What's Cooking

Busy weekend.  My brother, his wife and daughter were in town visiting.  I made dinner for 10 on Saturday evening. Menu: Rack of lamb, butternut squash risotto, green beans, salad with homemade honey mustard dressing, mini key lime tarts, mocha cake (my mother bought this from the store) and assorted chocolates.

Recipes:

Rack of lamb is very easy to prepare and people always think God knows what you've done.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then rub this all over the rack. I used to use a more expensive frou-frou seasoning until I realized the ingredients in the one I linked to were very similar, tasted virtually the same, and didn't have to be special ordered but was available at the grocery store. 

Next, mix about 1/2 cup dijon mustard, 1/3 cup soy sauce, and a load of minced garlic (use your judgment - I like a lot of garlic).  I use the kind that comes pre-minced in a jar at the store.  And I will use 4-5 tablespoons or so.  These measurements are all approximations.  I made the recipe up myself and do it by eye (in other words, it's different every time). 

Put the sauce aside until you have arranged the racks on pans as follows: Place the racks of lamb on a broiling pan with drainage - so that the fat drips off below and the lamb doesn't sit in it while it cooks.  The point is, you want the lamb to be roasted and not stewed in its own juice.

Interlace the racks like so:

 

Then, take the dijon/soy sauce/ garlic mixture and liberally brush it on the lamb.  Don't worry about getting the bottom or inner surface - just brush it on the exposed meat where ever you can reach, as it sits interlaced as in the picture. Then, take some bread crumbs (I use Progresso Italian-style crumbs) and sprinkle them all over where you have brushed on the sauce.  The sauce will help the crumbs to stick and will form a crust. Bake at 400 degrees for about 1/2 hour.  I stick a meat thermometer in it and cook it until it registers rare.  It continues to cook when you take it out of the oven, and will reach a nice medium on its own. Slice and serve. 

The risotto recipe comes from Epicurious.com  I made it for the first time a few weeks ago and I think it's phenomenal:

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups (about) chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place squash on large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast until tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.

Bring stock to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and keep stock warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in another heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks and sauté until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup hot stock; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing stock to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes longer. Add roasted squash, cream, Parmesan cheese and sage; stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

The only change I made to this recipe the second time I made it was that I halved the amount of leeks and instead added chopped onions. It's a bit of a PIA to make, but very delicious and well worth the effort.

Honey-Mustard Salad Dressing

Amongst family and friends, I am known for this dressing.  Everyone loves it. I can't take credit - I found the recipe in a book and made it, simple as that:

1/3  cup of vegetable oil

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons honey*

4 tablespoons dijon mustard (I use Grey Poupon)

Lots of minced garlic - 2-3 cloves - more - to taste

1 tbsp or so toasted sesame seeds

1 tsp ground pepper

Mix together and refrigerate. For salad: Combine butter or romaine lettuce, chopped purple onion, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, chopped dates or dried cranberries, honey toated walnuts and crumbled bleu or goat cheese.

*As a result of serving apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah each year, I've had the opportunity to sample many different types of honey and have a couple of definitive favorites. Far and away my absolute number one favorite, truly the best honey in the world, is Langnese Acacia honey.  It is different than any other honey - a bit thinner in consistency, and it has a very mild and delicate flavor.  I was never really a huge honey fan until I tasted this stuff.  Now I never use anything else. Number two, if you can't get the acacia honey, in my humble opinion, would be tupelo honey.

Mini Key Lime Tarts

These are just too easy - but very good.  Use Clearbrook Farms pre-baked short bread tart shells. Put a tablespoon of Clearbrook Farms Key Lime ready-to-use fruit tart filling in each one. Squirt some whipped cream on each.  Top with a raspberry and some shaved chocolate.

Bon Appetit!

Comments

[Lorelei Leigh]

That all sounds absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, what you describe as easy is like rocket science to me. But I'm going to forward this lamb recipe to my mom. She likes to make lamb and this would be a new, delicious way to prepare it.

[Gail]

Hope she likes it! : )