MIMI GILMOUR & WARREN TURNBULL
Back & Forth
When Warren Turnbull got the chance to cook for Richie McCaw and the boys, he jumped on a plane in Sydney and headed for his Auckland base.
The chef and rugby fanatic served roast shoulder of lamb to the All Blacks at District Dining, the Britomart restaurant he runs with his wife Mimi Gilmour. The pair, pictured above, own two restaurants in Sydney and are in partnership in another three in Auckland – District Dining, and Mexico in Britomart and Takapuna. That means a lot of restaurant-hopping for Turnbull, who regularly flies back and forth to keep an eye on all his kitchens. Turnbull is tiring a little of the touring so the couple have put one of their Sydney restaurants, Assiette, on the market.
“Sydney hospitality is vibrant and we’ve enjoyed our successes there – but our families are here,” says Gilmour, “It’s time to come home.”
Lamb
To prepare the lamb, wash, pat dry and place to one side. Place the cumin seeds, ground cumin, rock salt, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a blender (or use a mortar and pestle) and mix together until it is evenly combined. Rub the mixture over the lamb and leave for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight. After 3 hours, wash off the excess rub and pat dry.
Place the lamb shoulder on an oven tray and cover tightly with foil. Alternatively you can place it in an oven-safe dish with a lid. Place in a 200C oven for 30 minutes, reduce the oven to 140C and cook the lamb for a further 3-4 hours or until the meat falls away easily from the bone.
Carrots
To make the carrot puree, sweat off the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt in a pot until they begin to soften. Add the chopped carrots and cumin powder and continue to sweat for a further two minutes.
Fill the pot with water halfway up the carrots and then put the lid on. Leave it to cook for a few more minutes until cooked through. Add the cream, season well and place in a blender to blend until smooth.
To cook the baby carrots, saute them in a pan until nice and golden. Add cumin seeds, honey and butter and continue cooking until butter starts to burn (beurre noisette). Take the pan off the heat and leave the carrots in the pan for a further few minutes to cook through. Season.
To serve
Remove the lamb from the oven tray. Slice or pull the lamb off the bone to your desired portion size. Spoon the warm carrot puree onto a serving dish, place the lamb on top and finish with the baby carrots, a drizzle of burned butter and sprinkle of toasted pine nuts. Serves six.