Lambpops

[ppfuf]

 

This recipe is adapted from “Rack of Lamb with Goat Cheese Crust“ on page 267 of The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide by Paula Lambert.

Goat Cheese Crust

4 ounces (1/2 cup) fresh goat cheese, softened
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (or panko crumbs are also good)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/4 tesp salt
Generous 1/2 oz Percorino Romano grated (about 2 heaping Tbls)
1 tesp freshly ground black pepper
Place 1 Tbl bread crumbs in a bowl, and add goat cheese, garlic, rosemary, egg yolk, and salt. Blend.  Put remaining bread/panko crumbs, Percorino Romano and black pepper in a bowl or flat dish and toss gently to combine. This make enough cheese-goo for about 6 single-rib chops.

Heat the oven to about 400F.

Lamb Pops

Get as many frenched lamb rib chops from the butcher as you need. You can pre-bake them a little (to 110F) if you prefer well-done lamb.

Holding the rib-bone end, use a spatula to coat or “paint” the meat of the chop, covering the sides with cheese. Dredge the chop with the crumb mixture. The rib-bone end you are holding, and the far boney end should still be naked.

When all chops are coated with cheese and crumbs, I put them in a round cake pan, the “thick boney end” down, and the naked rib bones making a teepee shape in the middle.

Bake the chops for about 10 minutes. Turn the oven to broil, and brown the cheese mixture. This may take about 3 minutes, and you may need to move the chops up or down in the oven.
I like to eat lamb that’s really rare, so you might consider the pre-bake recommend by Lambert or letting the initial bake time go as long as 20 minutes if you prefer medium or well-done meat.

 I tried a version of the lambpops without breadcrumbs. (desperately hoping the atkins diet craze will go away) It was ok, but it did not brown as beautifully as previous versions. Tasted just as yummy as previous. I have also discovered that is you make the cheese mix the night before and put it in the fridge, you have to nuke it for 10 seconds because cold cheese-mix neither spreads nor sticks.

 

Comments

[hunrvogt.livejournal.com]

ummmmmn, picked up 30# of 4-H lamb yesterday from the butcher.

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

How do you get 4-H critters? I've been wanting to get a lamb or a small goat.

[hunrvogt.livejournal.com]

4-H and FFA livestock are available at Junior Livestock Auctions at County Fairs held throughout the state from about May 1st until Labor Day.

You can get a buyer letter from a 4-H or FFA member. This generally gives you entry into the fair, a buyer number, and sometimes lunch. You can also just show up on auction day and register to be a buyer. There are always kids whose buyers can't make it and can use the support.

Your County's Cooperative Extension office can help get you in contact with 4-Hers in your area. Also if your local High School has an Ag Program, they can get you in touch with FFA kids and may have access to animals that didn't sell at auction this time of year.

All animal going through the auction are judged earlier in the week and many Fairs set a limit on quality allowed into the auction (generally group 1 and group 2 animals only). Bidding is generally in dollars and cents per pound of live weight. You can arrange for a butcher to take delivery of the animal, slaughter it, and dress it out to your specifications for a really reasonable fee. Most mammalian species hang out at about 50% of live weight. Frequently you can talk to other buyers at the auction and arrange to buy 1/2 or 1/4 of an animal if that suits your needs better.

Clarify with your accountant, but I believe any money spent above market value is deductable as business advertising if bought in the name of your business. Also the purchase price of any livestock donated to a foodbank is tax deductable.

With cut and wrap fees, we spent about $7.92/lb for what made it into our freezer. Market price was about $0.90-$1.10/lb live weight that week. We payed $4.10/pound live weight.

We were bidding on a lamb belonging to a specific student of Heinrich's. That's why the kids should send out buyer letters - totally helps the sale price. I reccomend supporting Junior Livestock Auctions, but I do like to warn folks that it is not a bargain market. If you are interested next summer and are willing to buy a Stanislaus County Lamb, let me know as the Ag Instructors at H's school like to put together buyers looking for halves (or even wholes). I can get you on the list.