This seasonal menu says spring has sprung

If you were in New York City this past weekend, you know that spring has sprung. And what better way to welcome the warmer weather than some fresh-tasting recipes from chef Tyler Florence, host of "Food 9-1-1" and "How to Boil Water" on the Food Network? Florence was invited on the “Today” show to cook up some favorites from his new book, “Eat This Book: Cooking With Global Fresh Flavors.”

Grilled Rack of Lamb With Garden Purée and Mint
(Serves 6; preparation time: 1-1/2 hours, including marinating the lamb.)

2 lamb racks (about 2 pounds each, 7 or 8 ribs apiece), trimmed and Frenched
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, sliced paper-thin
Leaves from 1/2 bunch of fresh mint, shredded
Leaves from 1/2 bunch of fresh oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for Garden Purée:
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 pound English peas, shelled, or 1 cup frozen petite peas
1/2 pound asparagus, tips only (about 2 1/2 inches)
1/2 pound haricots verts or tender green beans, trimmed
2/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
3 green onions, green parts only, roughly chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil

For presentation/garnish:
1 bunch of green onions, trimmed
Fresh mint leaves

This garden purée wraps its flavors around the lamb. Asparagus, green beans, and sweet peas at the peak of freshness are puréed together with rich whole-milk ricotta cheese. It’s lush. It’s incredibly delicious by itself; you’re going to have a hard time keeping your spoon out of it. But with the grilled rack of lamb and a warm summer breeze, you’ll know absolutely what time of year it is.

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Put the lamb in a baking dish and drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the lemon slices, mint, oregano, and salt and pepper and turn the lamb in the mixture to coat. (Frenching is a butchering technique that removes much of the fat from the lamb chops.) Stick it in the refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas, asparagus tips, and haricots verts, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. (If you’re using frozen peas, you can throw them in during the last couple of minutes, to thaw.) Drain, transfer to a bowl of salted ice water to stop the cooking, and drain again. Purée in a food processor with the ricotta, green onion greens, a drizzle of oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Scrape that out into a medium saucepan and set it aside while you cook the lamb.

Preheat an outdoor gas or charcoal grill or a ridged grill pan over a medium-high flame. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towels. Then carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick grilling surface. Put the lamb on the hottest part of the grill and cook, turning once, until medium-rare, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Toss the whole green onions in oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill, turning once, until marked and barely softened, about 2 minutes.

To serve, warm the purée over low heat. Cut the racks into double chops and serve with the garden purée and the green onions, garnished with mint leaves.

Carpaccio of Raw Zucchini
(Serves 4 to 6; preparation time: 30 minutes.)

2 zucchini (about 1-1/2 pounds total), sliced into paper-thin rounds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as chervil, dill, chives, and chive blossoms
1 young leek, white part only, sliced paper-thin
1 cup ricotta cheese
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

I put this dish together when we were on location for Tyler’s Ultimate (a show on the Food Network). We were breaking for lunch and I raided the refrigerator of the lady we were working with. I just pulled a couple of ingredients out and started to try to figure out how to turn it all into a salad. It was a bit “loaves and fishes,” meaning that I didn’t have a lot to work with. I sliced zucchini very thin, spread it out around the plate, and seasoned it with a little salt and olive oil, and the zucchini melted and got juicy. Then I tried to figure out how to make it better: A little leek, a little fresh herb, a little ricotta cheese, and a squeeze of lemon juice on top. It tasted so amazing that I thought, this is one for the book.

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