Anyone who travels in France or in England in the springtime will encounter a great deal of lamb on the menus of the better eating places. In France, look for l'agneau de Pauillac and l'agneau de pré-salé. The former is the spécialité du pays of a small town near Bordeaux, from where it is sent to all the important cities. In Pauillac, such great care and thoroughness arc expended in stuffing the young animals with milk and the little cereal needed to fatten them that the meat is as delicate and white as chicken. The flesh of little lambs, if they are thin, can be quite dry and even tough, but never those of Pauillac. When I was first at the New York Ritz years ago, I imported them when they were in season to be roasted whole. But this was always difficult because they must be eaten fresh. Later on, I was able to secure lambs of the same type from Pennsylvania and Connecticut farms, for roasting or broiling or preparing in various ways. The stew and the blanquette made from the shoulder of a milk-fed lamb are dishes not easily surpassed.
But the pré-salé lamb is quite different. It should not be confused with the milk-fed Easter lamb, although for some reason it often is. Pré-salé means salt marsh or meadow, and a pré-salé lamb is one that has grazed there. The meat has a special flavor, almost aromatic in character. But obviously an animal that has been put out to graze is older and larger than a milk-fed one. Real connoisseurs can recognize pré-salé lamb, but a great many others only think they can. Some years ago when Mr. Andre Simon. world-renowned as a connoisseur of food and wine, visited this country, Mr. Keller, then the president of the Ritz Carlton. invited him to lunch, and also a writer who considered himself a gourmet of some note. “Prepare a simple but very good lunch, Louis,” Mr. Keller said to me, and since it was spring, I decided upon the following menu:
Filot of Herring with Creamed Mustard Rack of Baby Lamb Holder Asparagus Hollandaise Macédonia of Fresh Fruit with KirschDemi-Tasse
Lamb Helder is a roast garnished with artichoke bottoms sautéed in butter, sautéed tomatoes, Parisian potatoes rissolées, and slices of truffle. This particular day it was very, very delectable. Mr. Simon asked for me to come to the dining room to renew our acquaintance and told me how much he had enjoyed the lunch, The other gentleman added, “And I want to congratulate you on the good rack of pré-salé you served us.” At which Mr. Simon gave Mr. Keller and me a broad wink because the lamb served had certainly never seen a salt meadow and had none of the flavor of one.
The English are particularly fond of both lamb and mutton, and one is more apt to see it on menus than beef. The quality is very fine, and much of it, coming from the salt meadows of the many marshy sections found in a country surrounded by water, is unusually savory. An interesting fact about English mutton is that the sheep from certain sections have small legs but large chops, the famous English mutton chops. So your Britisher who talks of an English mutton chop means what he says, and that is something quite different from an extra thick, double lamb chop.
Lamb of good quality is recognizable in several ways. The shape of the back is one. It should be well formed and plump, with enough far, especially around the kidney. Another is the appearance of the flesh and the fat. The flesh should be firm and red, the fat firm and white, Young lamb should not be hung like beef, but should be eaten fresh. And many people do not realize that lamb is never so good in July, August, and September as it is in the spring and again later in the autumn.
There are three stages of lamb. First is the young milk-fed one; second, the spring lamb that is still quite young but has started to graze; and third, regular or winter lamb which has been feeding for six to eight months in the meadow. After the animal is a year old, he is mutton. Mutton, of course, has a stronger flavor, which makes it desirable to use more seasoning in cooking it. Garlic is very good, but mutton marinated like venison makes an exceptionally good roast.
In cooking lamb, you must remember that the very young, milk-fed produce should be thoroughly cooked—as well done as veal or pork. I start it in a moderately hot oven of about 400° F. and when it has begun to color, turn down the heat to about 350° F. A plump leg will usually take about 2 hours, a saddle about 1 hour, and a rack about 45 minutes. If the thickest parr is pricked with a metal skewer and the juice which follows when the skewer is withdrawn is clear with no pink tinge, it is well done. Also, there is a little piece of meat on the leg near the shank which separates from the remaining flesh when the meat is well done.
Spring or winter lamb is generally preferred medium-rare. A simple trick for testing this is to pierce the meat along the bone with a large kitchen needle (or a steel knitting needle) and let it remain there for about a minute. Put the end to your tongue immediately Upon withdrawing it. If the end of the needle is hot, the meat is rare; if very hot, it is medium-rare. To achieve a leg of lamb on the pink side, start it at 400° F. for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° F., allowing at this temperature 12 to 15 minutes per pound. The roast should be frequently basted with the far in the pan.
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