This may seem a little weird at first... I mean, fruit beers, they're just for dessert right? Well I'm here to say nope, nuh-uh and getouttahere to that!
 
The inspiration for this dish was the thought that we don't see enough redcurrant jelly served with lamb any more, and it was just a short leap for my weird brain from there to using a sour cherry beer!
 
My instinct is that this would also work well with pork fillet and, personally, I'd serve whichever version of the dish you choose with curly kale & sauté new potatoes.
 
Lamb in Kriek - with roasted tomatoes & crispy shallot
Serves 2
 
Time:
Four-eight hours marinating
15 minutes active
 
Equipment needed:
Kitchen towel
Wide shallow non metallic dish that fits the chops snugly in one layer (or split marinade across two)
Baking dish
Frying pan
Small deep pan
Tongs
Slotted spoon
Wooden spoon
Chef’s knife
Chopping board
Large oven proof plate
Small plate
Foil
Oven
Hob
 
Ingredients
2 Barnsley chops
4 sprigs of thyme - lightly bruised with the back of a knife
4 sprigs of rosemary - lightly bruised with the back of a knife
One large red chilli - roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
Palm full of fine sea salt (I'm a very technical recipe writer)
Two bottles of cold Liefmans kriek
300ml lamb, chicken or veg stock
25g butter
Punnet of vine cherry tomatoes
1/2 a banana shallot - sliced medium fine into rings (about the width of a pound coin max)
Groundnut or veg oil
Seasoning
 
Method:

1. Get your shallow, non metallic dish and pour in the beer, chuck in the salt and stir until dissolved
2. Add herbs, chilli & garlic, stir a few times, then place chops into liquid, they should be covered, if not top up with water or more beer
3. Cover with cling film, leave in fridge
4. Take your chops out of the fridge half an hour before you cook them & put your oven on its hottest setting
5. Let’s cook! Rub your tomatoes with oil, season and place in the hot oven
6. Take your small deep pan and fill it with an inch of oil, put on a very low heat at back of hob
7. Take frying pan and set it on a medium heat
8. Remove your lamb from the marinade & carefully dry it on kitchen towel, reserve your marinade for the sauce
9. Rub oil over the surface of the chop and very lightly season with salt, you don't need a lot as some will have penetrated the meat from the marinade
10. Place the chops in your tongs and put them fat side down and allow that to render, if it doesn't sizzle fairly well on contact then take them out, turn up the heat and wait for the pan to heat a little more
11. Once your fat is golden brown, put a plate in the oven to heat up and turn the hob to high, wait a minute for the pan to heat and then cook the meat to your liking (about 4 mins each side should be medium rare)
12. Take your hot plate out of the oven and allow the lab to rest there, loosely covered in foil
13. Deglaze the pan with the stock and then add about an equal amount of the reserved marinade, try not to get any of the bits in, use a sieve if necessary and allow to reduce to a thick sauce
14. Turn up the oil pan to medium high
15. Whilst your oil is heating and the sauce is reducing, check on your tomatoes and turn the oven off if necessary
16. Also whilst your sauce is reducing, make your crispy onion rings, line the small plate with kitchen towel, then place the shallot on the spoon and carefully lower into the oil, if it looks like it might bubble over turn it down quickly but, equally, if it doesn't fizz then it's not hot enough (if you have a thermometer, you're looking for about 170C)
17. When just turning golden, fish them out and pop them on the kitchen towel, pop in oven with the tomatoes which should be well-cooked by now (also put your dinner plates in to warm about now)
18. Hopefully by now your sauce has reduce down enough that you can coat the back of the wooden spoon, so stir in your butter and turn off the heat, and open the second bottle of beer, pour nearly all of it into a glass as an accompaniment but reserve half an inch in the bottle)
19. Plate up by putting your tomatoes on the base, then your lamb and top with the crispy onions, serve with whatever you want and enjoy!