Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Wild Porcini Demi-Glace

Gorgeous, pastured lamb from Menzie’s Farm in the Hill Country outside of Austin is misted with Texas olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper, then flashed in a 500 degree oven for 10 minutes.

The lamb is then packed with a persillade-like mixture of fresh bread crumbs, melted butter and garlic with a bouquet garni of both fresh and dried herbs including rosemary, thyme, savory, marjoram, sage and tarragon.

Next, the lamb is roasted at 400 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees (approximately 15-20 minutes), then removed from the oven and allowed to stand 15 minutes before being carved into double chops.

While the lamb rests, dried wild porcini mushrooms are soaked in just-boiled water enhanced with porcini powder, then strained into a pot containing brown stock and toasted shallots. The sauce is furiously reduced by a third and the mushrooms added and simmered for a couple of minutes before being finished with a spoonful of demi-glace and a knob of cold butter.

Served a perfect medium rare, this is one of my all-time favorite things to eat..

American lamb, especially those that are pastured and grass-fed, are generally milder/less gamey in flavor than those from New Zealand and Australia, with young lamb (less than 1 year old) being preferred for its tenderness.

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Pan-seared Pork Tenderloin with Chili-Cherry BBQ Sauce

Local (Richardson Farms via Greenling), pastured pork tenderloin fillets are rubbed with a mixture of toasted cumin & coriander, cinnamon, black pepper, garlic and salt, then pan-seared in mesquite-smoked bacon fat.  Served with a BBQ sauce made with red wine vinegar-deglazed pan drippings, crushed dark cherries, stock, tomato paste, chili molido, bay and onions..

 

Pan-seared Pork Tenderloin with Chili-Cherry BBQ Sauce

 

“The origins of both the activity of barbecue cooking and the word itself are somewhat obscure. Most etymologists believe that barbecue derives ultimately from the word barabicu found in the language of both the Timucua of Florida and the Taíno people of the Caribbean, which then entered European languages in the form barbacoa. The word translates as “sacred fire pit.”

“The precise origin of barbecue sauce is unclear.  Some trace it to the end of the 15th century, when Christopher Columbus brought a sauce back from Hispaniola, while others place it at the formation of the first American colonies in the 17th century.  References to the substance start occurring in both English and French literature over the next two hundred years.”

Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Mint Peas and Wild Rice

Local, pastured lamb loin chops with rosemary garlic demi-glace, fresh peas with fried shallots and mint, and mushroom wild rice.

C’est si bon!

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Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Mint Peas and Wild Rice

lamb loin chops from premiumlamb.com via greenling.com

Marinate lamb chops in olive oil, chopped garlic, fresh rosemary, freshly-ground pepper and a three-fingered pinch of coarse sea salt for 4 or more hours (refrigerated).  Allow to come up to room temperature before cooking.

Rinse and prepare true wild rice according to package directions, about 1 hour.  Add sautéed wild mushrooms, a teaspoon of pastured butter and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Lightly steam fresh peas until about 2/3 done, then transfer to a skillet with pastured butter and chopped shallots. Fry until browned, then season with chopped fresh mint, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  Keep warm.

Quickly sear lamb chops in a very hot skillet with butter and a little of the marinade until well browned but still rare.  Transfer to a side plate.

De-glaze the pan with burgundy then scrape up all the brown bits with the side of a wooden spoon.  Add a little brown stock, reduce and finish with demi-glace and fresh rosemary.

Set the rare lamb chops in the pan with the demi-glace until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes.

To serve, heap wild rice in the center of a dinner plate and arrange lamb chops around the perimeter.  Spoon demi-glace over the top, then spoon peas in between the chops and garnish with additional mint and parsley.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

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