Skip to main content

#ScorchedTerroir: Napa's Avalon Cab + Millet-Crusted Lamb Lollipops

By

I'm continuing my exploration of wines from volcanic areas. Click to read my invitation to the #ScorchedTerroir #winePW event.

Scorched California...
Yesterday was scorching hot. Okay, scorching hot by California's central coast standards. Here on the Monterey Peninsula, we're fog-loving souls. Anything above seventy degrees has us sitting in front of a fan in our underwear. I'm only partially joking! But, as most houses here are not equipped with air conditioning, we just open up all the windows and doors and strategically position a few fans to blow the hot air out of the house. On nights such as those, we typically set up for dinner outside. And we stayed out there till we needed candles. Then the mosquitos came out and we fled indoors.


In My Glass...
Napa Valley, like the rest of the North Coast, was formed through colliding tectonic plates, volcanic activity, and changes in sea level. So Napa Valley has a variety of identifiable soils, including volcanic, maritime and alluvial. I opted to pour a Cabernet Sauvignon, one of Napa's flagship grapes.


I picked Avalon Winery's 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. I found the wine complex and layered. There were lots of red fruit flavors such as cherries and strawberries but the jaminess was countered by a hint of cola and some cocoa.

On My Plate...
Because it was so hot - and I didn't want to be in the kitchen for any longer than necessary - I opted to make a quick dish of millet-crusted lamb lollipops. And I plated it with a dollop of some Savory Tomato Bacon Jam. Had I not had that in the fridge, I think this all would have paired nicely with a cherry chutney. Next time...

Ingredients
Coating

  • 1 C millet
  • 1/3 C chopped fresh herbs (I used a mixture of thyme and oregano)
  • zest from 1 organic lemon (I used a Meyer lemon)
  • 1 T freshly ground sea salt
  • 1/2 t freshly ground pepper
  • 2 eggs


Lamb

  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 2 T butter
  • 1" thick lamb lollipops (I had 8 on the rib rack)

To Serve
Savory Tomato Bacon Jam (or whatever savory jam you wish)

Procedure

Coating
In a medium bowl, mix together the millet, herbs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, beat the eggs.

Lamb
Melt butter into the olive oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip the lamb lollipops in the egg and then coat with the millet mixture, pressing lightly to help the coating stick. Place the lollipops in the pan and cook until light golden, approximately 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare.


Allow the lollipops to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To Serve
Arrange the lollipops on a platter and serve with the savory jam.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

By
This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t...
5 comments
Read more

Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies #SundayFunday

By
Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating childhood favorites. Thanks to Stacy of  Food Lust People Love , Sue of  Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of  Making Miracles , and Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  for coordinating this low-stress group. Today Stacy is hosting and she's given us the following prompt: "Childhood favorites. Did you have a favorite dish growing up? It could be something your family cooked or a restaurant dish, even a Chef Boyardee canned good or packaged ingredients like Rice-a Roni or mac and cheese. Recreate THAT dish from SCRATCH for this event."  Here's the #SundayFunday childhood favorites line-up... Chili Mac from A Day in the Life on the Farm Ham and Mushroom Breakfast Burritos from Making Miracles Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Homemade Wonder Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories K-Mart Sub Sandwiches from Palatable Pastime Kempakki Dosa from Sizzling Tastebuds Meat Chilly Fry...
6 comments
Read more

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

By
If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce...
1 comment
Read more