I love food and sometimes I get an idea that I feel I just
have to try. I was originally going to make some individual lamb pies, but then this came to me while I was searching for ready-made pie crusts. I found ready made puff pastry and decided that I'd try this out. The recipe evolved from my original plan (which was quite simple) into this rather elaborate dish.
INGREDIENTS:
2 Boneless lamb loin chops (you could also you beef fillet mignon) roughly 2 inches thick).
1/2 an ontion sliced very thin
2 shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
2 strips of bacon
Dried porcini musrooms
white wine
Olive oil
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Bay-leaf
Rosemary or basil (preferably fresh)
2 sheets of ready-made (or home made) puff pastry
Lamb loin chops resemble a
beef fillet in shape and size, however they are slightly fattier, and are rarely wrapped in bacon. Get two chops.
The marinade: Finely
chop 1 shallot, mix with 3 cloves of crushed garlic, a dash of salt and pepper, a bay-leaf and some chopped fresh rosemary or basil with some 1 part (maybe about 1/8 to 1/4 cup) olive oil and 2 parts
white wine. Pour this over your lamb chops and allow to sit for an hour. Place your dried Porcini mushrooms in water and allow them to become soft (this takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes).
In a
frying pan sear the outside of your lambchops, then place into a
pan and cover them with a
slice of bacon each (I cut the bacon in half and lay two half-stips on top of each chop). Put them into a 350 degree oven. Cook them a bit under-done (this depends on how rare you like your lamb). Discard the bacon.
Slice your
onion and the remining shallot very thin and fry at low temperature in butter untill the onions are soft, add the carrot (sliced into long thin strips) and continue to cook until the onions are brown and the carrots are a bit soft. Set the carrot/onion mixture aside.
In the pan place the mushrooms and their
liquid and
reduce. When reduced to half add a bit of butter rolled in
flour to thicken the liquid, then set this aside.
Unroll (or roll if you made your own you want it to be about 1/4 inch thick)) your puff pastry onto a floured surface, season the up side with salt, pepper and some chopped fresh rosemary, or basil. When the
lamb chops are near done remove them from the oven and let them sit for a few minutes. Then place them on the pastry and top with the onions and mushrooms (make sure to get some of that
mushroom gravy on them, yum!). Cloes the puff pastry around the chops and place the
bundles onto a baking sheet (you should have a couple small openings in the pastry to allow steam to escape). Cook in a 400 degree
oven for 15-20 minutes (this is why you want your lamb to be under-done, if you like your lamb very
rare, merely pan sear it then wrap it in the pastry ignorning the bacon-oven step). When the
pastry is puffed and golden brown remove form the
oven and serve.
Asparagus, baby
brocolli or
spinach are excellent as sides to this dish.
Serves 2 very
hungry people.