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 Tips“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, VideoFrom 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, Suggestions