Channeling Julia Child - Part 2: Lamb Shanks

As previously mentioned, I've been on a bit of a French food binge lately!!  And as promised, here's the "two" of the one-two punch of French deliciousness I promised, my lovelies: Lamb Shanks!  For the serious carnivores out there, this is the recipe for you :)

While I could eat mounds of ratatouille just by itself, I decided that this special harvest from the family's garden warranted an all-out feast.  And since I had lamentably neglected my kitchen for a few weeks between work and wrist surgery, I was jonesin' to spend an entire evening in an apron-wearing, sauce-reducing, wine-sipping euphoria!!

Lamb has always been one of my favorite proteins - with a few tricks it's easy to cook well, and it's a departure from the everyday trifecta of beef/chicken/pork monotony.  The only problem with lamb is that most cuts can be *ridiculously* expensive, even from places like Costco (which are cheaper...but also not that great!)  This is why the lamb shank is a thing of beauty - it's a cinch to cook, and you can usually find it for about $4-5/lb....which is cheaper than boneless/skinless chicken breasts in alot of places!  TIP:  Always ask your butcher the days that they order lamb to ensure you're getting the freshest cuts. 

In order to bring out the full flavor of the lamb shank, it's necessary to brown it before cooking in the oven.  (I highly recommend long sleeves for this part, because it's gonna spit sizzly-hot lamb goo at you!)  Make sure you get a nice golden brown crust on all 4 sides - this ensures that the thin outer layer of fat & fell (which is a thin, paper-like covering on most shank-style cuts) will break down nicely during cooking. 

Transfer browned shanks to a deep roasting/braising pan (a good 4" deep should do the trick!) and add in the veggies, wine & herbs. Be sure to use a good red...Chile produces a fantastic red called Carménère, which is part of the Cab family of grapes.  It has nice, soft tannins and ranges from plummy to curranty.  My two favorites that are widely available are Montemar Andes and Root 1. 

There's one secret to ensuring the cooking liquid is extremely flavorful:  Before adding the wine, pour it into a large saucepan, add the fresh herbs, and simmer for 10min.  This will ensure that the flavor of the herbs is integrated with the braising liquid, rather than two separate flavors.

My biggest challenge with cooking lamb shanks is not being able to dive in the second they come out of the oven, because seriously, the entire house smells ridiculously delish! But to get the perfect dish, there's still alot of work to do.  If you want some silky-smooth lamb gravy (of *course* you do!) you'll need to remove the shanks to a plate & keep them warm, and transfer the veggies to a serving dish.  Strain the remaining braising liquid into a saucepan, add a pat of butter and some cornstarch to thicken, and let it simmer for about 5-10min.  If there was a way to pump this sauce straight into my veins, I think I'd do it.

I served this with couscous cooked in half beef stock and half pomegranate juice and a nice, generous helping of ratatouille.  Voila!

I was blessed to share the evening with one of my favorite people in the whole wide world: my Mama!! She has been my "culinary guinea pig" for some time now, and despite the fact I utterly lack her magical ability to have all of the dishes ready at the same time and we seem to eat at about 10pm, we always have a blast :)  We paired the meal with a 2006 Domaine Chandon Les Collines Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir...and lots of laughter!!

I hope when you enjoy this meal that you have someone as wonderful as I did to share it with!

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(Addendum:  I can't believe I forgot! One of the best things about cooking lamb is the leftovers...the next day, I seared some fresh apricots in cloves and agave nectar, grabbed a nice crusty roll, found some peppery arugula, and made a killer lamb sandwich.  C'est magnifique!!)

Channeling Julia Child - Part 1: Ratatouille

I'm reasonably certain that with the amount of French food I've been cooking lately, my blood is now flowing with butter instead of Chianti.

Perhaps the inspiration has come from finally purchasing the collector's edition of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and part of it is hoping that if I keep making slow-cooked comfort food that Fall will finally arrive!  Either way - while I've been woefully remiss about posting for the last few months, I'm going to bring you a one-two punch of French deliciousness this time.

One of my favorite things about summer is the bounty from our garden - between Tiffane and my Auntie Diane graciously keeping me stocked with beautiful tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, eggplant and other tasty treats, I hardly have to spend any time in the produce section anymore :) These tomatoes are just incredible!! I've been known to stand over the sink, add a quick dash of Kosher salt, and just eat them standing up, juices running down my arm....and if this were a crime, I think everyone in my family would be locked up ;)

 

When you have access to vegetables this fresh, inspiration comes very easily...I took one peek at the bag of veggies and decided that it was about time for some Ratatouille.  I've made it many times before - tried a chunky version, and a more blended/incorporated version, but the texture and presentation were never quite right - it always ended up tasting great but looking like mushy baby food!  This time, I decided that I was going to try it in a pie dish, and for the "look" I turned to the Disney movie Ratatouille for inspiration (yes, you're free to mock me for getting my inspiration from a cartoon rat!) Those perfectly round slices, all overlapping so nicely, steam wafting off the top....THAT'S what I'd been missing!  I tracked down my mandolin, cued up the movie on Netflix, and went to town....and *finally* nailed it.  

One of the secrets to this dish is the layering - a layer of tomato paste on the bottom, a layer of thinly-sliced garlic, a layer of heirloom tomatoes, and a layer of eggplant...all before the zucchini and bellpepper layering begins! I made sure to drizzle each layer with a little bit of olive oil and fresh herbs - and the result was an incredibly moist, flavorful dish. 

I can't quite describe the feeling that comes over me when I take the first bite of a garden-to-table creation and I'm just transported to another place - when the tastes, textures and temperature all come together in a perfect symphony...The finished product:

So, since it's Labor Day weekend....take this opportunity to wear white one last time, then hit up your local farmer's market or roadside produce stand, get what's left of the summer tomato and squash harvest, and enjoy!!