Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #26; Practical #26

Lamb stuffed with dried fruit. Couscous on the side. And lamb jus to slop up.

I mean. What doesn’t sound good here? This just may be the best meal of Le Cordon Bleu.

Demo – Chef Caals – was a little bit unclear. Practical went well – parfait, nonetheless. I even got a très bien from Chef Tivet when he saw me cut into my meat.

First. We completely deboned a lamb rib roast – the 8 primary ribs. Leaving the meat flap from the bones. Creating a sort of loin with an attached blanket. Brunoise dried apricots, dates, and fresh rosemary tucked up next to the loin. Rolled like a jelly-roll into a neat little package. Tied to keep uniformity during cooking. Browned in olive oil. And finished in the oven for five minutes.

Lamb’s resting time should always equal cooking time. In my case, it needed twenty minutes. At first it will continue to cook. Then the temperature will plateau. And begin to drop. At this point the meat is covered and kept near a heat source.

A typical jus was prepared to pass along. Keeping with the Middle-Eastern flavors. I finished mine with a bit of dried madras curry.

If you don’t know what couscous is, then you need to get on it. Not only is it easy to make, but incredibly versatile. Taking dry couscous. We added some olive oil, salt, pepper, toasted almonds, pistachios, golden raisins, and reduced (warm) chicken stock. Left for five minutes. And it was ready. It is as easy as that.

Preparing for our final exam. We also made béarnaise sauce. Everything went well. No scrambled eggs, or separated bond. My shoulder, on the other hand. Is a bit sore from all the whisking. C’est la vie.

Friends commented that the dessert, crème catalane, was divine. Whole milk infused with fennel. Thickened with egg yolk and whipping cream. Sweetened with sugar. Baked in a gratin at 90 degree Celsius for an hour and a half. Burned sugar crusted the top. Basically, fennel flavored crème brûlée.

Instruction #26

• Lamb rib roast with dates and rosemary, couscous with dried fruit
• Béarnaise sauce
• Catalan cream