Côtelettes Laura

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron grill pan or heavy skillet
• •3-quart (3-liter) saucepan
• •Rimmed metal baking sheet safe for high heat
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen scissors

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the caul

   Rinse the pig’s caul in several changes of very cold water, then leave it submerged for 10 minutes so it opens without tearing. Drain, pat it gently, and spread it flat on the board. Cut four broad triangles, each large enough to surround the meaty eye of a cutlet while leaving the bone exposed. Keep them cold and covered until needed. If a triangle tears, save the scraps for patching; caul melts into itself where pieces overlap.

2. 2

   Bind the macaroni

   Reserve 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the measured cream. Parboil the macaroni in lightly salted water for 3 to 4 minutes, until flexible but still distinctly firm at its core, then drain it thoroughly. Melt 1 tablespoon (14 g) of the butter in a saucepan and toss in the ¼ cup (60 g) tomato concass. Cook until its loose moisture has disappeared, then lift it into a bowl. Pour the remaining cream into the pan, reduce it by about one-third, and return the macaroni. Cook gently until the cream coheres the pieces into a garnish that holds when mounded, then fold in the buttered concass and season lightly. If it runs, reduce it another minute; if it turns stiff, fold in the reserved cream. Ça se rattrape. For the seasonal truffle version, omit this portion of tomato and fold the raw white truffle peelings into the macaroni off the heat.

3. 3

   Cool the garnish

   Spread the macaroni on a plate so it cools quickly without continuing to cook. You need about 10 ounces (280 g) altogether, exactly 2½ ounces (70 g) for each cutlet. Weigh the portions if necessary. More filling does not make a more generous Côtelettes Laura; it makes a parcel that opens in the oven.

4. 4

   Ready the demi-glace

   Combine the prepared veal demi-glace and the 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato concass in a small saucepan. Hold them at a bare simmer for 5 minutes, then pass the sauce through a fine sieve for the clear, tomato-tinged half-glaze the dish requires. It should coat a spoon yet pour in a narrow thread. If it is heavy enough to sit like paste, loosen it with water a tablespoon at a time; if it runs thin, reduce it gently. Cover and keep warm.

5. 5

   Grill for colour

   Heat the oven to 500°F (260°C), or its highest setting if lower, with a rack in the upper third. Heat a cast-iron grill pan or heavy skillet until properly hot. Dry the cutlets, season them with the remaining salt and pepper, and grill for 60 to 90 seconds on each broad face, then briefly along the fatty edge. Seek a deep bronze surface while the centre remains very rare. Transfer the cutlets to a plate for 5 minutes and blot away any released juices. This first grilling is for colour only; cooking them through now leaves nothing for the final fierce heat except the opportunity to dry them.

6. 6

   Wrap the cutlets

   Lay the caul triangles flat. Mound 1¼ ounces (35 g) of cooled macaroni on each triangle, shaping it to the meaty eye rather than the bone. Set a cutlet over the macaroni, cover it with another 1¼ ounces (35 g), and fold the caul snugly around the whole garnish, leaving the bone exposed. Set each parcel seam-side down on a rimmed metal baking sheet. If the caul splits, overlap a cold scrap across the opening and continue. Ça se rattrape. Do not double-wrap the whole cutlet, because a thick layer will remain rubbery instead of disappearing into the crust.

7. 7

   Crumb and butter

   Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons (56 g) butter. Sprinkle the parcels evenly with the fine breadcrumbs, pressing just enough to make them adhere, then spoon the melted butter over the crumbs. Cover the sides as well as the top, but keep the bones clean. The crumb should look evenly dampened rather than drowned; butter carries the browning, while excess collects underneath and softens the base.

8. 8

   Finish under fierce heat

   Bake on the upper rack for 7 to 8 minutes, until the caul has rendered nearly invisible and the crumbs are deeply bronzed. Check the lamb away from the bone: it should reach about 140°F (60°C), then climb to 145°F (63°C) during a 5-minute rest. If the crust colours before the centre is ready, move the tray down one rack and continue in 1-minute intervals. If the lamb is ready but the crumbs remain pale, give them 30 to 60 seconds beneath the broiler and do not look away.

9. 9

   Build the crown

   Rewarm the demi-glace and warm an oval serving platter. Arrange the four cutlets in a crown with their bones rising and radiating outward. Draw a narrow thread of the tomato demi-glace around the base, never over the crumbs, because the crust has earned the right to remain crisp. Serve the remaining sauce separately and bring the platter straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order crépine, pig’s caul, from a butcher several days ahead. It should be pale, delicate, and soft after rinsing, without a strong smell. Bacon, pastry, and parchment do not perform the same work; the caul holds the macaroni in place, bastes the crumb, and then nearly disappears.
• •Small elbow macaroni is the honest home equivalent for long macaroni cut into half-inch lengths. Cook it only partway before the cream goes in, because it must survive both the binding and the fierce final oven without collapsing.
• •Use a prepared veal demi-glace that sets softly when cold and tastes of reduced stock, not a salty bouillon concentrate thickened with starch. Dilute a concentrated product according to its label before measuring the finished ¾ cup.
• •Ripe fresh tomatoes are excellent when the market has them. Otherwise use good whole peeled canned tomatoes, remove the seeds, and press the flesh dry before making the concass. An honest preserved tomato is far better than a pale fresh one.
• •Use the white-truffle version only when true raw white truffle is in season and fragrant enough to announce itself before you cut it. Fold the peelings into the macaroni off the heat; cooking them in the cream spends their perfume for nothing.
• •A Cabernet-led Bordeaux has the structure for lamb and demi-glace without bullying the cream-bound macaroni. Pour modestly and keep the sauce boat within reach.

Advance Preparation

• •The tomato concass and cream-bound macaroni can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead. Cool the macaroni promptly, cover it, and refrigerate; let it stand for 10 minutes before wrapping so it is cool but pliable.
• •The tomato demi-glace can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, chilled, and reheated over gentle heat. Loosen it with a spoonful of water if it sets too firmly.
• •The caul can be rinsed and cut a day ahead. Keep the pieces covered and cold so their edges do not dry.
• •The cutlets may be wrapped up to 1 hour before cooking and held uncovered in the refrigerator. Add the breadcrumbs and melted butter immediately before they enter the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 265g)