Last Night's Dinner

I couldn't resist picking up several plump, firm, sun-ripened tomatoes on the vine from Granville market. Last night's dinner menu started with these gorgeous tomatoes in mind. For appetizers, I sliced them up and served them with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. I then drizzled a reduced and concentrated balsamic vinaigrette mixed with two tablespoons of basil pesto for flavor, over them. A sprinkling of good sea salt finished the dish and ta da...Instant Insalata Caprese!

The second plate was a rack of lamb, which I covered with an herb crust: a mixture of fresh bread crumbs, chopped parsley, pine nuts, crushed garlic, bound by a drizzle of olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper. I first seared the rack on a smoking-hot pan. I then brushed the top lightly with mustard. Finally, I pressed the herb crust and then roasted the rack in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes and voila!

I served it with a prune sauce, which is a bit of a pain to do (I did this a few days before and stored it in the fridge as ready-to-serve sauce for roasts and steaks). Start with a handful of prunes and soak them in some boiling water. Saute garlic, onions, carrots and celery in butter. Splash in some red wine and reduce for a minimum of half and hour. Then, add the soaking prunes. When mixture thickens, turn off heat then puree in a blender. Strain, then return to sauce pan over medium heat and mount with butter. Season with salt and pepper. I know, I know, It's complicated, but it's totally yummy.

Please leave a note if you want the exact measurements. I opted to leave them out of this post since they might bore those not inclined to culinary pursuits.