This Rack of Lamb Recipe Is an Asian Spin on a Holiday Classic

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Photo by Ed Williams

Do something different with your rack of lamb this holiday season by adding unique, Asian-inspired flavors that guests will love.

On the hunt for a showstopper of a dish to serve this holiday season? Skip the ham and turkey and go straight for this rack of lamb recipe instead. Far from your traditional lamb, this version taps into powerhouse ingredients like curry paste and pineapple for a main course that will have everyone seeking second helpings.

lamb

Lek Punsuk and Josh Schauer’s Panko-Crusted Rack of Lamb

Courtesy of Blue Elephant Wayne

Ingredients:

1 full rack of lamb
Massaman curry paste
13-oz. can coconut milk
3 tbsps. fish sauce
3 tbsps. sugar
¼ cup minced onion
¼ cup minced carrot
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup fingerling potatoes, sliced in half length wise
¼ cup large pineapple chunks • 4–10 cherry tomatoes
1 sliced onion

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using the back of a knife, scrape the bones of the lamb to expose bright-white bone. In a saucepan, sauté onions and carrots until soft. Add 2 oz. of curry paste and heat until fragrant.

Add sugar, coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer for 15–20 minutes. Sear the rack of lamb on all sides. Coat it in Dijon mustard and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove rack from fridge and coat with the breadcrumbs. Roast pineapple, tomatoes and potatoes in the oven 30–40 mins. Place lamb in the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 135–145 degrees.

Blue Elephant Wayne, 110 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne, (484) 580-6142, blueelephanywayne.com

Related: Rosalie’s Buon Amici Cocktail Will Warm Your Soul

Rosalie’s Buon Amici Cocktail Will Warm Your Soul

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Adobe Stock / Heleno

This delicious cocktail recipe from Rosalie in Wayne features whiskey, maple syrup and cardamon and Angostura bitters.

When the frosty weather strikes, there’s nothing like warming up by the fire, ideally with a delectable cocktail in hand. This Buon Amici recipe from Rosalie fits the bill, with a medley of whiskey and spices that will have you feeling warm and cozy in no time.

Buon Amici
Photo by Ed Williams

Buon Amici Cocktail

Courtesy of Rosalie

Ingredients:

.5 oz. Bulleit Frontier Whiskey
.5 oz. maple syrup
2 dashes cardamom bitters
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Instructions:

Built, stirred and poured over a large rock and smoked tableside.

139 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, (610) 977-0600, rosaliewayne.com

Related: Where the Locals Go to Dine Around the Main Line

Two Fourteen’s Home for the Holidays Cocktail Is So Merry

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Adobe Stock / svetlana_cherruty

This delicious concoction from Two Fourteen boasts flavors of ginger and cranberry that will get you in the holiday spirit.

It’s that time of year when temperatures drop, holiday parties pop up on calendars and everyone leans into the festive season around the Main Line. Whether you’re hosting a get-together or just want something special to celebrate the upcoming holidays, look no further than this scrumptious cocktail recipe from Two Fourteen. It has only four ingredients and comes together in a flash, which means it’s an ideal option to impress guests without putting in too much effort.

Home for the Holidays Cocktail

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Tito’s Handmade Vodka
.5 oz. blackberry rosemary simple syrup
.25 oz. ginger simple syrup
4 oz. cranberry juice

Instructions:

Served over ice, topped with Brut champagne, and garnished with frozen cranberries a rosemary sprig.

214 W. State St., Media, (724) 904-9139, twofourteenrestaurant.com

Related: Blue Elephant Wayne’s Signature Cocktail Is Light and Refreshing

This Banana and Pumpkin Spice Cream Pie Is a Must-Try Recipe

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Photo by Ed Williams

Chris Calhoun’s individual banana and pumpkin spice cream pies bring all the flavor this holiday season.

You love banana and you love pumpkin spice, so why not pair the two flavors together? This cream pie is the perfect sweet treat for the season and yields six tarts that are ideal for single-serve desserts after a mouthwatering holiday meal.

Banana and Pumpkin Spice Cream Pie

Ingredients:

⅔ cup pumpkin purée
2 tbsps. Honey
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice blend
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream
3 egg yolks
½ tsp. salt
½ cup cornstarch
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup powdered sugar
3 ripe bananas
6 small graham cracker pie shells or plain pie shells
½ cup caramel sauce
graham cracker crumbs for garnish

Instructions:

In a blender, mix pumpkin purée, honey, salt and spice blend for 20 seconds or until smooth. Chill until it’s as firm as possible.

Bring cup of milk to a simmer and turn off heat. Combine heavy cream, egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, salt and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Slowly add hot milk and whisk to combine. Return mixture to the pot and stir over medium-high heat 3–5 minutes or until visibly thickened. Chill 2–3 hours until firm.

Combine half the pumpkin mixture and half the pastry cream. Mix until smooth. You now have three options: pumpkin, pastry cream and pumpkin-pastry cream. Whip heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks, then chill.

Using a tsp. of the pure pumpkin mixture as friction to hold the pie shells in place on the serving plate, fill each with your choice of the three fillings, reserving some for garnish. Top each tart with sliced bananas and whipped cream, drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with additional graham crumbs.

Yields six tarts.

Banana and Pumpkin Spice Cream Pie
Photo by Ed Williams

Fork & Bottle, The Desmond Malvern, One Liberty Blvd., Malvern, (610) 296-9800, desmondgv.com.

Related: Blue Elephant Wayne’s Signature Cocktail Is Light and Refreshing

Make Karessa Hathaway’s Sautéed Mushrooms With Walnut and Sage

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Photo by Ed Williams

Any Main Line area holiday dinner will be a hit with this mushroom side dish courtesy of Sweet Amelia’s in Kennett Square.

When you’re looking for a side dish that pairs well with a variety of mains without overwhelming the table, this recipe for sautéed mushrooms is the way to go. It’s easy to prepare, pretty on the plate and so tasty there may not be any leftovers.

Karessa Hathaway
Photo by Ed Williams

Sautéed Mushrooms With Walnut and Sage

Ingredients:

2 cups cremini mushrooms, washed and quartered
1 bunch sage
¼ cup toasted walnuts
1¼ tsps. salt
¼ cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
½ cup chicken stock

Instructions:

Using a spice grinder or food processor, blitz walnuts, sage and 1/4 tsp. salt until well-integrated but slightly chunky. Melt butter in a pan, sweat down garlic and thyme on low heat until the garlic softens.

Add mushrooms and cook until soft (about five minutes). Add chicken stock and reduce until thick and saucy. Salt to taste.

Toss with walnut-and-sage mixture, plate and garnish with fresh sage.

Sweet Amelia’s, 102 E. State St., Kennett Square, (484) 732-7943, sweetameliasksq.com.

Related: Sweet Amelia’s Spotlights Fresh Ingredients in Kennett Square

Recipe: Honeynut Squash With Candied Chestnuts, Bacon Lardons and Honey

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Photo by Ed Williams

Did someone say comfort food? Add Lewis Leiterman’s honeynut squash side dish to your holiday dinner to wow guests.

Want a side that your guests will adore? This honeynut squash dish gets a boost of flavor from sage, Italian chestnuts and a drizzle of local honey.

Pan-Roasted Honeynut Squash With Candied Chestnuts, Double-Smoked Bacon Lardons and Local Honey

Ingredients:

2 medium honeynut squash, peeled and seeded
½ lb. bacon, from whole slab (if possible)
5 sage leaves
2 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
⅛ cup local honey
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Italian chestnuts, chopped and blanched
⅛ cup sugar
1 tbsp. water
1 bunch chives

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Preheat sauté pan to medium heat.

Cut bacon into ¼-inch thick pieces and add to pan, stirring frequently so pieces don’t burn. Cut honeynut squash into ½-inch diced cubes. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.

Saving the bacon fat, add squash to pan and sauté until brown on the edges. Slice or tear sage leaves and add to pan. Put pan into preheated oven 8–10 minutes. Squash is done when it’s fork-tender but doesn’t fall apart.

Roughly chop peeled chestnuts and toss them into water, then sugar. Cook in a nonstick sauté pan until sugar hardens. Remove from pan and set aside. (Store-bought candied nuts also work.)

Transfer squash into serving dish and top with candied nuts, chives and a drizzle of honey.

Honeynut Squash
Photo by Ed Williams

Rivertown Taps, 226 Bridge St., Phoenixville, (484) 924-9112, rivertowntaps.com.

Related: Rivertown Taps Is a Community Favorite in Phoenixville

Blue Elephant Wayne’s Signature Cocktail Is Light and Refreshing

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Photo by Ed Williams

Blue Elephant Wayne’s Signature Cocktail is a refreshing sip with flavors of lemon and ginger blended perfectly with vodka.

Looking for a libation that’s pretty to look at and light on the palate? Consider the Signature Cocktail from Blue Elephant Wayne. Not only is the restaurant’s go-to drink easy to prepare, but it will be sure to wow all of your dinner party guests.

Signature Cocktail

Recipe courtesy Blue Elephant Wayne

Ingredients:

.5 oz. butterfly pea syrup
1 oz. vodka
.5 oz. lemon juice
.5 oz. ginger syrup
.5 oz. simple syrup
sparkling water

Instructions:

Lemon juice, ginger syrup and vodka shaken with ice and poured into a Collins glass filled with ice. Sparkling water is added, and drink is gently topped with butterfly pea syrup, forming a floating blue-purple layer. Garnished with a lemon wheel.

Blue Elephant Wayne's
Photo by Ed Williams

Related: Blue Elephant Wayne Is a New Kind of Fusion Restaurant

Make White Dog Cafe’s Cinnamule Recipe for the Holidays

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Photo by Ed Williams

Just in time for the holiday season in the western suburbs, this delicious cocktail features flavors of ginger and honey-cinnamon simple syrup.

Cinnamule
Photo by Ed Williams

White Dog Cafe’s Cinnamule

Ingredients:

.75 oz. Boulard Calvados
.75 oz. Boardroom Ginger-Flavored Vodka
1 oz. pear nectar
.75 oz. lemon juice
.5 oz. honey-cinnamon simple syrup
1 dash saline solution

Instructions:

Shaken, strained over ice, topped with ginger beer and garnished with a cinnamon stick.

Related: Bluebird Distilling’s Pumpkin Smash Cocktail Recipe Is Fall Goals

Dig Into These November Dining Updates Around the Main Line

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Photo by Ed Williams

A charming cafe in Unionville, a big anniversary for a Conshohocken favorite, a cider spot in Chestnut Hill and more make the month delicious.

Jessie Mooberry and Soren Rubin are the two locally minded types behind Farmer & Co., a new cafe and artisanal market in Unionville. Formerly Foxy Loxy, the 1820 Victorian-style digs now provide a charming setting for savoring chouxnuts, custom cakes, breakfast bars sweetened with honey and maple syrup, healthy energy balls, and various caffeinated creations. Market options include beef from Green Valley Farms in Avondale, pork from Landenberg’s Fox Penn Farms, and cheese and eggs from nearby Doe Run Farm in Unionville.

A custom treat from Farmer & Co.
A custom treat from Farmer & Co. Photo by Ed Williams.

You’ll also find Éclat chocolates and Turk’s Head small-batch hot sauce, both out of West Chester; Swarmbustin’ Honey from a family apiary in West Grove; and fresh beans from Philadelphia’s Elixr Coffee. And don’t miss the vegan and gluten-free goodies and pastries from OsoSweet Bakery Cafe in Chadds Ford. As the weather gets colder, warm up with house-made soups like paleo chili, andouille sausage gumbo, garden tomato, and vegetable with heirloom grains. 5 Cemetery Lane, Unionville, (610) 347-0209, farmerand.co.

More Nibbles: Perennial Best of the Main Line & Western Suburbs winner Spring Mill Cafe is celebrating its 45th anniversary. The French BYOB began on a humble note, serving lunch to just five tables in a small back room at the current Conshohocken location. After taking over the former antique store in the front, the cafe expanded to dinner service five days a week, and it’s been thriving ever since…Italian marketplace and cooking school chain Eataly is planning a food hall with a full-scale restaurant and more at King of Prussia Mall in 2025…Cider Belly recently debuted in Chestnut Hill. Matt and Kim Vendeville’s taproom serves the hard stuff made with local apples, striving to mirror the ambiance they’ve experienced at pubs and lodgings in England, Ireland and Scotland. … And after more than two years, Erin Morrison has closed his Peter Clark’s Kitchen in West Chester due to family obligations.

The Foodie Updates You Need Around the Main Line in October

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A healthy hotspot in Ardmore, a new brewery location in Drexel Hill, an American eatery in Ridley Park and more make the month delicious.

Funneling their creative energy into superfood bowls, Leanne DelVescovo and Alia Sobel have fully embraced a healthy, feel-good philosophy at Lentil & Co. Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse loaded with potassium, folate, iron and fiber and free of cholesterol and sodium. They’re also a low-glycemic carbohydrate known for making people happy and less anxious.

We couldn’t have been happier with our Cool Kid and Psychedelic bowls, packed with ingredients like quinoa, chopped kale, mushrooms and filet tips. Smooth but never overblended, the hummus is made in house daily. “We don’t feel the need to overdo recipes here,” says DelVescovo. “We let the ingredients speak for themselves.”

Color, texture and flavor by the bowl at Lentil & Co.
Color, texture and flavor by the bowl at Lentil & Co. Photo by Ed Williams

The partners have refreshed the former Juice Dr. location with a modern vibe and plenty of natural light. Menu pricing draws on angel numerology and its repetitive sequences of three or four numbers—but you don’t have to buy into the spiritual angle to appreciate the reasonable prices. Fresh-pressed juices, immunity shots, salads, avocado toasts, spiced nuts and plenty of vegan options make this spot a welcome addition to Ardmore’s Rittenhouse Row. Look for soups in chillier weather. 44 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore, (484) 414-4917, lentilco.com.

More Nibbles: Artillery Brewing has opened its newest location in the Drexel Hill area, converting a 4,200-square-foot former bank building. Look for house brews, craft cocktails and an expanded menu with favorites like onion rings, smash burgers, soups and salads. 4221 Ferne Blvd., Drexel Hill, (610) 626-2937, artillerybrewing.com. … Delaware County’s Ash and Pretha Kailath are serving affogatos and more at Lu & Augs (named after their daughters, Laiyla and Augustine), where the focus is on soft ice cream, coffee and baked goods. 28 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore, luandaugs.com. … Philly food scene veterans Philip Breen and executive chef Elijah Milligan have opened Rosemary, an airy 114-seat eatery serving locally sourced modern American cuisine in an upscale, contemporary environment. 25 E. Hinckley Ave., Ridley Park, (610) 671-3770, rosemaryrp.com. … Philadelphia’s Kismet Bagels is planning a Narberth location in the former Ginza Japanese Restaurant. The first Kismet with indoor and outdoor seating is coming this fall. 801 Montgomery Ave., Narberth, kismetbagels.com. And for more great foodie news and stunning eye candy, check out Main Line Today’s latest digital venture, Main Line Bite, a captivating new vehicle showcasing the culinary treasures of our region. Follow MLB on Instagram (@mainlinebite) and TikTok (@mainlinebite).

Our Best of the Main Line Elimination Ballot is open through February 22!