Lamb, Effing Lamb...

Lamb, I discovered, doesn't act like pork. I saw the bone and the fat cap and thought, "Oh, I know what to do with this!" I can make a mean pork shoulder, loaded with melty garlic cloves, a crusty salty outside and delicious falling-apart pork on the inside.

Lamb isn't pork, and it was on the dry side. Don't do what I did. I stuck it in the oven at 230 degrees for a long time. Use a slow cooker.

Here's the spice rub I used:

Thyme - dried
Smoked sea salt
Cumin - I ground it myself from whole cumin seeds
Vietnamese Cinnamon - from Penzy's
Black Pepper
Coriander - Which I also ground myself

Now, cumin will tend to take over a blend like this if you're not careful. So it'll be like equal parts cumin, thyme and coriander, a little less black pepper, a little less salt, and REALLY easy on the cinnamon (the Vietnamese type is super bright and spicy). You don't want it to taste like Christmas.

If I could do it over again, I'll stick that beautiful lamb leg in a slow cooker for like ten hours with all those spices, a splash of water, a quartered onion and a bunch of garlic cloves.

Leg of lamb will yield a lot of fat, so you'll need to skim the muck and stuff out.

For the couscous, I used Israeli couscous with saffron, cayenne and all the garlic cloves that got all soft in the lamb fat.

Olive Oil Ouch Cream!

Ooohweee, ouchy, brain freeze!

Olive Oil Ice Cream? It sounds strange to you? Understandable. Though, you won't be disappointed if you try it. Follow this recipe and you'll be sure to win many foodies' hearts with its deliciously creamy goodness. I certainly did! See below for Pistachio Ice Cream. - xoxox Nikki

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold-pressed fruttato olive oil*

*I used all organic ingredients except the olive oil. Make an omelet with unused egg whites!

GETTIN' DIRTY!:
1. Add milk and heavy cream into a medium saucepan and set over medium flame. Bring it just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from heat.

2. While heating milk and cream, whisk egg yolks in a large mixing bowl until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Add the oil and whisk thoroughly. Temper the cream mixture into the egg mixture by whisking in small amounts, approximately 1 tablespoon at a time, until about a 1/2 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder of the cream and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F with a candy/fry thermometer, approximately 5 minutes. (If you don't have a thermometer, note that it's about done when the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.) Strain the mixture through a sieve into a container and place in the refrigerator uncovered. Allow to sit uncovered until it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid (at least one hour). Cover and store up to overnight.

3. Pour into an ice cream maker and process for 35 minutes. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours to allow ice cream to harden before serving.

4. Garnish with a few drops of olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt (trust me, do it), a few toasted pine nuts, and a sprig of rosemary.


PISTACHIO ICE CREAM:
Follow recipe above with these adaptations for a superior ice cream:
1. Replace olive oil with cold-pressed pistachio oil, e.g. La Tourangelle Gourmand Pistachio Oil (I found it at Wholefoods).

2. Mix in a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (Thank you, Bonni, for her homemade extract!)

3. Add chopped pistachios during last 5 minutes of processing in ice cream maker. (I measured approximately 1 cup of whole pistachios before chopping, which I also shelled and washed first to relieve some of the extra saltiness.)

4. Garnish with a few chopped pistachios for prettiness.

Bon apetito!

Welcome

Hi!  Welcome to our group-of-friends-who-love-cooking-food-almost-as-much-as-we-love-eating-it-and-have-yet-to-decide-on-a-name blog!  As our temporary name might suggest, we're a group of friends who love cooking, drinking and hanging out with each other so much that we thought we'd make it into a project.  We get together monthly to host dinners that showcase our love for food and for fresh, seasonal ingredients, and we reward the cook with the best course with a nice pot of thank-you-cash.  (I'm hoping one of my fellow foodies comes and gives this a proper introduction, because I'm terrible at them.)

Our first dinner was this Sunday, and it far exceeded any expectations I thought I might have had.

The first course on Sunday was prepared by Chris, who unfortunately caught the plague and couldn't join in on the rest of the festivities. But we're eternally grateful for him stopping by to drop this dish off, because it was the perfect start to this perfect meal.  Chris made green and white asparagus fries, seasoned with paprika, cayenne and maybe a little parmesan cheese(?), and accompanied them with a smoked paprika aioli.  Excellent use of both the Spring and the Mediterranean theme.

I (Bonni) paired this dish with a bright and fruity Pinot Grigio.  Gnarly Head (not shown) is a fantastically smooth white wine, and its finish delivered all of the refreshment we came to expect from the very first sips.

Second course was provided by Nicole, whose Spring citrus salad was so good I almost forgot to take a picture of it.  This salad was cool but spicy, rich yet refreshing.  Loaded with artichoke hearts, onions, lemon zest, feta cheese and tomatoes, marinated in a spicy vinaigrette.

I paired this salad with a crisp and citrusy Sauvignon Blanc.  Rodney Strong delivers lime, passionfruit, and subtle pear and apple notes.

Jocelyn prepared our third course, a hearty, creamy Greek pastitso with ground turkey, cinnamon, cloves, and a thin béchamel.  Her Spring contribution was the use of chives.  We all agreed that the layered lasagna-type approach made this dish easier to eat than a traditional pastitso, which can be heavy and overwhelming.  This course was the perfect primo piatto, but was just as light as a Spring dinner should be.

I paired this with a smooth but saucy Beaujolais, at Nikki's suggestion.  Louis Jadot is a calm but very aromatic red, close to a Pinot Noir.  It was the perfect backdrop to the dish.

Chelsea created my personal vote for best presentation: a Moroccan-style slow-roasted lamb with spicy mushrooms and fresh cucumber on a bed of saffron couscous.  It was every bit as delicious as it looks and sounds.  Spices used were cumin, coriander, paprika and tons of garlic.  The smattering of pickled olives lent an extra layer of flavor to this already complex and comforting dish.

I paired this with Sangre de Toro, a Spanish red much like a Cabernet Sauvignon, with an equal amount of tang, but less spice.

Finally, our fifth and last course of the night was prepared by Nikki, who took sweet Sicilian olive oil and nutty Italian pistachios and turned them into ice cream.  The inclusion of the rosemary sprig and the olive oil drizzle made this dish 100% Mediterranean, and the combination of the green ingredients with their cool, refreshing appeal gave us a quintessential Spring experience.

I paired the dessert with a very subtle and fruity Moscato d'Asti.  Luisi Moscato couldn't have been more suited to an ice cream dessert, with its delicate fizz and fresh, floral flavors.

The night ended on a very sweet note.  Of course, with all the wine imbibed, it also ended on a late note.  But look at this table.  Just look at it.  I want every Sunday evening in our home to look something like this from here on out.

Congratulations to Nikki, who won Best Course, and who really stunned us all with her innovation and talent.  Congratulations are in order as well to Nicole, who got almost as many votes for her Spring flavor explosion.  We can't wait to do it again, so please stay tuned as we continue to cook, laugh and drink wine together ... recipes, stories and tidbits will be shared here often.

Bon appetit!