Noisettes d'Agneau Maison d'Or         
From the Files of Tom Fitzmorris

Nuggets of lamb in the style of the House of Gold is what it literally means. That was for many years the premier lamb dish at Antoine's. In, 1980 I named my new Golden Retriever puppy after it. Noisette, as we called her, was an incomparably wonderful dog. Meanwhile, Antoine's changed the dish--a good idea, since the maison d'or sauce was an impossibly old-fashioned concoction riddled with sweetbreads, turkey chunks, and mushrooms. This recipe is in the realm of Antoine's dish, but I really started from scratch. My main inspiration is the memory of my beloved pooch, Noisette, who is buried with the ball she chased all her life in the woods here at the Cool Water Ranch, which was heaven for her.

Ingredients
1 rack of American lamb
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed open

Sauce:
1 tsp. tarragon vinegar
1 Tbs. fresh orange juice, strained
2 Tbs. red wine
1 tsp. dried chives
1/2 cup thinly-sliced crimini mushrooms
1 tsp. chopped truffles (optional but highly desirable)
1/2 tsp. green Tabasco
2 egg yolks
1 stick butter
Blue Runner




Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1. Trim the lean central part of the lamb away from the bones and fat. Season it with salt and pepper.
2. In a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil with the garlic cloves until the garlic browns a little and becomes fragrant. Brown the lamb all over, then put the pan into the preheated oven.
3. While the lamb is roasting, make the sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients except the eggs and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until almost all the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated. Set aside.
4. In a metal bowl set in a saucepan of gently boiling water, whisk the egg yolks until they change to a pale yellow color. Melt the butter but don't make it really hot (this is best accomplished in a microwave on 50 percent power for about two minutes). Add the butter to the eggs, a little at a time, whisking constantly. When the sauce is fluffy, add the mushroom mixture to the sauce. Keep warm.
5. When the lamb is done to your liking (medium rare=150 degrees on a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat), remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. When ready to serve, slice the noisettes about 3/4 inch thick. Serve two slices per person with the sauce spooned generously over the top.

Serves four.