Asian Pear Relish and Grilled Lamb
Makes 3 cups
A wonderful accompaniment for grilled lamb!
There are many varieties of Asian pears available at the market these days. Gabriel Farm in Sebastopol, CA grows eight varieties. I like the Shinko, as it is slightly sweet, but try any variety you find, and see how you like it.
- 3 large Asian pears
- 3/4 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 1/2 ounces lingonberry preserves
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons raspberry liqueur
Dice the Asian pears, then toss with all other ingredients. Toss again, to ensure the fruit is marinated evenly, and allow the mixture to sit overnight.
Rack of Lamb: coat the lamb with a little extra virgin olive oil, then season with salt and roll in cracked peppercorns (my preference is Bassett Rainbow Peppercorn blend, as it's spicy and fragrant without being too hot.) Grill the lamb, rare to medium rare, and allowed to rest for 15 minutes. Slice it into chops, and top with crumbled feta cheese. Serve with Asian-pear relish as a condiment.
As an hors d'oeuvre, I use lamb tenderloins and coat them with salt and coarsely cracked pepper, grill or roast them to medium rare, slice and serve on a grilled piece of slightly sweet, coarse grained bread. Locally, Brother Juniper's Struan Bread is a good choice.
Chef Bruce Riezenman
August 2006
Eat well!
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