Sunday Suppers

Ok, so I’ve decided that since the tradition of having Sunday suppers with my family was such a huge part of my upbringing and since it was said upbringing that shaped me into the super fantastic individual (pipe down little brother, no one asked you) that I turned out to be and since I’m making Sunday supper every week anyway…well, I said to myself “self, me thinks we need to do a weekly ‘Sunday Supper’ post”.  Sunday suppers bring together family, friends and good food and those things combined are pretty much the holy trinity in my books. So here it is, my first Sunday Supper post.  Enjoy!

Herb & Garlic Grilled Lamb Chops with Roasted Fingerlings, Carrots & Green Beans and for dessert Rhubarb Cupcakes with Whipped Cream

The weather has been pretty spectacular here these days and although we grill all year round, come this time of year we really start looking for grilled meals more often than not. One, because there’s nothing quite like a BBQ and two because quite frankly it’s nice not to have to crank the oven on when it’s blazing hot outside.

So for dinner this week we enjoyed some incredible garlic herbed lamb chops and some roasted (on the grill) veg. We finished the evening off with an outstanding recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcake book, rhubarb and whipped cream cupcakes. * swoon*

I prepared the lamb first thing in the morning so it had lots of time to sit in the marinade. I roasted the veg on the grill and during the last 10 minutes I added the green beans and slid the tray off to the side when it was time to put the chops on. If your grill doesn’t have enough space to hold the veg and the chops at the same time just do the veg in your oven and save the grill for the chops.

Roasted Fingerlings, Carrots & Green Beans

1 ½ lb fingerling potatoes, halved (I used both red and white)

1 bunch young carrots, peeled but with tops left on

½ pound French green beans, trimmed

⅛ cup good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

4 cloves of garlic, minced

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the grill to high or 400ºF.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Line a baking sheet with foil

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and place in a bowl with the olive oil, carrots, salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and thyme; toss until everything is well coated. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet on the grill and close the lid and roast, stirring and turning occasionally. After 35 minutes add the green beans* and toss to ensure they are coated with the oil. Roast for 10 minutes more or until green beans are cooked but firm.

Note, this recipe makes quite a bit of veg but I wanted extra so that I could make a Roasted Veggie Salad this week.  Stay tuned for that recipe.

* At this point, move your baking sheet off to the side and add your lamb chops to the grill.

Herb & Garlic Grilled Lamb Chops

4 lamb chops, preferably grass fed organic and/or free range

¼ cup good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons dry white wine

liberally season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Season lamb chops with salt & pepper. Combine olive oil, wine, thyme, rosemary, and garlic and coat the chops in the marinade. Place the chops in a tight fitting dish and pour remaining marinade on the chops. Cover and refrigerate for at minimum of 30 minutes (several hours or overnight preferred). Preheat grill. Place lamb chops on grill over a medium high heat. Grill about 5 minutes per side for medium chops.

Rhubarb Cupcakes with Whipped Cream

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon coarse salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup sour cream, room temperature

¾ pound rhubarb, stalks trimmed and cut into ¼ - inch dice (3 cups)

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

1 cup water

Directions

Preheat over to 350ºF. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream and beating until combined after each. Stir in 2 cups diced rhubarb.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers; remove liners before topping.

To make rhubarb topping, use the tip of a pairing knife to scrape vanilla bean seeds into a saucepan, reserving pod for another use (such as vanilla sugar). Add the water and remaining 1 cup sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 cup rhubarb. Let cool completely. Remove rhubarb with a slotted spoon and reserve. Return liquid to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, then return rhubarb to syrup. Once cool, rhubarb can be refrigerated in syrup up to 1 week in an airtight container; bring to room temperature before using.

To finish, dollop a generous amount of whipped cream onto each cupcake and top with rhubarb and some syrup. Serve immediately.

Makes 16

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions

Whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioners’ sugar and whisk until combined. If not using immediately, whipped cream can be refrigerated, covered tightly, up to 3 hours in an airtight container.