Carre d' Agneau Persille

Parsley Rack of Lamb

Carre d' Agneau Persille

Simple preparation for rack of lamb, broiled then baked with an herb crust.


Use the least fatty rack you can find.  It is crucial not to overcook the rack.  The lamb will continue to cook when it is removed from the oven; so if a higher level of done-ness is required,  cook for the prescribed time and then let the lamb sit for 10-15 min before cutting and serving.  Cooking time 30 min, serves 2.

Ingredients: 

• 1 rack of lamb
• 1 shallot
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup of minced parsley (no, dried parsley will not work)
• 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
•  4 tablespoons of butter
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Steps:

1. rib-side buttered

1. Preheat oven to 500 F.  Let lamb warm a bit to room temperature.  Lightly pepper and salt it on both sides.  Set the rib side up and dot each rib-end with butter.

2. herb mixture

2. Mince the shallot, garlic, and  parsley.  Blend them with the breadcrumbs and use olive oil to bind the mixture (about 2 tablespoons).
3. Once oven is at 500 F.  Turn off oven and set broiler to 500 F.  Wait 2 min and then add the rack close to the broiler.  Broil for 2 min rib-side up and then turn and boil for 3 min meat-side up.  Remove from oven, turn off the broiler, re-set oven to 500 F.

4. herbed rack

4. Meat-side up, cover the rack with the herb mixture and make a nice crust.  Do not cover the rib side.  Then dot the herbed rack with butter and return to the 500 F oven.
5. Bake in the 500 F oven for 10 min.  Remove.  Do not bake longer than this as the rack will be ruined.  (I.e. there will be rack and ruin)  If a more well-done meat is desired, let the rack sit for 10-15 min more before cutting. (wrap in tin foil, for well-well-done).
6. Slice the ribs and serve.  When slicing, it should be possible to finesse around the rib-joint bones without having to slice right through them.  If the rib is having trouble releasing, try wiggling it around a bit and cutting everything save the bone.  Serve with rice and grilled tomatoes.

Parsley Rack of Lamb

Serve with a hearty red wine.  A tannic Cabernet, or some of the Spanish reds, a Grenache.  Pinot Noir might work.

Côtes de Porc Panées Viennoise

+ Cafe Saint George +

Pork chops breaded, pan seared and finished with mushrooms stewed in beer.

This dish is reminiscent of Austrian Schnitzel but uses pork chop instead of veal.  It is served at Saint George with Pommes de Terre á la Grande-Mère.
Total cooking time is 1 hr.  Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients:
2 medium pork chops
1 shallot
1/2 lb of Portobello mushrooms
1/2 of a lemon
1 T butter
12 oz of beer
1 egg
3 slices of French bread
Pantry:
olive oil
fresh parsley
Herbs:
paprika
caraway seeds
pepper
salt

Steps:
1) Toast slices of French bread until completely dry and brown.  Cut toasts into cubes and pulverize them with a wooden spoon until the consistency of a rough breadcrumb.  Breadcrumbs made this way are far superior to the tired, salty type which can be purchased. 

3: breaded chop

Furthermore, it is a matter of minutes to make them and the result is well worth it to both taste and pocketbook.
2) Beat egg with a couple drops of olive oil.  Oil will help emusifiy the egg and coat the meat evenly.  Place beaten egg in a flat bowl and place breadcrumbs on a plate.
3) Trim fat off the chops, so that they cook without warping.  Coat each chop thoroughly in egg and then thoroughly in breadcrumbs.  Hold the breaded chops on a platter.

4: chops in pan

4) Warm 1 T butter with 2 T of olive oil until very hot, which is just when butter turns brown.  Add the chops.
5) Cook the chops until the blood beads on the surface, then turn over.  Do not cook them too hard, else you will char the breadcrumbs. Dice the shallot and slice the mushrooms while waiting.
6) Once chops are turned over, add oil if necessary and add shallots in between the chops.  Remove chops when firm to the touch.
7) Add mushrooms and cook until wilted.

8: adding beer

8) Add beer and increase temperature until a vigorous simmer is achieved.  Beer should be a low hopped varietal.  We used a Scottish 80-Shilling Ale aged for 6 months.  This had a strong malt character with very gentle hop notes (hop bitterness will diminish over time).  Chop parsley and 2 slices of lemon while waiting.  Squeeze end of lemon on the reserved chops.




9) Once sauce is almost reduced, add 2 t of paprika and 1/8 t of caraway.  Add a slight amount of pepper to taste.  Salt is unnecessary as it will mask the subtle interaction between the beer and the paprika.
10) Cook sauce until nearly dry.  Remove from heat and tilt the pan.  Spoon the mushrooms on the platter while leaving the sauce at the bottom.  Place chops on the mushrooms and pour sauce over.  Garnish with lemon slices and then with chopped parsley.

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N.B. We make this with Simple Salad,  Pommes de Terre á la Grande-Mère and serve it with Leffe Brune.   This makes for an excellent meal and total cooking time was 1 hr 30 min -- not very long for a fine meal at low expense.

Pommes de Terre à la Grande-Mère

+ Cafe Saint George +

German style potato salad with a careful balance of vinegar, shallot and pepper.

This dish is an old family recipe in whose details the Devil resides.  The ingredients are simple enough but the real art comes from blending these ingredients to the proper balance.  The proper balance is, of course, a matter of taste.  Accordingly, I leave the amounts unspecified.  It is essential to taste as you season. Total cooking time is 35 min. Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients:
4 small red potatoes
1-2 shallots
1 T sour cream
Pantry:
cider vinegar
olive oil
Herbs:
salt
pepper
parsley

Steps:
1) Dice potatoes.  Start the water boiling for the potatoes.
2) Boil potatoes for 10 mins.  They should still be fairly firm to the touch.

1: small dice with 8" knife

3) Strain potatoes in colander and rinse with cold water.
4) Dry potatoes on a towel, taking care not to break them or mar the edges.  Chop the shallot and test it for strength.  Adjust the amount of shallot on the basis of its strength.
4) When potatoes are cooled, add the shallot and sprinkle generously with cider vinegar.
5) Sprinkle with oil and salt and pepper and sour cream.  Overdoing the salt will only mask and overpower the other seasonings; salt never makes for a subtle and balanced dish.
6) Blend and season with additional vinegar and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley.
7) Chill until serving.