My regular readers know that we just had a kitchen remodel here on the farm. My new kitchen is AWESOME!!! One of the things that was updated was my oven. I upgraded from a single gas range to a double wall oven that is electric and smart.
One of the functions this "Smart Oven" offers is an air Sous Vide setting.
Some of my blogging friends share recipes that they have made sous vide and I had always been intrigued but reluctant to have yet one more kitchen gadget. I was excited when I learned that this new oven had this setting with no further equipment needed as I already own a vacuum food sealer.
Sous Vide translates to Under Vacuum in French. You vacuum seal whatever you are cooking and then cook it to a precise temperature, normally in water, but in my case in warm air circulating in the oven.
This is a dark novel of an apparently perfect couple having their perfect wedding in a perfect setting. However, appearances can be very deceiving. The bride and groom are far from perfect as we learn when the guests, who are far from perfect, start arriving on the island the day before the wedding.
The venue is less than perfect when storms roll in and power is lost and the wedding turned out to be the perfect setting for a murder.
There was nothing wonderful about this book, all of the characters gathered on the island were flawed. The owners of the venue where the wedding was held appeared to be a wholesome hard working chef and his wife who planned the occasion perfectly, taking care of every little last detail.
Lamb was served as the main course at the wedding reception which inspired me to make lamb chops as my first attempt at sous vide cooking.
October is #MerlotMe month so I chose to open a bottle of Decoy Merlot that had been sent to me as a sponsor gift for the celebration. The lamb chops turned out tender and juicy, however, it was my first shot at sous vide and I went beyond the time frame recommended for med rare and served lamb that was cooked to a medium temperature.
It's a learning curve and I will know that next time I use the sous vide, I want to cook to the lesser time recommended for the temperature I want as I must take into account that after the cooking, the meat still needs to be seared before serving.
So this post that started out with my perfect kitchen, took a turn with a not so perfect novel about a not so perfect wedding, followed up by lamb chops that were not perfectly cooked, finishes off with a perfect food and wine pairing.
The Merlot was heavy enough to stand up to the lamb and enhance all the Mediterranean flavors I had used when sealing them. I had also served up Greek roasted chicken at this dinner party and the Merlot paired just as nicely with that.
This is one of the things I love about Merlot. It is very food friendly and pairs easily with whatever you are dishing up. It is just as happy with hamburgers as it is with hot dogs. It can be elegant or casual depending on the meal with which it is served but I also enjoy it just by itself as I sit at my perfect island admiring my perfect kitchen.
Yield: 10 chops
Sous Vide Lamb Chops with Meditteranean Flavors
Tender loin lamb chops seasoned with warm spices and cooked air sous vide style.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 2 H & 5 MTotal time: 2 H & 20 M
Ingredients
- 10 loin lamb chops
- 3 T. olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. cumin
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cumin in a small bowl.
- Pat dry the lamb chops, rub all over with the olive oil mixture and place into a vacuum sealer bag large enough to hold all the chops with space in between.
- Vacuum the air out of the bag and seal.
- Place your chops into a sous vide bath or air cirulated smart oven at 170* for 2-3 hours for medium rare.
- When ready to serve, remove the chops from the bag and sear over hot heat until browned to desired degree keeping in mind that you want a quick sear so the lamb does not cook to a further degree.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
323.71Fat (grams)
16.02Sat. Fat (grams)
5.36Carbs (grams)
0.47Fiber (grams)
0.08Net carbs
0.41Sugar (grams)
0.01Protein (grams)
41.89Sodium (milligrams)
119.61Cholesterol (grams)
128.6
We often see people use sous vide on shows like Masterchef Australia but I can't imagine trying it myself.
ReplyDeleteI was excited to be able to try it. I look forward to experimenting with it further.
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