Lamb Rack with Cucumber Yogurt

Cucumber Yogurt

Line a colander with a quadruple layer of cheesecloth and pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth. suspend over a large bowl and refrigerate for 48 hours, allowing the moisture to drain from the yogurt.

Peel and grate the cucumbers on a box grater. season with 1 teaspoon of salt and hang in a quadruple layer of cheese-cloth to drain excess moisture, about 1 hour. Measure 1 cup of the drained yogurt and reserve the rest for another use.

Combine the cup of yogurt and the drained cucumbers in a medium bowl. stir in the lemon juice and olive oil. Grate the garlic on a Microplane grater into the mixture and fold in the chopped dill.

Mix well and season with salt to taste.

Roasted Lamb Rack

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. season the lamb rack generously with salt. place the rack in the skillet fat side down and sear over high heat until browned, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Turn and sear the bottom for 1 minute. Turn the rack back onto the fat side and add the butter, thyme, and garlic. Baste the rack with the butter for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the lamb rack fat side up to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the lamb rack over, baste with butter, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. remove the lamb rack from the oven, turn it back over, and baste once more. roast in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 130° to 135°F.

Let the lamb rack rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing. serve with the cucumber yogurt and heirloom tomatoes.

Reprinted with permission from I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes by Daniel Humm and Will Guidara, © 2013 Ten Speed PressA native of Switzerland, Daniel Humm began his culinary training at a young age and went on to cook in many of the finest Swiss hotels and restaurants. Humm earned his first Michelin star at the age of twenty-four as the executive chef at Gasthaus zum Gupf in the Swiss Alps. In 2003, he moved to the United States and became executive chef at San Francisco's Campton

Place, where he recieved four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle. Three years later he became executive chef of Eleven Madison Park.Hailing from Sleepy Hollow, New York, Will Guidara has been immersed in the restaurant industry since the age of thirteen. He is a graduate of the school of hotel administration at Cornell University and attended culinary school in the north of Spain. Guidara trained in the dining rooms of Tribeca Grill, Spago, and Tabla and opened the restaurants at the Museum of Modern Art before becoming general manager of Eleven Madion Park in 2006.Under Humm and Guidara's leadership, Eleven Madison Park recieved four stars from the New York Times, earned three Michelin Stars, and was given a coveted spot on the San Pellegrino list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. The restaurant has also recieved six James Beard Awards, including Oustanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurant in America. In 2011, Humm and Guidara purchased Eleven Madison Park and, in early 2012, went on to open the food and beverage spaces at the NoMad Hotel. They are also the authors of Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook.