By Request Betty Shimabukuro

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Le Bistro chef keeps
some recipe secrets

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This is the circle of life here at recipe central: Readers eat divine dishes at restaurants, dream of recreating them at home, ask for the recipes. We ask the appropriate chefs. Often they say yes, sometimes they say no, and sometimes they offer a compromise. Such is the case today.

Wendy Swift asked for the recipe for the barbecued lamb on the menu at Le Bistro in Niu Valley. "It's the best!" Swift reports.

Alan Takasaki, chef at Le Bistro, says the lamb dish is among the top sellers at his restaurant, and as such he'd rather not give out his exact formula. He did, however, take the time to come up with a grilled lamb chop recipe that he says is similar in flavor and more practical for cooking at home.

Le Bistro is a 2-year-old restaurant in the Niu Valley Shopping Center; Takasaki is the original chef from Sam Choy's Diamond Head who has gone out on his own.

He guesses that his dish has caught on because it's different. Lamb served around town is generally made with hoisin, that pungent Chinese sauce made of soy beans and chili peppers. Takasaki uses red wine, balsamic vinegar and honey, plus lots of herbs, in his marinade, then serves his finished chops with a red wine sauce.

The dish does take a little time and a lot of different ingredients, mainly in the form of fresh and dried herbs. But Takasaki says it is not tricky -- the only thing to remember is don't overcook it on the grill; it'll blacken quickly.

Barbecued Lamb Chops

10 lamb chops
>> Marinade:
1/4 cup EACH chopped shallots, garlic and fennel
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon EACH fresh thyme leaves, rosemary leaves and chopped mint
2 teaspoons EACH chopped Italian parsley and tube chives
1/2 teaspoon EACH cracked black pepper and Herbs de Provence
1 cup EACH balsamic vinegar and honey
>> Red Wine Sauce
1 tablespoon shallots
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup EACH balsamic vinegar, honey and red wine
1 cup veal stock

To make marinade: Sauté shallots, garlic and fennel in oil. Add wine and simmer until reduced to a syrup. Add other herbs. Stir in honey and vinegar. Pour over chops and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours.

Grill chops until medium rare, about 3 minutes per side. Chops may also be cooked in a frying pan.

To make sauce: Sauté shallots and thyme in butter, then add vinegar, honey and red wine. Reduce to a syrup and add veal stock. Reduce by half. Serve with lamb chops. Serves 5.

Notes: Tube chives have rounded stems, not flat like garlic chives. Herbs de Provence is a combination of dried herbs such as marjoram, thyme, savory, basil, rosemary, sage and fennel seeds.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 720 calories, 28 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 140 mg. cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 72 g carbohydrate, 41 g protein.

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Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
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Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.