Cooking Day 9: Wes's Birthday & Lamb with Risotto
Join me in wishing my husband of 22 years a very happy birthday! He is only 30, can you believe it?! HA HA!! In his dreams.
My newly 46-year-old husband usually gets anything he wants for his birthday dinner. As I mentioned once before, our lives get pretty crazy and I don't always get to cook big elaborate dinners. Tonight, it was a mother/son team effort with Tony doing most of the heavy lifting. Are ya'll working from home too? I know I am not the ONLY one whose lower back feels like it is going to give out from sitting in chairs not meant to be sat in for 8 hours straight.
I actually did my part early this morning. For dessert, Wes wanted baklava. I KNOW! Who does he think I am?! I was willing to give it the old college try, but all the stores were out of Phyllo (that's a first?). My cheesecake recipe doesn't do chocolate well and his backup was chocolate cheesecake. A friend messaged me as I was looking for a recipe and she gave me hers. Now, I can't give it out because it is hers, but it was so good. I even took her a few slices after dinner.
Now...to dinner.
Tony began marinating the rack of lamb yesterday. He used lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper and put it in the fridge until today. He took it out at about 4:30 to let it come to temp and then lined my lasagna pan with foil separated the lamb into chops of two each and put them in and once more put salt and cracked pepper. That went into the oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.
While the lamb cooked, he started on the risotto. Ohhhhhhh risottoooooooooooooo!
Butter, mandoline sliced garlic...oh so thin, chopped onion, cooked down just until tender. He deglazed with Pinot Grigio and then added the arborio rice. While this all cooked and the rice toasted up a bit, we had two boxes of chicken stock heating up in a saucepan. Once that rice was toasted up and absorbed all the wine, he added a couple of ladles of stock at a time, until it was all absorbed.
The secret to risotto is the stir. You just keep stirring it and you add a little bit of liquid at a time. That stirring will make it oh so creamy and adding the liquid a little at a time will make sure it will not get mushy. Once the risotto is almost at the consistency you are looking for, add the parmesan. How much? I don't know...about two handfuls. We likey the cheesy! The risotto was creamy and delicious. We added a bit of salt and pepper to finish it off and moved it aside.
Then...my favorite part of the dish...Tony's white wine lemon butter sauce. Yall...O.M.G. This sauce...I want it on EVERYTHING. I can't tell yall what's in it. That is HIS sauce.
I was so scared of lamb. I've had it once and I could not stand it. But this...whoa boy. This was tender and delicious. My boy's got chops. Hee Hee Hee...get it?
Anyway, it was all so good. Aidan grabbed that lamb by the frenched bone and just gnawed into like a rib at The Salt Lick. I could NOT get him to use his knife and fork! The birthday boy was quite happy with his dinner. We did a little kitchen clean up and then dove into dessert. This was so light, you would not believe it. Oreo (fake Oreo) crumb crust, chocolate cheesecake with my homemade salted caramel (that I always have in the fridge...except now I am out) and fresh whipped cream.
Happy 46th my love. We appreciate everything you have done for us all.
My newly 46-year-old husband usually gets anything he wants for his birthday dinner. As I mentioned once before, our lives get pretty crazy and I don't always get to cook big elaborate dinners. Tonight, it was a mother/son team effort with Tony doing most of the heavy lifting. Are ya'll working from home too? I know I am not the ONLY one whose lower back feels like it is going to give out from sitting in chairs not meant to be sat in for 8 hours straight.
I actually did my part early this morning. For dessert, Wes wanted baklava. I KNOW! Who does he think I am?! I was willing to give it the old college try, but all the stores were out of Phyllo (that's a first?). My cheesecake recipe doesn't do chocolate well and his backup was chocolate cheesecake. A friend messaged me as I was looking for a recipe and she gave me hers. Now, I can't give it out because it is hers, but it was so good. I even took her a few slices after dinner.
Now...to dinner.
Tony began marinating the rack of lamb yesterday. He used lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper and put it in the fridge until today. He took it out at about 4:30 to let it come to temp and then lined my lasagna pan with foil separated the lamb into chops of two each and put them in and once more put salt and cracked pepper. That went into the oven at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.
While the lamb cooked, he started on the risotto. Ohhhhhhh risottoooooooooooooo!
Butter, mandoline sliced garlic...oh so thin, chopped onion, cooked down just until tender. He deglazed with Pinot Grigio and then added the arborio rice. While this all cooked and the rice toasted up a bit, we had two boxes of chicken stock heating up in a saucepan. Once that rice was toasted up and absorbed all the wine, he added a couple of ladles of stock at a time, until it was all absorbed.
The secret to risotto is the stir. You just keep stirring it and you add a little bit of liquid at a time. That stirring will make it oh so creamy and adding the liquid a little at a time will make sure it will not get mushy. Once the risotto is almost at the consistency you are looking for, add the parmesan. How much? I don't know...about two handfuls. We likey the cheesy! The risotto was creamy and delicious. We added a bit of salt and pepper to finish it off and moved it aside.
Then...my favorite part of the dish...Tony's white wine lemon butter sauce. Yall...O.M.G. This sauce...I want it on EVERYTHING. I can't tell yall what's in it. That is HIS sauce.
I was so scared of lamb. I've had it once and I could not stand it. But this...whoa boy. This was tender and delicious. My boy's got chops. Hee Hee Hee...get it?
Anyway, it was all so good. Aidan grabbed that lamb by the frenched bone and just gnawed into like a rib at The Salt Lick. I could NOT get him to use his knife and fork! The birthday boy was quite happy with his dinner. We did a little kitchen clean up and then dove into dessert. This was so light, you would not believe it. Oreo (fake Oreo) crumb crust, chocolate cheesecake with my homemade salted caramel (that I always have in the fridge...except now I am out) and fresh whipped cream.
Happy 46th my love. We appreciate everything you have done for us all.
It all looks so delicious. Happy birthday Wesley.
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