Pistachio And Honey Crusted Rack Of Lamb Food

PISTACHIO CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 F. Trim any excess fat from the racks, leaving only a thin layer.
• Season the lamb generously with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the dried herbs over the lamb and gently press to adhere.
• In a large, heavy-duty skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the lamb racks, one at a time, about 2 minutes per side.
• Arrange the racks, bone side down, in a large roasting pan. Use a spoon to spread the Dijon mustard over the meaty surface of the lamb. Spread some over each end, but most of the mustard should remain on the top surface.
• Make the nut crust by combining the pistachios, breadcrumbs, melted butter , olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
• Divide the mixture evenly over each rack of lamb. Press gently with your fingers to make sure it adheres to the mustard.
• Roast the lamb to your liking, until a meat thermometer registers 120 F to 125 F for rare, or 130 F to 135 F for medium-rare, 18 to 21 minutes.
• Remove the lamb from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
• To serve, carve the racks between the bones to cut into chops. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

PISTACHIO CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Generously season each rack of lamb with herbes de Provence, salt, and black pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Place lamb in skillet and cook, browning on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer lamb to a foil-lined baking sheet; set aside.
• Stir pistachios, bread crumbs, butter, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a bowl. Spread mustard on the fat-side of each rack of lamb. Pat pistachio mixture on top of mustard. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden and lamb is pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

SEARED RACK OF LAMB WITH PISTACHIO TAPENADE

Steps:

• To make the pistachio tapenade: In a food processor combine the pistachios, olives, capers, garlic, herbs and puree. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until the mixture becomes a paste. Add the zest and pulse 1 more time, drizzling in more oil if necessary. Reserve until ready to use.
• Remove 2 rib bones from the 8 rib rack to make it a 6-rib rack. Counting from either end remove the 2nd and 7th bone. This will create 6 even chops that are thicker than a normal lamb chop. Cut 6 even chops and season them generously with salt and allow them to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan generously with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the lamb chops and cook for about 2 minutes on each side to brown. If the pan begins to smoke, lower the heat. The chops should be beautifully caramelized on both sides. Remove the chops to a sheet pan and schmear generously with the pistachio tapenade. Place in preheated oven and cook another 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare. Remove chops from oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

PISTACHIO-CRUSTED MOROCCAN RACK OF LAMB WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Rinse rack of lamb under cold water and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits between the bones and into the meat. (This will allow some of the spice blend to penetrate into the meat) Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with Ras el hanout and paprika. Allow to stand at room temperature while preparing the couscous.
• Rinse cilantro, parsley, and mint leaves. (Amounts listed above in ingredients are approximate, since I use a handful of each) Dry in paper towels, then roughly chop. Also roughly chop preserved lemon and dried apricot. **For most recipes that call for preserved lemon, thoroughly rinse off the salt and remove the pulp and seeds, using only the rind.** If you do not have preserved lemon, zest a whole lemon to add later while combining couscous ingredients.
• Grind pistachio nuts and combine with bread crumbs. (If your pistachios are salted, there is no need to add salt to the lamb before searing it).
• To prepare the Israeli couscous, melt butter in saucepan and sauté chopped onion until soft. Add the couscous and cook with the sautéed onion, then add the stock. If you do not have stock, use water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Cover and continue simmering about 8 minutes, until couscous is soft. Not all of the liquid will be absorbed. Empty contents into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with cold water, rinsing off the starch that was released during simmering. Return the rinsed and drained couscous back into the saucepan and reheat slightly.
• Prepare your lamb: Preheat oven to 375. If your pistachio nuts are unsalted, sprinkle rack of lamb with salt. Using an oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over moderately high heat. When oil is hot, sear the lamb rack until browned, about 5 minutes per side.
• Remove pan from heat. Slather both sides of lamb rack with pomegranate molasses. Then with meaty side of lamb rack up, pack nut crumb mixture on top. Place skillet in oven and roast until internal temp reaches 140 degrees F for rare, about 15-20 minutes. Then allow to stand a few minutes before carving.
• Combine couscous, preserved lemon or zest, apricot, pomegranate seeds, and chopped mint, cilantro, and parsley. If desired toss couscous with a splash of olive oil and a small amount of lemon juice from the zested lemon.
• Carve rack into 8 chops. Spoon couscous onto plate and arrange chops on top.
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• Preserved lemon: You will need a glass jar with an air-tight seal. Combine ~ a tablespoon of coriander seed with ~ a tablespoon of fennel seed. Place 1 bay leaf and 1 cinnamon stick in the bottom of glass jar. Have a small bowl of Kosher salt nearby. Slice lemons in quarters ALMOST down to stem end, but leave intact. Place coriander and fennel seed inside lemon and also fill with salt. Place cut side down into glass jar, squeezing as many into the jar as you can. As you squeeze them, some of the lemon juice is released, but not enough to fill the jar. Just continue packing in as many lemons as you can and add additional salt between layers of lemon. Top off with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Then refrigerate for a month. I think this is Jamie Oliver's technique, but there are many out there. He has also suggested doing this with other citrus, like limes and mandarin oranges. Meyer lemons work nicely. Some techniques suggest a layer of olive oil on top, and this works well, too.