COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE

It is still cool and rainy here in Seattle.  Memorial Day usually inspires outdoor grilling, however, the rain never stopped yesterday.  Turned out to be a  perfect day to grill indoors and perhaps make a fennel and gruyére gratin.  This was the first time I cooked lamb and it was delicious.  I always thought  in order to have succulent lamb it needed to be braised for hours in a stew.  We used the most simplest stove top grilling technique and we were pleasantly surprised how well it turned out.  I wonder how many other cooking misconceptions I have!  The fennel gratin was a perfect accompaniment to this dinner.  Unlike a potato gratin the fennel is light and the gruyére gave it a comforting element needed for a cool rainy day.

Served with a minted pea mash and  a fennel gruyère gratin.

Ingredients

• 2-3 lamb cutlets
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• a few wedges of lemon and/or fresh mint to serve

Method

Heat a ridged grill pan and brush both sides of lamb with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cook the cutlets over high heat until browned on both sides.  I cooked for 4 minutes each side and they were medium rare.

This was suppose to be a mint puree.  It turned out a little thicker than I expected and instead of thinning it out I decided to keep the consistency as a mash.  Very enjoyable.  I seem to have been a little stuck on peas and mint lately in my posting.  I just love using what is in season and freshly harvested.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. of fresh peas
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• sprinkling of salt and pepper
• about 8 mint leaves
• 1 squeeze of lemon

Method

Cook the peas in boiling water until tender, then drain.  Stir in the butter until it melts.  Transfer peas to a blender or food processor.  Add the cream, salt and pepper, mint leaves and lemon juice and blend until smooth.  Serve warm.

f e n n e l   a n d   g r u y è r e    g r a t i n

Ingredients

• 3 fennel bulb, trimmed of outer leaves
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated gruyère cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°.  Trim the fennel tops and save any feathery fronds for later.  Quarter the bulbs and cook in lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes until tender.  Drain well and place the fennel in a buttered gratin dish.  Sprinkle the reserved fronds on top.  Season with salt and pepper, pour on the cream and sprinkle with cheeses.  Bake for 20 minutes.  I sprinkled a few uncooked fronds on top after baking.

Serves 4

buon appetite.