Roasted Rack of Lamb with Spiced Nectarine Chutney #BakingBloggers

This month, Sue of Palatable Pastime told the Baking Bloggers that "for August we will be baking with peaches or nectarines. Sweet or savory as you prefer, just be sure to bake some part of it." Here's the #BakingBloggers line-up...

• Baked Creamy Rice and Pudding with Peaches for Two from Sneha's Recipe
• Baked Goat Cheese with Peach Chutney from Caroline's Cooking
• Caramelized Peach Trifle from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Easy Peach Cobbler with Canned Peaches from Recipe Pocket
• Peach and Nectarine Cobbler from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Peach and Prosciutto Pizza from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Raspberry Peach Pie from Palatable Pastime
• Roasted Rack of Lamb with Spiced Nectarine Chutney from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Roasted Rack of Lamb 

with Spiced Nectarine Chutney

Summer stone fruit must be on the brain because I just posted Olive Oil-Poached Salmon Bellies with Summery Peach-Tomato Salsa for #OurFamilyTable yesterday. 'Tis the season for peaches and nectarines, I suppose.  So, again, I wanted to go with a savory and decided to make an oven-cooked chutney with ripe nectarines.

Ingredients 

serves 4 as an entree or 8 as an appetizer

Chutney

• 4 or 5 ripe organic nectarines, pitted and sliced into wedges
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 organic white onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 t organic dark brown sugar
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t ground coriander
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• Also needed: oven-proof skillet or baking dish

Lamb

• 2 racks of lamb
• 2 T smoked paprika
• 2 T paprika
• 1 T ground coriander
• 2 t ground cumin
• 2 t ground sumac
• 1 t freshly ground salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground pepper
• olive oil

Procedure

Chutney

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Combine the nectarines, olive oil, onion, lemon juice, brown sugar, and spices. Stir to coat, then spread evenly in your baking dish or oven-proof skillet.

Place in the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes the fruit should be cooked and the onions softened. Set aside.

Lamb

Place the smoked paprika, paprika, coriander, cumin, sumac, salt and pepper together in a small mixing bowl. Divide the spices evenly over the two racks. Massage the spices into the lamb. Drizzle with olive oil. Place in a lidded container, or in a plastic bag, and refrigerate overnight. Before roasting, let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place lamb on a roasting rack with the fat-side up. Roast for 30 minutes, then flip the rack over and return it to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Remove the lamb from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into lollipops. 

Serve with a side of chutney.

I paired this with the Remy Pannier Rosé d'Anjou 2017 for the July #Winophiles' Anjou-Saumur event.

+ A Wine Pairing

A blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 40% Grolleau, 10% Gamay, this Rosé d'Anjou was a delicious addition to this meal. In the glass the wine was a bright salmon hut. On the nose I got strong aromas of sunkissed berries. On the tongue, those berry notes persisted with an added spark of acidity.

As I was completely unfamiliar with Grolleau, I did some reading. Named for the French word grolle meaning 'crow', it refers to the nearly black color of the grapes. Despite its color, though, the variety has thin skins and low tannins which can lead to a lack of flavor and structure. Behind Cabernet Franc and Gamay, Grolleau (specifically Grolleau Noir) is one of the Loire's most planted red-wine varieties. However, since the varietal is not a particularly flavorful grape, it is not allowed in any of the Loire's red wine AOCs. So, it's used primarily in the production of rosé wines under the Rosé d'Anjou AOC such as this one.

This was a great summer pairing...and perfect with those sunkissed stone fruits!