My adventures in gourmet cooking began with this recipe two and a half years ago. Up to that point, I had never made stock or a sauce from scratch, and the only ingredients I knew of were those available from my local supermarket. Enticed by stellar reviews on Amazon.com, I bought Alan Wong’s New Wave Luau cookbook and chose to make the recipe with the prettiest picture – a macadamia-coconut crusted rack of lamb. It was nothing like the recipes in my only other cookbook, Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever!
Recipes within recipes within recipes. Five reductions just to make a sauce. This was amazing; I’d never seen anything like it. My friend was coming to visit me on the weekend, and I would make this dish to try to impress her. So.. err where in Ottawa would I be able to find some lamb bones and a duck carcass?
Since then, I’ve made this dish five or six times, and it’s one of my favourite dishes to serve on big occasions. The combination of a moist and flavourful rack of lamb, with the aromatic and savoury star anise lamb sauce, the sweet and crunchy macadamia-coconut crust, and creamy mashed potatoes is wonderful and well worth the effort. Add a few baby carrots and snow peas, garnish with a few drops of ginger-infused coconut cream, and you’ve got a dish that no one will soon forget.
If this sounds complicated, don’t be intimidated. There’s nothing in this recipe that requires incredible skill. Just start with good, fresh ingredients, and from there it’s just time and devotion.
The recipe below has been modified from the original with several changes that have worked well for me. To give you a better idea of how the dish is constructed, I’ve put together a handy flow chart (above). If you enjoy the dish, I’d highly recommend Alan Wong’s cookbook; it has some wonderfully unique dishes that blend Hawaiian and French cuisine.
Macadamia-Coconut Crusted Rack of Lamb with Star Anise Sauce and Mashed Potatoes
(adapted from Alan Wong’s New Wave Luau by Alan Wong)
Lamb Stock
- 3 lbs lamb bones
- 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped onions
- ¾ cup coarsely chopped celery
- ¾ cup coarsely chopped carrots
- ¾ cup mushroom stems and pieces
- 1 bulb garlic, halved crosswise
- 1 tomato, coarsely chopped
- 5 tbsps tomato paste
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf/Italian parsley
- 5 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tbsp black peppercorns
- ½ cup red wine
- 20 cups water
Place bones in a large roasting pan and roast in a 500F oven, turning occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until browned. Transfer bones into a stockpot. Pour wine into roasting pan to deglaze drippings and add to stockpot.
Place onions, celery and carrots in a separate roasting pan and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until well caramelized. Transfer vegetables to stockpot.
Add remaining ingredients into the stockpot and simmer for 6 hours or until reduced to 11 cups. Remove from heat and strain out solids. Strain liquid through a cheesecloth lined sieve. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Makes 11 cups.
Lamb Jus
- 6 cups Lamb Stock
- 1 tbsp and 1 tsp butter
- 1 tbsp and 1 tsp all-purpose flour
In a saucepan, bring stock to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer stock until reduced to 4 cups.
To form a roux: in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour. Whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, or until mixture is combined, paste-like and slightly browned. Add roux to reduced stock and whisk until well incorporated and slightly thickened.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Makes 4 cups.
Chicken Stock
- 2 ½ lbs chicken bones, fat and organs removed, and rinsed
- 20 cups water
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, sliced
- 1 small leek, cleaned and sliced
- 1 small head garlic, halved crosswise
- ¼ cup mushroom stems
- 1 sprig thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
Add all ingredients to a stockpot and to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, or until reduced to 16 cups. While simmering, remove any impurities that rise to the surface.
Remove from heat and strain out solids. Strain liquid through a cheesecloth lined sieve. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Makes 16 cups.
Five Spice Broth
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ roast duck carcass, broken into pieces
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- ¼ cup quartered shiitake mushrooms
- 1 2-inch piece of ginger, smashed
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 4 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- ¼ tsp coriander seeds
- 6 cloves
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Add all ingredients except for salt and pepper in a stockpot and simmer for 2 hours. Remove from heat and strain out solids. Strain liquid through a cheesecloth lined sieve. If necessary, season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Makes about 3 cups.
Star Anise Sauce
- 1 ½ cups Five-Spice Broth
- 2 star anise
- 4 tbsps butter
- 2 tbsps all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps mushroom soy sauce
- 3 ½ cups Lamb Jus
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan, bring Five-Spice Broth and star anise to a boil. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until reduced by half. Add mushroom soy and simmer for 2 minutes.
To form a roux: in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsps butter and whisk in flour. Whisk for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is combined, paste-like and slightly browned.
Add Lamb Jus and roux to the Five-Spice Broth and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and add remaining 2 tbsps butter. Strain into a clean saucepan and reheat prior to serving.
Coconut-Ginger Cream
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1-inch piece of ginger
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring coconut milk, sugar, and ginger to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce to low heat and simmer, stirring frequently for 3 to 4 minutes, or until sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Macadamia-Coconut Crust
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tbsps Dijon mustard
- ½ tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced thyme
- ½ tbsp minced flat-leaf/Italian parsley
- ½ cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped
Spread coconut flakes on a cookie sheet and toast in a 325F oven for 5 minute, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
In a small bowl, combine honey and mustard, and mix in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Mashed Potatoes
- 7 large Yukon Gold potatoes
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- Kosher salt to taste
Peel potatoes, remove any pits or bruises. Dice into 1-inch pieces. Boil in water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Strain and put potatoes through a ricer.
While still warm, stir in butter until thoroughly combined. Add milk, cream, and salt to taste. Add more milk to adjust consistency.
Vegetables
- 12 baby carrots, peeled with 1-inch of root attached
- 18 snow peas
Several hours before serving, blanch vegetables by boiling in salted water, then transferring to ice water. Boil snow peas for 1 minute and boil carrots for 1 ½ minutes or until slightly tender. Remove from ice water and refrigerate.
Just before serving, place carrots and peas in boiling salted water for about 20 seconds, or until warm. Strain and serve.
Assembly
- 2 racks of lamb, frenched (about 18 pieces or 3 pounds)
- Kosher salt to taste
About 1 hour before serving, cut lamb chops into evenly sized pieces. Gently season with salt and leave on counter to bring to room temperature.
Preheat broiler or grill. If broiling, oil a rack with vegetable oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil or grill lamb chops for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium rare, or to desired doneness. Place lamb chops on a baking sheet (leave on rack if broiling), place a spoonful of macadamia-coconut crust on each lamb chop. Bake in a 400F oven for 2 to 3 minutes.
Use a piping bag with a starred tip to pipe mashed potatoes in a cone shape onto the centre of each serving plate. Pour Star Anise sauce around potatoes and lean 3 lamb chops against the potatoes, with crust facing outwards. Garnish with several drops of Coconut-Ginger Cream and vegetables.
Makes 6 servings.
This recipe sounds oh so delightfully complicated! I remember my first difficult recipe...it had the same terrorizing effect on me and I can't stop now!
This also looks and sounds absolutely delicious, Clement! I'm drooling...and I haven't even finished my morning coffee yet!
Posted by: Jennifer | September 24, 2004 at 10:52 AM
It's definitely well worth the effort. If you're short on time, the lamb and crust are great on their own and only take a few minutes to prepare.
I really enjoy making complex recipes too. They teach me so much about technique, and when they finally turn out well, it's very satisfying and the results are often spectacular!
Posted by: Clement | September 25, 2004 at 12:43 AM