Mistown Detroit – Looking for a night out for Valentine’s Day at one of Detroit’s casual hotspots serving food with an upscale vibe? Consider checking out The Block in Midtown, where they are rolling out something very special for the occasion. As Executive Chef Adam Dorazio describes it, it’s a “fun, casual, intimate place.”
For Valentine’s Day, they are doing a special rack of lamb dish. The lamb is roasted and glazed in honey and herb crusted. It is served with sweet whipped potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, with a lamb demi-glace.
They have other specials for Valentine’s Day including his and her meals paired with drinks. Plus, there is a fancy dessert of red velvet cake with two chocolate-covered strawberries.
The Block is located at 3919 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit.
If you don’t want to head out to the restaurant, you can always make the rack of lamb yourself following the recipe below.
Herb Crusted Lamb Chops
Executive Chef Adam Dorazio, The Block
Yield 12 servings
Start to Finish Time 50 minutes
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30
Ingredients
LAMB
· Salt and pepper
· Olive oil
· 4, 8-bone lamb rib racks (ask your butcher to include 1/2 lb. of trimmings for sauce)
· 2/3 cup Dijon mustard
HERB CRUST
· 1 cup loosely packed parsley
· 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
· 1/4 cup olive oil
· 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (Grana Padana or Parmigiano-Reggiano)
· 1/2 cup pine nuts
· 1 1/2 cup cups fresh bread crumbs
SAUCE
· 1/2 lb. trimmings from rack
· 2 shallots, chopped
· 1/4 cup red wine
· 2 cups veal demi-glace
· 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
· Salt and pepper
For the Lamb
Cut each rib rack in half and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just cover the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil and heat until hot, but not smoking.
Brown rib racks a few minutes on each side until browned and let cool slightly.
Smear fatty sides of each ½ rack with Dijon.
Cover with a generous coating of bread crumb mixture, and roast at 400°F until thermometer registers 130°F (for medium-rare), 20 to 25 minutes.
For the Herb Crust
In a food processor, purée the parsley, rosemary and olive oil together. Add the Parmesan, pine nuts and bread crumbs, pulse to combine and set aside.
For the Sauce
Saute lamb trimmings in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium stockpot until rendered. Add red wine and reduce until almost dry. Add demi-glace, bring to a boil and reduce by ¼. Remove from heat, add rosemary and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain into a small saucepan, reheat and adjust seasoning.
When done, remove rib racks from the oven and let rest.
Slice each ½ rack into 2, 2-chop servings. Add sauce around the presentation to coat plate. Simple sautéed greens, such as rapini, arugula, escarole or spinach, make a wonderful additional accompaniment.