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Lamb Epigrammes with Asparagus Tips
Braise a small breast of lamb until tender, then place between two dishes under a weight till cold. Then cut into equal pieces, fasten a bone like a cutlet bone in each, and trim in cutlet shape.
Prepare an equal number of lamb cutlets of the same size. Season all with salt, pepper, and a few drops of lemon juice, then dip in beaten egg, and cover well with bread crumbs. Fry in 2 tablespoonfuls of butter till golden brown; drain well, and lay in a circle on a hot dish, with boiled asparagus tips in the centre. Serve with a garnish of parsley.
An épigramme pairs two cuts of lamb on one plate: braised, pressed and crumbed breast alongside true cutlets. The pressing step is the hinge — skip it and the breast will not slice cleanly or hold its shape in the pan.
- Braising the breastA breast of lamb needs 2 to 2 1/2 hours at a bare simmer, or covered at 325F, until a skewer meets no resistance. Bone it while still warm; the rib bones lift out easily and the meat is then a flat slab.
- PressingLay the boned breast flat between two trays with 3-4 lb of weight on top and chill overnight. Cold, compressed meat cuts into neat cutlet shapes and holds together through egging and frying; warm meat will not.
- The false boneThe bone pushed into each piece is decoration, to make the breast pieces match the real cutlets. Use the cleaned rib bones you removed from the breast, or leave them out entirely — nothing is lost but the illusion.
- The cutlets"Lamb cutlets" here means single rib chops from the rack, trimmed, about 3/4 inch thick. The recipe gives no numbers; six of each would make a dish for roughly four to six.
- Frying fatTwo tablespoons of butter will not shallow-fry a dozen crumbed pieces without burning. Use clarified butter, or butter cut with a neutral oil, at a depth of about 1/4 inch, and work in batches at medium heat — roughly 3 minutes a side for the cutlets, 2 for the already-cooked breast.
- DonenessThe breast pieces only need heating through and colouring. The raw cutlets should come out at 130-135F internal for pink; the crumb will be golden well before the meat overcooks if the fat is hot enough.
- AsparagusBoil the tips in well-salted water for 2 to 3 minutes only and drain thoroughly, or the liquid will soften the crumb crust as it sits. Toss them in a little butter before mounding them in the centre.
- ServingAlternate the two kinds of cutlet around the dish so the contrast reads. A thin gravy or reduced braising liquor, strained and skimmed, is a better accompaniment than the parsley alone.