Nestling lamb chops into pearls of cous cous

After a winter of roasting root vegetables a beautiful spring week lies ahead with promises of balmy nights and sun filled days. A few weeks ago Anthony, our talented chef on the grill, started asking to get some lamb chops back on the menu. We tossed around ideas, some lent themselves to the passing season and we were both craving a light preparation with a cool sauce. Several days went by as we starting to plan where it would fit into the menu, the upcoming weather and the search for a new and interesting ingredient.
When the lamb racks arrived we carefully trimmed and digitally dissected ( i.e. used our fingers, an old phrase I learned from a chef early in my career, thanks Josh) the excess fat away and cleaned the bones also known as “frenching the bone.” Great meat, seasoned simply with salt and pepper then grilled / roasted to a well rested, ruby red medium rare simply speaks for itself. We pulled an old favorite sauce out of our quiver, the traditional Greek tzatziki sauce. No, not the glompy white cucumber flecked creme on your gyro but the bright, cucumber and herb perfumed yogurt meant to cut the richness of the unique flavor of lamb. Finally, we found an ingredient that had yet to make it onto our plates here at Niche the Lebanese cous-cous. Not to be confused with its delicate and much finer cousin, this texture is that of pasta and it’s size is just a bit smaller than a Kix or Cocoa Pebble. I toasted it in olive oil with a good dose of Spanish paprika and cooked it in a roasted red pepper broth until tender and then spread it out onto a sheet pan to cool. As the lamb is resting, asparagus tips are sauteed in olive oil along with the cous-cous before nesting onto the plate to be topped with lamb chops just waiting to be devoured.
After all that, what finally distilled itself onto the menu is the collaboration of a few cooks craving some lamb chops but you’ll just have to taste for yourself! Mouth watering yet? Until next time . . .Chef Jeremy

Sheppard’s Pie Potato Tips

Sheppard’s Pie, the mysterious Irish comfort food, said to be originally from England, will be prepared almost a million different ways over the next couple of days. Like casseroles or “hot dishes” we find on the tables of Americans for decades, each sheppard’s pie has its own familial adjustments to the recipe. Some use ground beef instead of lamb, some with peas and other root vegetables even some with just meat and gravy. One fluffy, golden brown component that is always present is the potato mixture that caps the hearty stew.

No matter what variations to the recipe you have for the stew there are a few tips and things to watch out for that will set your sheppard’s pie apart. Most recipes call for the potatoes to be boiled before mashing.  Cooking the potato properly is the foundation of the topping. If you do like to boil the potatoes don’t forget to add salt to the water and after you drain the potatoes, spread them out onto a buttered baking pan. Put the baking pan into a preheated oven (350 degrees) and bake until the steam no longer comes off the potatoes but before the brown. The excess water will only weigh down the potatoes and where the water was you can now fill it back up with butter and egg yolks.

After drying out the potatoes, put them into a mixer on medium speed, add the butter and egg yolks whisking just to incorporate. If you leave the potatoes in the mixer to long they will begin to get “gluey” and lose their delicate texture. Fold some scallions and herbs into the mix for more flavor and a bit of garnish. Put the somewhat cooled mixture into a pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe onto the top of your stew. Remember that the more surface area you create with the star tip and piping pattern, the crispier the golden brown crust gets.

For the next few nights we are infusing our Winter Tasting Menu with some traditional Irish fare. Tomorrow night we will serve our version of sheppard’s pie to celebrate St. Patrick. To put our unique touch on it, we are gently braising lamb shoulder in broth with cipolinni onions, baby carrots and garlic until if falls apart. The fluffy and golden brown potatoes will crown each individual crock and bake until golden brown. To finish the dish, rather than the peas in the stew we are gently draping sweet pea tendrils. Erin go braugh!   Chef Jeremy

Tasty Bits: May 2009

Welcome to another edition of Tasty Bits. The past month has been filled with exciting happenings around Niche. We’ve been working with some tools to reach out to you and connect you with us here at the restaurant throughout the day rather than once a month through Tasty Bits. Through social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and here on my blog, you have access to information and the personalities of Niche like never before.

Have questions about recipes, wine pairings or upcoming events? Post a question here or send a direct message via Facebook or Twitter and help answer the questions that so many others share. On the blog, click through the “Courses” to find the Latest Dish, Recipes, Tips, Tools of the Trade, Wine Time and Videos. Receive updates about upcoming events and watch the planning and progress happen streaming online. This is your chance to peek behind the doors of the kitchen at Niche and see a side of us you never knew.

As with all that we do here at Niche from food to wine to service, this social networking will continue to constantly evolve and will be fueled by you, our guest and reader. Your regular input will stimulate conversations about food and wine, resulting in a true appreciation for great restaurants.