My Kitchen Rules South Africa

METHOD FOR SEAWEED CRUSTED LAMB LOIN

Add seaweed to a coffee grinder, transfer into a bowl once it becomes dust

Season with salt and pepper. Rub lamb loin with olive oil and roll lamb in seaweed. Rest for at least 1 hour. Heat to very hot and sear loin on both sides for 3 minutes each side.

METHOD FOR PORT GEL

Heat port in a saucepan over a medium heat. Reduce the port to ½ and add the agar agar.  Cook for a further 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl, let it cool down and place the fridge.

It will set, then blend the gel with a  stick blender, while adding small amounts of port to create a light gel that can be piped.  Dish into a piping bag and set aside for service.  

METHOD FOR CAULIFLOWER PUREE

Roughly chop the cauliflower, place in a saucepan with butter, vegetable stock, basil, thyme. Cook until the cauliflower is soft. Add to a heat proof blender and add cream in batches, until it reaches the right consistency.

METHOD FOR PARMESAN CRISP

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with a silpat or baking paper.  You can create a rectangular template from foil so the crisp bakes as a triangle. Place 6 heaped teaspoons on the template on the baking tray and bake for 5 minutes in the oven until the parmesan is melted.  Remove and set aside to cool.

METHOD FOR BEETROOT DUST

Preheat oven to 200°C.  Grate beetroot or cut into thin sliced chips, spread over baking sheet. Bake for 1 ½ hours or until the beetroot is very crispy.  When it is crispy and dry, remove and finely grind in a coffee grinder.  Set aside for service.

METHOD FOR HONEY CARROTS

Melt the butter in a pan, add the honey and carrots and cook until tender, but still al dente.

METHOD FOR SUGAR SNAP PEAS

In 

a medium pot, bring water to a boil, adding salt. Make an ice bath with ice and water.  Cook until al dente, remove and place in the ice bath for 30 seconds and remove and dry.  Open up the sugar snap peas to show the little baby peas inside. Set aside for service.

METHOD FOR THE LAMB JUS

Sauté the shallots, garlic and lamb rib bones in a saucepan, until the bones are caramelised.  Deglaze the pan with the lamb stock. Let this cook for 30 minutes.  Strain the jus of the bones and shallots and allow the jus to reduce slowly. Adjust the seasoning and set aside for service.

METHOD FOR BABY ONIONS.

Blanch and peel the onions.  Cut the onion in half and separate the leaves into small little pockets.  Heat a non-stick pan to smoking hot and grill the edges of the pockets to brown.

TO SERVE

Cut a square template from cardboard, wrapping with tin foil.  Use this as the template to plate the beetroot dust on the side of the plate.  Follow with the cauliflower puree opposite each other on the plate, shaping it like a teardrop. Slice the venison into medallions and place 3 medallions in the centre of the plate, leaving space in the middle. Place 2 carrots and a pea on the side of the meat.  And on both sides pipe the port gel.  Top the meat with the parmesan crisp and pea shoots and finish off with two onion pockets on either side of the plate and dish the lamb jus in this.

Serves 4.