Grilled Lamb Chops with Rosemary, Salt, and Tapanade Aioli

Ingredients

For the tapanade aioli:

• 1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 anchovy fillets, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons pitted nicoise olives
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the lamb chops:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary plus sprigs, for garnish
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 12 bone-in baby lamb chops, Frenched
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the tapanade aioli:

Directions

Combine the mayonnaise, zest, juice, anchovies and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the olives and salt and pepper and pulse a few times just to incorporate the olives, not puree them. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Can be made 8 hours in advance and refrigerated.

For the lamb chops:

Combine the rosemary and salt in a food processor and process until combined.

Heat the grill to high.

Brush the chops on both sides with oil and season with a few teaspoons of the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place on the grill and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes.Flip the chops over and continue grilling to medium-rare doneness, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Top each chop with a dollop of the aioli. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.

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Lamb Chops

Pumpkin French Toast Stuffed with Blackberry-Caramel Mascarpone

Ingredients

Blackberry-Caramel:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup blackberry puree
• 2 teaspoons blackberry liqueur
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  

French Toast:

• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk, plus more if needed
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 8 slices day old challah, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups mascarpone, at room temperature
• 1 pint blackberries, halved lengthwise
• Confectioners' sugar
• Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Blackberry-Caramel:

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat.

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat and cook, without stirring, until amber brown, about 8 minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm cream, blackberry puree and liqueur and cook until smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Let come to room temperature.

French Toast:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a baking sheet in the oven.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt in a large baking dish until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, ground spices, milk, 1/4 cup of the heavy cream, vanilla and rum and whisk until smooth.

Put 4 slices of the bread in the custard mixture and let sit for 2 minutes. Carefully turn over the slices and let sit until the bread is completely soaked through, about 2 more minutes.

While the bread is soaking, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to sizzle. Cook the 4 slices of the bread until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and continue cooking until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Remove to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Wipe out the pan with paper towels and repeat the process with the butter, oil and remaining 4 pieces of bread.

Combine the mascarpone and remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream in a bowl and using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, beat until fluffy and smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and fold in a few tablespoons of the blackberry-caramel sauce. Put the sauce into a small saucepan over low heat and heat or put it in the microwave for a minute or so to just warm through.

Remove the French toast from the oven and arrange them on a serving platter. Top 4 slices of the toast with a large dollop of the blackberry-caramel mascarpone and some of the blackberries. Cover with the remaining 4 pieces of toast and drizzle each with some of the warm blackberry caramel sauce. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, garnish with fresh mint sprig and serve.

 SOURCE

French Toast

L.A. Burger

Directions

Bobby's Perfect Patty

Shape 6 ounces of 80 percent lean ground beef chuck into a uniform patty, no more than 3/4 inch thick (don't overwork the meat). Make a depression in the center with your thumb so the burger won't bulge; the indent will rise as the patty cooks. Preheat a grill or cast-iron grill pan to high. Brush the burger with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, turning once (7 minutes for medium-rare). Avoid pressing with a spatula! Add cheese for the last minute of cooking.

Cheese

Your pick: Monterey Jack is a California favorite, but Bobby loves this burger with cheddar, too.

Avocado Relish

Avocado is one of Bobby's favorite ingredients. He mixes 2 chopped Hass avocados with 1/2 diced small onion, 1 minced jalapeno,the juice of 1 lime, 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, and salt and pepper.

Watercress

L.A. doesn't do iceberg lettuce, so Bobby tops off the burger with this peppery green instead.

Tomato

One thick, juicy slice takes the place of ketchup.

Photograph by Steve Giralt

SOURCE

Hamburgers