Açai and Pine Nut Compote for Meat
Brazil's Super-Food With Frenched Lamb Chops
Lamb with mint sauce, sure, but why not try something different and try Jayne Dunsmore's Açai and Pine Nut Compote. You'll feel good inside and out!
If you’re looking for a new way to serve up some lamb chops, Jayne Dunsmore’s recipe will delight and tickle the taste buds. Instead of the traditional mint sauce served with lamb, why not try Jayne’s Açai and Pine Nut Compote for a terrific new take? And, for those that aren’t familiar with Brazil’s latest super-food, the Açai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a berry that grows on the Amazon palm tree.
It’s become increasingly popular over the last few years, helped in part by media maven Oprah Winfrey who dedicated a page on her website to the fruit’s powerful properties. Here’s some of what one of her guests, Dr. Perricone has to say about the fruit: “Hidden within its royal purple pigment is the magic that makes it nature's perfect energy fruit. Açaí is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids.” Some say it tastes like a blend of chocolate and plums, to others olives and berries. Whatever your take on the fruit, it’s said to promote cardiovascular and digestive health and is full of antioxidants which could help explain why some Brazilians look so eternally youthful!
Jayne Dunsmore’s Frenched Milk-Fed Lamb Chops with Açai and Pine Nut Compote.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lbs Frenched Ontario lamb rack
Lamb Rub:
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp melted, unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
Method:
- Slice lamb into individual chops (or have your butcher do that for you if you prefer).
- Combine thyme, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper; rub chops with mixture. Let stand for at least 45 minutes.
- Preheat grill over medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt.
- Grill chops until medium rare, turning once.
- Serve with Açai and Pine Nut Compote.
Açai and Nut Compote
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1 ½ cups pure açai juice (note: you can find this at many Latin grocery shops if your local grocery store doesn’t carry it. Failing that, you can find the juice online).
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
Method:
- In a saucepan, heat oil; sauté shallots until golden Add açai juice, vinegar, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer until reduced by one-third.
- Add pine nuts and thyme; simmer for 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve with lamb, pork or chicken.
Feel like a little chimichurri instead? Click here for Jayne's wonderful take on the Argentinean classic.
And if you’re in the mood to stick with a Brazilian-inspired theme, start with some light-as-air Pao de Queijo (Brazil’s version of a French Gougere) and sip a citrus-fresh Caipirinha cocktail and you’re halfway to Rio!
