Friday, July 11, 2008
Orange Glazed Lamb Chop
Ingredients
you need...
1 piece lamb chop, at least an inch thick
garlic powder or grated garlic
salt & pepper
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup orange juice
How to make Orange Glazed Lamb Chop
this is how you do it...
rub the lamb chop with the grated garlic or sprinkle garlic powder over the lamb. season with salt and pepper.
heat the oil in a frying pan. lay the chops down (in a single layer if cooking more than one piece of lamb). fry for 6 minutes on medium-high heat. turn it over and fry for another 5 minutes. transfer the lamb to a plate and keep it warm while we make the glaze.
once you've removed the lamb from the pan, pour in the orange juice and maple syrup. turn up the heat to high and boil uncovered for abt 5 minutes until the sauce thickens (it becomes very bubbly and the bubbles have a brownish coat to it and doesn't break as easily). pour the orange glaze over the lamb and serve.
tips & hints...
to choose your cuts of lamb, see here for an explanation of the various cuts. any of those that is recommended for grilling is suitable for this recipe.
the garlic gets rid of the strong lamb flavor that many throws many people off of lamb.
when frying the lamb, once you've laid the lamb on the pan, DO NOT MOVE IT. the heat and oil will caramelize the lamb creating a layer of crust preventing the juices of the lamb from leaking out.
the 5 minutes sitting time (while you're making the glaze) allows the internal temperature to cook the center of the lamb chop without overcooking the sides.
to health conscious people, please do not trim off the fat of the lamb chops before cooking. we need the fat there as it gives a smoky flavor. animal lard, including butter, have a low smoke point, which is the temperature when the heat starts breaking down the fat, releasing smoke in the process. you may discard the fat when u're eating the chops.
works great on steak as well.
aternatively, one can use chicken instead of lamb for this recipe. depending on the thickness of your cut of chicken, reduce the cooking time by about 2-3 minutes.
