Côtelettes à la Sévigné

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Rimmed broiler-safe sheet pan
• •Three shallow coating dishes
• •Pastry brush
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm round serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the filling

   Melt the 2 teaspoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms with a pinch of the measured salt and cook until they surrender their liquid, the pan dries, and their edges begin to colour, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the 2 teaspoons of flour and stir for 1 minute, then add the cream gradually. Cook, stirring, until the mixture becomes a very thick paste that leaves the pan clean behind the spoon. Fold in the artichoke bottoms and a little pepper, then cook for another minute. Scrape onto a plate, spread it shallowly, and chill for 20 minutes. It must yield eight heaped tablespoonfuls. If a spoonful spreads rather than holding a dome, return the mixture to the pan and reduce it for another minute or two. Ça se rattrape.

2. 2

   Set the stations

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the upper third. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment. Put the coating flour, prepared Anglaise, and breadcrumbs into three separate shallow dishes. Pat the lamb cutlets thoroughly dry and season both sides with the remaining salt and pepper. A dry surface takes colour; moisture gives you a pale cutlet.

3. 3

   Fry one side

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the frying butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, lay in as many cutlets as will fit without touching and fry one flat side only until deeply golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not turn them. Transfer the cutlets to the prepared sheet pan with their raw sides down and browned sides up, then repeat with fresh butter until all eight are browned. If the milk solids race from hazelnut-brown to black, lower the heat and wipe the pan before the next batch; burnt butter grows bitter, not noble.

4. 4

   Crown and coat

   Set one heaped tablespoonful of cold mushroom and artichoke filling on the browned face of each cutlet. Shape it into a smooth dome, leaving a narrow border of meat around it. Dust each dome and the exposed meat lightly with flour, brushing away the excess. Spoon or brush the prepared Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) over every floured surface, then press on the breadcrumbs until the filling and meat are completely enclosed beneath an even coat. Work gently, one cutlet at a time. If a dome begins to slip, stop and chill the assembled cutlets for 5 minutes before continuing.

5. 5

   Butter and bake

   Sprinkle the melted butter evenly over the crumbed cutlets, giving each dome enough to darken without soaking it. Bake in the upper third of the oven until the crumbs are crisp and butter-gold and the meat reaches 137 to 140°F (58 to 60°C), about 8 to 12 minutes. If the lamb reaches temperature while the crumbs remain pale, place the pan under the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds, watching without looking away. If the coating colours before the meat is ready, shield the domes loosely with foil and lower the oven to 375°F (190°C).

6. 6

   Dish the crown

   Rest the cutlets for 5 minutes, until the meat reaches about 145°F (63°C). On a warm round platter, overlap them in a tight ring with the crumbed domes facing upward and the bones radiating toward the rim. This crown is the presentation the source requires, generous and direct, with no sauce or ornamental garnish to distract from the buttered crust. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose lamb rib chops of even thickness, two per person. The original mutton had more age and a firmer bite; thick modern lamb chops preserve the shape while their shorter cooking time keeps the meat rosy.
• •Plain canned or jarred artichoke bottoms are the honest pantry choice. Avoid marinated hearts, whose oil, herbs, and acidity change the filling, and blot the bottoms thoroughly so they don't loosen the croquette mixture.
• •Use fine breadcrumbs, not coarse flakes. The crumbs must follow the curved dome and make a close coat with the Anglaise; large crumbs leave gaps through which the filling can push.
• •A supple Cabernet Franc or restrained red Bordeaux suits the lamb and mushrooms. Artichoke can make a heavily tannic wine taste metallic, so choose grace over brute force.
• •Leftovers keep for up to 2 days in the cold. Reheat them on a rack in a 375°F (190°C) oven until warmed through; covering them traps moisture and softens the crust.

Advance Preparation

• •The mushroom and artichoke croquette filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover its surface directly and keep it cold; the rest makes it firmer and easier to dome.
• •The Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Whisk it briefly before coating the cutlets.
• •Measure the flour and breadcrumbs earlier in the day, but fry, assemble, and bake the cutlets shortly before serving. A long wait after coating draws moisture into the crumbs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 245g)