Côtelettes d’Agneau de Lait Milanaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Smooth-faced meat mallet or sturdy rolling pin
• •Three wide shallow dishes
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed tray
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warmed oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the linked components

   Measure the finished Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) into a shallow dish and keep it cold until the cutlets are ready. Put the finished garnish à la milanaise specified through Côte de Veau Milanaise (No. 1258) into a covered saucepan, ready for gentle reheating. These are finished preparations the original kitchen reached for, not components to rebuild inside this recipe.

   The timing assumes both linked preparations are complete. This is how the book organized its kitchen, and keeping them separate preserves the logic of the canon.
2. 2

   Flatten the cutlets

   Lay each cutlet between two sheets of parchment. Moisten the smooth face of a meat mallet and strike from the thicker centre toward the edge until the meaty eye is about ⅜ inch (1 cm) thick, roughly half its original thickness. Keep the bone intact and avoid pounding the edge into holes. Pat the meat thoroughly dry, then season both sides with the salt and pepper. A wet surface loosens the flour, and every later layer depends upon that first one holding.

3. 3

   Build the anglaise coat

   Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan thoroughly, preserving the entry’s exact ratio of four parts crumbs to one part cheese by weight. Pass each cutlet lightly through the flour and shake off every loose patch. Coat it completely in the Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), let the excess drain, then press it into the Parmesan crumbs on both sides. Set the breaded cutlets on a rack for 10 minutes so the layers settle together. If a bare patch appears, dab it with a little Anglaise and press on fresh crumbs. If a whole section slides, scrape that section clean, flour it again, and rebuild it. Ça se rattrape.

   Keep the crumbs off the exposed bones. Loose breading there falls into the butter, burns, and darkens the later batches.
4. 4

   Warm the garnish gently

   Set the finished garnish from Côte de Veau Milanaise (No. 1258) over the gentlest heat and stir from the bottom until the macaroni is hot, glossy, and cohered by its butter and cheeses. Do not boil it. If the cheese begins to tighten or release fat, take the pan off the heat and stir steadily until it comes together; if necessary, add only a small splash of hot water. Hold it covered off the heat while the cutlets cook.

5. 5

   Fry in clarified butter

   Heat the clarified butter in a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet to 350°F (175°C). Without a thermometer, a pinch of breadcrumb should sizzle vigorously at once and turn gold, not black. Fry the cutlets in two uncrowded batches, about 2 to 3 minutes on the first side and 1½ to 2 minutes on the second, until the crust is deep butter-gold and the lamb reaches 145°F (63°C) after resting for at least 3 minutes. Transfer each batch to a rack, never paper, which traps moisture beneath the crust. If the breading begins to shed, stop nudging the cutlet and let the first side set before turning. If the Parmesan darkens too quickly, lift the pan from the heat, lower the flame, and continue once the butter calms. The crust is browned, not sacrificed.

   Clarified butter is essential here. Whole butter contains milk solids that burn before eight cutlets can be cooked, while clarified butter gives the crust its clean butter flavour and bronze colour.
6. 6

   Arrange the Milanese ring

   Mound the hot macaroni garnish in the centre of a warmed oval platter. Arrange the rested cutlets around it in an overlapping circle, meaty ends turned inward and bones pointing toward the rim. Serve at once, while the crumb still answers the knife and the macaroni remains glossy. Cooking well is not cooking fancy. À table!

Chef Tips

• •True milk-fed lamb is small, pale, and delicately flavoured. Ask for rib cutlets of even size. If only ordinary young lamb is available, use it honestly and expect a stronger flavour; choose smaller chops and flatten them to the same thickness.
• •The lamb entry calls for Parmesan equal to one quarter of the breadcrumbs by weight. That means 25 g Parmesan to 100 g crumbs. More cheese may sound generous, but it makes the coating saltier, softer, and quicker to burn.
• •Clarify unsalted butter yourself or buy plain clarified butter. Strongly flavoured ghee changes the dish, and butter blended with oil isn't the method this entry specifies.
• •Serve the platter immediately. A light red from Beaujolais, such as Fleurie or Brouilly, has enough freshness for the butter and cheese without bullying milk-fed lamb.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) and the garnish specified through Côte de Veau Milanaise (No. 1258) according to their own entries. Keep the Anglaise chilled and reheat the garnish gently just before frying.
• •The cutlets can be flattened and dried up to 6 hours ahead, then covered and refrigerated. Bread them no more than 2 hours before cooking and keep them uncovered on a rack so the panure sets without becoming damp.
• •Clarified butter can be prepared several days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Warm it only until liquid before measuring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 320g)