François de Mélogue Lamb Main Course Provencal Recipes Taste

Provencal Lamb Chops with Honey and Moroccan Couscous

Name: Lavender Honey Brushed Lamb Chops Served with Moroccan Chickpea Couscous Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Couscous (large pearl); ¼ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed); ½ cup olive oil; 2 tsp Moroccan spice blend ((see below)); 2 cans chickpeas; ½ cup Raisins; 1 clove garlic (mashed); 2 cucumber(s) (peeled, seeded, diced); 2 tomatoes (chopped); 2 Peppers (seeded, chopped); 1 Red onion (peeled, chopped); ½ cup fresh parsley (chopped); 1 8-bone Rack of lamb (preferably from Sisteron, trimmed**); 1 tbsp lavender honey; 2 tsp Moroccan spice blend ((see below)); 1 tsp cumin; ½ tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp piment d’Espelette (or spicy paprika); 1 tsp Ginger; ¼ tsp turmeric; ¼ tsp allspice

Some people shy away from cooking lamb because they fear that it is difficult to cook. The reality is the opposite. This main course of lamb chops brushed with lavender honey invokes images (and flavours) of lazy summer days in Provence. The roasted lamb is paired with a Moroccan spiced salad that can you can easily prepare in advance.

Bonne appétit and cheers to Indian summer!

Lavender Honey Brushed Lamb Chops Served with Moroccan Chickpea Couscous Salad

Prepare the salad in advance and then the only thing that is left to do when your guests arrive is to roast the lamb. Easy and delicious with all the flavours of Provence combined on a plate.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 5

Course Main Dish

Cuisine French, Provencal

Servings People

Ingredients

For the Chickpea Couscous Salad:

1 cup Couscous large pearl
¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
½ cup olive oil
2 tsp Moroccan spice blend (see below)
2 cans chickpeas
½ cup Raisins
1 clove garlic mashed
2 cucumber(s) peeled, seeded, diced
2 tomatoes chopped
2 Peppers seeded, chopped
1 Red onion peeled, chopped
½ cup fresh parsley chopped

For the Lamb Chops:

1 8-bone Rack of lamb preferably from Sisteron, trimmed**
1 tbsp lavender honey
2 tsp Moroccan spice blend (see below)

For the Moroccan Spice Blend:

1 tsp cumin
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp piment d’Espelette or spicy paprika
1 tsp Ginger
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp allspice

Instructions

Before your guests arrive:

Cook large pearl couscous in 1-1/2 cups of salted water till done, about ten minutes.
Drain well, then put into a large bowl.
Add lemon juice, olive oil, Moroccan spice blend, chickpeas, raisins, garlic, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, red onion, and chopped parsley and toss well. (see note)

When you are ready to eat:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230C).
Place the lamb rack fat side down in a cold pan. Heat over a medium burner till golden brown. The idea is to slowly cook out the excess fat and make it crispy.
Brush fat side with lavender honey, season with salt/pepper and roast standing upright for 20 minutes, or until done.
Let meat rest 15 minutes before cutting.
To serve, cut the lamb into chops, adjust seasoning of salad, and serve the salad on the side.

Notes

*This salad gets better the longer it sits. You can make a day or two in advance.

**Ask your butcher to trim lamb racks for roasting.

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Tags:Chickpeas,Couscous,Lamb,Lavender

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Chef François de Mélogue

François de Mélogue grew up in a very French household in Chicago. His earliest attempts at cookery began with the filleting of his sister’s goldfish at age two and a braised rabbit dish made with his pet rabbits by age seven. He eventually stopped cooking his pets and went to the highly esteemed New England Culinary Institute, where he graduated top of his class in 1985.

Chef François has over 30 years of cross-cultural culinary experience and brings an impressive culinary history and a unique Mediterranean cooking style. After graduating top of his class from the notable New England Culinary Institute, Chef François began his career in a number of highly acclaimed kitchens across the country, including Chef Louis Szathmary’s restaurant The Bakery in Chicago, Old Drovers Inn, a Relais and Chateaux property in New York and Joel Robuchon Gastronomie restaurant in Paris, before opening award-winning restaurant Pili Pili in his hometown of Chicago, rated in the Top Ten new restaurants in the World by Food and Wine magazine in 2003.

Chef François resides in St Albans, Vermont with his wife Lisa and ten-year-old son Beaumont, who has proclaimed himself the family saucier. Chef François' latest publication French Cooking for Beginners: 75+ Classic Recipes to Cook Like a Parisian takes you on a culinary journey well beyond the streets of Paris. Francois is a professional photographer specializing in food/product photography, real estate photography and shooting rural landscapes of Vermont and France. Explore his work on https://www.francoisdemelogue.com/.

Take a look at his website Simple French Cooking filled with delicious recipes and beautiful photos. Also follow Francois on Medium for more tempting dishes Pistou and Pastis.

Provencal Lamb Chops with Honey and Moroccan Couscous