again with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little more seasoning, then roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
• Slice the apples into quarters and cut off the cores. Remove the lamb from the oven and reduce the heat to 180C/ Gas 4. Scatter the apples around the pan and baste the lamb with cider. Turn the lamb over and drizzle with 2 tbsp of honey. Return to the oven for 30 minutes.
• Turn the lamb, baste the meat with the pan juices, then drizzle over another teaspoon of honey. Continue to roast for the calculated time. To check it, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the lamb, then press the meat lightly; the redder the juices, the rarer the meat. Lift the lamb onto a carving board and cover with foil. Rest in a warm place.
• At this point, the roasting apples and garlic should be very soft. Press with a fork, then tip the contents of the pan into a sieve over a saucepan. Push with the back of a ladle to extract all the juices and flavour. Discard the pulp. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and add the stock. Boil and bubble until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then pour into a warm jug. Carve the lamb into thin slices and serve drizzled with the apples and cider gravy.

HONEYED LAMB WITH CIDER GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil, letting enough foil hang from each side of the pan to create a foil tent that won't touch the meat.
• Place leg of lamb into the foil-lined roasting pan. Warm up 1/4 cup of honey in a small saucepan over low heat, and brush the honey all over the lamb. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste, and place the rosemary sprig onto the lamb. Pull the ends of the aluminum foil together over the lamb, and pinch the ends together to make a foil tent.
• Roast lamb in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue roasting for about 1 hour.
• Open up the foil and roast an additional 20 minutes to crisp the outside of the meat. For medium-rare, roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 140 degrees F (60 degrees C.) Remove the lamb from the oven, and place on a warmed platter to rest about 15 minutes before slicing. Pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a saucepan, and wrap the lamb loosely in the foil to rest.
• Pour hard cider and 2 tablespoons of honey into the saucepan with the lamb drippings, and boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces by about half, about 10 minutes. Slice the lamb and spoon sauce over the slices to serve.