Sirloin of Lamb With Black Currant and Juniper Berry Sauce

 

Subtle, savory flavors for a lean but tasty cut of lamb. This was  lamb  from  Tendercrop Farms  in Newbury, and it needed only a quick marinade and delicious sauce to enhance it’s richness. The sauce, with it’s herbal notes of the juniper and thyme and the sweetness of the black currant jam, was perfect to round out the succulent piece of meat. 

Juniper berries are commonly used in Scandanavian cooking, and having a good deal of Norwegian in my mixed bag of ancestry, they are not unusual to my family’s cooking. In dried form they have a mild citrus-woodsy flavor that really is a great flavor note for many meats. Here they are used in both the marinade, as well as in the sauce.

 

Ingredients for the Juniper Berry Lamb Marinade (enough for two sirloins):

• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Several dried juniper berries
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Good pinch of kosher salt

In a small frying pan, heat the above ingredients on low until the juniper berries soften. Lightly crush the softened berries,  remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool completely. When cooled, pour over the lamb and let marinate at room temperature for one hour.

   

 

 Directions for cooking Lamb Sirloin Steaks:  Remove the lamb from the marinade and broil the sirloins about 3 inches below the broiler until done, turning once. This will take several minutes and will vary according to preferred doneness.  Reserve the pan juices for the sauce and allow to rest for ten minutes when done. Meanwhle, make the black current-juniper berry sauce.

Ingredients for the Black Currant-Juniper Berry Sauce:

• Juice of two oranges
• Several dried juniper berries
• 2 tablespoons black currant jam
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Pan juices from the broiled lamb
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

Reduce the orange juice, with the garlic added, on medium-low heat until reduced to half.

Add the juniper berries, black currant jam and thyme and simmer on low until syrupy.

Crush the juniper berries lightly, stir well, and remove any large pieces of juniper berry as well as the thyme stems.

Cool enough to taste – be careful tasting – the hot sugar can burn.  

Add salt and pepper  and serve at once on the broiled lamb. The sweet-savory-citrusy sauce also goes well with other grilled or broiled meats – so try it out on beef or pork too!