Last cooking class we covered a food that is great for parties, chicken wings. This week I wanted to teach something that is not only wonderful for a dinner party, but is also ideal for a romantic meal for two, rack of lamb. Okay, I think I heard a lot of you say, “Lamb! I can’t cook that!” Oh, but you can! And I will teach you a foolproof technique that will give you super results every time.
Before we start cooking, let’s talk about lamb. There are many varieties out there, but I prefer Australian. Why? Because I find that American lamb tends to be very gamey. That means that the flavor is akin to long, dry-aged beef. It actually tastes a little musky. On the other hand, Australian lamb has a nice, mild flavor. When you buy the lamb, ask your butcher to remove the fat cap. This is the fat that lies on top of the rack of lamb. If it was left on, the lamb would be VERY fatty. Also, ask him to “French” the bones. This means to cut away all the fat, skin and meat off of the bones down to the base of the meat. It gives the rack of lamb that beautiful look of a crown. Finally, there is the question about how long to cook the lamb. I like to serve lamb mid-rare to medium. If it is too rare, the lamb is tough. If you cook it past medium, it becomes dry and mealy.
Let’s get cooking!
This recipe will feed two. You will need: a two pound rack of lamb, 1/8 stick softened unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic puree (equal parts of garlic & canola oil blended together), one teaspoon finely chopped basil, juice of ½ a lemon, salt, one cup Panko bread crumbs, three tablespoons canola oil, aluminum foil, meat thermometer, parchment paper, large sauté pan, baking sheet and a mixing bowl. First you will want to create the maître d or compound butter.
Remember this from a past Cooking Class? A compound butter simply means butter with flavorings mixed into it.
In a bowl combine the butter, basil, garlic puree and lemon juice. Mix well, so everything is evenly distributed through the butter. Spoon the butter mixture onto the parchment paper and roll it into a cylinder. Put it in the fridge. This butter has to be completely chilled before you can use it, so I recommend doing this the night before you are actually going to make the lamb. Once the butter is thoroughly chilled, you can start cooking the lamb.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. First, wrap the bones in aluminum foil. This is done so the bones don’t burn in the oven. You want to present a beautiful rack of lamb with white bones, not black, burnt bones. Next salt both sides of the lamb.
Heat the canola oil in the sauté pan over medium-high heat until it is hot. Place the lamb, top side down (the top is where the fat cap was removed from) in the pan and cook four minutes. Flip it over and cook the other side for four minutes. Remove from pan and place top side up on the baking sheet.
Now, sprinkle ½ of the Panko on the top of the lamb. By the way, yes you can use “regular” bread crumbs, but I like Panko for this because the larger flake of it gives the lamb a crispier crust.
Remove your compound butter from the fridge and cut four 1/8 inch medallions. Place the butter medallions on top of the breadcrumbs, evenly spaced so every bite of lamb gets butter. Then cover the butter with the remaining Panko. Okay, why was it so important that we have the butter ice cold? If we put room temperature or warm butter on the lamb, once in the oven, it would simply slide off the lamb, taking the bread crumbs with it and no crust would be created. By using cold butter, it melts slowly and creates that fabulous crust.
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and cook for thirteen to fifteen minutes.
To test temperature, place the meat thermometer into the center of the lamb. Go in from the side, so you don’t disturb the crust. For medium-rare lamb, take out at 135 degrees. For medium lamb, take out at 145 degrees. You will rest the lamb five minutes before you cut it, so that will increase the temperature. You rest it because if you sliced it hot, all the juices would run out and you would be left with a dry, tough piece of meat. Once rested, slice the lamb between the bones, making chops. You can cut into single chops (cutting between every bone) or double chops (cutting between every two bones), it’s up to you.
What to serve with your delicious roasted rack of lamb? I like a chimichurri sauce and some pan roasted vegetables. But really, it is up to you. Serve with your favorite sauces and sides. As with any technique or recipe, the most important component is the cook’s heart. The heart is what creates delicious flavor.