Crispy Rack of Lamb with Mascarponi Sauce

One of the things I love about living in Wales is sheep in the fields.

In the Spring they are joined by frisky little lambs.

Some people see them as cute and cuddly,

but having come from farming stock,

I see them as food - delicious food!

Perhaps the queen of delicious is

"Rack of Lamb".

.

Many years ago in Durban, Natal,

there was a 'French' restaurant called,

"La Popote".

They made the most fantastic rack of lamb.

I have tried my best to emulate their dish,

but I saw the sauce on an Italian food program -

I thought it would go very well with succulent lamb.

Ingredients:
2 racks of lamb
Olive oil to drizzle over and rub
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
"French Herb Mix" - to be found in my e-book, "Herbs and Spices", coming soon.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Drizzle the racks with olive oil on both sides, rubbing the oil over the meat to ensure it is all covered. Season all over with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a good covering of "French Herb Mix".
Put the meat on a very hot grill, curved side down first and brown. Turn the meat over and brown on the underside as well.
Transfer to a baking tray with the curved side up and bake in a hot oven for about 25 minutes.

To Make the Sauce:
Ingredients:
125ml creme fraiche
handful of fresh mint, chopped
Sea salt to season
50ml honey
10ml ground cumin
125ml Mascarponi

Method:
In a glass bowl, whisk together the creme fraiche, mint, salt, and honey.
Add the cumin and mascarponi and mix well to a smooth paste.

Serve chops accompanied by the sauce, French fries and vegetables of choice.

Pureed Brussels Sprouts in Nutmeg Cream

I'm not crazy about Brussels Sprouts, but my hubby is.

Hence, I'm always looking for new ways to prepare them.

This looks a very interesting way to serve them, great for the christmas dinner.

Ingredients:
500g Brussels sprouts
75ml creme fraiche
Freshly ground nutmeg
125g roasted chestnuts, roughly chopped

Method:
Cook the sprouts in boiling water for 5 minutes. They should still be quite firm.
Drain them, then put them in a food processor with the creme fraiche and nutmeg.
Pulse-blitz them to a coarse mash.
Add the chestnuts to the puree, leaving a small amount to sprinkle on the top before serving.
Heat in a heavy pan for a couple of minutes before serving sprinkled with reserved nuts.