How to French a Rack of Lamb

Lamb is one of those love it or hate it types of meats.  Some people can't stand the gamey-ness of it (my husband and I would be some of those people) - but then there's people who love it!  Having the lamb at the restaurant I work at is a whole different story.  It doesn't taste gamey at all.  So maybe all these years I was avoiding lamb because I just wasn't buying the right kind!

I decided to give it another go, despite my husband's weird looks.

Frenching is just basically removing any excess fat from the rib bone, leaving a beautiful chop leftover.  It just makes the rack look more appealing!  A lot of times, you'll find that when you buy a rack of lamb, the butcher has already frenched it for you.  However, I think if you ever run into the problem of needing to french something on your own, this is a valuable skill to have! 

It's a bit of work, but once you get the hang of it, it's like riding a bicycle!

1. Assuming you just have one half of the rib cage and not the whole thing, start by pulling at the natural seams on the surface of the rack to remove the natural layer of fat from the meat.

2. Make an even cut through the fat, perpendicular to the ribs and about 1 inch from the rib eye.  Flip over and do the same thing on the other side.

 

3. Score the center of each rib bone from the perpendicular line.  Place your thumb in between each rib bone and press down.  The majority/all of the fat/meat should come cleanly off the rib bone.  Repeat for each bone until all are clean.  Make sure to get them as clean as possible, because leaving any meat or fat on the bones will discolor them during the cooking process, giving you a less pretty product.

 

 

4. Trim away any excess fat covering, leaving a thin layer to protect the meat while cooking.  You can also trim the fat completely if you want a leaner piece of meat.  Sear and roast as is or cut into chops to grill - the choice is yours! 

We ended up going to a friends house and grilling them with some Moroccan spices (allspice, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, nutmeg).  They were oh, so tasty!  Have a great rest of your weekend guys!

Grilled Veal Chops w/ Mushroom Ragout

How's everybody's week going so far?!

I don't know about you, but I've kinda been draggin' a little bit.  I just need a burst of energy from somewhere to get me back into the groove! 

School has been great so far this week.  We're doing galantines and balantines which are pretty cool.  They're basically a deboned poultry bird stuffed with a forcemeat (like a sausage or pate).  Pretty tasty, if you ask me!

Anyway, we hadn't done much grilling since the beginning of the spring because it's been so hot, but yesterday, I just couldn't resist.  Andy's first reaction to this dish? "You need to stop making salads and go be the actual chef somewhere.  I really feel like I'm eating out right now!"  How awesome is that?!  And trust me, he wasn't just saying that because he's my husband - he gives me honest criticism all the time!  Hehe.  Anyway, if you want to fix something special that doesn't really require too much fuss, this is your dish!


Ingredients:

2 8 oz. veal chops
olive oil, for brushing
salt and pepper, to taste

Mushroom Ragout:


3 slices bacon, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 leek (white part only), julienned
1 cup pearl onions
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 cup white wine
1 cup demi-glace (if you don't want to go through all that trouble, you could always buy one of those demi-glace packets at the store, I won't judge!)
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
salt and pepper, to taste

Start by making your ragout.  In a large saute pan, render the bacon under medium high heat until slightly crisp.  Add garlic, shallot, leek, pearl onions, and thyme.  Saute until just tender.

Add the mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add demi glace and reduce to your desired consistency, about 10-15 minutes. 

Stir in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat a grill under medium high heat.

Brush the veal chops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill chops to desired doneness - a medium rare/medium is about perfect for me!

Serve chops over a bed of mashed potatoes and a side of vegetables.  Top with mushroom ragout and enjoy!

This was seriously one of the best meals I've ever made.  So simple, yet so refined at the same time.  Maybe I'm just getting better as the days go by, eh?  Hehe!

Have a great rest of your day guys!