If you know me, you know that I have a thing for cookbooks. When I get a new cookbook I can’t help but read it cover to cover, contemplating which recipes I’ll vow to make. So, when one of Santa Barbara’s best restaurants, The Lark, came out with its own cookbook last year, I got excited. The Lark cookbook, Around the Table: Recipes & Stories from The Lark, is part cookbook, part love letter to Santa Barbara, filled with delectable recipes, beautiful photos and interesting stories that showcase The Lark’s team while paying homage to Santa Barbara’s winemakers, farmers and fish mongers.
At almost 400 pages, The Lark cookbook could easily be mistaken for a coffee table book. But don’t worry, there are plenty of recipes to drool over, like Whole Grilled Branzino with Spiced Chickpeas and Almond Romesco, Crispy Duck Leg Confit with Chai Spiced Kabocha Squash and The Lark’s famous Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Dates and Garum. Divided into categories — ‘Snacks,’ ‘From the Farm,’ ‘From the Ocean,’ and ‘From the Ranch,’ — each recipe highlights seasonal ingredients found in and around Santa Barbara. There’s also a section called ‘The Basics,’ sharing steps for handy kitchen techniques like curing a pork belly and filleting a fish. Never thought I needed to know how to cure pork, but maybe I do!
One of the things that stood out to me, though, is that each recipe comes with several suggested wine pairings highlighting various Santa Barbara producers (and alternative pairings, too). So, to put it to the test, I decided to make a dish from The Lark cookbook and pair it with one of their wine suggestions. Not surprisingly, it made for an excellent dinner… the next best thing to actually dining at the restaurant!
Slow Cooked Lamb Ribs with Medjool Date Caramel, Salsa Verde, Crushed Pistachios & Fennel Pollen
Paired with: A Tribute to Grace Grenache, Vie Caprice Vineyard
While there were four suggested wine pairings (plus a beer!), I chose A Tribute to Grace 1) because I had this exact bottle on hand, and 2) because I love everything that winemaker Angela Osborne makes. The wine is medium-bodied with beautiful notes of plum, cassis and spice — a perfect match for roasted meat, especially spice and herb-heavy dishes like this.
For this recipe, Chef Jason Paluska’s notes say that the secret ingredient here is the date caramel made with dates, oranges and sherry vinegar. I would have to agree that it was killer! Combined with the sweet, spicy rub on the lamb and the freshness of the salsa verde, this dish was not short on flavor.
While this recipe had a lot of ingredients, once I got going, it was easy to follow and a lot of it could be done ahead of time. That being said, don’t expect The Lark cookbook to be your mid-week meal go-to. Most of the recipes involve a lot of ingredients and time. The Lark is known for its one-of-a-kind, impressive and imaginative dishes, and Around the Table allows you to bring this special cuisine into your home. So make an excuse to savor the moment as you master each creation on your own.
Success!
LAMB RIBS
2 racks lamb ribs
3 TB fennel seed
3 TB cumin seed
2 TB ground cinnamon
2 TB paprika
1 TB cayenne pepper
1 tspn pink salt
3 TB salt
1 ⅓ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
Clean lamb ribs and pat dry with paper towels. Grind fennel and cumin seed and combine with cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, salts and brown sugar. Coat ribs with spice mixture then wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees and place ribs on roasting rack. Cook for 4-6 hours until ribs are tender enough that bone can easily be removed. Let rest 10 min before carving.
DATE CARAMEL SAUCE:
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
¼ cup sherry vinegar
Pinch of salt
1” strip of orange peel
Juice from ~4 oranges
Put pitted dates, vinegar, salt, orange peel and ⅔ of juice in small pot, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until dates are soft. Puree in blender with enough juice to create a thick but pourable consistency. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve.
SALSA VERDE
1 TB coriander seed
1/4 bunch each fresh mint, tarragon, cilantro, parsley – chopped
1 fennel frond, de-stemmed and chopped
2 tspn chile flakes
2 tspn lamb fat or olive oil
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toast coriander seed for 8-10 minutes on a sheet tray. Cool and grind. Chop mint, tarragon, cilantro, parsley and fennel fronds. Add enough lamb fat or olive oil to bind into a chunky salsa. Stir in coriander and chile flake, and season to taste with salt.
GARNISH
1 cup toasted pistachios
fennel pollen
nasturtium leaves / edible flowers
ASSEMBLE
Using tongs, plate the lamb ribs in a stack, then glaze with date caramel. Add salsa verde, toasted pistachios and other garnishes. Sprinkle with fennel pollen to finish.
Recipe from Around the Table: Recipes & Stories from The Lark in Santa Barbara
By MacDuff Everton, Jason Paluska and Sherry Villanueva
