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Crown of Lamb with Peas
Select parts from 2 loins containing ribs, scrape flesh from bone between ribs, as far as lean meat and trim off backbone. Shape each piece in semicircle, having ribs outside and sew pieces together to form a crown. Trim ends of bones evenly and rather short and wrap each bone in thin strip fat scraps to prevent bone from burning. Place on rack in dripping pan with bowl in center of crown to preserve its shape. Dredge with flour, sprinkle with salt and pepper, basting frequently with melted Crisco, and allowing 9 minutes to the pound for roasting. Cover bones with Criscoed paper. Remove paper from bones before serving and fill the center with peas. Place paper frills on chop bones and parsley around base. The center of crown may be filled with potato balls, French fried potatoes, or puree of chestnuts.
A standing rib roast of lamb, sewn from two loin ends into a ring — the technique is unchanged, but the fat, the paper and the roasting time all belong to 1910.
- Let the butcher do the frenchingTwo rib racks of 7-8 bones each, chine bone removed, meat scraped from the top inch of the ribs, is a standard order. Ask for them tied into a crown or sew them yourself with butcher's twine, ribs bowing outward.
- Crisco and "Criscoed paper"The book was written to sell hydrogenated shortening. Any neutral fat works for basting, though melted butter or the lamb's own rendered fat gives better flavour. "Criscoed paper" is simply greased paper laid over the bone tips; parchment or a strip of foil does the same job.
- No oven temperature is givenThe original assumes you know your range. Start at 450F for 15 minutes to colour the outside, then drop to 350F for the remainder.
- Nine minutes to the pound is very rareOn a trimmed crown that works out to well under an hour, which risks leaving the thick end of the loin underdone. Cook to an internal temperature instead: 130-135F at the centre of the loin for medium-rare, taken away from bone.
- The bowl in the centreAny ovenproof bowl or a tight ball of foil will hold the ring open. It also catches drippings, so lift it out carefully before filling the crown.
- Bone tipsWrapping each bone in fat scraps is the period answer to scorching. Foil caps are quicker and come off cleanly; paper frills over blackened bones are cosmetic only.
- Rest before carvingTen to fifteen minutes tented loosely, then cut down between the ribs. Fill the centre after resting so the peas or potatoes stay hot.
- YieldTwo loin ends give 14-16 chops, which serves 6-8 people at two to three chops each.
This comes from one of the Crisco promotional cookbooks published in the 1910s, after Procter & Gamble introduced hydrogenated cottonseed shortening in 1911 — hence the brand name appearing twice in a recipe that has nothing intrinsically to do with it. The crown roast itself is older; frenched ribs bent into a ring, sometimes called couronne d'agneau, was a showpiece of the formal dining room of the period. Filling the hollow centre with peas, potato balls or chestnut puree treats the vegetable as part of the presentation rather than as a side dish. The paper frills, sometimes called papillotes, are traditionally said to let a guest pick up a chop without greasing a glove.