Who's In The Kitchen: Wowing your guests right from the start

As a personal chef, I am sometimes asked by clients, to recommend a signature, mouthwatering dish, that is sure to “wow” their guests. Without hesitation, I always offer my favorite appetizer; baby lamb chops in pastry dough smothered in mushroom sauce.  

This recipe consists of quite a few steps, but the finished product will be well worth the effort. Just ask my good friends, Ira Grosser and Joe Grob. When they are invited to my home for dinner, it’s a given that I’m going to make baby lamb chops wrapped in pastry dough and smothered in onion and mushroom sauce...or else.

In my opinion, no single gesture by a host or hostess shows culinary sophistication quite like serving an impressive appetizer. While this recipe may initially sound a bit intimidating, to quote Chef James Beard, “The only thing, that will make a soufflé fall, is if it knows you are afraid of it.” Keep that in mind as you follow these directions.

Baby Lamb Chops, Wrapped in Pastry Dough, Served With Mushroom and Onion Sauce

Ingredients

n 10 baby lamb chops, uniform in size

n 4 round bone shoulder lamb chops

n 10 pieces of puff pastry frozen dough dough (3 x 3 inch) can be found in most supermarkets, in a 10 or 36 piece package

n 10 frilly paper caps to encircle the bone end of the chops (made of white paper), optional

n 2 pounds fresh mushrooms

n 5 large onions, peeled and diced

n 1/8th cup of Mikee garlic, stir-fry and rib sauce

n 10 sprigs of fresh rosemary

n garlic powder

n salt

n pepper

n 8 tablespoons Osem mushroom soup and seasoning mix

n 2 cups cold water

n 1/4th teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce

n 1 cup canola oil

Instructions

Slice and sautée mushrooms in a small amount of canola oil.

When mushrooms are just about done, raise the heat and pour in a tablespoon of the Garlic Sauce and mix thoroughly for a minute.

Peel, dice and sautée the onions in canola oil until they are soft and caramelized (about 40 min)

Rinse, and pat dry 10 baby lamb chops. Place them on a lightly greased half sheet pan and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Broil, on high for two and a half minutes on each side. Remove from oven and set aside.