When selecting a cut of lamb for your Easter dinner you should take into consideration the favorite cuts of family and friends who will be guests at your table that day. A tender cut is almost always sure to please the majority. Among the tender cuts you have to choose from are:

Rib cuts: roasts (rib, rack, crown) and chops (ribs)

Loin cuts: roasts (loin, double loin) and chops (loin or kidney)

Leg cuts: leg, leg chop or steak

Less tender cuts of lamb are: neck, shoulder, breast and shank. These cuts take a much longer cooking time to achieve tenderness and should be avoided if you are under time constraints.

If the age of the lamb is important to you pay attention to the color of the lamb when purchasing. The color of the lamb is a good indicator of age. The lighter the color the lamb the younger the meat is. Baby lamb should be pale pink and older lamb should be pinkish-red, shares Brigitte Grisanti.

If you purchase your lamb in advance of Easter and freeze it, be sure to unthaw it in the refrigerator. Thawing the lamb in the refrigerator, instead of at room temperature, allows the moisture of the meat to be re-absorbed. When thawing at room temperature a good amount of moisture is lost and will not be re-captured in the cooking process.

Recipe for Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Ingredients

1 – 6 pound leg of lamb (serves 6-8 people)

Salt – 2 tsp

Pepper – 1-½ tsp

Garlic – one large clove, slivered for insertion into meat

Rosemary – one tablespoon minced and crushed

Olive Oil – 3 tbls

Optional – ¼ cup of red cooking wine

String – for tying lamb together while in oven

Preparation

Clean and debone leg of lamb. Put to the side.

Combine salt, pepper, rosemary, olive oil and red wine (optional) into a bowl. Mix and blend thoroughly. This will be your marinade rub for the leg of lamb.

Cut lots of little holes in the leg of lamb with a small paring knife. Take the slivered garlic and stick all of it into the holes you have cut until completely used.

Next, take the marinade and rub it into the holes and all of the leg of lamb. Do not miss any spots.

Now you can tie the leg of lamb up using the string; criss-cross the string for best results.

Place the leg of lamb into the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for up to 4 hours. Take meat out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm up for at least 30 minutes before putting it into the oven. Meat cooks more evenly from room temperature than from the refrigerator to the oven.

Adjust oven rack to la low position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Pour half a cup of water into the bottom of the roasting pan, roast leg for 10 minutes then turn leg and roast for another 10 minutes. This should lock in some juices. Lower oven to 325 degrees and bake for 80 minutes turning leg every 20 minutes. Leg should be at 135 degrees when removed from the oven. If the leg has not reached 135 degrees put back in for another 15-20 minute.

Transfer roast to another pan, cover with foil and set aside for 15 minutes to complete cooking and for the juices to be reabsorbed, and then serve as the main dish to your Easter dinner.

Preserving Leftovers

As far as preserving leftovers remember that cooked lamb may be refrigerated up to 3 days and frozen up to 3 months.

Compliments of Frederic and Brigitte Grisanti

Enjoy!

The origin place of this cocktail is Havana, Cuba.  This drink comprises five customary ingredients as of mint, rum, powdered sugar, lime, and club soda. Slowly it received popularity among all cocktail lovers and became an essential part of cocktail parties of Cuba. Now it is in demand not only in Cuba but also all different parts of the world where people are fond of cocktails.

Accrong to Brigitte Grisanti, if you plan to make this recipe at your home it will not be difficult. You need to gather the following ingredients: 4 mint leaves, 1 lime (for juicing), 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, 2 ounces white rum, 2 ounces club soda, 1 sprig of mint (for garnishing) and crushed ice. Once, you have all necessary ingredients you can move forward with mixing. It will take just 5 minutes to be ready. First, put the mint leaves into a Collins glass and squeeze the lime juice over them, add the powdered sugar in the glass and shake the glass to mix up the ingredients well. Add the crushed ice, rum and club soda. It is ready to serve. Pour into glasses and serve it your guests to see their appreciation and to prove you are a better bartender at home.  It is a sure thing that your experience with this drink will be so nice that once you make it you will always love it.

I was so much delighted that I asked her how to cook it? She nodded her head in affirmation and informed me the procedure. She said, “Tale a cup of unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 egg yolks, 3 /4 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 3 cups good quality chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract”. She said after getting all these stuffs at one place, first of all melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Decant the butter into the bowl of mixer and let it cool for 10 minutes. Mix baking soda, the flour and salt in a bowl. As it gets slightly warm add the sugar in it. Add the eggs, yolks and vanilla extract in the bowl and beat it well; mix it all with chocolate chips. Bake the stuff for 10 minutes and Chocolate Chip Cookies will be ready to serve”.

As she entered the dining room with a plate decorated with King Crab Legs Potato Salad, I felt myself uncontrollable. After having tasting such delicious food with her, I asked her how to cook King Crab Legs Potato Salad.  She elaborated the cooking method to me. She said, “Take 1 lb small red-skinned potatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup king crab meat, 3 scallions, white part only, finely chopped, 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley, 1/4 tsp grated lemon zest, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, freshly ground pepper, shredded Iceberg Lettuce and sliced cucumber. Chop the potatoes, with their skins, boiled them for 15 minutes and pour the boiled potatoes in mixing bowl. Add the king crab meat, scallion, parsley, and lemon zest. Add oil and lemon juice to coat the potatoes and now serve the salad over decorated shredded lettuce and sliced cucumbers.”

I would like to suggest to all of you to experience it once and you all will find that the dish will be gone from your plates and there will be no remaining space in your belly and your taste-buds will demand for more.