Pan-seared lamb with grilled stone fruit
Lamb chops and a fresh peach or apricot, both pan-cooked in the same fat. The fruit takes on a brief char that mirrors the lamb crust. Seasonal, fifteen minutes.
- Variant
- animal based
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 016 lamb loin chops (around 600 g total)
- 022 ripe peaches or 4 apricots, halved and pitted
- 03Salt, generously
- 04Optional: 1 tbsp raw honey to drizzle at the end
Method
Pat the lamb chops dry and salt generously on both sides. Let them sit while you prep the fruit.
Halve and pit the fruit. Pat the cut sides dry — fruit with surface moisture steams instead of grilling.
Heat a heavy pan over high heat for 3 minutes. Stand the lamb chops on their fat edge for 30 seconds to render some cap fat. The rendered fat becomes the cooking medium.
Lay the chops flat in the pan. Cook 2.5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate to rest.
In the same hot pan with the lamb drippings, place the fruit halves cut-side-down. Cook for 90 seconds without moving — the fruit caramelises against the pan and picks up some of the lamb flavour.
Flip the fruit. Cook 60 seconds on the skin side just to warm through.
Plate the lamb and fruit together. Drizzle the honey across both if using. Sprinkle a final touch of salt over the fruit — salted stone fruit is a classic combination.
Eat alternating bites of lamb and fruit. The pairing of fatty lamb with sweet caramelised fruit is one of the oldest patterns in cooking.