Emily's Birthday Celebrations Begins...

Emily's 30th was fast approaching and for this big birthday it sounded like she had a whole month of celebrations planned and it kicked off in London with a visit to me.

I had planned quite a full on weekend but illness struck and there was a point when Em thought she may need to cancel, so to make sure she was ready for the fancy birthday treat on the Saturday we cancelled going to J Sheekey Oyster Bar on the Friday evening (but next time she comes to London we will be going and will report back then) and stayed in.

I decided to cook us a warming and comforting dinner of maple and balsamic glazed lamb with feta, couscous, and pomegranate, a recipe I saw on Lorraine Pascale's TV show - it looked impressive, tasty and more importantly not too time consuming. I prepared everything first and the trickiest thing was deseeding the pomegranate, which Emily kindly did whilst I chopped and marinated the lamb. Next time I may buy the prepared stuff as Em, myself and the kitchen were splattered in the juices.

After this we had a dessert of Nigella's Chocolate and Guinness cupcakes which I made the night before (I know I make them a lot but they are so good) all washed down with a glass of Prosecco to get the weekend of celebrations going.

Maple and Balsamic Glazed Lamb Chops

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the lamb

• large handful fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked

• salt and pepper

• 8 lamb chops or cutlets

• vegetable oil

• 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and sliced

• 50g/2oz flaked almonds

• handful fresh mint

• 1 pomegranate, seeds only

For the couscous

• 300g/10½oz couscous

• 200g/7oz feta

• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

For the balsamic glaze

• 25g/1oz butter

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

• Sprinkle the thyme leaves over a large plate with a little salt and pepper, then squish the lamb chops or cutlets into the mix, turning them over to coat the both sides. This will give a lovely crust when cooked.

• Place a large frying pan on a medium heat with a good glug of oil. Fry the lamb chops for about 3-4 minutes on the first side or until they are golden brown. Flip the lamb over and leave to cook for a further 3-4 minutes depending how you like them cooked.

• Meanwhile, tip the couscous into a medium bowl, pour boiling water from a kettle to cover a little over the top, cover with cling film and leave aside for about five minutes.

• For the glaze, put the butter, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce to simmer, leaving it to bubble away for about three minutes, stirring from time to time. When the glaze is thickened and syrupy (a little thinner than golden syrup) remove from the heat and keep warm.

• Check the couscous grains have absorbed all the water and are tender and then fluff it up with a fork. Crumble the feta cheese in, season with salt and pepper and add a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Stir together and re-cover to keep warm.

• Cut into the centre of one of the lamb chops or cutlets to check that they are cooked to your liking. When ready, remove them onto plate to rest for a few minutes, covered with tin foil (this will make the chops more tender and juicy).

• Add the spring onions and flaked almonds to the frying pan in which you cooked the lamb and fry on a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring them a bit every now and then. Remove from the heat when the spring onions are wilted and the almonds golden brown.

• Divide the couscous among four serving plates. Place two lamb chops on top of each plate and drizzle the glaze (and any resting juices) over. Scatter over the onion and almond mixture and tear over the mint leaves. Top with the pomegranate seeds and serve.