Côtelettes d’Agneau de Lait Morland

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Flat-sided meat mallet or rolling pin
• •Two shallow coating dishes
• •Two small saucepans
• •Thin flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large warmed oval platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the garnishes

   Warm the finished mushroom purée over the gentlest heat, stirring often so its edges do not catch. Warm the Carottes Glacées pour Garnitures (No. 2059) separately, then cover and hold them off the heat. Put a large serving platter in a low oven or rinse it with very hot water and dry it well; the cutlets cook quickly and must not wait while cold crockery steals their heat.

2. 2

   Butter the glaze

   Bring the meat glaze to a bare simmer in a small saucepan and reduce it only until it coats a spoon in a thin, glossy film. Take it completely off the heat and monter au beurre, whisk in the cold butter a few pieces at a time, until the glaze gleams. If it separates into oily beads, stop adding butter and whisk in 1 teaspoon of cold water off the heat. Ça se rattrape. Keep it barely warm, never simmering, while the lamb cooks.

   The finished glaze should flow in a narrow thread. If it sits like paste, loosen it with a teaspoon of hot water; if it runs like broth, reduce the unbuttered glaze a little further before mounting it.
3. 3

   Flatten the cutlets

   Lay each cutlet between two sheets of parchment and tap the fleshy eye gently with the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Even it to about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick without striking the rib bone or pounding the meat thin. Pat every surface dry, then season evenly with the salt and white pepper. Suckling lamb is tender already; the flattening gives even cooking, not tenderness.

4. 4

   Press on truffle

   Spread the beaten egg in one shallow dish and the chopped truffle in another. Dip each cutlet in egg, let the excess fall away until only a thin veil remains, then roll it through the truffle. Lay it flat and press the coating firmly with the broad side of a knife so the truffle and egg combine into one close crust. If bare patches appear, dab them with a fingertip of egg, add more truffle, and press again. Do not bury the cutlet beneath wet egg; the truffle is replacing breadcrumbs and must behave like a dry coating.

   Chop the truffle to the texture of coarse breadcrumbs, not a paste. Large pieces fall away, while a wet mince smears and scorches.
5. 5

   Cook in clarified butter

   Heat half the clarified butter in a heavy 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium heat until it shimmers without smoking. Lay in four cutlets with room between them and cook without moving for about 2 minutes, until the egg has set and the truffle crust clings. Turn once with a thin spatula and cook the second side for 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting the heat so the truffle smells deep and earthy but never burnt. If loose coating drops into the pan, lower the heat, collect it with the spatula, and press it onto the still-tacky upper surface before turning. If the butter darkens too quickly, lift out the cutlets, wipe away the burnt truffle, and continue with fresh clarified butter. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. Rest them for 3 to 5 minutes, until the centres finish near 145°F (63°C).

   Check the temperature from the side of the fleshy eye without touching bone. These cutlets are small, and one extra minute can take them from tender to dry.
6. 6

   Build the Morland circle

   Spoon the hot mushroom purée into a generous mound at the centre of the warmed platter. Arrange the cutlets in a close circle around it, bones pointing outward and the truffle crust left fully visible. Draw the buttered meat glaze in a narrow thread around the feet of the cutlets, never over their crust. Serve the Carottes Glacées pour Garnitures (No. 2059) in a warm dish alongside. Bring everything to the table at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Agneau de lait is true suckling lamb, prized for its mild sweetness and very tender flesh. If it cannot be found, ask for the smallest, palest rib chops from young spring lamb; the flavour will be stronger, but the Morland technique still holds.
• •This quantity of black truffle is deliberate. A decorative shaving cannot replace a crumb coating. Fresh black truffle is first choice; outside its season, well-drained whole preserved black truffles are the classical pantry’s honest answer. Truffle oil, paste, and ordinary breadcrumbs make another dish.
• •The entry’s body specifies mushroom purée for the centre, while its supplied cross-reference identifies Carottes Glacées pour Garnitures (No. 2059). This version preserves the mushroom centre and serves the cited carrots alongside, so neither instruction is silently discarded.
• •Clarified butter matters because its milk solids have been removed, allowing the lamb to cook without the butter burning before the meat is ready. We don’t apologize for butter, but we do use the right butter for the job.
• •Pour a mature red Burgundy or a restrained Bordeaux with enough freshness to respect the suckling lamb. A heavy, aggressively tannic wine will flatten both the truffle and the delicate meat.

Advance Preparation

• •The finished mushroom purée, meat glaze, and Carottes Glacées pour Garnitures (No. 2059) may be prepared one day ahead, chilled separately, and reheated gently. Mount the glaze with cold butter only just before serving.
• •Clarified butter keeps well when covered and chilled, so it may be prepared several days ahead. Measure it before beginning; this is not the moment to clarify butter while coated lamb waits.
• •The cutlets may be trimmed and gently flattened up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered in the cold, then dry, season, and coat them no more than 15 minutes before cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)