Creole Herb Crusted Lamb

2 Comments March 27, 2018 Tangie Holifield

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This rack of lamb recipe is simply delicious. Beautifully coated with a flavourful herb crust and cooked to perfection, serve it at your next dinner party and impress your guests. When purchasing lamb, ask for lamb that has been grass-fed from birth to market. It is healthiest for you and delicious!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
For the Lamb:
2 racks of lamb, cut in half with 3 bones per serving
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil(for browning)
4 to 5 garlic cloves
1 bouquet of thyme
2 tablespoons Creole mustard*

For the Herb Crust:
3 cups Japanese Panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cup fresh parsley, stems included
1 cup baby spinach
1/3 cup of mint (optional)
4 sprigs thyme (leaves only)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black, pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Splash of olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 400°F.

Select a cast iron skillet.

Remove the fat cap if present. Cut each rack into 3-4 bones each (approximately one serving). NOTE: Do not cut all the way to the meat. Season on all sides with salt and pepper.

Heat the skillet to very hot, add olive oil until it is shimmering. Add a bouquet of thyme, cloves of garlic. Place the lamb in skillet and sear on all sides of meat and using tongs sear the ends, to give it a nice dark color.

Once browned, place the racks skin-side-down in the skillet, and into the oven for 12 minutes.

Preparing the Crust: Place the panko breadcrumbs, herbs, spinach and Parmesan cheese into a blender or a food processor and pulse several times until you have a very fine green crumb. Add a splash of the olive oil and continue pulsing for a few more seconds. NOTE: It will still look like dry crumbs, but when you pinch it, it should stick together well. Pour onto a plate.

When lamb has been in for 12 minutes, remove from oven and brush all sides with mustard. Then press each rack into the crumb mixture, coating on all sides and pressing it to get an nice even coating. Shake off any excess. Dip several times to ensure an even coating. Allow meat to rest for a bit.

Place the racks (this time skin-side-up) in a baking dish. Place back into the oven for another 8-10 minutes (longer if you want well-done), Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of each rack. NOTE: The chops may be cooked to 145 °F (medium rare),160 °F (medium), or 170 °F (well done).

Serve the lamb with potatoes boulangère and courgettes provençal, but you can serve with anything you find fitting to your taste.

Cook’s Notes:
You can substitute Dijon mustard for the Creole mustard, if desired.

Chilled English Pea Soup with Crab and Meyer Lemon

March 23, 2018 Tangie Holifield

Chilled English Pea Soup with Crab and Meyer Lemon

Photo Credit: Eric Wolfinger, Food and Wine Magazine, 2018

By SARAH HELLER
Food and Wine Magzine
April 2018

This refreshing, verdant English pea and watercress soup is the perfect base for a zesty crab salad. Chef Sarah Heller of Napa’s Radish Leaf Cuisine folds sweet Dungeness crab with Meyer lemon, crème fraîche, and a host of delicate spring herbs before mounding atop each serving of the soup. Any lump crab meat or cooked, chilled shrimp would also work.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 small celery stalks, diced
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3 cups whole milk, divided
5 cups fresh English peas, shelled
2 bunches watercress (about 4 ounces), rinsed
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 cup crème fraîche
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice, divide
1/2 pound cooked Dungeness or other lump crabmeat
Pea tendrils and freshly ground black pepper, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over low. Add onion, celery, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Sauté until onions are translucent, 10 to 12 minutes. Add 2 cups milk; bring to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.

While vegetables are cooking, prepare a large bowl of ice water and bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Add peas to pot, return to a boil, and cook until peas are bright green and just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove peas with a slotted spoon, and immediately plunge into ice water. Return water in pot to a boil, add watercress, and cook until bright green and wilted, about 1 minute. Plunge watercress into ice water. Drain peas and watercress; set aside peas. Squeeze watercress to remove as much water as possible.

Combine peas, watercress, and remaining 1 cup milk in a blender. Process on high until smooth. Working in batches if necessary, add onion mixture to blender; process on high until smooth. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl; discard solids. Season with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and white pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve, at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

Whisk together crème fraîche, 1 tablespoon chives, 1 tablespoon dill, tarragon, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crab. Chill until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Stir remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice into soup. To serve, pour 3/4 cup soup into each bowl, add one large dollop of crab salad in center of soup, and drizzle with oil. Garnish with chives, pea tendrils, and black pepper, if desired.

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A Cuban Meal

March 19, 2018 Tangie Holifield

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Music and food kind of go hand in hand in our house. Growing up, my parents could not have a backyard summer barbecue without the sounds of classic Motown hits playing in the background. It was always Good Music, Good Food, Good People ……all in one place. that was the rule in our house and it still is.

And that is how I am feeling about this song”Havana” right now.

If you haven’t heard the song Havana by now….then you have been living under a rock….literally.

Camila is the eponymous debut studio album by Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello, formerly of the singing group Fifth Harmony. It was released on January 12, 2018, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200. While the album is primarily contemporary pop, it incorporates elements of Latin music and R&B. Featuring the hit “Havana“, which has topped charts in territories such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

And for me, the sultry sounds of “Havana” evokes memories of Cuba, 1950s cars, old dramatic buildings and of course the food, with its blend of Indigenous, African and European cultures that make it authentically ‘Cuban”.

The perfect marriage of music and food with a Cuban themed dinner party.

Make sure you have “Havana” as well as hits by Celicia Cruz and the Buena Vista Social Club playing in the background to set the mood for your party.

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Set the table with colorful eclectic dishes with a mix of modern and old world charm.

Photo Credit: Williams Sonoma, 2017

Color-blocked linens inspired by the city’s famous cement tiles recall the colorful streets of Havana and add a festive touch to the table.

Start off with the meal with a chicken soup made with plantain dumplings, followed by an easy one-pot braised chicken fricassee that is paired with rice and black beans (traditionally known as Cristanos y Marranos)—a Cuban staple—and crispy fried plantains for a dinner menu that evokes a Caribbean getaway.

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