Cacao
Lamb Chops with Dark Chocolate Sauce and Yuzu Kosho
Seared lamb chops with a bittersweet sauce of dark chocolate loosened with rum, served with a little yuzu kosho for heat and citrus aroma. Chocolate is not only for desserts — about 20 minutes, and good for guests.
- Serves
- Serves 2
- Time
- About 20 minutes (plus bringing the meat to room temperature)
Ingredients
- Lamb chops (bone-in)2
- Rock salta pinch
- Black peppera pinch
- Garlic1 clove
- Rosemary1 sprig
- Olive oil3 tbsp
Chocolate sauce
- Dark chocolate (about 70% cacao)40 g
- Rum50 ml
To serve
- Yuzu koshoto taste
- Kale or other leafy greens, finely shreddeda handful
Method
- Take the lamb out of the fridge 20–30 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature.
- Season the lamb with rock salt and black pepper. Crush the garlic and rub it into the meat, lay the rosemary on top, pour over the olive oil and marinate for about 10 minutes.
- Chop the chocolate, put it in a heatproof bowl and melt it over a pan of hot water.
- Pour the marinade oil into a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the lamb and cook for 2–3 minutes, until well browned. Turn and brown the other side for about 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, lift out the lamb and rest it under foil for 5–7 minutes. The remaining heat cooks it gently through, and less juice runs out when you cut it.
- Wipe the excess fat from the pan with kitchen paper. Add the melted chocolate and rum and set over low heat. Stir well and bring briefly to a simmer to cook off the alcohol, then turn off the heat.
- Plate the lamb with the greens, and serve with the chocolate sauce and yuzu kosho.
Tips
- Yuzu kosho is a Japanese paste of yuzu citrus peel, chilli and salt — salty, spicy and fragrant. Use just a little. Find it at Japanese grocery stores or online.
- Bringing the meat to room temperature first helps it cook evenly all the way through.
- Stand the chops on their fatty edge with tongs to sear it — it turns crisp and fragrant.
- Resting the lamb under foil is the key step. Adjust the time to the thickness of the chops and how you like them done.
- Chocolate burns easily, so always make the sauce over low heat. If it simmers too long, it can split.
- Use dark chocolate of about 70% cacao — its bitterness sets off the meat. Raw chocolate also works well.
- The alcohol in the rum cooks off, but its aroma stays.
- Best eaten freshly cooked, on the same day.
A dish for February and Valentine's Day. Chocolate is not only for sweets — it makes a fine sauce, too. The aroma of rum and the fresh heat of yuzu kosho turn the bittersweet chocolate into something truly savoury.
First published in ELLE gourmet (Japan).
