Until this past Easter, I had never prepared a rack of lamb because I was afraid. Not that I’m afraid of cute barn animals or of straying like a vegan might have concern, but I was afraid that I would waste all kinds of time and money and disappoint my brunch guests. I was afraid to fail preparing natural lamb, Colorado-raised lamb, in my own kitchen. In the back of my mind then, as I planned my menu, I strategized a Plan B just in case my mail order lamb didn’t turn out like I had planned.
I was intent on making something special for this Easter Brunch, something other than ham and eggs, something to delight my children and guests. Lamb was the one thing I hadn’t tried before, but armed with my recipe from a cookbook with great photography (that’s how we neophyte chefs assess a recipe as worthy), I scoured the grocery store for the ingredients I needed to make my Colorado lamb the centerpiece of the day’s entertainment.
Hours later, it took three trips from the car to transport my goods to the house. Many more hours later, I had made the homemade rolls and set the table. I’d been to the liquor store and borrowed heaps of serving pieces from my mother. It was nearly 5 a.m. by the time I’d fussed enough over everything to be ready for brunch the next morning. Knowing that I’d sleep right through any alarm, I vowed to stay up and keep on ticking. It wasn’t until I accidently locked myself out of the house on a last minute run to the grocery store that I realized I was not thinking clearly. The keys were inside; I was outside. I called my grown children’s homes using the cell phone reserved for work. No one answered. I called again and again. No answer. No answer. Brunch was due to start in one hour.
Thankfully, my employee answered my call and drove to my house to unlock my door.
The lamb was a huge hit, its savory scent filled the room, and while I’d doubled up on the quantity because I’m the type that always wants too much food on a brunch line rather than to run out of everything, every bit of my Colorado rack of lamb was eaten. The compliments, too, were all about the lamb. No one mentioned the vegetable tray, or the Eggs Benedict. No one asked for seconds on cupcakes from the hottest new bakery in town. The basket of homemade rolls never emptied out entirely; but the natural rack of lamb did.
And at the end of a long afternoon of tidying up, I vowed, I’m not waiting until next Easter to order another rack of lamb from Summit Creek Lamb. This Colorado-grown lamb was spectacular, succulent, savory.
Try my recipe, and see if you don’t agree:
2 racks of lamb (6 or 7 ribs each), trimmed
Of course, offer mint jelly as a garnish for this recipe. Some guests prefer natural Colorado lamb without the jelly, so let guests serve themselves in the buffet line. This mail order lamb from Summit Creek Lamb turned out to be the best Easter brunch I had ever prepared or for that matter better than any I’ve been to…even in a restaurant! And most importantly, my family loved it, loved it, loved it.
Posted in Colorado Lamb, Preparing Lamb, Rack of Lamb, Recipe, Serving TipsRaised in Colorado, the flavor is Superior to lamb raised elsewhere
Lamb lovers have another reason to buy from Summit Creek Lamb: A recent study shows that customers prefer the taste of American lamb to imported lamb.
According to a recent study, customers prefer American Lamb to imported lamb; they ranked it superior in terms of quality, taste and healthfulness (Source: Synovate Study 2004). Summit Creek Lamb’s Colorado lamb and Rocky Mountain lamb is raised with no growth stimulants or added hormones, meaning the best quality and taste comes through in every bite.
American lamb is fresher, for obvious reasons: It doesn’t have to travel as far. Summit Creek lamb is hand-selected, and is shipped to you fresh from Summit Creek Lamb’s USDA-HAACP certified facility. Summit Creek Natural Lamb prides itself on raising the best of the best Colorado-raised lamb. Once the lambs reach market size, they are moved from the high Rockies to Summit Creek’s expansive feed yards where they are grain-fed, a process that adds to the animals’ mild flavor and texture. As a result, Summit Creek Natural Lamb is the choice of America’s best chefs and restaurants.
The differences between American lamb and imported lamb go beyond freshness. First and foremost is the taste. How does American Lamb get this great mild, buttery flavor? It’s how the lamb is raised. American Lamb are fed a combination of mixed grains and mixed grasses; this feed contributes to a milder flavor and less gamey texture than imported lamb that are fed a diet of mixed grasses only.
Summit Creek Lamb is bred primarily for quality meat. Imported lamb is bred primarily for quality wool. Summit Creek Lamb reflects this difference in its overall superior quality to that of imported lamb. Consumers and chefs prefer the mild, delicate flavor and tender texture of Summit Creek Natural lamb. With its broad range of cuts, lamb has become the center-of-the-plate favorite at fine dining establishments.
American Lamb, such as Summit Creek Lamb, yields more meat on the bone than imported lamb. A 2002 study reported that the eye of an American Lamb rib chop provides 38% more meat than Australia and New Zealand rib chops. Also, the cost of American Lamb is comparable to that of other premium meats (Source: Genho, M.R. 2002 Enhancing the retail market for American Lamb. M.S. Thesis, CSU).
For those who want to serve Summit Creek Natural Lamb, it is available to order at summitcreeklamb.com. You will also find mouth-watering Summit Creek Lamb recipes as well as gift boxes to choose from.
Summit Creek Lamb has been a family business since Larry Rule launched his livestock business in 1950. The Rule family has spent years developing lasting relationships with premier lamb growers.
Posted in Colorado Lamb“Top Chef” contestant Dale Levitsky introduced the TV food world to Colorado lamb when he was a finalist on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” on October 3, 2007. The 30-year-old Chicago native outlasted 11 other contestants, surviving each double challenge in the 13 episodes leading up to the final cook-off in a two-episode finale.
The cooking competition aired on Bravo between June and October 2007. Fifteen contestants spent most of their time at Miami’s Fontainebleau Hotel concentrating on ingredients such as seafood and tropical produce as the field was whittled down to six contenders. When the competition was moved to New York’s famous Le Cirque restaurant the six were surprised to find that their next challenge was to stop at the Continental Airlines kitchen and prepare a meal that could be pre-prepped, re-warmed and served by the cabin crew to the business class passengers. Dale’s steak au poivre was just good enough to make the cut and his truffle honey chicken at Le Cirque earned him a place in the finals in Aspen.
The four semi-finalists were challenged to create a mid-day dish based on fresh trout snagged from Aspen’s Frying Pan River followed by the evening’s contest: elk for 45 hungry cowboys and cowgirls at the Aspen Mountain Resort. Dale’s seared elk loin, cauliflower and fingerling potatoes with a huckleberry demi-glace were deemed best and he advanced with two other contestants to the next day’s final test. The challenge was simple—cook the best meal they had ever made. The menu was to be planned as a three-course meal, but a last-minute challenge was to add a fourth.
Dale chose a fois gras mousse for his first course, seared scallops for the second and lobster with corn, mushrooms and gnocchi in a curry jus for number three. For his pièce de résistance, Dale chose Colorado lamb.
Starting with a frenched rack of Colorado lamb, Dale coated it with a dry rub and let it set overnight in the refrigerator. On the big day, he prepared a duck fat dip and dropped the seared lamb into it, letting it set until perfectly medium-rare. While the lamb was cooking, Dale made the side dish of eggplant purée, tomatoes and squash.
Dale’s choice of Colorado lamb for his centerpiece was a good one. Colorado’s clear, unpolluted mountain air and the presence of natural pastures for grazing result in lamb that is generally credited with being the mildest and most flavorful available. Summit Creek Natural Lamb prides itself on raising the best of the best Colorado-raised lamb. Once the lambs reach market size they are moved from the high Rockies to Summit Creek’s expansive feed yards where they are grain-fed, a process that adds to the animals’ mild flavor and texture. As a result, Summit Creek Natural Lamb is the choice of America’s best chefs and restaurants.
The final judgment found Dale in a virtual tie with Las Vegas chef Hung Huynh. Hung’s first and third courses were deemed best and Dale’s scallops and Colorado lamb topped the second and fourth. In a controversial decision the judges awarded first place to the often abrasive Hung. When asked if any of the dishes prepared by the other contestants stood out in his mind, even Hung relented with a half-compliment, unlike his usual demeanor, “I tasted Dale’s lamb dish and it was excellent.”
For those who want to serve Summit Creek Natural Lamb it is available to order at summitcreeklamb.com.
Posted in Colorado Lamb, Rack of LambLamb can be prepared in many interesting ways as the attached video from the 2006 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen shows. In the video, we watch Chef Wolfgang Puck preparing Colorado rack of lamb. He uses some interesting ingredients, such as soy sauce, ginger and honey in addition to some other more common lamb seasoning ingredients to give the rack of lamb unique flavor appeal. He points out that soy sauce when used in a marinade tenderizes meat. Note, however, that with Summit Creek Natural Lamb, the rack of lamb is already quite tender due to the grain ration the lamb receives prior to going to market. This grain ration also tends to impart a mild flavor to the meat. Chef Puck browns the meaty side of the rack at high temperature in a skillet before roasting in the oven. This tends to seal in the juices and give the meat an appetizing exterior color. Note that Chef Puck says to let the rack “rest” before serving (so be careful not to overcook it because it will continue to cook while resting). As you can see, the rack is cooked to a mouthwatering medium rare. Bon apetit! ( For your next party or special event, you can find Summit Creek Natural Lamb gift boxes available for delivery right to your door at www.summitcreeklamb.com.)
Posted in Preparing Lamb, Rack of Lamb, Serving Tips, VideoBy Gil Whiteley
Certified Wine Sommelier
The great thing about lamb is that is so versatile, you can pull almost any big red out of your cellar and open it, and the experience is different each time. Here are some can’t miss suggestions.
Kendall-Jackson 2004 Meritage Vintner’s Reserve: retail $12
McWilliams Hanwood Estate 2006 Shiraz: retail $12
2004 Ray’s Station Vineyards North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon: retail $15
2005 Martín Codáx “Ergo” Tempranillo Rioja: retail $15
2006 La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir: retail $22
Montevina Terra d’Oro Deaver Vineyard 100 year old vines 2004 Zinfandel: retail $30
2003 Terrabianca Campaccio Selezione 50% Cabernet Sauvignon 50% Sangiovese, Super Tuscan: retail $68
Clarendon Hills 2005 Syrah Bakers Gully: retail $70 NOTE: This is my favorite
Cignale 2003 Colli Della Toscana Centrale 90% Cab 10% Merlot: retail $110 - Wow!
Clarendon Hills 2005 Astralis Syrah: retail $350 – When only the best is called for.
Posted in Lamb and Wine, Serving Tips, SuggestionsColorado lamb is often thought to be some of the highest quality lamb available. The main factors bringing about this high quality are Colorado’s favorable climate and its high quality lamb genetics. These factors work together to optimize the lambs’ quality. Most lambs are born in the pristine mountain pastures where the air is pure, the vegetation plentiful, and the temperatures comfortable—helping to minimize stress to the animals and allow them to grow at nature’s pace. Lambs grown in Colorado are meatier than lambs grown in many other states due to the optimal growth environment and unique genetics.
The seeds of what is now Summit Creek Natural Lamb today began in Colorado almost 50 years. Many of the company’s lamb ranches are located in Colorado and produce a steady stream of high quality animals. Its feed yards consisting of acres and acres of open space–where around 10,000 to 30,000 lambs receive a grain ration before going to market–are located in Brighton and Brush, Colorado. The grain ration contributes to the animals’ mild flavor and tender texture. Summit Creek Natural Lamb is the choice of many of the finest restaurant chefs in the United States.
For those who want to serve Summit Creek Natural Lamb at their next party or special event, gift boxes of this high quality lamb are available from their website at summitcreeklamb.com.
Posted in Colorado Lamb, SuggestionsBy Gil Whiteley
If I prepare a special meal and I want to impress my guests, I use Summit Creek Natural Lamb Chops or Rack of Lamb, period. It doesn’t get any better than that for me. I recently broiled a couple of racks with a dry rub (recipe below) for New Years Eve dinner. I never go out on New Years—amateur night on our highways. First, you can’t drink a bottle of wine and drive. But even if you are sober, drunken people will crash into you. Still, New Years is special, and to me that means serving lamb. This New Years, I served an extravagant bottle of Clarendon Hills 2005 Astralis Syrah, which has a street value of around $350.00. In 2007, Astralis was the highest rated wine in the world. I only drink it with lamb, although it goes terrifically with other things.
Clarendon Hills is in Southern Australia where lamb is what they eat five days a week. The wines of that region are grown to accompany lamb—perfectly paired for any dinner highlighting lamb. Summit Creek Natural Lamb is a perfect choice for the complex unfiltered wine of Clarendon Hills, which can make a great meal memorable. No skimping here.
It’s funny but my favorite wines with lamb are from what I refer to as the mostly overlooked red grapes: Syrah/Shiraz, Grenache, Zinfandel, Sangiovese and the newly discovered, in America at least, Pinot Noir. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, a nice Spanish Rioja, maybe a Meritage style blend, or even a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, all can be incredible with lamb.
These wines—big luscious fruit—have enough heart to stand up to and enhance the rich flavor you find in lamb. When shopping for wine for lamb think big, but give a try to some of the grapes you don’t always reach for. It should be special, and not the same ol’ same ol’.
Lamb allows us to experiment with so many great wine varietals, and the same preparation of you lamb can be a completely unique experience by just changing your wine selection. Experimenting with different wines can be a luxury, but also an adventure in your wine life. The rules set down by the wine geeks (that would be me to an extent) can be limiting.
It’s your palate and pleasing your palate is all that is necessary. Don’t be afraid to try a buttery Chardonnay or a Rose Brut Champagne with lamb either. Lamb is one of our great culinary treats, and should always be looked on as such. It’s a staple comfort food for much of the planet, and at its best it stands alone.
If I had to match a wine with lamb tonight, I’d head back to Clarendon Hills and open a 2005 Bakers Gully Syrah, it’s about $70.00 a bottle, but is in the top five bottles of wine I’ve opened (about 600 Bottles) in the past eight months. The Lamb? That’s easy, Summit Creek, of course.
Gil Whiteley is a sommelier and has been writing about wine for the past 10 years, he is currently the wine columnist for Wild Blue Yonder, the in flight magazine of Frontier Airlines. Gil discusses wine regularly on his radio show; Gil Whiteley, Sports and More, on 1510-AM, Mile High Sports Radio in Denver.
Posted in Colorado Lamb, Lamb and Wine, Preparing Lamb, SuggestionsBy Gil Whiteley
I’ve owned and operated several restaurants over the years; I’m a chef by necessity, a sommelier by trade and I’m devoted to finding perfect pairings of wine and food. Most people have never had a perfect pairing, or not taken the time to notice what wine best compliments the fare served. But in my business One plus One can equal Three or if you’re extremely lucky, Four, when done right.
I was early in my teens before I first tasted lamb, coming from a lower-middle-class family. Both of my parents worked every day of their lives while I was growing up. It was only later in their lives that they actually got to enjoy more of a lifestyle. Food was consumed for survival in our house; it was rarely celebrated or enjoyed. To this day, I still refuse to go into a restaurant that advertises, “Just like Mom made.”
My sister Mary requested lamb for our family dinner on her 16th birthday (May of 1960; I was almost 12). Our family tradition was to allow the birthday boy or girl to ask for a special meal—within reason—on birthdays. I was introduced to steak the same way a couple of years earlier when my older brother asked for it. Mary had eaten lamb at one of her friends’ houses and loved it.
The taste of lamb made me pause. It seemed exotic, not that I knew what exotic meant back then, but my thoughts understood the concept. My sister was an excellent cook, and I always loved it when she had time to make dinner. It somehow was just better.
I remember thinking, “Wow!” I’m not sure what cut of lamb we had—most likely a roast or a leg—but I couldn’t believe how good it was! It looked like beef, but had such an elegant flavor that I couldn’t put my finger on it. My father was of English heritage, and insisted we have a mint sauce or jelly with our inaugural lamb, and, boy, was he right. I’d never had jelly with meat before either, but I remember thinking on that day that food was a wonderful world I was about to discover.
Just a few short months later, I had lamb again on my 12th birthday because I requested that my sister prepare it just as she did for her own birthday. I’m not sure what she did because it was even better. My romance with lamb had a dramatic beginning. And to this very day when I have lamb (and that’s once or twice a week), it’s special…every time. It’s my twelfth birthday all over again. I can tell you now that we weren’t enjoying the quality lamb that only an all natural Summit Creek Lamb provides. I liked lamb from the beginning, but now I love it.
Imagine my delight when I discovered Summit Creek Natural Lamb—a perfect blend of nature and control of our otherwise toxic environment. Summit Creek lambs consume nothing but the finest natural nutritional feed. The end result is consistency of product—perfect lamb every bite, every time. When you come down to it, stability is all we can hope for. And once you discover Summit Creek Natural Lamb and learn that you never have to fear a lapse in consistency, it’s reassuring to know that you can rely on the same great meat each and every time. Lamb you buy in a supermarket can be as inconsistent as a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck, so in order to make your wine choices easy, you need to narrow down your options by buying a controlled, but all-natural cut of lamb from Summit Creek. It is only that way you can have the confidence of serving the very finest meal possible.
Gil Whiteley is a sommelier and has been writing about wine for the past 10 years, he is currently the wine columnist for Wild Blue Yonder, the in flight magazine of Frontier Airlines. Gil discusses wine regularly on his radio show; Gil Whiteley, Sports and More, on 1510-AM, Mile High Sports Radio in Denver.
Posted in Colorado Lamb, Preparing LambFrom the Lamb Guru…
Preparation of lamb: Many people think lamb is a mystery meat that is difficult to prepare. The guru prepares lamb all the time and knows preparation is easy. You just have to follow a few simple steps:
The Guru’s Suggestions…
*butterfly—cut boneless leg open lengthwise so thickness is somewhat uniform (for more even cooking).
Posted in Lamb Cutlets, Lamb Guru, Lamb Legs, Lamb Selection, Lamb Shanks, Lamb Steaks, Loin Chops, Preparing Lamb, Rack of Lamb, SuggestionsAn idyllic mountain environment means better-tasting lamb at the center of the plate
With more than 300 days of sunshine a year, lush mountain meadows, and cool temperatures, it is easy to see why Colorado raises some of the best-tasting lamb in the world. This pristine environment suits the animals well and makes for meaty carcasses. Summit Creek lamb has its beginnings high in the Rocky Mountains and is all-natural–raised with no added stimulants or hormones.
While far-away countries such as New Zealand and Australia lead the world in quantity of lambs produced, these lambs have historically been produced for wool, not meat. These foreign lambs are raised in an environment different from that of the Rockies and they typically do not receive the grain finishing that Summit Creek lambs get. All Summit Creek lambs are carefully fed a finishing mixture of grains and legumes, which makes for tender, mild-flavored cuts. The lambs are never fed animal protein. Domestic lamb can be found throughout much of the United States but is most commonly found in Texas, California, Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado and Utah.
Colorado’s climate and altitude are idyllic for raising lamb. The state has unparalleled weather and long growing seasons that allow the lambs to put on optimum amounts of weight. The Rocky Mountains yield hundreds of thousands of acres of open pastures for grazing, making for robust, well-fed lambs. The Colorado Rockies offer a pristine and healthy environment in which to raise lambs, minimizing stress on the animals. With plentiful grazing areas and water, Colorado is the natural, easy answer to raising tender, meaty lamb.
Lamb is an excellent source of protein, vitamin B-12, niacin, zinc and iron. One 3-oz. portion of lamb provides 48% of the recommended protein for one day for an adult.
Summit Creek Natural Lamb is perfect for that memorable dinner or wedding you are planning!
Posted in Colorado Lamb