..and sooner than usual actually. I remember thinking it was odd that winter just skipped over spring this year? It got warm so quick. so Josh and I thought the sacrificial lamb would make a good burger test for this week. Its springtime in New York. I'm thinking some tasty spring lamb, sweet [Italian] Easter bread or challah bread, march madness, mets games and the opening of the new coney island. It was time to pull out the goods cause spring always brings me to the end of fatty wintery hibernating food and into the lightness of the food in the spring season. Lamb is still a favorite Easter or Passover meal centerpiece. Not just because its pretty when it gets all dark and crispy around the edges from the dripping fat when it cooks. but it tastes so damn good too.
To break it down I thought about what goes best with lamb. There are 2 regions I can think of where you can derive a damn good lamb recipe. the Mediterranean/Asia (cumin, feta, ) and the UK countryside (vinegar, chips, mint). I decided on a mash up between the Breslin's lamb burger (with a thin slice of feta, and a few thin slices of red onions on a ciabbatta roll) and Chef Jonathan Sawyers Green House Tavern lamb burger in Cleveland OH.
...minced shallots are such a good addition to beef or lamb burgers and makes them instantly better and brings out their natural smoky flavor. definitely under utilized. Chef Jonathan sawyer who I got to stage with in Cleveland came up with very nice version. a rustic looking crispy and medium grilled Ohio lamb burger topped with champagne minced shallots, and stinky cheese fonduta. this rustic burger is on POINT!!
lamb burger
we settled on some local New York lamb shoulder for the burger since it's good and fatty. so the shoulder (chuck) because its not an area where the lamb uses much during life is pretty fatty and marbly. which makes for a good burger. An hour before I throw the patty on the grill, I shape it into a nice 1/3 lb disk. you don't want an already salted burger inside to sit or it will suck out the moisture too early. The only ingredient I add is a few dashes of sea salt while I shape it into a disk and pop in the freezer for 40 minutes or until just starting to freeze around the edges. heat up the grill with a tablespoon of grape seed oil. a good oil fior burning at higher temperatures. top the burger with a few grinds of salt and black pepper on both sides right before you place on the grill. [now wash your hands if you haven't done so already ] press down on the meat with your finger. when it bounces back with a little give, its just short of medium. let that be your guide next time you do burgers and see how you do. while its still hot, I prop it up to rest for a few minutes. then I poke a teeny hole with a knife on the bottom, in case any juices need to escape. and to help not sopping the bottom bun up with juice.
from bottom to top. grilled challah, cumin mayo, 1/3 lb NY ground lamb shoulder, feta, shallots, mint oil. One of our best yet!
At the end of last weeks tasting, our recent photographer Tom Chalfour, who's a cameraman for HGTV on the show Kitchen Cousins, where they gut out and re-do Kitchens for homeowners, arrived with a set of a nice film equipment, newly purchased. For personal use and to rent out and such. The night ended with beers on Josh's roof, one floor up...and the killer foggy views above Chinatown and the lower east side.
Tom set up a few lights and a mic and started rolling. A very good night
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| Josh & I |
cumin mayonnaise
it doesn't take a chef to make your own mayo. But it does take a little concentration. If you own a food processor, you can do a simple emulsion. With your processor running and all ingredients mis en place, poor a thin steady stream of 1/2 cup peanut oil and 1/2 cup olive oil over 1 egg yolk, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon of dry or brown mustard. have a shot full of water and/or white vinegar or lemon juice standing by to cut the emulsion when it gets too thick and clumpy. you'll go back and forth from thin to thick this way, adding more oil then more acid and so on. add a few dashes of salt. taste it. Once its a light canary yellow and creamy and smooth and perfectly thick, its done. [ The reason making your own mayo as opposed to buying it is not even for the health benefits so much as to add a vinegar pucker flavor that you don't get in store bought mayonnaise.] frankly, you'll know how good it is when you've tried it.
I toast 2 teaspoons of whole cumin on a pan on medium high and shake it around a few minutes minutes so as not to burn it. when whole dried spices like cumin, peppercorns, or rosemary sit in jars, they get stale and dodgy. so when making, for example, a rub for a roast, where you need ground herbs like these, it's always useful getting them hot on a pan for a few minutes before grinding them up. the heat will wake them up and bring out the natural aroma's again. after a few minutes take it off the heat and let cool for a second and blitz them up into a powder in a nut grinder or bullet grinder. notice the difference in how pungent the aroma is. toss the cumin and 1 cup of your mayo in a blender or whisk by hand. It may taste intense on it's own, depending on your sensitivity for cumin, but with lamb and/or crispy salty fries, it can be heavenly. Add a little garlic powder if you want. make your shallots..
red wine vinegar minced shallots
Mince up 2 shallots. toss them into a bowl with 1/2 cup red wine vinegar a half teaspoon of sugar and a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. stir and use now or save for later. these can be made on the spot or before hand kept in the fridge. because its a pickle it lasts for a while. feel free to make a big batch and keep them in tupperware. grab a small handful and squeeze out the juice and throw them on a salad or sandwich. you'll see...
mint oil
this is a simple minty vinegar/oil that I altered from a Jamie Oliver 'rack of lamb with mint oil' recipe. I took this recipe and started making lamb lollipops when I was catering small parties. Nothing like a rack of lamb, all seared browned and thrown in the oven for a few minutes. then slice lengthwise along the bone. The lamb pops made a perfect passed hors d'oeuvres at my dinner parties with a side of mint oil for dipping.
in a blender or food processor or bullet, add a large handful of mint leaves, 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or peanut oil and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar. blend to your desired consistency. I like it mostly smooth with a few small lumps. feel free to mix in some of your vinegar shallots. its all bright green and lovely together. save this and use it on virtually any roasted veggies.
On a March Madness note...North Carolina should win tonight and when they do I hope they beat the CORNfed Holes off Ohio State next week. no joke. Ohio State is like the Patriots of college basketball. they also beat my alma mater Cincinnati Bearcats, who's talent actually worked for them this year. Nice season boys!
Ive seen this Michael Jackson for the 2nd time now on the 1 and A trains going uptown from Columbus Circle... keep an eye out. he's fun to watch. Red Thriller jacket, black pants, white sox ,loafers, moonwalk, jerry curl and all. This guys on point!
Come and cook for me please~
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