These are not the recipes made on the show, but recipes that the instructor came up with using the mystery ingredients.

Ingredients

• 2 lamb racks, cleaned and frenched, see Cook's Note*
• Salt and pepper
• Serving suggestion: Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke and Salsify Ragoût, Mushroom Cream Sauce, recipes follow
• Special equipment: an ovenproof skillet

Directions

Oven Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke and Salsify Ragout:

1 pound salsify, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces, see Cook's Note**

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and roughly chopped, see Cook's Note*

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh thyme, picked

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Soak salsify in cold water until all ingredients are assembled.

Divide olive oil between 2 bowls. Add Jerusalem artichokes and drained salsify to separate bowls and lightly coat with olive oil. Spread and separate on a large baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes or until tender.

Toss together in a bowl with the fresh thyme.

*Cook's Note: Not truly an artichoke, but a member of the sunflower family. It resembles fresh ginger root and has a nutty sweet flavor. It is available October through March and may be purchased in specialty produce stores.

**Cook's Note: A parsnip-shaped vegetable root that is also known as oyster plant. Growing season is from June through February. Available in Spanish, Italian and Greek food markets.

Yield: 6 servings

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Mushroom Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup dried mushrooms, see Cook's Note*

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, picked

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon truffle oil, see Cook's Note**

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Warm the white wine over low heat in a small stainless steel pan. Add the dried mushrooms and re-hydrate.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium high heat and saute the shiitake mushrooms, garlic, shallots and thyme. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are a golden color. Increase the heat to high and add the wine, re-hydrated mushrooms and heavy cream. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let sauce infuse for at least 1 hour.

Strain through a fine sieve and warm when ready to serve. Add the truffle oil and kosher salt to finish.

*Cook's Note: Dried Mushrooms may be purchased in specialty food shops.

**Cook's Note: Truffle Oil may be purchased in specialty food shops. Store in a cool, dry place.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour