TN: Too much lamb? Not for me

Great minds and a bit of coincidence. We did the rack of lamb thing at home on Saturday as well--although our's was done with an "Asian barbeque" sauce based on Hoisin sauce, honey, sugar, garlic, ginger and a smidge of Thai red curry paste. Winds up with a pleasant sweet crust and rare center. Served with a creamed fresh spinach and rice pilaf.

I pulled the cork on a 2000 Ch. Montlisseo (St. Emilion Grand Cru). It probably was a bit young. Nice dark color, long legs. Nose of cedar, oak and non-descript berries. Pleasant on the tongue, but no distinctive flavors--just smooth with hints of dark berries of some sort. Very laid back kind of wine. Not as tannic as I had anticipated. Went nicely with the lamb and was a long way from over powering it. $18.99.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Hi, Dale - Care to elaborate on that recipe please?

Tom S

Is that the "Paniolo" recipe from Hawaii ... 'cause it's been a house favourite at our place for years!

It's great how this group keeps inspiring new tasting experiences.

Cheers,

John Mavrak

Heaven!

Last week we were at dinner and I overhead a diner at the table next to us, in what is a remarkably nice but low-key restaurant, say "Oh yeah, I love lamb, and you put mint jelly on it..."

I guess if you're eating lousy lamb...

Dana

Salut/Hi Dana,

le/on Mon, 19 Apr 2004 19:48:29 -0700, tu disais/you said:-

Baaaa... (That's an enthusiastic "I agree")

(Shudder)

Actually, Dana, to be fair... in small quantities, and if you like vinegar (I don't), it CAN enhance but not, in my opinion Lamb. Unless I'm greatly mistaken, mint sauce was originally designed to go with a classic english dish of a boiled leg of mutton (caper sauce is also an accompaniment). Sounds horrid perhaps, to modern ears, but with mutton bred for eating, it's no more so than say boiled beef, or a pot au feu. However the mint sauce could cut through any greasiness of the meat - a fault to which mutton and (to a lesser extent) lamb can be prone. In middle eastern cooking, which is arguably the world's best lamb/mutton cookery, the use of lemon and/or mint are almost obligatory with lamb or mutton. And if you have both lemon _and_ mint, you end up with something functionally very close. Mint jelly, (IMNSHO) is an abomination, as it is neither minty enough, nor sharp enough. On the other hand, a true classic with a roast leg of lamb, is redcurrent jelly. And that IS magnificent with top class lamb - rather in the way that the french use stewed cranberries (their version - half way between cranberry and bilberry - called 'airelles') with a roast leg of venison.

I _have_ to say that I am completely at odds with the French over their treatment of lamb. I find that :- a) they like it far too young, it has little flavour and an unpleasantly gooey texture b) they like it with FAR too much garlic, which IMO completely masks what little flavour these baby lambs might have had. c) they often eat it so undercooked that the fat is hardly softeend and it is a deep red.

However, we do sometimes manage to get really good lamb, (one of our neighbours has a few on the hillside to keep down the grass) and that is a joy and delight. HUGELY expensive, though.

My own experience with lamb, which (without much modesty) is pretty extensive, leads me to suggest that with poor quality lamb, the best ways of dealing with it are from India and the middle east. Lamb and mutton, even if of pretty mediocre quality, curry up beautifully. Armenian meat and fruit or meat and vegetable casseroles are also magnificent, even with very moderate lamb. Good lamb is SO good, that the best way of eating it (as for all _top class_ meat) is with pellucid simplicity. Grilled or roast with a touch of salt and pepper and perhaps the tiniest hint of garlic, lemon and olive oil.

I'm salivating as I write this!

And there's no better wine match with top class lamb, than top class Médoc Bordeaux, at full maturity (IMO again).

Just remember that good Lamb is just for the eating!!! :-)

Can't tell you if that is the original source, but the wife found it in a "Cooking Light" magazine. It's definitely a keeper.

Half a cup of hoisin, quarter cup each of honey and sugar, 3 cloves garlic chopped or pressed, tablespoon of minced fresh ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of the curry paste.

Cut the lamb rack into double bone chops (frenched), baste with oil and the sauce and sear in a very hot skillet to seal all sides. Then dip whole chops in the sauce and spread on a rack over parchment on a cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or an internal temp of 120 degrees F.

Take the remainder of the sauce and heat to boiling in a small saucepan or microwave. Serve for dipping.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8

A recent addition to the shelves of US supermarkets is a product called "Craisins" which are slightly dessicated cranberries available in cello bags like raisins. Also in the frozen section, cans of concentrated cranberry juice. Makes it a snap for such enhancements of not only game meat but also quite nice with pork loin and as a base for some excellent fresh spinach salads with a raspberry viniagrette and some baked sugar-basted pecans.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Sounds like a fairly modest proposal to me.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" Smithsonian Institution Press ISBN #1-58834-103-8

I have a recipe for a grilled or barbecued butterflied leg of lamb which has been marinated in redcurrent jelly and orange juice (plus some garlic, oil, mustard etc) and is served with a similar sauce (no oil, diferent proportions), including fresh mint. I absolutely agree about the quality of the match.

I recently had roast saddle of lamb with Chateau Palmer 1982. Again, we agree. I have to say, though, that this was only possible through the generosity, taste and magnificent cellar of my host (this was in the UK in March).

--brian

Perhaps you live in a bad area for lamb. Here in normandy the lamb is excellent, either local, from the Manche or the best: salt-marsh lamb from the bay of Mont St Michel.

We eat our local lambs quite young, they are never gooey. And we eat them

Sorry to be disagreeable. :)

-E

P.S. Certainly agree about the expensive part, though. Phew.

Salut/Hi Emery Davis,

le/on Wed, 21 Apr 2004 12:18:06 +0200, tu disais/you said:-

Possibly, though Bellac is quite near and very important in French lamb circles.

best: salt-marsh lamb from

It certainly has an excellent reputation, though, as I say, it's often too young for my taste.

"Gooey" isn't the best word, "soft textured" might be better as a decription, about the same difference from the way I like it, as very young veal is from beef. I'm afraid it's not to my taste.

Can't agree AT all. The slimy texture - shudder. I _like_ rare lamb, don't get me wrong, but not the deep red colour. Nope, sorry. You've been too deepply contaminated!

Chacun à son goût, mon ami.

Especially when compared with the incomparable (grin) New Zealand Lamb we had when visiting Lord St H!

treatment of lamb.

I thought the Greeks were the ones that were tough on the little buggers.......;-)

too>deepply contaminated!

In that case I assume you wouldn't like my recipe for lamb carpaccio....(really)

Salut/Hi Bill Spohn,

le/on 21 Apr 2004 21:58:44 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

buggers.......;-)

As everyone knows, Bill, that's the Turks. (;-)))

Well, I would always try it (and I can't say fairer than that). However, the odds are that I wouldn't be too impressed. I've had a number of dishes with raw fish or meat, and with the exception of steak tartare, have never been hugely impressed. Gravlax, Ceviche, Carpaccio, sushi (where the raw fish is compounded by vinegared rice) and sashimi (though I _did_ have ONE I liked) they all have a similar sort of texture which I can't bring myself to like. The odd thing though, is that scotch smoked salmon, which almost has the same mouthfeel (a better expression than texture) is something I adore. But hey, who says I've got to be consistent?

I would like to see that recipe, if you don't mind posting it. I like my red meat ... RED.

Andy

Actually, it is just like regular carpaccio - lightly freeze a tenderloin so that you can shave it very thinly, lay it on a plate and then dress it with the usual EVO, capers, shaved Reggiano etc. Goes very well with acidic reds like Barberas.

I had them do this for a lunch - the people there might have had qualms about eating it had they known it was lamb, not beef, but loved it when they tasted it.

If you are worried about the feel of raw meat (Ian), you can convert this to a sort of ceviche by adding some lemon juice to what you dress it with, but it does tend to grey the meat and the appearance is decidedly inferior.