Do you remember enjoying a meal at that famous restaurant, and wishing you could get the recipe? Or visiting a city and eating at that cute little café that everyone raved about? Well now, you literally have your cake and eat it too. Or at least the recipe for the cake.Signature Tastes of Denver captures the recipes that define the Mile High City. From the Tres Leches Cake at the Appaloosa Grill, to the Curried Lamb Salad at Beatrice & Woodsley, these are the restaurants, recipes and pictures that define the culinary tastes of Denver.Colorado Lamb Dip, Goat Cheese BiscuitRioja RestaurantFor lamb:1/2 cup pure olive oil6 sprigs rosemary, chopped12 cloves garlic, chopped1 whole leg of lamb, debonedto taste, kosher salt and black pepper16 goat cheese rosemary biscuits1 cup roasted garlic lemon aioli1 recipe lamb sauce2 cups arugulaas needed for accompaniment, root vegetable chipsGoat Cheese Rosemary Biscuits(yields 14 large biscuits)11/2 lb. all-purpose flour2 Tbsp. baking powder1 tsp. kosher salt1/4 cup sugar11/2 Tbsp. chopped rosemary6 oz. butter, diced, very cold8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled small11/4 cups buttermilk3/4 cup whole milkLamb Sauce:1/4 cup pure olive oilas available, reserved lamb trim1/2 cup sliced shallots1/4 cup sliced garlic2 tomatoes, diced1 Tbsp. tomatoes, diced1 Tbsp. thyme leaves1 tsp. black peppercorns1 cup red wine1 quart veal demiglaceto taste, kosher salt and black pepperFor lamb: Preheat grill to high. Rub the oil, chopped rosemary and garlic all over the lamb and let it marinate at least 1 hour. Season the lamb well with salt and black pepper. Grill the lamb medium-rare. Wait for lamb to completely cool, then using a sharp slicing knife, shave the meat as thinly as possible.For assembly and plating: Preheat the grill to medium. Warm up the goat cheese rosemary biscuits on grill. Cut each warm biscuit in half and smear 1 Tbsp. roasted garlic lemon aioli on 1 side. In a pan over medium high heat, quickly warm up to 1/2 cup lamb per biscuit in just enough lamb sauce to reheat the meat. When warm, so the lamb stays medium rare, remove lamb from juice and reserve liquid. Place lamb on the biscuit. Top with arugula and repeat process as many times as needed. Place reserved jus in small bowl for dipping. Serve with root vegetable chips.For goat cheese rosemary biscuits: In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients, including rosemary. Add diced butter to the bowl, rubbing it into the flour with your hands so it is in pea-sized specks. Do the same with goat cheese.Add the buttermilk and milk all at once, mixing enough just to make the dough come together. Do not overmix.Preheat oven to 400°F. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out about 1" thick. Make a 4-fold by turning the two outside edges together into center and then folding the entire piece of dough up like a book. Roll out again to 1" thick. Next, do a 3-fold (like folding a trifold wallet).Roll out the dough about 1" thick. Using a 3" cutter, cut the biscuits. Transfer them to a parchment paper-lined baking pan and brush the dough with a bit of buttermilk. Sprinkle the top of each biscuit with salt. Bake them in the 400° oven until puffed and golden brown (about 18 minutes).For lamb sauce: In a saucepot over medium heat, add the olive oil and reserved lamb trim to brown. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook the shallots and garlic until they are golden, and then add the tomatoes and stir until the tomato gets pulpy.Add the thyme and peppercorns and then deglaze the pan with the red wine. Reduce the wine until it is syrupy.Add the veal demiglace to the pot and bring it to a simmer, skimming the impurities away as needed until all the flavors have melded and the sauce is a nice consistency to coat the lamb. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and season to taste with salt and pepper. Hold warm until ready to sauce cooked lamb.
About the Author: Steven W. Siler is a firefighter-cum-chef serving both in the Deep South and the Pacific Northwest. He is the best-selling author of the Signature Tastes cookbook series. Long marinated in the epicurean heritage of the Deep South, Steven has spent over 20 years in the much-vaulted restaurant industry from BOH to FOH to chef. In addition, he has served as an editor and contributing writer for several food publications. When not trying to shove food down his fellow firefighters' gullets, he enjoys sailing and sampling the finest of scotches and wines, and has an irrational love affair with opera.