Thomas Keller and I Rock

What can I say, last nights meal was in a word, awesome ! The "Ad Hoc at Home" Rack of Lamb and Potato Pave were exceptional. (Sorry, I have to brag a little, I was so pleased with the results.). First, a picture of "Pressing the Pave" which then refrigerated overnight, cut, and finished in canola oil, thyme, and garlic, to give it a nice crisp exterior.

And the final presentation: 

As you can see the lamb came out a perfect medium rare. We took it out after 25 minutes as it had reached desired temperature, less time that expected, but we were only preparing one rack. While the lamb rested we braised the endive. This was a slight disappointment as the endive did not brown on the cut side as expected,  so we drained the braising liquid, added butter, and finished on the stove top, which yielded the desired results. We also finished the pave just before cutting the lamb.

The honey-mustard glaze on the lamb added a hint of sweetness, and the breadcrumb mixture provided another level of texture and flavor. This was a "killer" recipe, and I would definitely do it again.

The Potato Pave was a fair amount of work, and definitely needed to be prepared a day ahead. But it was worth all the effort. The exterior crispness from the finishing sear, was a nice contrast to the smooth creamy interior. Another winning recipe.

Wine: We opened a bottle of 2007 Maison Bouachon Chateauneuf-du-Pape from France. The winery is the parent winery to my Napa standby, St. Supery. It was a nice match for the meal.

The Honey and Thyme Poached Figs came out very good. The warm figs over cold vanilla bean ice cream worked very well. The only down side was that the sauce was a little thin. I would definitely reduce it further next time, and possibly cut back on the honey just a tad. We used a 2005 Petersons Semillon dessert wine from Australia for the poaching liquid, as it is what I had on hand, and we also poured a couple of glasses to drink with the dessert. Yum!

That's All I'm Saying