PRESENTS THIS WEEK’S RECIPES:

ROASTED PEACH SALAD

LAMB CHOPS WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

PLUM CRISP

ROASTED PEACH SALAD

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 golden peaches
• 1 pound arugula
• 1 slab bacon, thick cut
• 1/3 cup Marcona almonds
• 1/3 cup Manouri cheese*
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup sherry vinegar
• Black pepper, to taste

• *Manouri is a semi-soft, fresh sheep’s or goat’s milk white cheese popular in Greek and Mediterranean cooking. Look for it at cheese stores, ethnic markets or Whole Foods. Chèvre may be used as a substitute.

PROCEDURE

1. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. Cut each half into 3 pieces and set aside.
2. Cut the bacon into 1-inch cubes. Place a sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon and 4 tablespoons water. Allow the bacon to cook. While the water evaporates, the bacon will begin to brown. Once the bacon is brown and crispy remove it from the pan and set aside; this should take about 10 minutes.
3. Add the peaches to the bacon fat in the pan and roast on each side for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Combine the remaining fat with the olive oil, sherry vinegar, and 5 cracks of pepper and set aside.
4. Crumble the Manouri cheese, and mix in a bowl with the arugula, almonds, peaches, and bacon. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette when ready to serve.

LAMB CHOPS WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 8 lamb chops
• 1 tablespoon cumin, ground
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
• 1/3 tablespoon black pepper, ground
• 2 bell peppers (red and yellow)
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 garlic head
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup Israeli couscous
• 2 tablespoon mint, chopped
• 1 lemon

PROCEDURE

1. Combine the cumin, cinnamon, and black pepper with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Rub this mixture all over the lamb and allow to marinate for at least 5 hours.
2. In a sauce pan bring to a boil the vinegar, water, 3 tablespoons of salt, sugar, and 10 garlic cloves. While this mixture is coming up, cut the peppers in half and deseed. Then cut the peppers into thin strips. Place the peppers in a bowl, pour the boiling pickling liquid and 1/3 cup olive oil over the top. Plastic-wrap the bowl and allow to sit until cool.
3. Boil the Israeli couscous in salted water until cooked. Remove from the water, toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil and allow to cool. Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and sauté in the remaining olive oil until golden brown. Zest and juice the lemon. Mix together the couscous, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic oil, and chopped mint, then season with salt.
4. Season the lamb chops with salt and grill on a hot grill for 2 minutes per side. To serve, place the chops over the couscous, and scatter the pickled peppers around.

PLUM CRISP

Serves 6-10

INGREDIENTS

• 10 plums
• Sugar, to taste (for macerating plums)
• 1/2 squeezed lemon
• 4-3/4 ounces granulated sugar
• 8 ounces all purpose flour
• 2-3/4 ounces dark brown sugar
• 5-1/3 ounces butter
• 1/2 orange, zested
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
• 2 ounces pistachios, chopped
• 1 cup créme fraîche
• 1/8 cup granulated sugar (for the créme fraîche)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom seeds

PROCEDURE

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut plums in a large dice. Mix with lemon juice and sugar. If the plums are extremely sweet, only use a dash of sugar, and if they are tart use an amount that suits your palate. Allow to macerate for thirty minutes or more in the refrigerator.
3. While plums are macerating, make the streusel topping. Sift the flour and cinnamon and set aside in a bowl. Roughly chop your pistachios and set aside in another bowl.
4. Cream butter and sugar in the mixer, with the paddle attachment, until it’s nice and fluffy. Add in the orange zest and the orange blossom water. Next, you want to add in the flour cinnamon mixture. Mix until it is nice and crumbly, almost the size of peas. Immediately stop the mixer and add in the pistachios for a quick mix. Refrigerate the mixture until your plums are ready.
5. Remove plums from the refrigerator and taste one to see if more sugar or acid, lemon juice, needs to be added to them. Put the plums in an 8-inch square ceramic dish and cover the top with the streusel topping. Place in the oven until a nice golden brown crust is formed.
6. While the crisp is baking in the oven, you can make your whipped créme fraîche topping. Place the créme fraîche in a mixing bowl along with the 1/8 cup sugar and ground cardamom. Whisk by hand or in the mixer until stiff peaks are formed. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve the crisp.
7. Serve the crisp warm out of the oven with dollops of the créme fraîche on top.