Thirty-fourth Post ~ Rosemary Lamb Tenderloins en Papillote

As Entry #2 in the previously mentioned "en Papillote Files," I feature my favorite red meat of all time: Lamb. I don't eat red meat that often, so when I do, I sometimes will splurge on lamb tenderloins. Lamb and rosemary are a beautiful combination!

I'm truly loving the "en papillote" style of cooking. It typically uses no oil and relies on steam for the cooking, so it's healthier than a lot of the pan-cooked options, and it has this way of melding all the flavors together in a way unlike any other!

Here's what you'll need for tonight's dinner:

~ Lamb tenderloins

~ Rosemary (fresh or dried)

~ Balsamic vinegar

~ Garlic

~ Mushrooms

~ White wine

~ Parsley (fresh or dried)

~ Salt/pepper to taste

~ Asparagus

Boil the asparagus in salted water just until tender. Mince some garlic, preheat your oven, cut your cute heart out of parchment (see Post #33). When the asparagus is just pierceable, drain and set aside.

Start a tablespoon of olive oil heating in a pan. Add some balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and parsley. Add the mushrooms and white wine. While that's cooking, ruminate on the essay you're writing. Try to come up with a great experiment design.

::PAUSE::

One thing I've noticed about cooking en papillote is that you don't need to add as much liquid as you'd think. I've been adding about a quarter cup of liquid, and I don't think you need that much. This lamb turned out a little "brothy" - which I guess is okay - and so did the pork I made the other night, about which I shall be blogging soon. The moral of the story: if you like broth, add all you want. If you want a more photogenic presentation, add a bit less liquid than you'd think.

::UNPAUSE::

So your mushrooms are done - add the lamb tenderloins for just a few seconds, browning each side. Now put the lamb onto the parchment. Top with a sprig of rosemary, then add the mushrooms on top, and the asparagus on top of that. Into the spout of the heart, add the juices from cooking the mushrooms (resist the temptation to add more wine and water). Seal up the parchment and bake for 12 minutes. During this time, flip back through four weeks of reading and confirm that the experiment idea you've thought of while cooking will work.

Take the packet out of the oven and carefully (so as not to burn yourself) cut an X into the top of the parchment, revealing all the goodness inside.

I paired tonight's meal with a French Merlot-blend from the Domaine du Poujol from Proteus vineyards. It's medium-to-heavy with an earthy foreground, perfectly complimenting the lamb, with a hint of raspberry. It pairs beautifully with this meal, and, I believe, would go quite well with a steak or beef dish. All in all, this meal was exactly what I needed: quick, nutritious, and brainstorm-worthy!

Yours in the love of good food and wine,

AL

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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.

Eighth Post - Marinated Lamb Tenderloins with Zesty Asparagus

Ah, here's to celebrating the approach of the holiday weekend! Well, let's be honest... since when have I needed an excuse to celebrate by cooking?
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Tonight's dinner: marinated lamb tenderloins with asparagus. Here's what you'll need. Seeing as it's Thursday night, you probably want something easy to cook. I know I did...
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~Lamb tenderloins
~Herb marinade (see, I told you this was easy...)
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For the veggie - I chose asparagus because it's one of my favorites. I always take a few out of the bundles in the produce department. Why should I buy more than I'm going to eat? Five stalks for $0.54. Who can beat that?
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~Asparagus (as much as you want to break the bank for)
~Olive oil
~Chives
~Lemon juice
~Salt and pepper to taste
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And you thought the tricky part would be the lamb!
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So: Tonight is Thursday, and I have office hours and teach a course after (public speaking). I knew I'd be hungry, but very tempted to go the bowl-of-cereal route that has often tempted the late-night diner. Not so. I had a plan.
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I thawed out the three lamb tenderloins and placed them in a shallow dish. I poured on a bit of a herbed marinade. I used one I got from Meg - Two Sisters Gourmet balsamic Mediterranean herb dipping and grilling oil. Only I didn't use it for dipping or grilling. Hm. I would suspect any balsamic vinaigrette or marinade would do. I covered it with plastic wrap (to prevent my entire fridge from being marinade-scented) and stuck it in the fridge before I walked out the door.
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I ran to the store after class and grabbed some asparagus. Then straight home I went and took the lamb out of the fridge and let it get a little less chilled while I checked email and fed Ginny (Chef Michael's Pate for doggies, naturally).
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I got out my non-stick frying pan as mentioned earlier, and my smaller pan that used to be non-stick but is now so badly scarred from knives and forks that it's really not non-stick any more. In the larger pan, I placed about a tablespoon of olive oil and the asparagus. Out of nowhere came the thought of squeezing a little lemon juice onto them. In addition, I snipped up some remaining chives and salted and peppered them. In the other pan, I placed the lamb and the marinade from the dish.
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~~~PAUSE~~~
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I love lamb. And that would seem a silly thing to pause you for except for the fact that I feel the need to emphasize the fact that I've never had particularly good luck with cooking it. Chops come out dry. Shanks are unrecognizeable when I'm through with them. My mom makes a fabulous ground lamb patty in candied orange sauce, but ground lamb is not easy to find. So I decided to try my luck with tenderloins.
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Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: Lamb tenderloins are the way to go. Small strips of lamb richness that barely shrink when you cook them... juicey, flavorful - MMM!
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~~~UNPAUSE~~~
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So start up your two burners. Don't be shocked when the asparagus starts hopping about in the oil like I was. Turn the flame down and toss it around a bit. The marinade with the lamb will start sizzling nicely. Let it simmer and turn the chops every so often. Slice into your thickest one to make sure it's done to your preference. I prefer a little dark pink in the center, so my lamb and veggies were done around the same time.
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The lamb was tender and packed with flavor. The asparagus was perfectly yummy and the lemon, I think, added a little extra zest.
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I paired tonight's dinner with a Californian Pinot Noir (Arroyo del Sol by Arroyo Seco vineyards, 2005) - normally $24.00/bottle, I got it on sale at Premier for half-price. A little bit of a splurge, but I've been saving it for a special occasion. And getting lamb right IS a special occasion. Being New World, it's fruit forward, but with enough earthiness to balance out the herbs and lamb. It's one of the few wines out there that pairs well with asparagus, and so all-in-all, the whole thing came together nicely.
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And I have now found my favorite cut of lamb for cooking!
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Yours in the love of good food and wine (especially lamb and pinot),
AL
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The blogger is not an experienced chef. She takes no responsibility for the quality of the meals prepared while following her advice. Use your own judgment regarding cooking times and proper food handling.