James Briscione's new book, "The Great Cook" (Oxmoor House, 2015), has a clever way of delivering recipes. Each one is a basic with a photo of all the ingredients needed. Once that is mastered, the cook can elevate the same dish with different sauces and spices. This is a book for a beginner who can build confidence with trying each new recipe and its variations. There are lots of interesting combinations, like simple chicken breasts that can become chicken piccata or chicken with honey beer sauce.

I've adapted Briscione's lamb with apricot sauce by adding fresh mint. Juicy and slightly sweet with a mint accent, these lamb chops are a nice change for the lamb lover. Make sure to select good-quality lamb. Rib chops come from the whole rack. Sometimes I will buy a rack and cut it myself to make sure I get just the right thickness.

Many people disagree about what the best flavored lamb is. I tend to be an American lamb fan for its sweet flavor, but many treasure the stronger flavor of New Zealand or Australian lamb. I leave it up to you to decide which you prefer.

I favor the rib chop, but this sauce would be equally good with the loin lamb chop. And if you are not a fan of lamb, don't worry. This sauce is a perfect match with meaty pork chops or chicken. Serve the chops with roasted potatoes, vegetable rice or green beans with toasted almonds. To drink, serve an Argentine Malbec or a California Zinfandel.

Apricot Lamb Chops

Serves 4 to 6

For the sauce

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup apricot preserves

2 teaspoons grainy Dijon mustard

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