Archive | March, 2010

Another Rack of Lamb Recipe

19 Mar

 I had made the same recipe for rack of lamb every time I bought one previously.  This time, however, I wanted to switch it up a bit.  I went with an Emerill recipe that included rosemary and balsamic vinegar.  Again, it was incredibly easy to make, and came out great!

Paired it with herbed Israeli cous cous.  Great counter to the meat.

When lamb is that perfect pink color, I get a little misty-eyed.

I think I liked this recipe even better than the other. That could have something to do with the other having mustard, however, the balsamic and rosemary were just perfect compliments for lamb.

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RECIPE
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Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt
  • 8 double lamb rib chops (4 ounces, 2 ribs, with bones attached), ribs frenched
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
  • 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken stock (or low-sodium canned chicken broth)
  • 1 large rosemary sprig (or 2 small sprigs)
  • 2 tablespoons butter

    • Cooking Directions

    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

    In a small bowl, combine olive oil, parsley, rosemary and 1 teaspoon of the minced garlic. Season with salt to taste and set aside.

    Set a 12-inch oven-safe sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the lamb chops liberally on all sides with the kosher salt and black pepper. Add 2 teaspoons of the oil to the sauté pan and place the lamb, fat side down, in the pan. Sear the lamb until the fat has rendered and the skin is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook the lamb, turning to cook evenly on each side, about 2 minutes on each side. Baste them with the herb and oil mixture.

    Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until the lamb has reached the desired degree of doneness, about 5 minutes for rare. (Alternatively, you can grill the lamb chops.)

    Make the balsamic reduction sauce while the lamb is roasting in the oven: Set a 10 inch sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shallots to the pan and sweat until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the remaining teaspoon of garlic to the pan and “sweat” for 30 seconds. Add the balsamic vinegar and rosemary sprigs to the pan and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock to the pan and continue to cook until sauce has reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Remove from the heat, remove the rosemary sprigs and swirl the butter into the pan. Keep sauce warm until ready to serve, but take care not to allow sauce to boil or it will separate.

    When the lamb has reached the desired degree of doneness, remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. To serve, slice each double chop in half, and drizzle with the balsamic reduction sauce.

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    Chicken (and Pork) in Mushroom Sauce

    17 Mar

    Sometimes you just need to make it up as you go along.  Mike did a great job with that when he pulled some leftover chicken out of the fridge and then made a sauce out of what was available in the fridge.  This mostly consisted of mushrooms, shallots, and wine.

    It wasn’t until post defrostation that Mike realized that he accidentally grabbed one freezer bag of chicken and one of pork.  No matter, the sauce went well with both (and maybe even better with the pork!)

    He also grabbed some frozen brussel sprouts and prepared them the way we usually do fresh ones plus mushrooms and minus pancetta. 

    It was a damn good quick prep meal with what we had laying around.

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    Valentine’s Day at Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse

    15 Mar

    The first time Mike and I celebrated my birthday as a couple, he took me to Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse (on 9th Ave near 34th Street, also locations in Bayside and on West 56th Street).  I have been to some of the best steak restaurants in the city, so I was slightly skeptical when he was taking me to one that was not only right near my apartment, but also right near Penn station… not exactly a hot bed of great food choices.  My skepticism was soon relieved, however, as we had a fantastic meal there.  The most memorable part was the king crab legs.  Wow were these good! The BEST I have ever had.

    So when Mike suggested we go back for a simple Valentine’s Day meal, I was totally game.  Uncle Jack’s also had been running a promotion that if you friended them on Facebook or added them on Twitter, they sent a $25 gift card. Score!  We were both more than happy to be fans after our last great meal.  I was also sent a “Lifestyle” card where I earn points for eating there.  It also happens to still be very close to our new apartment.  So… great last experience + gift card + rewards card + close to home = Valentine’s Day winner! They also didn’t have any crazy upcharged menu for the holiday AND promised a “free gift for the ladies” for dining on Valentine’s Day, so really this was the clear winner.

    They do not have menus, however, they do have a big chalk board with all their main meals.  We were VERY sad to see that king crab legs were not on the menu, but our server quickly cheered us back up by informing us it was on the Specials menu.   

    Score!  These were REALLY good, but not quite as good as last time.  Perhaps it was due to the seasonality.  We certainly enjoyed every last morsel, however.

    Choosing the steak was tough. I was really tempted to go with the Kobe (compared to other restaurants, it was much more affordable), however, I’m still not convinced if the big upcharge for Kobe is worth it.  I keep saying I should try it, but I chicken out when I try to determine if double the price is worth it.  So we went with the “signature dish”: The  for 2.  I do love me a porterhouse. It’s hard to beat a steak that has BOTH New York Strip and Filet in one. 

    This steak had the most amazing char I think I have ever tasted!  Throughout the meal, Mike and I were both trying to determine which of the two types of steak we liked better, but it was futile as they were both just SO GOOD.

    We went with creamed spinach on the side and they really do creamed spinach right. Big fan! 

    The worst part about the meal is when we had scraped every single last piece of edible material we could off the bone.  If I could have picked it up and noogled it, I would have!

    And what would a Valentine’s Day be, especially at a steakhouse, without dessert? Unfortunately, the dessert menu is not posted online… so I’ll have to do this from memory.  I’m sure the menu had much better titles, and now that it’s a month later, I probably don’t remember as clearly… but here we go.

    Mike went cheesecake.  It was exactly how I like cheesecake.  Not just thick cream cheese, but a little bit of a sour taste and more fluffy.  And the chocolate covered strawberry was definitely a great touch.

    I went with, what else? the chocolate souffle cake.  I honestly can’t remember if this center was perfectly gooey or just okay… I believe at this point we were two bottles of wine in plus an amaretto for dessert (Hey! It was a holiday!) so the memory is a bit fuzzy.  I wish it were more memorable either way… but I don’t remember being at all disappointed.

    We were promised a “special gift for the ladies” since it was Valentine’s Day.  Mike was hysterical as he asked for this and I received a little box of Russel Stover’s chocolates.  A nice little touch Uncle Jacks. Bravo.

    Uncle Jacks also has some other interesting specials that I really would like to try if I had more money and wasn’t now on Weight Watchers… (wait! NYC Nom Nom is on Weight Watchers?! Oh yes… more on that later though.)  On Tuesdays they have half priced bottles of wine (all bottles if you’re a “Lifestyles” member, which you can sign up for on the site). Wednesdays are “Wine Tasting Wednesdays” when they do free tastings at the bar for two hours in each location (with complimentary fruit and cheese platters!).  Then Thursdays are “Ladies and Gents Nights” where they have complimentary tastes of “manly drinks” (scotch, port, whiskey, and bourbon) and “girly drinks” (cocktails and martinis) while serving their signature appetizers between 5pm and 7pm in NYC (6pm and 8pm in Bayside).  Wow! How great does that sound?!  I’ll have to check it out more and try to be good.  I love that they do these fun promotions.  Someone on their marketing team is quite creative.

    Trust me, this place is great. Even without all the fun specials, it’s worth it. The fun specials just add more fun!  Try it… you won’t be disappointed.

    Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10

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