BBQ Rack of Lamb

Ingredients

2 racks of lamb, frenched

One medium onion

Olive oil

Dijon or other mustard

fresh chopped thyme

salt and pepper

Grill the onion in its skin for about 15 minutes until it is soft and slightly blackened.

When done let it cool. Remove peel and chop finely. Mix with other ingredients to make a smooth dressing.

Allow lamb to come to room temperature prior to grilling (20 to 30 minutes). Brush the lamb all over with the dressing and wrap the exposed bones loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Sear, bone side down first over direct medium heat for two to four minutes. Move the lamb to indirect heat and grill to desired doneness, about 15 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from grill and allow lamb to rest for at least five minutes before cutting into chops.

We recommend purchasing your lamb from a local farm or market if possible and we would like to thank Topsy Farms on Amherst Island, Ontario for supplying the lamb for this video. Check out their great Canadian wool products at www.topsyfarms.com

Celebrating our First Anniversary with Bananas Foster.

It's hard to believe a whole year has already passed since we posted our first video! Thank you for all of your support, suggestions, and encouragement. We really enjoy making the videos and trying out new recipes and old favourites like Bananas Foster.

Bananas Foster is one of those dishes I heard about on TV or somewhere when I was a kid and it always sounded so fancy so I thought I'd give it a go. It's actually quite simple and easy to make. If you don't have the banana liqueur, don't fret. Just make it without.

Traditionally Bananas Foster is prepared tableside and make for a wonderful show stopper at a dinner party or any special occasion.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup banana liqueur
• 4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt for a lower fat version.

Directions:

• Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet.
• Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook on a low heat stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
• Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.
• When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
• Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot then ignite the rum using a torch or long-necked lighter.
• When the flames subside (about 30 seconds) carefully lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream.
• Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.
• Serves Four

Here's the blog post from NPR's 'The Salt' that I spoke of in the video; The sweet success of bananas foster has an unsavory past.

How to Make a Shamrock Shake

Ingredients
1 Cup Milk (I used 2%)
2 scoops of good quality vanilla ice cream
2 oz Creme de Menthe or use Peppermint extract for a non-alcoholic version
Fresh mint leaves and marachino cherries for garnish

Directions
Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Add more or less milk to get the thickness desired.