Thursday, April 21, 2011

Rack of Lamb

This Easter I plan to make a Rack of Lamb.  Here is a killer recipe.

When my boys were little their Grandmother would watch them eat these and be amazed.  She would say to me, “Megan, your boys eat lamb chops like other children suck on lollipops!”

1 8-rib lamb rack
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf Italian parsley
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
Fresh ground pepper

This is enough for 2 people - I find we can all eat about 4 per person and each rack comes with 8 ribs so increase your amounts according to your number of guests.

Always take your meat out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
Whisk all ingredients together.
Coat lamb rack on both sides.
Broil 5 minutes each side.
Turn oven to 400 degrees.
Bake for 10-15 minutes (for rare).  Turn over 1/2 way through.
Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before carving.

Careful not to make these too rare - I find if you are doing more than 1 rack in the oven you need to adjust this recipe.  For instance, I made 3 racks last night - I broiled on 1 side for 10 minutes - turned over and broiled on the other side for just 5 minutes and then turned oven from broil to 400 degrees and cooked another 10 minutes.  They were perfect!


Sunday, April 3, 2011

Cream of Chicken Soup


Spring is here and it's time for the Augusta National Golf Tournament.  They serve this soup with corn bread on the side - oh, man is it good.


Serves 10-12 people

1/4 cup butter
1/2 small onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2  tablespoon flour
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock*
1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
1/2 lb. (approx. 1 boneless chicken breast) cooked and diced
Kosher salt and white pepper

Sauté onion, celery, and carrot in butter until tender, do not brown.
Add Dijon mustard and cook for 1 minute - whisk.
Add flour and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat - whisk.
Add stock gradually, whisking until thickened and smooth.
Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Strain soup into another pot (this step is not crucial if you don’t mind vegetables in soup).
Finish soup with heavy cream and add chicken meat.
Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

*Of course, homemade chicken stock is the best but I don’t know many people who make their own chicken stock - hell, I don’t even do that!