Double Cut Panko Crusted Lamb Chops was a perfect easy Sunday dinner! Making this easy elegant entree reminded me: I have an upcoming one-on-one cooking lesson soon with one of my longtime personal chef clients. I have been cooking for her family for several years. Now that her children are older, she has more time to enjoy cooking again, and wanted some tried and true recipes in her repertoire. She asked me to help her learn how to cook some easy impressive dishes for when she and her husband have small dinner parties. I thought this dish would be perfect; it really is is a no-recipe throw together. I know that as much as she wants to cook for herself and her family, as well as when she entertains, the last thing she wants to do is spend all day in the kitchen. (For some people, like me, that sounds like bliss. She wants to just incorporate cooking into her life, not have it take over!) For this easy impressive rack of lamb, the first thing I do, is season it with sea salt. Then I smear the lamb with a mixture of dijon mustard and a little chutney (or preserves of anykind. A tiny bit of maple syrup also works; anything that’s sticky and sweet will work just fine.) Mix some panko crumbs with fresh herbs like rosemary and/or thyme. a little freshly minced garlic, a pinch of sea salt, and enough olive oil to barely moisten it. Then pat the crumbs on the rack of lamb. That’s it! Put it in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or so, until it registers 120 degrees (for rare). A meat thermometer is a must here! (As a personal chef when my clients express an interest in learning how to cook, I always check to see if they have a good knife and a meat thermometer!). After you pull it out of the oven ,let it rest a few minutes, then cut in between the ribs. To me, something about double cut lamb chops always looks more elegant and festive than a single one! For side dishes, I am thinking simple roasted baby carrots with almond and chives, roasted fingerling potatoes with fresh parsley, maybe a nice mixed greens salad with goat cheese, pine nuts and a classic vinaigrette. That is a perfect easy dinner! No recipes required.
I think there’s nothing wrong with serving really good ice cream for dessert if you really don’t want to go to a lot of trouble. But I think I am going to suggest one of my go-to dinner party desserts: chocolate mousse. That is a great dessert recipe to have up your sleeve, especially if you entertain a lot. As a personal chef, who has cooked for dinner parties, that is one dessert I have made countless times. Everybody loves it. The rest of the dinner is so simple and easy, so why not! What’s nice about the mousse is, you can make it early in the day, or even the day before, so you’re nice and relaxed when your guests arrive! Easy elegant entertaining can be easy to pull off when you use no-recipe-required dishes, along with a great decadent dessert.