Baby Lamb Chops with Mint Pesto

These tiny chops make great party food-once they're frenched, the chops look like savory little lollipops. Love that!

12 single baby rib lamb chops (2 to 212 pounds), frenched (see Note)

12 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons minced fresh mint

14 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

12 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mint Pesto (recipe follows), for serving

1. Place the lamb chops in a shallow nonreactive baking dish. In a bowl, combine the oil, garlic, rosemary,

mint, orange juice, Original Essence, salt, orange zest, and pepper. Pour the marinade over the chops,

and turn them to coat on both sides. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate for up

to 4 hours.

2. Preheat a grill to medium-high.

3. Place the lamb chops on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Remove the chops from the grill, and serve with the Mint Pesto.

Note: To french a piece of meat is to cut or scrape

the meat away from the end of a rib or chop, leaving

the bone exposed.

4 servings

Mint Pesto

212 cups packed fresh mint leaves

14 cup grated Parmesan cheese

212 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

12 cup extra-virgin olive oil

14 teaspoon salt

18 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the mint leaves well, and pat dry. Place the leaves in a blender and add the cheese, pine nuts,

and garlic. Press the leaves down into the base of the blender, and cover the blender. Turn the

blender on low speed, and slowly drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube; pulse the blender until

combined. (Try not to over-purée; the sauce should be chunky-smooth.) Season with the salt and

pepper, and pulse briefly to combine. Use immediately or cover with a thin film of oil and refrigerate

for up to 2 days. 1 cup