The Cook Books

A past Sunday's meal came from the New York Times magazine. Sam Sifton stated, "an old hardcover copy of  'The Escoffier Cook Book' sits in the library of the NYT, battered and dog-eared." I swear I had a copy in my library. Wrong! Too expensive, I have a copy of La Rousse Gastronomique. It has 4,000 recipes and 1,000 color illustrations. You name a food item, and it tells you how its mother made it.
Getting back to Mr. Sifton, His choices were Parmesan-Crusted Rack of Lamb, and Macaroni Milanaise. That Macaroni preparation was a big change, very tasty,
When I checked the ice-box this morning, I found three chops, and eight ounces of mushrooms, pre-cooked. The main tip is to have no hassles with these dishes.
Now, to feel the heat, you can improvise on the meat dish. try lamb, pork or veal. Remember, in this case, size matters. We are looking for medium rare.
Foods prepared in the a la Milanaise is generally dipped in egg and bread crumbs mixed with grated Parmesan cheese, then fried in clarified butter.
The name also describes a method of preparing macaroni ( served in butter with grated cheese and a tomato product), and a garnish of cheese, ham and mushrooms.

Parmesan-Crusted  (Lamb, veal or pork) Chops

3 chops about 1 inch thick or a rack 1 1/2 pounds, frenched
3 T extra virgin oil, divided
1 T sofrito
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 T Fresh Parsley, chopped.

Season chops or rack with 11/2 T oil, salt & pepper
Sear in a hot saute pan about 3 minutes per side
Remove from heat and let cool on sheet pan 10 to 15 minutes
Combine bread crumbs, cheese and parsley
Rub the cooled chops or rack with oil, then pat with crumb mixture
Put the meat on baking sheet in a 400 degree oven until meat reaches 125 degrees
This should take 15 to 25 minutes, take out from oven and let rest, tented
Carve and serve on warm platter.