Make mum’s day by putting the love into Ruth Pretty’s three-course Mother’s Day menu featuring Scallop & Carrot Soup, Leg of Lamb with Lemon & Oregano and Blackcurrant & White Chocolate Crème Brulée.

Recipes: Ruth Pretty

RECIPE: CARROT SOUP WITH ROASTED SCALLOPS & HERB LEAVES

This entrée is light and fresh as whispers of scallops and herb flavours infuse the sweet-tasting soup. Use a vegetable juicer to juice carrots. Alternatively freshly made carrot juice is available at juice bars. It has a very short fridge life, so buy and freeze until you are ready to make this soup.

INGREDIENTS

1 litre fresh carrot juice (bought or made with 4-4.5kg fresh carrots) 500ml sauvignon blanc
185ml lemon juice
1 1/3 cups finely chopped shallots or red onions
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
4 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
Roasted Scallops (see recipe)
¼ cup lightly packed fresh herb leaves (chervil, coriander, dill, Italian parsley)

METHOD

Pour carrot juice, sauvignon blanc and lemon juice into a large, wide-based pot. Add shallots and salt. Place over a medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add ginger and simmer rapidly until liquid is reduced by half. Strain and discard all solids. Season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Place Roasted Scallops into wide-based warmed soup bowls. Divide warmed carrot soup between bowls and generously sprinkle with herbs. Serves 4-6

Roasted Scallops
Just before serving soup, preheat oven to 220°C. Place 24-40 scallops on a low-sided baking tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon flaky salt and a good grind of pepper. Toss so scallops are coated in oil and spread out onto tray so they do not touch. Roast in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until scallops become opaque (flesh should still feel soft to the touch).

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RECIPE: LEG OF LAMB WITH LEMON & OREGANO 

If refrigerator space allows, prepare this recipe up to two days ahead. Ask your butcher for lamb leg with chump on. Leg of lamb without chump will take 30 minutes less to cook than leg of lamb with chump.

INGREDIENTS

3kg-3.3kg leg of lamb with chump on
5-7 cloves garlic, slivered
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1½ teaspoons flaky sea salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Large sheet brown paper (75cm x 75cm)
3 large sheets baking paper (75cm x 50cm each)
10-12 sprigs oregano
2 x 1metre lengths of cooking twine
Hummus (see recipe)
Potatoes with Caper Vinaigrette (see recipe)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170°C. Starting at the foot end of lamb leg run your finger along the bony side for about 15cm until you come to a soft spot – this is the knee-joint. Preferably use a boning knife to cut through joint to remove lower leg portion. Reserve. Alternatively ask your butcher to do this. Using a sharp paring knife make small slits in lamb leg, pushing a sliver of garlic into each slit as you go.
Place the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix to combine. Place the brown paper on a large work area and top with the three sheets of baking paper, overlapping each other. Place lamb leg onto baking paper. Rub a small amount of lemon mixture at a time into lamb leg until all the mixture is used. Place oregano under and over the lamb leg. Tuck the lower leg joint in close to the leg of lamb. Wrap loosely in the baking paper as you would fish and chips and then wrap in a similar fashion in the brown paper, ensuring fat side of leg is facing upwards. Tie with cooking twine. Place a roasting rack into a large roasting tray and place lamb parcel facing upwards onto rack. Roast in a preheated oven for 3½ hours. During cooking time do not break the seal.

Remove from oven but do not unwrap or remove from the roasting rack. Rest away from heat for 20-30 minutes.

To serve, make a cut in the top layers of paper and open up to expose the lamb. Transfer lamb to a large chopping board being careful not to spill the cooking juices in the parcel. Transfer cooking juices to a gravy separator making sure the separator cork is placed in the spout. The juices will separate leaving fat at the top. Carve lamb and place on platter or plate. Remove cork from separator and pour clean fat-free meat juices. Accompany with Hummus and Potatoes with Caper Vinaigrette. Serves 10-12

Hummus
Place 1 x 400g can drained cooked chickpeas, 1 clove garlic, 1½ tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoon lemon juice 1¼ teaspoons flaky sea salt and a good pinch of freshly ground black pepper into a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process to a thick purée; taste for seasoning. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to five days. Makes 300g

Potatoes with Caper Vinaigrette
1.2kg potatoes, scrubbed not peeled (if large, cut into quarters)
¼ teaspoon salt
Caper Vinaigrette (see recipe)
1 tablespoon roughly chopped Italian parsley

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add potatoes and level off water so water is flush with potatoes. Add salt, cover with a lid and return to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, place lid ajar and cook potatoes until just tender. Drain. Transfer potatoes to a serving bowl and add half the Caper Vinaigrette. Gently toss to coat. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot or warm. Serves 6-8

Ruth’s tip: To keep boiled potatoes warm, place drained potatoes back into pot, cover with lid and heat for about one minute to remove residue of water. Remove from heat, take off lid and cover top of potatoes with aluminium foil then with a folded tea towel. Replace lid and then cover lid tightly with a tea towel. Potatoes will keep warm for about 30 minutes.

Caper Vinaigrette
Place 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice, 1 tablespoon mirin or white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons finely chopped gherkins, 3 tablespoons roughly chopped capers, 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt and a good pinch of freshly ground black pepper into a bowl. Whisk until well combined and a temporary emulsion forms. Makes 200ml

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RECIPE: BLACKCURRANT & WHITE CHOCOLATE CRÈME BRULÉE

INGREDIENTS
500ml cream
75g sugar plus 5 teaspoons for sprinkling
½ vanilla bean, split in half lengthways
75g (½ cup) white chocolate buttons or finely chopped
5 egg yolks
20g-25g blackcurrants (I always use frozen)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 150ºC.
Pour cream into a saucepan and add the sugar. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add seeds and bean to cream. Stir over a low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low. Add white chocolate to cream mixture and stir until smooth but not frothy. In a separate bowl and using a wooden spoon, stir egg yolks until combined but not frothy.

Gradually and slowly whisk hot chocolate mixture into yolk mixture. Strain through a sieve (Aim for a ‘no froth’ mixture; if froth forms, scoop it off before you do next step). Pour custard into individual soufflé dishes and pop 4-5 blackcurrants into each dish. Place into a roasting tray. Add enough hot water to roasting tray to come halfway up the sides of soufflé dishes. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until custards are just set in the centre. Remove from the water and cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each custard and brulée until the sugar caramelizes. Serve immediately. Makes 6 large (100ml) or 12 mini (60ml) bruleés

Ruth’s tip: This recipe will yield a few extra ml so if you are multiplying out the recipe, you could end up with quite a lot of extra custard.

 

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