Lamb Shoulder stuffed with Anchovy's, Rosemary and Garlic

Another great night on Friday; it's been a real pleasure so far opening my living room to such wonderful people, long may it continue!! They enjoyed themselves so much 2 of the 3 tables have already re-booked.

After a request on Friday, I'm going to talk you through how to prepare and cook the Lamb that was served as the main course. You can ask your butcher to remove the bone from your Lamb shoulder (its worth asking for the bone because you can use this to make stock or you can add it to a casserole for more flavour). You'll need to ask your butcher for some butchers string as well, but don't be worried about rolling the meat, it really isn't that tricky. Lamb shoulder is naturally fatty and as a result this recipe pairs it with Anchovy's (and I served it with a Caper Jus) to help cut through the fattiness. The fat helps keep the meat moist, so don't be tempted to remove it (if you don't want to eat it, you can just leave it on your plate).

Step 1

Find a good butcher!! A good butcher should be able to tell you where your meat has come from, what breed of animal it was and also give you tips on how best to cook your selected piece of meat. Once you've found a reliable meat man, ask him (or her) for a boned Lamb shoulder of around 1.5-2kg.

Step 2

To make the stuffing (it’s almost a little more like a marinade) finely chop 2 garlic cloves, 5-6 Anchovy fillets, and a handful of both Rosemary and Parsley. Mix in a bowl along with a little of the oil from the Anchovy's and a few tbsp of Olive oil. Season with Black Pepper.

Step 3

Lie the Lamb shoulder skin side down on a chopping board. If there are any large clumps of meat just run a knife half the depth of the meat and open out using your hands. What you're looking for is a consistent depth. Using your hands, rub the marinade over the meat (inside of the joint).

Step 4

Cut about 5-6 lengths of butchers string (approx 1 1/2 foot). Roll up the meat as tight as possible so you're left with a cylinder shape. Place the cylinder skin side up on the chopping board. Starting at one end, gently loop the string under the meat and pull tightly. Knot the string twice so that it holds the meat securely. Continue to do this along the length of the meat approx. 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover with Clingfilm and place in the fridge until you are ready to cook it (I did all this the day before I needed it).

Step 5

Remove the meat from the fridge approx. 20 minutes before you plan to cook it (this brings the meat back up to room temperature, so you're not having to cook the chill out of the meat before the cooking starts. This is especially important when you plan to cook something quickly, for example a rare steak or a duck breast). Weigh the meat and turn the oven on to 220oC, Gas Mark 7. When the oven is up to temperature place the meat in a roasting tin, drizzle with Olive oil and generously season with Salt and Pepper. Place near the top of the oven. After 30 minutes, turn the temperature down to 160oC, Gas Mark 3. Pour over a glass of white wine and a glass of water and continue cooking the meat 10 minutes (per 500grams) for Rare, 15 minutes (per 500 grams) for Medium, and 20 minutes (per 500 grams) for Well Done.

Step 6

Remove from the tray, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. The juice left in the tray can be drained of fat and used to fashion a gravy.

What's going on this week...

Well the stockpot is bubbling away in the background and things are starting to crank into motion ready for Friday. I'm really excited about being able to welcome a room full of new people to the supper club. Fingers crossed the rain will stop by Thursday so I can dash to the fishmongers on my bike to pick up the crabs without getting soaked through. The plan with the lamb is that the Anchovy's and Capers will help cut the richness of the meat and the creamed leeks....

The menu for Friday 11th December

There are still 4 spaces available, so email the-baysc@hotmail.co.uk if you're interested. It should be a wonderful evening.

Appetisers

Mushroom Pate
Beetroot hummus

Bread

Starter

Tomatoes stuffed with Crab and Basil

Main

Rosemary, Anchovy and Garlic Stuffed Lamb Shoulder, Mustard Creamed Leeks, Mash, Roasted Root Vegetables, Caper Jus

Vegetarian Option

Sea Bass, Parsley Mash, Roasted Vine Tomatoes, Caper Butter Sauce

Dessert

Chocolate Pave, Poached Pear, Damson and Sloe Gin Coulis, Shortbread

Coffee

Christmas idea...

Struggling to find a gift for a foodie friend? Why not give them a 'Bay Supper Club' voucher, which they can exchange for meal at one of my Supper Club evenings?! For more info, email the-baysc@hotmail.co.uk

Pre-Christmas Supper Club dates...

A couple of people have sadly had to drop out for the Supper club on Friday (11th December) so there's still a little space. Failing that the last Supper Club before Christmas will be on Saturday 19th December. If you're short on idea's for Christmas parties, if you want to enquire about private bookings, New Years Eve or to book a table for the dates mentioned above, drop me an email at the-baysc@hotmail.co.uk

Poached Pears...

This is a really easy and adaptable recipe. Poached pears are great on their own, or can be served alongside a whole host of other desserts (I'll be using them this week to accompany a rich slab of chocolate pave). They can also be drizzled with chocolate, served with fruit coulis, fresh cream, in frangipane...the list goes on and on!! This recipe uses vanilla for an extra burst of flavour, but I've also done them plain, with a pinch of saffron and in a spice infused red wine syrup.

Step 1

To make the poaching syrup, mix equal quantities of sugar and water. Add the zest and the juice of a lemon and an orange. Scrape in the seeds of a vanilla pod, and bring the syrup to the boil. (Make sure that you've got enough syrup to fully cover your pears!!)

Step 2

Whilst the syrup is warming, peal the pears (I find the Conference and William verities to work best.) (Tip...Place the pealed pears in a saucepan of cold water that’s had the juice of a lemon squeezed in, this stops the pear from discolouring). If you have a melon baller you can remove the core by gently scraping it out from the bottom of the pear (if you don't, you can always remove the core once the pears have been poached and cooled, although this requires you to cut the pears in half.)

Step 3

Once the syrup is to the boil, carefully add the pears (Tip...when putting things into boiling liquid don't drop them from a height because it’s likely they'll cause a splash. Instead, lower them gently into the syrup). It is useful to weigh the pears down with a circle of baking paper to make sure they remain submerged in the syrup.

Step 4

Depending on the ripeness of the pears, they should take around 10-15 mins. Check by piercing with a sharp knife. If the knife pierces the flesh without much resistance, they are done. Turn off the hob and allow the pears to cool in the syrup. Once cooled, store in a sealed container in the fridge, surrounded by syrup.

Tip...When serving alongside another component of dessert, it is a god idea to chop the pears in half and then make about 5 slices along the length of the pear (being careful to keep the flesh at the thin end intact). You can then fan the pear out and rest the other component (say a slice of chocolate tart) on top of it.

Enjoy

Available spaces...

I've still got a tiny bit of space left for Friday 11th of December and couple of tables for Saturday 19th December. If you're interested, please email the-baysc@hotmail.co.uk. There are still several dates available for private parties, so again please do get in touch. I'm also going to start taking bookings for New Years Eve, spaces are VERY limited so drop me an email for more info.

Sensational Shortbread...

Each week I'll be featuring a recipe that’s been on the Supper Club menu. I'll do my best to talk you through the steps and secrets to a delicious end result. If after attending a Supper Club you'd like to know more about a certain element of the menu grab me afterwards or send me an email and I'll either feature that recipe on the Blog, or scribble it down for you.

This week...SHORTBREAD

I'll be honest with you here; I used to think shortbread was a second rate biscuit. Growing up in a world of fat, clompy lumps of tartan boxed biscuit fingers was less than inspiring and NOT something I'd think about replicating. But since working in various restaurants I've learnt that with a little love and attention you can make a wonderful accompaniment to desserts (I served it alongside the Vanilla Panna Cotta on the opening evening, testament to my new found love!!) or with a brew. This particular recipe was picked up whilst doing work experience at River Cottage, and produces a scrumptious, crisp biscuit.

Makes 24 (you don't have to bake them all at once, keep some mixture in fridge!!)

Step 1

Either using a mixer (for example a Kenwood chef) or a hand held whisk, cream together;

175g softened butter
90g sugar

Until pale and fluffy.

Step 2

Add a pinch of salt and slowly add 2 egg yolks.

Step 3

Using your hand or a spatula, work in 200g plain flour.

Step 4

Turn out onto a floured surface and shape into a disc. Cover in Clingfilm and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 180oC, Gas Mark 4.On a well floured surface (and using a floured rolling pin), roll out the dough until it is about the thickness of a pound coin. (Tip...don't be scared about using too much flour; keep flouring the surface and the rolling pin). Use a pastry cutter and transfer the cut shortbreads onto a baking paper lined tray.

Step 6

Bake for 7 minutes, and then check the shortbread. You're looking for a light brown colour around the edge, but still pale in the middle. If they're not quite done, pop them back in and check them every minute until they're to your liking.

Step 7

Sprinkle with sugar (a nice addition is to finely chop some lemon or orange rind, or add the seeds from a vanilla pod, and pass through a sieve with the sugar). Leave to cool on the baking tray for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack!!

Enjoy