Your search result

Parties That Cook’s Easter Recipe: Citrus-Stuffed Rack of Lamb

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in General, Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , April 21st, 2011 @ 1:13 pm

This Sunday brings Easter! Get ready for chocolate bunnies, colored eggs and yellow (let’s keep it traditional) marshmallow Peeps! Can you say sugar rush? Before we’ll let you spoil your appetite, Parties That Cook wants to give you a great recipe for deliciously savory Citrus-Stuffed Rack of Lamb. The citrus stuffing is an easy way to “spice up” your average lamb chop. Feeling apprehensive? Your butcher can prep (french) your rack of lamb for you, though it’s not too difficult to do yourself. We even linked a How-To video below!

Citrus-Stuffed Rack of Lamb
This recipe is also available in our Main Dishes and Holiday Recipes Sections!

Ingredients
1 cup water
1½ ounces currants (1/3 cup)
1 rack of lamb (1 pound), trimmed, frenched, reserve trimmings
1 teaspoon lemon zest, chopped
1 tablespoon each, fresh parsley, mint, thyme, chives, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/3 ounce (¼ cup) bread crumbs
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 sprigs of thyme
3 cups veal stock
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Make Stuffing: In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add the currants, let plump for 5 minutes and strain. In a mixing bowl, combine the currants, lemon zest, herbs, garlic, bread crumbs, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff Meat: With a boning knife, make a ¾-inch slit, through the center of the meat on the rack. With the back of a wooden spoon or using your fingers, push the stuffing through the meat. Season with salt and pepper.

Make sauce: In a small sauté pan, brown the scraps from between the rib bones in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any oil or fat in the pan and add 1 cup of stock and a few branches of fresh thyme. Reduce to a syrup then add another cup of stock and reduce to a syrup again. Add the last ladle of stock, strain and season. Reheat the just when ready to serve.

Brown and Roast Rack of Lamb: In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the rack of lamb, fat side down until golden. Transfer to a roasting pan and roast rack 12 minutes, until internal temperature reads 130°. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Serve: Cut into chops, ladle essence over and serve.

Tip Alert: Make It Ahead! You can make the sauce up to 4 hours ahead and reheat before serving, and you can brown the meat up to one hour ahead.

Serves/Makes
Serves 8

Step Into Spring with Parties That Cook’s Asparagus Soup with Lemon Creme Fraiche Recipe

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in General, Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , April 15th, 2011 @ 5:17 pm

The weather may seem a bit confused these days, but warmer Spring weather is on it’s way! For those cold days that need to get with the program, a light soup really hits the spot. Try this delicious Parties That Cook recipe for Asparagus Soup with Lemon Creme Fraiche! The  hint of lemon in the creme fraiche adds a refreshing twist to the seasonal ingredients!

Asparagus Soup with Lemon Crème Fraiche
This recipe can also be found in our Soups, Salads and Pasta Recipe Section!

Ingredients

Asparagus Soup:
3 lbs. asparagus, tough ends removed and discarded
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped into medium dice
2 cloves garlic, sliced
6 cups vegetable stock, hot
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Asparagus Tips:
2 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
All reserved asparagus tips
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Lemon Crème Fraîche:
2 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1 lemon, zested then juiced
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Methods/Steps
Cutting asparagus: Remove tough ends from asparagus. After the tough ends have been removed, slice off the tips of the asparagus into thin slivers. Set tips aside for soup garnish. Cut remaining stalks into 1/2-inch long pieces.

Make soup: In a soup pot over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add all of the asparagus, except the tips, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the hot stock, bring to a boil over high heat, and cook the asparagus until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Puree Soup: Working in batches, puree the soup by filling a blender to no more than 2/3 full.  Puree the soup until very smooth and light, 2 to 3 minutes per batch on high speed.  (If the soup is still hot, it could spit from the blender; take care by removing the plastic plug on the lid and placing a towel over the hole for steam to escape.)  Strain soup through a strainer into another soup pot. Add the 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and season with the 1 Tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add asparagus tips to pureed soup. Keep soup hot until ready to serve.

Flavor Crème Fraîche: In a bowl, mix together crème fraîche with preserved lemons and salt and pepper. Add water, if necessary, to make the consistency of heavy cream.

To serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Put a dollop of crème fraîche in the middle of the bowl and serve immediately.

Serves/Makes

Serves 12

Read previous entries
Read more recent entries