Lamb Brains With Its Juices

Lamb Brains With Its Juices
El Bulli
Chef: Ferran Adrià
Country: España
City: 17480 Roses(Girona).<br />
Address: Cala Montjoi, a 7 km. del centro urbano.
(+34) 972150457

With absolute assuredness, Ferran Adrià’s cuisine has never been so imaginative or perfect. After a dinner at El Bulli in mid-September, the month in which the year’s work culminates and reaches its zenith, we can confirm that out of the 34 dishes that we were served, 30, more or less, were superb. You have to experience it yourself to believe it.
Thirty dishes that qualify for Dish of the Year in a single tasting menu! And make no mistake, we do not offer such a boastful statement in simple recognition of Ferran’s magnanimous culinary harvest this year. In the book El Bulli 06, you will be able to taste and analyze for yourself. Two dishes in this section are perfect as a testimony to the current situation, among which we chose the lamb brains with juices. Why? Because it employs the most remarkable technique of the season, and one which marks an era: the spheres. Melon-apple caviar, olives… and now an infinity of versions. Spherification in this case is conceived as an entity with different textures: gelatinous membrane, liquid interior and a buttery piece of meat at the center giving body to the evanescent sensations. This culinary magic, this interstellar technique, which alone receives a 10 for its boldness, complexity, texture and color… preserves the flavor of the brains and reinforces it with further lamb flavor. Essence of lamb and brains in three different consistencies, dressed with, as always, genius touches: Dijon and Colman’s mustard, Worcester sauce, tender almonds, mint leaves in vinegar and daisy buds.



The Recipe



Lamb Brains with its Juices
Ingredients

For the lamb juices and fat

  • 1 kg lamb neck
  • 1 peeled garlic clove
  • 1/2 sprig of thyme
  • 400 g small ice cubes
  • 50 g olive oil 0’4

Method

1. Cut the lamb neck into 2 cm large pieces. Crush the peeled garlic clove
2. Roast the lamb uniformly with oil in a pan.
3. When the lamb is roasted on all sides add the crushed garlic and thyme.
4. Brown everything well and add the ice. Deglaze and reduce until obtaining a consistent, flavorful stock.
5. Strain in a superbag, skim the excess fat and keep the stock and fat separate.

 

Ingredients
For the thickened lamb juices

  • 100 g lamb stock (prior preparation)
  • 0.1 g xanthan gum
  • salt

Method

1. Salt the stock and dissolve the xanthan gum using a mixer.
2. Set aside.
NOTE: the quantity of xanthan gum required is dependent upon the prior texture of the stock.

 

Ingredients
For the blanquette

  • 1 kg water
  • 40 g onion
  • 20 g carrots
  • 20 g celery
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 g black peppercorns
  • salt

Method

1. Clean and chop the vegetables in a mirepoix.
2. Cook all the ingredients over medium heat with the water for 30 min.
3. Strain and salt.
4. Refrigerate.

 

Ingredients
For the brain medallions cooked in blanquette

  • 500 g blanquette preparation (prior preparation)2 lamb brains, 80 g each

Method

1. Remove the blood from the brains by soaking them in water and ice for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Remove from the water and drain.
3. Bring the vegetable blanquette to a boil, add the brains and remove from heat.
4. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
5. Remove the brains from the blanquette and cut each lobe into 3 medallions 1.5 cm thick and 2 cm in diameter.
6. Refrigerate the brain medallions, the excess brain and the blanquette.

 

Ingredients
For the base of the lamb brains spheres

  • 200 g blanquette used for the brains (prior preparation)
  • 50 g extra cuts of brains cooked in blanquette (prior preparation)
  • 0.8 g xanthan gum
  • 4 g Glucosalt

Method

1. Heat the blanquette, chop the leftover brains and infuse them in the blanquette for 30 min.
2. Strain and pass through a chinoise.
3. Salt to taste.
4. Dissolve the Gluco in 200 g of blanquette with brains stock.
5. Add the xanthan gum and dissolve using the mixer.
6. Refrigerate.

 

Ingredients
For the Algin bath

1 kg water
5 g Algin

Method

1. Mix the water with the Algin in a blender and blend until it dissolves completely.
2. Refrigerate for 12 hours to eliminate excess air.

 

Ingredients
For the brain spheres

  • 12 g medallions of lamb brains cooked in blanquette (prior preparation)
  • 150 g of lamb brains sphere base (prior preparation)
  • 1 kg Algin bath (prior preparation)
  • 500 g blanquette

Method

1. Place a brain medallion cooked in blanquette in a hemispherical spoon 2.5 cm in diameter together with 5 g of the lamb brain base for the spheres.
2. Pour the contents in the sodium alginate bath to produce the brain spheres. Make 3 lamb brain spheres per person. It is very important that the spheres do not touch or else they will stick to each other.
3. Cook the brains in the Algin mixture for 3 minutes.
4. Drain the spheres with a slotted spoon taking care not to break them and clean with cold water.
5. Drain the water off and store them covered with the blanquette.

 

Ingredients
For the Sherry vinegar peppermint

  • 20 g fresh peppermint leaves
  • 25 g Sherry vinegar 25 years
  • 3 g sugar
  • 1 g salt

Method

1. Clean the peppermint leaves and dry on absorbent paper.
2. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the Sherry vinegar.
3. Chop the mint leaves into a fine brunoise and mix with the vinegar.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

 

Ingredients
For the thickened Worcester sauce

  • 50 g Worcester sauce
  • 0.15 g xanthan gum

Method

1. Dissolve the xanthan gum in the sauce using the mixer.
2. Use a pipette to apply in assembly for ease.
3. Set aside.

 

Ingredients
For the dehydrated Colman’s mustard

  • 5 g Colman’s mustard powder
  • 10 g water

Method

1. Wet the mustard powder with the water.
2. Place in a pastry bag and refrigerate.

 

Ingredients
For the tender peeled almonds

  • 16 tender almonds

Method

1. Peel the almonds taking care they remain whole.
2. Refrigerate in a sealed container.

 

Ingredients
Other

  • 24 daisy buds in vinegar
  • 10 g Dijon mustardsalt

Method
FINISHING AND PRESENTATION

1. Heat the lamb brain spheres in blanquette.
2. Heat the tender peeled almonds and the daisy buds in the lamb stock.
3. Warm 4 LUNA 4802 plates.
4. Place 3 brain spheres on each plate.
5. When hot, arrange 4 tender almonds and 6 daisy buds at the base of the plate.
6. Top each sphere with a pinch of salt and 2 g of Sherry vinegar peppermint (drain the vinegar first).
7. Drizzle two tablespoons of hot lamb stock over the base of the plate.
8. Add 3 drops of thickened Worcester sauce, 1 point of Colman’s mustard and 2 points of Dijon mustard in the lamb juices, all separate, without touching any other component of the dish.
9. Finish by adding a few drops of hot lamb fat to the juices on the plate.

NOTE: another version of this dish was made by blanching the brains in the stock and substituting the peeled tender almonds for tender mini-artichoke hearts, also scalded in the stock.

T: hot
E: 7-8

SILVERWARE

Spoon and small “tapa” fork

TASTING INSTRUCTIONS

Eat the spheres whole with the stock and the