On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:36:47 -0600, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> Christine Dabney > wrote:
Sometimes brown foods don't
>> photograph that well and make the dish look awful. I took what feels
>> like a gazillion pictures of it, hoping to get one decent one for the
>> web page.

>Take a plated shot hon.
>
>Seriously.

Listen, to any of you are taking swipes at my picture.
If any of you want to make my pot roast recipe (as it is written) and
take a much better picture of it, be my guest. And if you do, I would
be delighted to have such picture posted as the companion to the
recipe.

By the way, the recipe comes from a cook I truly respect, Margaret Fox
of Cafe Beaujolais. She had an incredible little restaurant in
Mendocino, CA. I ate there several times, and the food was always
wonderful. I had gotten the book, The Cafe Beaujolais Coobkook before
I ever went there, and was eager to try the restaurant. I was not
disappointed.
There is another recipe in the book which was a standard on her menu:
Chinese Chicken Salad. I had the salad at the restaurant the first
time I went there, and then came home and made it from the recipe in
the book. It was the same as when I had it at the restaurant. I
think that is a sign of a good cookbook, that a recipe's quality CAN
be duplicated in a home kitchen.
My Boned Roast Leg of Lamb also comes from that book. It is hands
down, one of the best lamb recipes I have ever had.

Roast Boned Leg of Lamb
from the Cafe Beaujolais cookbook


1 leg of lamb (about 4 pounds with bone, about 3 1/2 pounds without),
boned,
trimmed of fat and at room temperature
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried rosemary)
2 tsp Herbes de Provence or dried basid and thyme
1/8 teaspoon freshly and finely ground black pepper
1 cup dry Marsala or Madeira (I like to use Madeira)
3 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into teaspoon sized pieces


In the bowl of a food processor, place butter, garlic, rosemary,
Herbes de
Provence and pepper. Blend thoroughly and then smear this mixture
all over the
inside of the leg. Roll and tie the lamb. (This can be done hours
ahead of time: I just take it out in time to let it come closer to
room temperature before roasting)

Roast at 375 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Meat is done (rare)
when temperature is about 135 degrees. Remove
roast from oven and wrap in foil.


Degrease contents of roasting pan and place the remaining juices in a
pan with
Marsala or Madeira, chicken stock, more rosemary, salt, and pepper. (
I use the
same pan I cooked the lamb in.) Boil over medium heat until reduced
by 2/3 and
thickened. Strain.


Remove lamb from foil and add strained juices to the reduction. Cut
lamb into
thin slices. Whisk butter with lamb juice and reduction over medium
heat. It
will become an emulsion. Dribble sauce over lamb and serve on warmed
plates.


Christine