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The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lamb with beans, and rum baba: Claude Bosi's recipes for a French early summer feast
There's a reason classic French bistros will never go out of fashion, and that's because they serve food that, deep down, we really want to eat. Think the comforting familiarity of terrine and steak tartare, of onion soup and moules-frîtes, the sheer pleasure that is a proper Paris-Brest or tarte tatin … In my home town of Lyon, we've even developed our own local take on the bistro in the form of the bouchon, to showcase and preserve the region's culinary traditions. Bistro, bouchon, brasserie: whatever you call it, this is, above all else, good, honest cooking, rustic rather than show-offy, and it's made to share around a noisy table, whether that's in a restaurant or in the comfort of your own home. Yes, there's a fair amount of soaking, curing and marinading going on here, but it's all well worth the effort – plus none of it requires much in the way of actual hands-on work, anyway. Prep 20 min Soak 24 hrCure 6 hrMarinate 12 hrCook 5 hr 30 min+ Serves 4 For the lamb1.2-1½kg bone-in lamb shoulder100g table salt1-1½ tsp rosemary leaves1-1½ tsp thyme leaves1 tsp finely chopped garlicVegetable oil, for searing4 cloves new season garlic, peeled, cut in half and germs removedAbout 1 litre lamb stock For the marinade50ml extra-virgin olive oil ½ tsp espelette pepper ½ tsp paprika 50ml vegetable oil For the beans 250g dried flageolet beans 50g finely chopped shallot (about 6 tbsp)50g finely chopped celery (about 3-4 tbsp) 10g finely chopped garlic (about 2 cloves) 8-10 bay leaves (5g)2-3 tsp thyme leaves (5g)1 litre chicken stock Salt Soak the dried beans in cold water for 24 hours. Meanwhile, put the lamb shoulder in a suitable dish in which it fits snugly, rub all over with the salt, rosemary, thyme and chopped garlic, then cover, refrigerate and leave to cure for six hours. Wash the cured lamb, then dry well with a clean tea towel or kitchen cloth. Heat a little vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan or casserole, then sear the lamb shoulder until well coloured all over. Make eight deep cuts all over the seared lamb and push the halved new-season garlic cloves into the slits. Put the lamb back in the same dish, add all the ingredients for the marinade, toss to coat, then cover again, return to the fridge and leave to marinate for 12 hours. Put the lamb and all its marinade in a large, cast-iron pot for which you have a lid, then pour in enough lamb stock to come halfway up the sides of the meat. Cover the pot and roast in a very low oven – 140C (120C fan)/300F/gas 1 – for five to six hours, until the lamb is very tender and all but falling off the bone. Take out of the oven and turn up the heat to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Baste the lamb in the pan juices until it's well coated, then return to the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes, basting regularly with the pan juices, until the liquid reduces and the lamb is nicely browned and glazed. After the lamb has been cooking for three to three and a half hours, drain the soaked beans and put them in an oven tray (ideally one for which you have a lid). Add the shallot, celery, garlic, bay and thyme, pour over the chicken stock, cover the tray (either with a lid or a thick double layer of foil) and bake alongside the lamb for 90 minutes. After the beans have had 45 minutes, season with salt, stir and finish off cooking. Just before serving, adjust the seasoning to taste. Spoon the cooked beans on to a big platter and top with the lamb, either carved or whole to be carved at the table. Spoon over a generous amount of the cooking juices, take to the table and serve. A few new season carrots and/or some cabbage on the side wouldn't go amiss, either. At the restaurant, we make our babas in large traditional kugelhopf moulds, but at home you could also make individual ones in a six- or eight-hole muffin tin. Prep 10 minProve 1 hr Cook 2 hr 15 minServes 10 For the quick marmalade2 large oranges 200g caster sugar30g lemon juice For the rum syrup750g caster sugar 375ml dark rum For the chantilly100ml double cream 100ml whipping cream 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out and reserved 40g caster sugar For the baba7g fast-action yeast, or 15g fresh yeast160g beaten egg (from about 3-4 eggs) 250g strong white bread flour 7g salt 20g sugar 50g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra softened butter for greasing For the orange and rum glaze200g orange marmalade (see above and method) 30ml dark rum First make the quick marmalade. Using a small, sharp knife or peeler, peel the oranges, taking care not to take off too much of the white pith, then cut the skin into fine julienne strips. Pare off and discard the pith from the oranges, then segment the orange flesh. Put the peel in a small saucepan of water, bring to a boil, then fine-strain. Return the peel to the pan, cover with fresh water and repeat the process twice more. After the third strain, put the orange peel back in the pan, add the orange segments, sugar and 420ml cold water, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, and leave to cook for about 45 minutes, until thick, sticky and jammy. Take off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave to cool. Now for the glaze. Once the marmalade is cool, measure 200g of the cooled marmalade into a small pan, add the rum and bring to a simmer. Strain to remove the solids, then set aside. Put all the ingredients for the chantilly cream in a clean bowl, whisk to soft peaks, then cover and refrigerate until needed. Now for the baba itself. Heat 90ml water to 28C (just above room temperature), then stir in the yeast. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or with a hand whisk, beat the egg with the flour, salt and sugar, then beat in the yeast mixuntil well combined. Swap the whisk for the dough hook (or a wooden spoon) and mix on medium speed for five minutes, or until the dough comes together and starts to get stretchy. Slowly incorporate the melted butter, and mix until the dough is smooth. Grease a 24cm kugelhopf tin (or a six- or eight-hole muffin tin) with softened butter, scrape in the baba mix, cover with a damp cloth or clingfilm, and leave to prove at room temperature for an hour, or until it's risen to 2cm from the top of mould. Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5, then bake for about 40 minutes (or for eight to 10 minutes if making baby babas), until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven, unmould at once on to a rack, then leave to cool for 10 minutes. While the baba is baking, make the syrup. Put the sugar and rum in a medium saucepan with 750ml water, bring to a simmer, then leave to cool to lukewarm (40C). Slowly pour syrup all over the baba, letting it soak in first before adding any more, until it's fully soaked all the way through, then put on a rack to cool. Once the baba is completely cool, brush it all over with the orange and rum glaze, then slice and serve with the chantilly cream. Claude Bosi is chef/patron of Joséphine, Brooklands at the Peninsula and Bibendum, all in London.
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Britain needs an alfresco dining revolution to bring life into its cold city centres
One Sunday last September, I sat at a table outside one of Lyon's famous traditional 'bouchon' restaurants, eating a sumptuous prix-fixe lunch, as the heavens opened and a small monsoon pounded the cobbles around me and the parasol above my head. The waiter asked if I wanted to move inside. I demurred; as long as my andouillette and I were still largely dry, I was enjoying the people-watching and the view of the pretty, sand-coloured buildings too much to worry about a few stray drops. If a bit of rain didn't put me and my fellow diners off, why should many parts of the infamously cloudy UK be so opposed to the notion? In fact, London has less annual rainfall than Rome, Paris or Vienna. Foremost among the stories we tell about ourselves as a nation is that we do things differently to those carefree continentals. There is a reason we have had to take – and mistranslate – the term 'alfresco' from the Italians and 'flâneur' from the French (dawdler), and are still ignoring the Spanish 'sobremesa' (after-dinner socialising around the table) and 'paseo' (an early-evening stroll) – because we have often been a private, lonely bunch compared with our neighbours across the Channel. You will be familiar with the trope: an Englishman's home is his castle and, given that the moat is maintained by Britain's private water companies, it is probably safest if we shelter indoors until the worst has passed. But the weather that gave us the sunniest April on record has continued into May and pushed a lot of Britons out of their homes, blinking into the light. In a canny attempt to make hay while the sun shines, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has announced the Summer Streets fund, a new plan to support outdoor dining and drinking, and extend opening hours in the capital. The £300,000 provided will support London's 32 councils (and the distinct City of London) to create new outdoor eating and drinking areas, while restaurants, venues and bars have been promised that their red-tape burden and fees will be waived or reduced. It's not a lot of money – the mayor doesn't have access to a lot of money – but the principle, and the signal of intent about what our cities should look like, is important. The ostensible motive is to throw a bone to a desperate hospitality industry. Food and drink businesses have faced the impact of Brexit, then Covid and soaring costs, staff shortages and supply-chain disruption – not to mention turbo-charged rents in our major cities. During the pandemic, spurred by the need for social distancing and fresh air, hospitality across the country created dedicated outdoor seating areas aided by temporary road closures. However, not all of these changes stuck. Soho's high-profile scheme was wound up by Westminster council in September 2021, after a concerted campaign by local residents – and no fewer than 16,000 new outdoor seats were folded up and brought inside. Specific pavement licences were introduced in 2020 and are required by law, and carry fees, paperwork and a consultation period – councils take into account pedestrian traffic flow, accessibility, insurance, impact on nearby residents and so on. Now, with this scheme, some of the joy and conviviality that helped so many people through those dark moments can be revived. There is a socio-cultural miserablism to British self-identity that says 'we can't have nice things like this', as though it's 'not our way'. I don't think there is any truth to that: social habits are quickly learned and unlearned, and they largely respond to what is permitted. Build a street-dining culture and people will take the seats on offer. It could also help offset the tendency of London's developers to build people-phobic public spaces. Privately owned public spaces, or Pops, such as Canary Wharf (part-owned by Qatar) or More London near Tower Bridge (owned by Kuwait), are just mirages where real public space should be – they are patrolled by private security guards and carry a series of hidden prohibitions, rules and regulations. Then there is 'hostile architecture', which in practice means awkward benches that aren't comfortable to sit on for longer than two minutes. The 'hostility' in the name is primarily directed at homeless people and young people pursuing harmless activities such as skateboarding – but really, the hostility is towards the public in general. The British capital too often feels like an antisocial city full of sociable people. It's time to let them out to play. Dan Hancox is a freelance writer, focusing on music, politics, cities and culture
