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With daffodils out and Easter coming early, spring’s just round the corner! |
Sweet idea: spread a little marmalade on Sunday’s roast!
Clare Latimer adds a tangy taste to a traditional Easter Day dish
EASTER this year is about as early as it can ever be and somehow it feels rather strange.
It certainly makes the winter feel shorter and as the daffodils come out so much earlier these years, perhaps it is more appropriate.
The early lamb is only just in the shops and to my mind it is not quite as good as later in the season as it has been forced on a bit.
But as it is such tradition at Easter I am still going to give a recipe for Easter Day but be sure to buy from a good reliable source.
Roast leg of lamb with marmalade coating
The marmalade gives a lovely sticky orange tangy flavour to the lamb and then the garlic and rosemary seep through the meat and all this makes a superb result.
I would serve this with roast potatoes and whole boiled onions in a white sauce.
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
1.8kg leg lamb
1 tbsp dark marmalade
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
1 stem fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
Splash red wine.
Gravy
1 desp flour
Splash red wine
1 desp redcurrant jelly.
Pre-heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5.
Put the leg of lamb into a good, solid roasting tin and then rub the marmalade all over the skin with your hands or spread with a knife. Stab deep cuts into the skin in about 20 places.
Push down a piece of garlic into each cut and then spear a little rosemary into each cut as well. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper and then add the onion pieces. Pour in the red wine and cook in the oven for one and a half hours.
Put a skewer into the thickest part of the lamb and see if the juices are slightly bloody and then, if you like your lamb a bit pink inside, set aside to rest for about 20 minutes. If you like your lamb well done, cook for a further 20 minutes.
To make the gravy, remove the lamb from the roasting tin and place in a warm oven. Put the roasting tin over a low heat and add the flour. Stir well with a wooden spoon, scrapping up the crispy brown bits in the tin as they add great flavour, making sure there are no lumps in the flour. Add the red wine and some water and stir well until you get a thickish gravy. Add more wine and or water until you get the consistancy you like. I like it to just coat the back of the spoon lightly. Pour into a gravy boat, carve the lamb and serve hot.
Easter egg orange mousse
I don’t know what gave me this idea but it works and is fun for an Easter pudding. The chocolate Easter eggs should be just a bit bigger than a traditional hen’s egg and you can buy then wrapped in foil. I have hidden a baby Easter egg in each mousse but you could hide some other sweet or just leave them without.
Ingredients
Serves 6
6 hollow Easter eggs, unwrapped
6 baby Easter eggs, optional
3 eggs, separated
3 tbsp caster sugar
Rind of one orange and little juice
1 flat desp gelatine
2 fl oz double cream, whipped.
Cut the top off each chocolate egg using a sharp knife, being very careful not to break the rest of the egg. (The top bit can be discarded if it crumbles.) Then place each empty chocolate Easter egg in an egg cup and add the baby egg into each cup if using.
Put the egg yolks, caster sugar and orange rind into a bowl and beat until thick and creamy. Put some of the orange juice into a small saucepan, sprinkle over the gelatine powder, then set aside.
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently heat the gelatine and then fold into the yolk mixture then, using a metal serving spoon, fold in the whipped cream and egg whites.
Mix well and very carefully spoon the mixture into each chocolate egg. If you have remaining mousse mixture pour into a bowl.
Leave to set in a cool place and serve with a teaspoon. |
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