Lamb Cheeks | Cappacino Stout | Toma | Potatoes | Gremolata
This was the third course of an event I taught at, teaching how to cook with beer. The Fork at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company hosted this event, featuring many of their delicious cheeses in the beer pairing and using beer as an ingredient in the different dishes.
As The Fork is located in the picturesque Tomales Bay, California, it is the heart of Farm to Table cooking. I chose all local ingredients for this Cooking with Beer class, including all the beers used for each course. When talking to the brewers at Lagunitas Brewing Co., I had to share my vision for this course, as they have so many different beers and beer styles to chose from. Using lamb cheeks in this course, I wanted something that could stand up to the rich meaty, slightly gamey cut that is often over looked. The lamb cheek is a highly used muscle, chewing grass all day. This muscle needs to be slow cooked, either braised or in this case cooked Sous Vide. Adding beer to the sous vide bag, helps marinate, flavor and keep this delicious muscle moist and tender. Knowing Cappuccino Stout well, I thought the layers of coffee, espresso and that smooth creaminess from this American Stout style would compliment the lamb cheek meat perfectly. To help cut the richness, I crafted a Marin County Gremolata, using local herbs on the Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company property, in the same way an Italian would use herbs in a Gremolata. Garlic, parsley and lemon zest are the normal ingredients in a Gremolata, that accompany a braised meat, to help cut the fat and richness. The addition of fennel fonds to this garnish that brightens the dish and adds a fresh touch of herbal to the slow cooked meat is perfect together. As the fennel bulb was used in the dish, it’s also a way to minimize food waste, bringing the fennel fond front and center on top of the plate.
This is the menu for the course on how to ‘Cook with Beer’:
Third Course
Lamb Cheeks | Cappacino Stout | Toma | Potatoes | Gremolata
Local lamb cheeks braised in Lagunitas Brewing Co. Cappuccino Stout on a bed of mashed potatoes infused with Toma,
sautéed winter greens and garnished with a Marin County Gremolata
Lagunitas Brewing Co. Brown Shugga ‘10
Here is the full menu.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 guests as an entrée | 30 minute |
| Cook Time |
| 3 hour |
|
|
|
|
For a Sunday Supper, I crave comfort. This Lamb Cheeks | Cappacino Stout | Toma | Potatoes | Gremolata dish is full or rich flavors, delicate seasonings and Beer Cuisine elegance.
|
- 2 pounds lamb cheeks, about 8 each at four ounce per cheek, ask your local butcher
- 2 tablespoon salt, kosher
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns, black freshly cracked
- 1 tablespoon coffee beans, freshly ground
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 each carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 each onion, large, peeled and chopped
- 1 eack leek washed and sliced
- 1 each fennel bulb, chopped, fonds saved for Gremolata
- 1 each celery stalk, washed and chopped
- 4 each garlic, cloves peeled and cracked
- 2 each bay leaves preferably fresh
- 22 ounce Lagunitas Brewing Co. Cappuccino Stout more beer info here
- 1 quart chicken stock preferably homemade
- 1 1/2 pounds potatoes such as a German Butterball or Yukon Gold
- 12 ounce Lagunitas Brewing Co. Censored Ale more beer info here
- 2 tablespoon salt, kosher
- 1/2 cup cream preferably Straus Family Creamery
- 2 tablespoon butter, unsalted preferably Straus Family Creamery
- 1 cup Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. Toma, grated, more info here
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 each onion, yellow, peeled and chopped
- 2 each escarole, washed and chopped
- 1 bunch kale, dino, washed, stems removed and chopped
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, washed, stems removed and chopped, leaves chopped
- 1 each lemon, meyer, zested
- 1/4 cup parsley, Italian leaf chopped
- 1/4 cup fennel fonds, stems removed
- 4 each garlic, cloves peeled and grated on a microplane
- Take each cheek and trim any excess fat or skin, making oval shaped disks of meat. Wash and dry each cheek.
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper and coffee grinds. Season both sides of the cheek with the salt mix. In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Sear and brown the skin side of each cheek, fitting as many at one time, but not enough to overcrowd them. Cook for 4 – 5 minutes and remove them to a bowl. Add the remaining oil and then the carrots, onions, leek, fennel, celery, garlic and bay leaf and sauté until the vegetables turn a caramelized golden brown color, about 12 minutes. Season with remaining salt mixture. Deglaze the pan with the Cappuccino Stout, scraping any fond from the bottom of the pot. Add the stock and then reserved lamb cheeks, bringing the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover with a tight fitting lid and place into a preheated 350°F/177°C oven for 3 hours or until the cheeks are very tender, but still hold their shape.
- Once the cheeks are done, carefully remove them from the pot and transfer them to a bowl and keep warm. Strain the vegetables from the liquid by placing a strainer over another smaller pot. Reduce the braising liquid down to 2 cups over a medium heat. Add the lamb cheeks back into the sauce and toss to coat. Keep warm for service.
- Take the washed and prepped potatoes and place into a appropriate sized pot. Add the bottle of beer along with the salt and add enough cold water to cover. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, cooking the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 20 – 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes into a colander and use a potato ricer and rice them back to the pot, keeping warm. Alternatively, use a potato masher and mash the potatoes.
- In another small pot, add the cream and butter, warming to a simmer. Fold this into the mashed potatoes and then add the grated Toma cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- In a large sauté pan or medium sized pot, place over medium high heat. Add the oil and onions, sautéing for 5 – 6 minutes, just until they start to become transparent. Add the sliced stems of the Swiss chard and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes. Add the escarole, kale and chard, mixing with a wooden spoon. Season lightly with salt and let the greens wilt, about 3 – 4 minutes. Once all the moisture has been released, then evaporated the greens are done.
- In a small bowl, add the lemon zest, parsley, fennel fonds and garlic grated on a Microplane. Mix together and set aside.
- On a large plate, start with large tong full of the Sauteed Winter Greens and move then to the end of rim, making a circle. Then add a scoop of the Toma Infused Mashed Potatoes in center of the greens. Top the potatoes with two of the braised lamb cheeks, then drizzle a tiny bit of the sauce around the potato mound. Top with a small spoonful of the Gremolata and serve.
- a glass of Lagunitas Brewing Co. Brown Shugga.
This sounds potentially very interesting. But what confuses me are the comments in the intro to the effect that this is a sous vide recipe and that the stout needs to be added to “the bag”. But then we get instructions to brown the meat on the hob and then braise in the oven. Did you change your mind about the sous vide bit?