Mont de Marsan Delicacy a la Printaniere Lamb Salad

Ingredients

• 6 lamb chops

• Salt

• Pepper and olive oil

• 2 tablespoonfuls finely chopped mint

• 2 rounded dessert spoonfuls Castor sugar

• 4 tablespoonfuls mild vinegar

• 2 tablespoonfuls water

• 2 leaves gelatin

• 2 heads lettuce

• 4 tablespoonfuls cooked green peas

• 1 small boiled carrot

• 3 spring onions

• 150 ml thick mayonnaise

• 2 small eggs hard boiled

• small sprigs of fresh parsley

Method Of preparation

1 Remove the meat from the bones and cut away the rim of fat leaving a neat round lean of meat. Rub in the salt and pepper dip in olive oil and grill quickly to brown on the out side leaving the inside underdone and juicy.Drain on white paper and allow to become quite cold.

2 Mix the mint with the sugar and vinegar, cover, and allow to steep, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Melt the gelatin in the water and strain into the mint sauce after allowing it to steep for at least an hour to extract the full flavour of the mint. Chill and when just on the point of setting dip the cold meat in it and place on a sheet of waxed or greaseproof paper in the ice compartment of the refrigerator.

3 When the jelly coating has set firm pour over a very thin layer of he liquid jelly on top of each piece to give a thicker coating. Let this set then place on a fresh piece of paper turning the meat the other side up and coat in the same manner. Allow to set very firm. The jelly left over after the first dipping may be softened by removing from the refrigerator and standing in a warm room to become almost liquid again, and it must be well stirred to ensure an even distribution of the mint.

4 Break the lettuce leaves from the heart of each head into fairly small pieces, first washing and chilling well mix in the peas, diced carrot and quartered bulbs of onions, with a little of the tender green stalks chopped small, and pour the mayonnaise over using two forks to mix all well together until the salad is nicely coated. Arrange the salad in the center of an ice cold dish placing the jellied cutlets round with garnish of quartered eggs. put a tiny sprig of parsley on each cutlet and serve at once.

5 To remove the cutlets from the paper wet the underside with a little warm water when they may be lifted off with the prongs of two forks held at opposite sides. In this way the jelly is not damaged at all. If liked as an added improvement to the appearance of this dish the yolks of the eggs may be removed passed through a fine sieve and mixed to cream with softened butter and a seasoning of white pepper and salt then piped back into the quartered whites with a fancy tube.

####### This Dish will only be successful if quality ingredients and good cooking utensils are used.