Baby Lamb Chops with Rosemary Mustard Cream

At Easter, our family traditionally serves leg of lamb, which we love, with mint jelly, which we … don’t love. So we substituted this rich mustard sauce a year or so ago, and it was such a big hit at Easter dinner that we adapted the entire dish as an hors d’oeuvre.

For the mustard cream

1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
salt and pepper

For the lamb chops

garlic cloves
baby lamb chops, enough to have 1 1/2 chops per guest*
salt and pepper
olive oil, for cooking

*Ask to have the chops Frenched for you, meaning to remove the extra flesh along the bone so that you have a nice clean “handle.” You can do this yourself by scraping along the bone with a paring knife, but it’s tedious.

Prepare the mustard cream

In a small saucepan, boil the white wine and shallots over high heat until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add whipping cream. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes (you should have slightly less than 1 cup sauce). Add the mustard and rosemary and simmer 2 minutes to blend flavors. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the lamb chops

Preheat broiler.

Cut a garlic clove in half and rub the cut side on both sides of each lamb chop (every fourth or fifth chop, cut a new garlic clove). Sprinkle the chops liberally with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Sear the chops on both sides to brown them. Transfer them to a broiling pan and broil about 4 inches from the flame for about 3 minutes, then turn them over and broil another 3 minutes, for medium-rare.

Serve the lamb chops with the mustard cream alongside (and spreaders, so guests don’t have to double-dip). Provide a bowl for discarded bones.

Makes slightly less than 1 cup of rosemary mustard cream, enough for 15 to 20 lamb chops.

Make-Ahead Factor

The mustard cream sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

From Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! Easy Hors D'oeuvres, Delicious Drinks and Inspired Ideas for Entertaining with Style by Lauren and Anne Purcell.