Lunch for 12...

Here is a menu we prepared this Monday at work :

Crab cake - apple, asian pear and jimaca remoulade - grapefruit vinaigrette
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Lamb 2 ways : braised for 7 hours and chop
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Floating island with praliné crème anglaise

Crab cake : I started by making crab cakes, forming the piece with a ring to have them weighed exactly the same and using my hands to round them for a less industrial shape... I then coated both sides in breadcrumbs, seared them (both sides) to give them a nice brown and finished them to cook for 7mn at 375 F right before plating.

Remoulade : twisting around the traditional Celery remoulade, I shredded 4 apples, 3 Asian pears and 1 jicama, mixed with a little mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and grapefruit vinaigrette. I then used cylinder molds (1/2 inch diameter to 4 inches long) to stuff the remoulade by pressing well to remove any liquid and to make it hold when unmolded...

Lamb shank : cooked for 7 hours the same way as a Bœuf Bourguignon, then folded in a blanched leaf of cabbage...

Garnish : to ease the plating, I turned artichoke and used the heart as a cup to shelter the carrots, Brussels sprouts and Chanterelles. I also used rings to make everything hold roughly. When time of sending came, I just had to use a spatula to plate...

Floating island : something very traditional and standard... Just cooked the beaten egg whites in half milk/half water for 1 mn each side (I heard that it also works in microwaves...never tried though!)

For deco : I had madeleines dough leftover (recipe from Pierre Hermé), so I thought I could bake some "W" and "M" to populate my island... plus a thin piece of caramel...