The perfect summer dinner party dish without any fuss!
This dish is both quick and easy, yet scrumptious and sophisticated. A very chic and upscale dish, but it’s also quite casual and relaxed. Just the perfect summer meal! Rack of lamb is sliced into chops and grilled simply with garlic. salt, pepper, and olive oil. Fresh summer peaches are grilled along with spring onions as the base of the relish once chopped. A little Dijon mustard, fresh thyme and mint leaves, dried lavender, and tears of honeycomb tie it together. The flavors scream “summer” and the ease with which the dish can be prepapred screams "thirty-minute meal!"
Equipment: cutting board; chef’s knife; paring knife; dry cups; measuring spoons; mixing bowl; rubber spatula; spoon; pastry brush; grill or grill pan; tongs
Lamb Ingredients:
2 racks of lamb, cut into individual chops (16 total)
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peach Relish Ingredients:
4 just ripe peaches, halved and stones removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large spring onions or 1 bunch scallions
¼ cup honeycomb, broken into small pieces
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
12 mint leaves, torn in to small pieces
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
1 teaspoon dried lavender, crushed
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat the grill to 450F.
2. Combine the olive oil and minced garlic, then brush the lamb chops with the mixture on all sides. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside. Brush the flesh side of the peach slices with olive oil and set aside.
3. Place the peaches flesh-side down on the hot grill and do not move for five minutes. Once the peaches soften a bit and have grill marks on the flesh, remove them from the grill and set aside. Next grill the spring onions until wilted but not heavily charred, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Set aside.
ILOC tip: a good indication that the peaches are ready to be removed from the grill is the wilting of the skin.
4. Place the lamb chops on the grill with ample space between each chop and cook for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, turning only once. Remove from the grill and set aside. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, if desired, to facilitate keeping them warm.
"If you turn meat over and over, it will toughen. If the meat is sticking to the grill, it isn't ready. Wait until the meat has seared and released itself from the cooking surface."
5. Chop the peaches into a large dice. Place half the peach dice into a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork. Reserve the remaining peach dice and set aside.
6. Chop the spring onions and stir into the mashed peaches. Add the mustard, mint, thyme, and lavender and mix well to combine. Stir in the remaining diced peaches along with the bits of honeycomb. Season the peach relish with salt and pepper to taste.
ILOC tip: there is no need to make mint chiffonade (thin strips) for this dish. Tearing the mint leaves is a far better for the rusticity of relish. It's all about technique, not torture!
6. To serve, place a heaping spoonful of peach relish on each four plates, then place 3-4 lamb chops on each plate.
Makes 4-5 servings.
