“Such food Bran had never seen; course after course after course, so much that he could not manage more than a bite or two of each dish. There were great joints of aurochs roasted with leeks, venison pies chunky with carrots, bacon, and mushrooms, mutton chops sauced in honey and cloves…” -A Clash of Kings
Lamb Chops sauced with Honey and Cloves
Thoughts:
I sort of winged this particular dish. Having such great results with the mead marinade that I used for the Robert Baratheon meal, I decided to try a similar approach with this dish.
Sometimes a dish doesn’t quite live up to my expectations.
The results, while tasty, were not as mind-boggling as the former instance. The sauce was nice, but lacked a really strong honey-clove flavor. A variation on this sauce, perhaps with some butter and white wine instead of the mead, could be lovely, and is something I’ll probably try: I hate being defeated by a meal.
Honestly, I think that literally pouring some good honey and ground cloves over a nice cut of lamb will give you as rewarding a dish as any more complicated version. Keep the pinch of cinnamon, though: it helps bring out the bite of the clove.
Any suggestions?
Recipe for Honey-Clove Lamb Chops
Ingredients:
- 2 large lamb steaks
- 1 cup plain mead
- 2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 Tbs. honey
Preheat the oven to 400F. Sear the lamb in a dry skillet, then remove to a baking dish. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until it is cooked to your preference. Remove from oven and allow to rest for a moment.
Combine the remaining ingredients in the same skillet and allow to simmer over medium heat until it has reduced by about a third.
Serve the lamb hot, with the sauce poured over.