Philippe's Birthday Dinner: Part XXV

Although we are a little late on this post,  a few weeks ago Julia made Philippe his birthday dinner. It was pretty fancy. The meal started off with  a small bottle of prosecco and an appetizer of cantaloupe, mozzarella, and prosciutto skewers that were drizzled with an olive oil, shallot, and basil vinaigrette.

 

These are very easy to put together and are great for a summer side or appetizer. Very light and summery!

Next up was the main course, a rack of lamb crusted with herbs de provence, panko breadcrumbs, and dijon mustard. The lamb was roasted in the oven along with a side of roasted tomatoes. The tomatoes were halved and topped with the same crust as the lamb.

The other side dish was a lemon risotto by Rachel Ray. Since Philippe loves all things made with lemon, this was a great birthday side option for him. The risotto was cooked in a pan with chopped onion, garlic, lemon juice, white wine, and chicken broth. Once done cooking, the pecornio cheese, chopped mint, basil, and butter were added. This was a great side dish and complimented the lamb nicely since it was light and fresh.

Here are the recipes for the lamb and risotto:

Lamb: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herb-Crusted-Rack-of-Lamb-107704
Lemon Risotto:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/lemon-risotto-recipe/index.html

Finally, it was time for dessert. Two days ahead of the dinner, Julia had baked this Oreo cheesecake that she found on another blog:

http://bakerstreet.tv/2012/02/cookies-and-cream-cheesecake/#.UA3E1qDHnKc


Since Oreos and cheesecake are two of Philippe's favorite things, this was not a tough sell and we both loved it. Although it is pretty rich (with all those Oreos and chocolate topping) it was pretty amazing. Highly recommended.