Grilled Butterflied Leg Of Lamb

How was your Labor Day weekend? Ours was good -- we got a bunch of stuff done around the house and ran a lot of errands. I also did a lot of cooking and baking. It was nice to check stuff off our never-ending list, but we didn't want a weekend of all work and no play, so on Monday afternoon we headed down the street -- with Gunner in tow -- to have dinner with Emily and her husband, Christopher.

I was recently contacted by the Tri-Lamb Group and asked if I was interested in hosting three lamb dinners as part of a lamb supper club. The group would provide the lamb, any additional ingredients needed, and the recipes, and all I'd have to do is cook the lamb and find friends to share it with. It sounded like a great deal to me, so I signed right up. My first lamb shipment arrived on Friday. I came home from work to find a huge package waiting for me in the mailroom. The package consisted of an equally large cooler, packed with ice, a large leg of lamb, and all the ingredients I'd need to prepare the lamb -- right down to the salt and pepper. I left the lamb in the fridge until Sunday night when I planned to butterfly and marinate it.

Jeff actually ended up being the one to butterfly the lamb. We watched a couple videos on YouTube, and then he set to work.

The main point of butterflying the lamb is to get it to relatively the same thickness throughout so that it cooks evenly. Considering neither of us had even had a leg of lamb in our possession before (and we don't have the right knife for the task), I thought he did a great job.

After he butterflied the lamb, I marinated it in an Asian-inspired marinade of soy sauce, ginger, honey, and Anaheim chiles.

On Monday afternoon, we took it to Emily and Christopher's house, and Christopher perfectly grilled up the leg of lamb. We snacked on some flatbread and spreads that Emily had made while we waited for the lamb to cook, and then we ate the lamb with a salad Emily made and some simply grilled scallions.

It was just the right meal to commemorate the unofficial end of summer.

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb (from the Tri-Lamb Group)

Ingredients

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons ground ginger
3 to 4 Anaheim chiles, thinly sliced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat)
1 (5- to 7-pound) boneless butterflied leg of lamb
Canola oil (for grill)
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 bunches green onions
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Whisk soy sauce, honey, ground ginger, and chiles in small bowl.

Place lamb in large plastic zip-top bag or large pan, and pour marinade over lamb. Seal the bag or wrap the pan in plastic, and transfer the lamb to the fridge. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight if time allows. (If you put the lamb in a pan, be sure to flip it occasionally.)

When ready to grill, remove lamb from marinade and set on tray.

On a gas grill, turn all burners to high, close lid and heat until hot, about 15 minutes. Scrape grates clean and brush with oil.

Grill lamb, fat side down, 25 to 35 minutes total, turning halfway through cooking, depending on desired doneness, about 145 degrees for medium rare and 160 degrees for medium.

Remove from grill and loosely cover with foil. Let rest about 15 minutes, and thinly slice.

While the lamb is resting, toss green onions with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until charred, about 3 minutes.

If you don’t have a grill, try this easy alternate cooking method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat large ovensafe grill pan over medium-high heat, brush with vegetable oil. Place leg of lamb in skillet and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Place skillet in oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg reaches 145 degrees for medium-rare or 160 degrees for medium, depending on desired doneness, about 25 to 35 minutes.

Serve lamb with charred green onions.

We had a fun visit with Emily and Christopher, and Gunner and Sadie had a great time playing at our feet while we enjoyed dinner.

The Tri-Lamb Group provided everything I needed for this lamb recipe. As always, my opinions are my own. I love lamb and truly enjoyed this preparation. I can't wait for my next lamb supper kit.

A quick note about the Tri-Lamb Group: "The Tri-Lamb Group is a collaborative initiative between United States, Australia, and New Zealand lamb producers to enhance demand for lamb in the United States. The group is currently working with health professionals and consumers to increase their awareness of the nutritional value of lamb and its place in a healthy American diet."

What did you do this weekend? And do you ever cook lamb at home?

Pequod - Chicago Deep Dish and some Touristy Activities

When going to Chicago there are so many incredible food options, but one of the most basic is also the most delicious: Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. When you ask for recommendations you can get any number of names, including the original Pizzeria Uno.  However, when I asked my friend C, who we were staying with, where to go for some good deep dish, without hesitation she suggested Pequod's Pizza. 

Chicago Deep Dish

When we were seated at our table, we noticed that not only was Pequod's C's recommendation, it was actually just named the Best Pizza in Illinois by Food Network Magazine.  With those types of endorsements I knew we would be in for a treat. 

Pequod is actually the name of the boat in Moby Dick, thus the whale!

After a busy day of touring, I was starving by the time we sat down and was ready to eat something.  Nick left the decision making to me and after a bit of hemming and hawing over what greasy deliciousness to order, I settled on the mozzarella sticks.  The breading was crispy and well seasoned and the dipping sauce also had a lot of flavor, making these very tasty!

Mozzarella Sticks

Nick and I both opted for our own "make your own" deep dish pizzas since we have a bit of a difference in opinion on what makes a good topping!  While he went with green olives, I chose mushrooms and pepperoni (I have never met a pizza with these toppings I haven't fully enjoyed).  As we waited for the pizzas to arrive, I was even happier we ordered the appetizers - I had forgotten just how long a good deep dish takes.  Soon enough our pizzas arrived tableside in the pan and out server was kind enough to cut us the first piece. 

Pizza!

With all the cheesy goodness, it was a good thing she cut the first piece - I think I would have made an absolute mess.  While the toppings were good, the pizza crust was amazing.  I had forgotten how good a real deep dish pizza was.  Pequod's actually warns you on the menu about their crust, because I am sure some people think it's burnt.  This is definitely NOT the case.  According to Pequod's, and to which I can attest, the crust is caramelized from being cooked in the pans that have been used over many years.  This adds a whole other level to the pizza slice. 

Caramelized crust

After two slices, I was completely stuffed, but completely satisfied.  I still love traditional East Coast pizza, but sometimes there's nothing like a good deep dish pie.  Can anyone recommend a good pan pizza in Boston?  I will need a fixing soon! 



During our extended stay in Chicago, we got to see some of the sites that I didn't have time for on my many previous visits.  Our first stop was The Bean, a fully reflective monument that is literally shaped like a giant bean in the middle of Millennium Park.

The Bean reflecting the Chicago sky line

Watching me take a photo of Nick and I

From there we walked over to Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, which I refer to as the "Married with Children" Fountain.  It really is beautiful - something I feel you would more likely see in Europe rather than downtown Chicago.

"Love and marriage.  Love and marriage..."

From there we wandered back up Michigan Avenue toward the John Hancock Center, where you can go to the top to the bar and enjoy the view rather than paying to go to the observation deck.  However, what we were told earlier that day is that the best view in the sky lounge is actually from the ladies bathroom.  Sure enough - that's where I got the best pictures!

View from the ladies room

The following day we decided to indulge in a Ferris Bueller's Day Off-themed day. First stop: the Chicago Art Institute!

These guys are Father Daughter!  Not Married - WHO KNEW!

Seurat's huge painting made up of ALL dots of paints

From the Art Institute we headed west towards the Willis (Sears) Tower (the second tallest building in the world when you count the antennas!).  After an hour that consisted of waiting in line, having some photos taken, an informational movie and some fun facts, Nick and I took the 60 second elevator ride up to the 104th floor of the Tower and were welcomed by some amazing views. 

To the South

To the Northeast

To the North

We couldn't leave without testing out the glass cubes recently added to the Tower by the original architecture firm who designed the Tower.  While I am smiling in this photo, I was actually really scared.  Even though there are tons of people safely out there, taking those first steps out there where you can see all the way to the ground is nerve wracking!

Waving to Nick in the other cube

Nick crouching in the cube

After enjoying all the views, we headed back to the Millennium Park area to pick up our car, but not before seeing Crown Fountain, which is a huge fountain that shows the faces of regular people from Chicago that occasionally like to spit - so funny to watch!

Crown Fountain

On our last day, we headed to the Lincoln Park Zoo, one of only three free zoos in America.  Nick, having lived in DC with one of those other free zoos, was totally impressed with this Zoo.  All the animals seemed well cared for and were enjoying themselves. 

Sleeping Bear

Lion

Puffin

After seeing almost every animal in the zoo, we headed to the gift shop and and had a bit of fun with the masks.

A Giraffe

Needless to say we had a fun filled trip with loads of touristy fun.  We were very lucky that we were staying with friends when Irene decided to wreak havoc on the east coast.  We were able to make the most of our extra 3 days in Chicago and not pay a fortune in hotel bills! 

While we totally enjoyed out deep dish pizza, we had plenty of other good meals I will share, just in case you find yourself in Chicago and don't know where to eat!

Peach Sangria

A couple of weekends ago, I happened upon a large basket of peaches.  Topping out over 20lbs, I had fun trying to figure out what to do with them all (fun, in a stressful kind of way when they all ripen at once)!

Halfway through!

There was a request for Brown Sugar Peach Ice Cream, so that was done.  And there had to be pie.   Joanne's Peaches and Dream Pie of course!  I used a frozen pie crust from my last baking adventure and baked it right up, my only other change being 4 egg whites instead of 2 eggs (I had them after ice cream making, recipe to come).  Light and peachy, everyone enjoyed :)

And then there was something I've had in mind ever since I visited Bishop's Orchard last summer.  We did a wine tasting there and I picked up a bottle of wine I thought would be perfect for sangria.  I planned it out before realizing it was, in fact, a peach wine (Blushing Beauty)!

Peach Sangria
Recipe by Shannon

The mint isn't overwhelming in here, but I think it adds a little something-something!

1 bottle peach wine (or other semi-dry white wine)
1c vodka (Absolut Acai Berry)
1c mint simple syrup*
3 peaches, thinly sliced
1 orange, sliced horizontally
club soda
frozen mango cubes
frozen raspberries

In a pitcher, combine wine, vodka and simple syrup.  Stir to combine.  Add peaches and oranges, and refrigerate a few hours, or overnight.

When ready to serve, pour sangria into wine glasses (~3/4 full) and top off with club soda.  Drop in a few frozen mango cubes and raspberries and serve!

*Mint Simple Syrup

1c water
1/2c evaporated cane juice  (or granulated sugar)
large bunch of mint

Bring water and sugar to a boil over medium heat.  Once sugar has dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, turn off heat and add mint leaves.  Steep for ~30min, then strain out mint leaves.  Store simple syrup in the refrigerator until ready to use.




It sure was a tasty way to pass the time through Hurricane Irene!

Bobby Flay's Chipotle Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings

Ever since my friend Janet made chicken wings for us in the beginning of the summer I have been on a chicken wing kick.  She uses a fabulous barbecue spice and it literally  needs nothing else!  This time I wanted to try something new for a family BBQ. Since we always have some sort of red meat it seems liked the perfect time to try out the new chicken wing recipe.

This recipe came from Bobby Flay's Grill It Cookbook.  It has a little bit of spice but if you don't want too much heat cut down the amount of chipotle chiles.  The recipe states to put the glaze in two bowls and to pour part of it over the cooked chicken at the end.  I just used all of it to baste the chicken.  Whatever was left I tossed.  The original recipe is below and you can decide how you want to do it.  I also didn't cut the tips off the chicken just tucked them under. 



Ingredients:

1 cup honey
2 to 3 tablespoons pureed canned chipotle chiles in adobo
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons ancho chile powder
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons spanish paprika
3 pounds chicken wings
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
3 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Heat the grill to medium-high.

2. Whisk together honey, chipotle puree, 1 tablespoon of the mustard, 1 tablespoon of the ancho powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small bowl. Divide the glaze evenly between 2 bowls, one small, the other large.

3. Stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of ancho powder with the coriander, cumin, and paprika in a small bowl.

4. Rinse the chicken wings under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the tips off the wings and discard (or freeze and use for making chicken stock). Cut each wing into 2 pieces through the joint.

5. Place the chicken wings in a large bowl, add the spice rub and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and place the wings on the grill in an even layer.  Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat of the grill to medium, turn the wings over, and close the lid of the grill.  Continue grilling until just cooked through, 15-20 minutes longer, brushing with the small bowl of glaze every few minutes and turning once during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

6. Transfer the wings to the large bowl, brush with the reserved glaze and toss to coat. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and green onions.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Thank you to Salvatore Corso for another beautiful photo! Please check out Salvatore's website to see more of his work. 

Homemade Snickers-Like Dessert Bars

Well, it happened again. I saw a recipe and I just had to make it. What was it this time? The "Snickers" bars in the most recent issue of Bon Appetit. Have you seen them?



The bars start with a layer of peanut butter and milk chocolate studded with puffed rice. The middle layer is chewy nougat filled with peanuts -- that part of the Snickers bar we all know and love. And the top layer is a chocolate bavarian cream. Finally, all the layers are coated in bittersweet chocolate. While the middle layer is true to form, the other two layers deviated from the standard candy bar, and I thought the chocolate coating should probably be milk chocolate to better resemble a Snickers. Also, there was no caramel! That said, the bars ended up being a very decadent Snickers-like dessert, flavored with peanut butter, chocolate, and honey. I actually wish I had made Snickers minis because they are so rich!

This recipe had its ups and downs. I feel like it's normally made on a larger scale, and it was cut down for the home baker and not tested with the new proportions. I had to throw out my egg mixture and start over while making the chocolate Bavarian cream because the heat was too high. I didn't have enough chocolate to coat all of my candy bars (though it was a good excuse to only finish half of them and save the rest for another day). I thought coating the bars with chocolate could have been simplified. (At Flour, to finish cakes, I would put them on a wire rack set in a pan and pour the chocolate over, smoothing it with an offset.) There wasn't enough guidance for cutting the bars -- and they are tough to cut. And the list goes on...



I've rewritten the recipe adding in some tips and changes in the process here and there, now that I've made the bars and learned from the experience.



On top of the frustrations I was having with the recipe, my Kitchen Aid mixer came out of alignment, the whisk attachment hit against the bowl, and one of the arms decided to snap off. This happened while I was boiling the honey on the stove, so when I ran over to check on the mixer, my honey burnt. I didn't have enough honey in the house to just boil more, so we had to run down the street to get more honey right in the middle of the recipe. I futilely tried to duct tape the arm back on, but eventually had to resort to using my handheld mixer. I'm glad I kept a handheld mixer around, but I also realized how weak it is compared to the stand mixer. It's a good thing these bars were good enough to compensate for all the trouble I had with them!

Homemade Snickers-Like Dessert Bars (adapted from Bon Appetit)



Ingredients



Base

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

3 1/2 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut)

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup puffed rice cereal



Peanut Nougat

1 large egg white

1/8 teaspoon plus 3/4 cup sugar, divided

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt



Milk Chocolate Bavarian Cream

4 tablespoons whole milk, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1 cup chilled heavy cream, divided

3 large egg yolks

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

9 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, melted



Chocolate Coating

(I would double these ingredients if you want to coat all of the bars.)

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter



Preparation



To make the base: Coat an 8-by-8-by-2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray and line the pan with plastic wrap, pressing to smooth out any wrinkles.



Place the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over a saucepan of simmering water, and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove top pan from saucepan. Stir in peanut butter and then cereal.

Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press over bottom in an even layer. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

While the base is chilling, make the peanut nougat: Line a baking sheet with parchment, and coat the parchment with nonstick spray. Place egg white in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until frothy. Add 1/8 teaspoon sugar, and beat until peaks begin to form.



Bring honey just to a boil in a small saucepan. With mixer running, gradually add honey to egg white. Set aside.



Stir 3/4 cup sugar, corn syrup, and 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat, and boil until mixture reaches 275 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes.



Return mixer with egg white to medium speed. Gradually add syrup to egg white, allowing it to drip down sides of bowl. Beat until glossy and stiff, about 5 minutes. Fold in peanuts and salt. Spread nougat over prepared sheet into an 8" square (about 1/4" thick). (Jeff did this part for me and figured out that it was easiest to use a large offset spatula to spread and shape the nougat.) Let cool for 1 hour.

Invert nougat over base in pan, peel off parchment, and spread over base in an even layer. (Again, Jeff took on this task.)

To make the milk chocolate Bavarian cream: Place 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over and let stand to soften, about 10 minutes.



Meanwhile, bring remaining 2 tablespoons milk and 1/4 cup cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk yolks and sugar in a medium bowl; gradually whisk in hot cream mixture. (You basically want to add the cream mixture to eggs by small ladlefuls, whisking constantly, until you have added all of the cream mixture.) Return mixture to same pan. Stir constantly over low heat with rubber spatula until thickened and a thermometer registers 175 degrees, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add gelatin, and whisk until dissolved.



Place melted chocolate in another medium bowl. Pour cream mixture through a strainer into chocolate; whisk until smooth.



Beat remaining 3/4 cup chilled cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just to blend between additions.

Pour Bavarian cream over nougat, spreading in an even layer. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

To make the chocolate coating: Place chocolate and butter in top pan of double boiler set over saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Invert dessert onto a cutting board; remove pan and peel off plastic.

Place another cutting board on top of the dessert and flip the dessert. Remove cutting board from top of dessert.

Run a large knife under hot water and wipe it dry. Cut the dessert into 6 slices, then halve each slice crosswise. You'll need to reheat and re-dry the knife between each cut. The nougat is pretty tough to cut through, so be prepared to work a little (or in my case, ask Jeff to do the manual labor for me).

Transfer pieces to prepared baking sheet, base side down. Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate over tops and sides of bars. (I think it would be easier to set the bars on a wire rack set in a sheet pan and then pour the chocolate over the bars and smooth the chocolate off the top and down the sides of the bars with an offset spatula. Chocolate that ends up in the sheet pan can be re-melted, strained, and reused.)

Freeze to set, about 30 minutes.

Let  bars stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.



I wrapped my finished frozen bars in plastic wrap and then placed them in a Ziploc bag. We've been taking one out each evening to share.

I did not finish half of the bars because I ran out of chocolate and energy, so I wrapped half of the dessert in plastic and placed it in a Ziploc bag.

At some point, I'll cut and finish the rest of the bars. I may try coating them in milk chocolate when I do, and I'll probably try to cut small squares to make mini versions.





If you have a lot of free time and a giant sweet tooth, you're ready to take these on! It's not going to be easy, but the end result is totally worth it.

Have you ever made a homemade version of a candy bar?