Cooking Lamb with Chef Kerry Heffernan at Sur La Table

Just days before I left New York for my California vacation I was lucky enough to finally get into the brand new Sur La Table kitchen on West 57th Street. Even better than being in the kitchen was the occasion- a celebration of American Lamb with South Gate Restaurant's executive chef Kerry Heffernan. As you may remember from Lamb Jam 2011, I depend on the American Lamb Board for my constant sheep-a-licious education. Chef Kerry's class was yet another lesson for me on my way to becoming a master of lamb. My fellow classmates and I were not only fed dishes using lamb in extremely fresh ways, we also had the shepherdess, Lisa Webster, in the house to tell us more about the animal we were eating. 

Chef Kerry Heffernan

All of the lamb was provided by Lisa's farm, North Star Sheep Farm, in Windham, Maine. Chef Kerry broke down whole sides of lamb that had been harvested Thursday and delivered to Sur La Table on Monday for use in our Wednesday night class. Lisa told us the animal is never cut within forty-eight hours of being harvested. She noted that unlike beef, lamb doesn't taste better with aging. Her philosophy for those shopping at the market for lamb is that if it looks good, it is good. I learned that with lamb comes quite a bit of terroir, that is to say there are changes in the meat depending on where it is from. Lisa and her husband Phil will graze their sheep on grass and finish them on barley and oats, since these grains easily grow in Maine. Finishing on grain is what maintains the color of the meat- hence why if it looks good, it is good and was well tended. If you are completely sold on Lisa's lamb and you live in the Maine/Boston area just check out your local Whole Foods and ask for meat from North Star Sheep Farm. Lisa also welcomes visitors to the farm.

Lamb Loins

After learning about the product, it was time to get cooking. Just a note, Sur La Table classes are mostly hands-on, however because of Chef Kerry's renown the class was taught as a demonstration without class participation. I was personally happy to sit back and watch as three delicious courses were prepared and served to me while  I sat back learning new techniques and about new ingredients along the way.

Marinated Lamb Loin Chops with Grapefruit
and Rutabaga Gratin

The first dish was an adorable t-bone lamb steak (yes, lamb is cute when its alive and cute on the plate!). Chef Kerry and his crew marinated the loin chops with grapefruit zest, thyme, garlic and olive oil overnight. The t-bones were seared in a grill pan and served with a pistou of parsley, marjoram, basil, garlic, grapefruit and olive oil in a dark green swipe across the plate. A sweet, creamy stack of rutabaga gratin complimented the chew of the tender lamb pieces and everything was brightened by the verdure of the sauce. The plate was finished with a little reduced veal stock and a sauteed scallion. I'm not sure I'd ever eaten such a simply flavored and enticing piece of lamb. At Lamb Jam I enjoyed some real winners, certainly, but this was different. The marinade infused the meat with subtle flavor and there was not a hint of gaminess in the meat itself. Also, rutabagas are highly underrated. It is one of those ugly, winter vegetables that is easily over looked- but when paid a little attention is more intriguing than our well loved potato. Chef Kerry likes to serve rutabaga puree beside mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and it is always the rutabaga his family and friends go to for seconds. It gets sweet and has a clean bite without being fibrous or grainy when cooked. Try it out- remember to cut off the (likely) waxed outer layer. 

The First Lamb Jam Masters - Do EWE love Lamb?

You could say I'm developing a flair for meat-centric events. First there was the Duckathlon in May, then Meatopia in July and now you find the CL at Lamb Jam in September. What can I say, I like meat! 2011 marked the first year that the winners of regional Lamb Jam competitions came together in New York City to compete in the first Lamb Jam Masters competition. Hosted by the American Lamb Board, the lamb-tastic event was held at City Winery on a muggy Sunday afternoon. The finalists from competitions held earlier this year in Boston, DC, San Francisco and Seattle came in with their best lamb forward. 

Sunday was my first visit to City Winery, but I doubt it will be my last. The warm spacious venue uses wine for its decor; the walls are artistically covered with wine glasses, bottles and barrels. It was the perfect place to hold Lamb Jam because it allowed the fans of lamb to graze the event at their leisure. The atmosphere was livened, also, by the musical stylings of Gotham City Bluegrass Allstars. In addition to the four chefs serving, each dish had a local (to them) wine, beer or cider pairing. Locally, the Meatball Shop, Pera, Dickson's Farmstand and The Little Cakes showed up to celebrate the goodness of lamb. The Meatballers served lamb meatballs (naturally) with basil pesto and a corn and tomato salad.  Dickson's sliced up some lamb charcuterie to taste. Little Cakes had adorable lamb cake pops but sadly I didn't get one in time! They were presented on the cutest little patch of green grass. And finally Pera had a perfect little piece of lamb adana/kebab spiced with sumac and rolled in a freshly made lavash which was like biting into a tasty thin pillow filled with warm and gently spiced meat. Memorable. There were also some specialties from farther afield by way of Louisville's Jefferson's Bourbon Coke Slushies (dangerously good) and the Hudson Valley's Old Chatham Sheephearding Company's Camembert. 

Of course I had to taste each lamb dish from the competitors and vote for the People's Choice. We'll lead up to my favorites:

First Chef Jason Santos from Blue Inc. in Boston, MA served poached lamb loin with black truffle, cauliflower espuma, bee pollen and fried garlic. The dish was served in little plastic shot glasses, presumably in its poaching liquid. The taste was good but the little cup was so hot it burned my hand to hold and I also detected some plasticy taste which was unpleasant. Had the lamb in such hot liquid been presented differently, or even just in glass instead of plastic shot glasses, I think the flavors would be have been much better and I'd have been less distracted by the technicalities of presentation. 

The poached lamb loin was paired with Harpoon Brewery IPA or UFO White. I tried some of the UFO White and really enjoyed it. It is similar to a Blue Moon but it has a nicer finish and there is no bitterness to it. It is a beer I could see myself ordering next time I am at a bar or bringing to a party.