Chocolate Coffee Lamb - Swedish-style

If you've never combined chocolate with savoury it is not as alien as you might think. This recipe is rather rich and decadent as far as casseroles go and it seems the sweetness of lamb perfectly complements the chocolate. I first sampled the combination of savoury and chocolate quite a few years ago when I attended a chocolate tasting/demonstration evening at a favourite local restaurant http://thelavenderhouse.co.uk/  Among other things we had a starter of sea bass with a foaming white chocolate sauce and a main course of duck and chocolate. I also sampled a  delicious hot chocolate drink, (which was great for me as I don't drink coffee), and ever since, the chef-patron Richard Hughes always goes out of his way to make me a special hot chocolate every time I visit!

Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb served with chunky croutons and creme fraiche, mashed potatoes and broccoli.

This particular recipe comes from Green & Blacks Chocolate Recipes (2003) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Blacks-Chocolate-Recipes-Unwrapped/dp/1856264890/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1367396181&sr=8-2&keywords=Green+and+Black%27s+chocolate+recipes This book has a luxurious feel to it with lovely recipes to tempt and tantalise, woven into the book are tales about the Maya of Belize and the whole cultivation and production of chocolate as well as advice on techniques of cooking and handling the gorgeous stuff. There is lots of good photography although I still like to see a photo accompany every recipe! There is of course a real mix of recipes from muffins, cookies and mousses to the savoury dishes such as Chicken Mole or Spicy Organic Pork and Herb Chilean Chocolate Sausages.
So what else am I hoping to try in the future? There are some fabulous mousse recipes which are always good for our household this time of year when are hens are laying well. I tend to end up using the yolks for custard-based ice creams and then racking my brains for new ideas to use up the whites. On page 115 there's Nigel Slater's White Chocolate Cardamom Mousse, on page 117 a Bitter Chocolate Mousse With Blackcurrants and on page 119 a Chocolate Nougat Mousse which uses Toblerone (I can't wait to try that one).

The recipe I've chosen this time is the Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb on page 86 and what a success it was too! As the introductory blurb for the recipe states "Don't dare tell your friends what's in this dish until they have eaten it" and very sound advice I would agree. I once made the mistake  of telling my husband whilst he was finishing his Chocolate and Beetroot Cake, which he was lapping up, that it contained beetroot, well, that was it wasn't it! This casserole is very rich and perfect to warm you up on a chilly evening. It also freezes very well too, so make a batch and save some for a later date.
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Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb (copyright 2003 Green & Black's Ltd)

50g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp mustard powder
pinch of salt
1kg very lean lamb (fillet or leg) cut into 3cm cubes
75g butter
3 garlic cloves
1 large onion
12 shallots
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Kahlua (coffee liqueur)

Born and manufactured here in Norfolk!

250ml strong filter coffee
750ml lamb stock
50g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
SPICES AND SEASONING (CROUTONS)
A pinch of mace
12 cardamom pods, crushed
1 vanilla pod, de-seeded
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated or 1/4 tsp of the spice powder
1 star anise
3 bay leaves
FOR THE CROUTONS
1 slice of white bread
1 slice of granary bread
TO GARNISH
1 tbsp creme fraiche
chopped parsley
Serves 4-6

1. Place all the spices and seasoning for the croutons in a frying pan and gently dry toast over a very low heat for about 10-15 minutes, but don't let them burn. Tip into a small bowl and reserve until needed for the croutons. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
2. Season the flour with the mustard powder, salt and pepper. Toss the lamb in half the seasoned flour and coat well. Rub together 25 g of butter and the remaining seasoned flour.
3. Crush the garlic, slice the onions into rings and finely chop the shallots. Fry all three in the remaining butter and olive oil until they are golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. In the same pan, fry the flour-coated lamb in batches until browned on all sides. Remove and put in a casserole dish and add the garlic, onion and shallot mixture. Don't wash the pan!
5. Add the Kahlua and the coffee to the sticky brown residue in the pan and whisk over a medium heat for about 4 minutes, scraping all the bits in the bottom of the pan, to form a glossy, smooth sauce; the sauce should reduce by a half. Add the lamb stock and the flour and butter mixture, continuing to stir. Bring to the boil and pour over the meat and onion mixture.
6. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 160 degrees for a further 45 minutes or until the lamb is tender.

Dry frying the spices

Frying the onion, garlic and shallots

Kahlua, coffee and stock

Ready to go in the oven

7.  Stir in the pieces of chocolate ensuring it is well blended.
8.   While the casserole is finishing off, you can prepare the croutons: blend all the reserved spices to a crumbled mass discarding the cardomom pods. Cut the bread into cubes (I like mine large!) and gently fry with the spices and olive oil.
9.   Garnish with a swirl of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and the croutons.
10.   Serve with mashed potatoes and green veg.

The lamb casserole with the chocolate stirred in

A lovely casserole to indulge in on a chilly spring evening

We did really enjoy this casserole and if your worried about the fact that it does contain chocolate and you don't fancy eating it in a savoury context, don't be! It's not entirely obvious that you are tasting chocolate, but what it does offer as an added ingredient, is a richness and silkiness to the sauce which we really appreciated.

Next time: My last run on the chocolate for a little while - Salted Chocolate Tarts. Watch this space!