Volume 10, Issue 075 - April 14, 2006

Hello ,

I would like to thank the American Lamb Board and our friend Mary Ramsey Humann for their hard work and contribution to this week's Foodservice Daily Newsletter. I thought I knew a lot about this wonderful meat but I have picked up some great information and tips this week for my "Keepers" folder. Today we talk about lamb from abroad and how to pair this wonderful meat with wine. Good things to know!

If you have kids or grandchildren, most likely you have seen the animated movie called Shrek. In the first movie Shrek tries to describe himself to Donkey, using an onion as an analogy. He relates to himself as a creature of layers, just like an onion. We liked the comparison, so...our topic next week....Onions - Layers of Flavor! Stay tuned for great onion recipes.

Have a great weekend...you deserve it!

Fresh American Lamb vs. Imported Lamb

• Fresh American Lamb is a popular menu item thanks to the larger cut sizes, its unique flavor profile, freshness and tenderness of the meat and its profitability to the operator.
• American Lamb offers a higher meat-to-bone ratio than that of its foreign competitors.  Operators and customers also recognize the great value of meaty, fresh American Lamb.
• American Lamb has a milder flavor than that of imported lamb. Thanks to excellent feed programs in the United States, domestically raised lamb is primarily grain fed versus the grass fed imported lamb counterparts. A grain-based diet helps produce a clean, mild flavor.
• Available year round, American Lamb is up to 10,000 miles fresher than imported lamb.  There's a lamb dish for every season.
• A recent study showed that consumers prefer American Lamb to imported lamb.  They ranked it superior in terms of quality, taste and healthfulness.  (Source: Synovate Study 2004)

There are different classes of American Lamb:

• Hothouse
• Lamb
• Yearling
• Mutton/Mature

As sheep age, their meat becomes stronger in taste and firmer in texture.  Of the lamb available on the market, the type considered to have the most delicate flavor and tender texture is baby lamb, also known as milk lamb or hothouse lamb.  These animals, produced all year round by controlled breeding, are processed when they are 6-10 weeks old, before weaning.  They are sold in specialty stores and are expensive.

The largest supply of meat by far comes from animals born in the spring lambing season, which may be as early as January in the warm states of the Southwest and as late as May in colder northern areas.  These lambs are processed when they are between the ages of six months and one year.  After that age, physiological changes occur that intensify the flavor of the meat.  Currently the national average dress weight is almost 70 pounds.  Meat from a lamb older than one year cannot legally be labeled "genuine lamb."  Animals that are processed between the ages of a year and 20 months are sometimes called "yearling lamb"; the meat they produce is firmer in texture and stronger in flavor.  For culinary purposes, that meat should be considered mutton rather than lamb.

A general rule of thumb is that sheep more than a year old is considered mutton.  Mutton is undeservedly unpopular and is rarely found in American markets but has figured prominently in the cooking of all sheep-raising countries, and is well worth experimenting with when it is available.  It has a strong, rich flavor (enthusiasts claim that not even the best beef can match fine mutton) that marries well with the intense seasonings that are found in Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese dishes.

Source: American Lamb Board

American Lamb Board How to buy, store and prepare lamb. Food service cuts available; plus recipes, sauces, and serving ideas for cooking.

Roasted Leg of American Lamb with Marinated Tomatoes
and Herb Bread Crumbs

Total Time: 60 minutes or more
Lamb Cuts: Leg (bone-in, boneless)
Category: Entrée
Servings: 10
Preparation Time: 45
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 6 to 7 pound American Lamb leg, butterflied (see note)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
chicken stock or water, as needed

Marinated Tomatoes:

3 large beefsteak tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried Greek oregano
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Herb Bread Crumbs:

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, very lightly toasted
1 clove garlic, peeled, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

For the Lamb:

Lay the butterflied leg of lamb, fat side down, on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Roll the lamb, starting at a narrow end, into an evenly shaped roast, tie securely with white butcher's string. Make 4 random, 1-inch deep slits into lamb and insert the garlic pieces. Rub olive oil over the entire surface of the lamb, sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano. For optimum flavor, cover and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Uncover lamb and place in a roasting pan just large enough to accommodate it. Roast 25 minutes. Pour the white wine around the lamb, reduce oven to 400 degrees F and continue roasting 25 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices. Add chicken broth or water to pan, 1/2 cup at a time, if it becomes dry.

Meanwhile, prepare Marinated Tomatoes and Herb Bread Crumbs. Spoon 3/4 cup of the Marinated Tomatoes over the lamb and continue roasting 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle Herb Bread Crumbs over lamb and continue roasting 5 minutes. Remove lamb from oven and let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Leg of lamb will be 145 degrees F for medium-rare, increase roasting times and test with a meat thermometer for higher degrees of doneness. Serve remaining Marinated Tomatoes on the side.

Note: Your butcher should be able to bone out and butterfly the leg of lamb for you. Or, you may order the leg bones, rolled and tied and ask the butcher to season the cut with salt and pepper in the process.

For the Tomatoes:

Score the bottom of each tomato with an X. Drop tomatoes, one at a time, into boiling water for a few seconds to loosen skin; remove and plunge into ice water until cool. Remove skin, repeat with remaining tomatoes. Quarter tomatoes, remove and discard seeds and pulp. Dice meat of tomatoes and place in medium bowl, add remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

For the Bread Crumbs:

Combine bread crumbs, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in mixing bowl. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over crumbs tossing to coat.

Source: American Lamb Board

American Lamb Marries Perfectly with Wines from Around the World

Acclaimed Wine Expert Karen MacNeil Reveals
Why American Lamb and Wine are a Sensational Marriage

While countless home cooks and chefs have already discovered the wonderful versatility, and pure, mild, delicious flavor of American lamb, there's another reason to enjoy lamb. According to wine expert Karen MacNeil, author of the best selling book The Wine Bible (Workman Publishing), American lamb is the perfect all around meat for wine. "American lamb is the quintessential accompaniment for a wide variety of wines from around the world - reds, whites, and roses," says MacNeil. "A glass of great wine brings out lamb's succulent, mild, meaty flavor and makes it even more irresistible."

The History of Lamb and Wine

The practice of pairing lamb and wine is actually quite historic. In fact, European traditions can provide inspiration for the modern matching of American lamb and wine. "Throughout Europe, the affinity between lamb and wine is centuries old," explains MacNeil. The reasons she says are two-fold. "First, with availability from the easternmost islands of Greece to the westernmost coasts of France, Spain and Portugal, lamb has historically been the most popular meat in the Mediterranean, the birthplace of wine. Consuming lamb and wine together was considered so utterly natural it was almost instinctive" MacNeil states. "Grazing sheep and planting vineyards continue to be a European way of life. That's why so many of Europe's most famous wines are served alongside American Lamb in the United States."

Flavor has also played an important role. American Lamb's remarkable flavor and succulent texture has traditionally lent itself to hundreds of different culinary interpretations and thousands of dishes based on numerous cuisines. According to MacNeil, American Lamb is well suited to an enormous range of wines from French Bordeaux to Spanish Rioja to Italian Chianti.

"There is something especially satisfying about the dynamic interaction between the rich flavors of lamb and wine," says MacNeil. "A bite of lamb makes you want to take a sip of wine and a sip of wine makes you want to take a bite of lamb. It's the perfect see saw."

Is There a "Best Wine" for Lamb Today?

Yes. The one you are planning to drink. "As someone who cooks with American Lamb all the time and who tastes about 3000 wines a year, I can attest to the fact that lamb goes with a surprising number of wine styles and varieties of wine," says MacNeil. The exact wine she chooses depends on the cut of the lamb and how it's prepared.

For example, with American Lamb stews and slow braised dishes such as shanks, MacNeil loves a saturated rich Shiraz. With a seared American rack of lamb, she chooses a well structured Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. White wines and roses are great partners too. When MacNeil incorporates lamb into salads, she loves to serve Sauvignon Blanc. And in summer with grilled lamb and vegetable kabobs, she'll serve a well chilled dry rose.

"Matching wine and food is about creativity and commonsense," she says. "People who pair wine and food together don't have a set of rules as much as they have good instincts," says MacNeil. "It's more of an art than science. It's also a matter of paying attention to the principles that emerge when drinking different kinds of wines with a given dish."

Source: American Lamb Board

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Mesquite Smoked American Lamb Chops with Garden Tomato,
Rustic Panzanella Bread and Basil Leaf Salad

Total Time: 60 minutes or more
Lamb Cuts: Chops (rib, rack, shoulder, center cut)
Category: Entrée
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 rack fresh American Lamb chops, sliced into single bone chops and cut 3/4 to 1-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mesquite wood chips

Garden Tomato, Rustic Panzanella Bread and Basil Leaf Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/3 cup cucumber, diced
1/3 cup red onion, diced
3 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch wedges
1/2 cup basil leaves, cut into julienne strips
2 cups 1/2-inch bread cubes, toasted (use coarse-textured, chewy bread, such as italian hearth-baked bread

Preparation:

For the Lamb Chops:

Combine olive oil, vinegar, pepper and salt, dip lamb chops in oil mixture. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare salad. Soak mesquite chips in cold water while preparing coals (at least 10 minutes). Sprinkle mesquite chips over hot coals; cover grill and cook 5 to 10 minutes, turning once, to desired degree of doneness. Use meat thermometer to test for doneness, medium-rare 145 degrees F, medium 160 degrees F or well-done 170 degrees F.

For the Salad:

Combine olive oil, vinegar, pepper and salt in a medium bowl. Toss in green and red peppers, cucumber and red onion. Refrigerate until serving. Just before serving, gently toss in tomato wedges, bread cubes and basil leaves.

Source: American Lamb Board