whew, glad it's over -- easter dinner!
as you know from my earlier post, i really didn't feel like doing the whole easter sha-bang -- but yes, it came together.... even before i started my own personal wine service.
the only thing i didn't get to was the HOMEMADE PASTRY CREAM FOR THE CREAM PUFFS with the homade chocolate sauce.... i used ice cream instead. i think one or two of my guests were disappointed. i could tell because they only ate 2 or 3 cream puffs... (only kidding)
any weigh-lays - or last minute changes/mishaps/frankly i don't give a dams out there?
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19 Comments:
Easter dinner went surprisingly well, especially considering the fact that half way through, I lost my momentum and didn't feel like cooking anymore.
I went with a tangerine glazed ham, roasted asparagus with parm, green beans with caramelized onions and slivered almonds, spanakopita, and garlic mashed potatoes. Lastly, for dessert, mango honey flan. Everything went pretty well, except for the drunk family members that wouldn't leave and the uncle that wouldn't stop stuffing his face. Those types of things are to be expected in my family, though.
PumpkinBear at 11:43PM on 04/12/09
My Easter dinner consisted of making hors d'oeuvres for 250. The menu was vegetarian, except for the gelatin in the homemade marshmallows. There were goat cheese and caramelized onion crostini, gazpacho, pita wedges and hummus, fruit skewers, brownies, marinated mushrooms, rice crackers, curry peanut butter-stuffed celery, chocolate-dipped marshmallows, and mock mimosas (since there were children present). My kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it. It will be cleaned tomorrow, from top to bottom.
beth1 at 12:14AM on 04/13/09
Only one person showed up thank you very much because of the nasty weather. So it was mellow and I am tired, and glad myself that it is over. I made a whiskey/cola glazed ham, a corn succotash sald, braised green beans and bacon, cross buns, smached potatos with garilc and blue cheese, strawberries and whipped cream.
pjracz10 at 2:33AM on 04/13/09
Not really...everything went fine except there was one casualty. My 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup which I've had for YEARS accidentally flew over my husbands head and crash landed on the floor into a dozen pieces. Thank god it didn't hit my husband. That's some thick glass! But, at least now I can buy a new one!!! (Yes, it was my fault. I went to grab it from an upper cupboard and for some reason lost my grip and it flew out of my hands.)
arm1970 at 6:03AM on 04/13/09
I was in charge of desserts - I was going to make the chocolate caramel tart from the cover of Saveur, but I didn't read the entire recipe until Sat night, and discovered that it had to be refridgerated for 4-5 hrs after the caramel to set, and then another 4-5 hrs after the ganache topping to set more. That just wasn't in my time schedule. I was planning another dessert, the strawberry crumb cake from Food & Wine last month. Looked like a great recipe, except I made 1 1/2 to feed everyone, and didn't quite compensate enough for the extra batter & the stoneware pan I baked it in....was slightly gooey in the very middle. It was a bit too sweet for us too...although I will make it again when our local strawberries are in season, and make adjustments. Everyone still enjoyed it!
mepolo at 8:32AM on 04/13/09
140 plastic eggs hidden in the yard for 4 grandchildren started the festivities. Then dolmades, stuffed eggs, veggies and dip. Followed by grilled lamb, roasted new potatoes, squash casserole, salad with fennel and orange, cherry almond bread pudding and a tortoni. Appropriate wines etc. Dinner for 14 great;cleanup a nightmare
patxcook at 10:48AM on 04/13/09
@arm1970: are you sure you weren't subconciously aiming for said husband? Seriously, I am glad no one was hurt - and that you get to shop for new kitchen tools!
Our dinner was low key: dijon-brown sugar glazed ham, sour cream mashed potatoes, corn (for the kids), butter glazed carrots and dinner rolls.
DH wanted turkey. He was outvoted 3-1. His mom cooked turkey for everything. I told him I would pick him up a Swanson's if he was hell bent on turkey. He ended up admitting the ham was awesome. The kids chowed - they think pig rules! Those are my kids!!
So proud - shedding a tear.
SayWhat at 2:17PM on 04/13/09
i made dinner for three and it managed to consume my entire weekend!
ina garten's virginia ham, martha stewart's mac & cheese (this i cheated on because i had one frozen in the freezer already that i had made a couple of weeks ago), sauteed green beans, jalapeno & chile corn bread, orange cake and red velvet cake (from a box no less -- i am awful) with homemade cream cheese frosting.
i had a lot of cheating going on but it was still a huge undertaking somehow! i have no idea how you guys do it on such a large scale!
megannesta at 3:01PM on 04/13/09
We had a few drop outs and had dinner for 27! It went well but I was up at 4:30 a.m. putting in the pork shoulder from Jamie Oliver's, "overnight, slow roasted pork" recipe - that being said, it was a huge success and the skin was crispy and delicious, the meat sticky and succulent - I had a few nervous moments as it looked "done" about four hours before it was due to come out, but I perservered and all was well. A fantastic, budget consious meal for that many people. I am confessing that I have just awoken today from a two hour nap to make up for that all day marathon yesterday!
bareneed at 3:19PM on 04/13/09
- NYS cheddar, brie de Meaux, landjaegers and buttermilk bread.
- steamed asparagus, lemon aioli, tarragon
- pappardelle, beurre monté, ramp pesto
- roast smoked pork loin, sautéed ramps, white wine and mustard jus
- mixed shoots and sprouts, red leaf lettuce, roasted red pepper, gremolatta
- vanilla profiteroles, chocolate sauce, mixed berries
Washed down with Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, some Argentinian Torrontés white, and Cascade Mountain 2006 Private Reserve (NYS.) coffee and tea, pear eau de vie.
Banged it all out in about three hours :)
simon at 3:19PM on 04/13/09
After the fact, I realize that my feast was a little strange, given that it's a religious holiday (if you're religious.)
Appetizer was deviled eggs. It's not my fault, the devil made me do it.
Dinner was Cuban-inspired, with black beans and rice, AKA moros y cristianos AKA Moors and Christians as a side dish. Which I supposed was better than if I had lions involved with the Christians...
And besides having buns in the bread basket, we also had home-made matzoh.
Dessert wasn't particularly blasphemous, except that I named the candy "naked butterfingers." Basically, it tasted like the inside of a butterfingers candy bar, but didn't have chocolate, since FIL doesn't like chocolate.
It all tasted good, but it wasn't particularly easter-y.
dbcurrie at 3:50PM on 04/13/09
@simon - i see you found your ramps... all sounds so delicious....pray tell me what are landjaegers? they're not baby frogs found in local ponds are they?
@dbcurrie -- so funny, the deviled eggs and moros y cristianos.... home made matzoh... sounds so good.... mmmm
everybody's doin' such good cookin....
pooch at 6:04PM on 04/13/09
Landjaegers are a fantastic semi dry German sausage. Are you familiar with the Smokehouse of the Catskills in Veteran? (West Saugerties, on 212 on the way to Woodstock.) If not, I recommend you get over there post haste.
simon at 6:35PM on 04/13/09
Some impressive feasts have been produced so congratulations to all for the hard work! I kept it relatively simple and eclectic: For starters, we had some country-style bread (bought) and some wholemeal rye buns (homebaked) with an assortment of Spanish chorizo, Ibérico Ham and salami, duck paté, smoked salmon pate, onion marmalade and hoummous.
For main, I made a lamb paella that was devoured and much praised (and so easy to make! The key is in the roasted vegetables and marinated lamb leg).
The dessert was a low-fat ricotta cheesecake coated in dulce de leche. It was my best so far.
HappyMuncher at 6:59PM on 04/13/09
@simon - yes, i'm very familiar with that great store. very spectacular place.... their meats are beautiful.... and i love that they keep the place spotless!
do you know fleisher's in kingston?
pooch at 7:11PM on 04/13/09
Food:
Sun Dried Tomato Spread
Home-made Roasted Peppers (yay gas burners!)
Chunks of Parm and White Cheddar
Bread
Boned Stuffed Leg of Lamb (stuffed w/SD tom, garlic, basil, grated parm)
Roast Chicken (garlic, parsley, wine, S&P under the skin)
Roasted New Potatoes
Roasted Asparagus
Sauteed Mushrooms (garlic, wine, S&P)
Dessert:
Home Made Pizza Grano (Italian grain pie)
Carvel Ice Cream BD Cake (for BF's dad and one of the guests)
Challenges -
I don't use my conventional oven and had to make sure it actually worked. BF and I are only 2 people and we've been basically living out of the convection oven. It took 40 minutes for the conventional oven to preheat! Grrrrrr.... After some shuffling - i.e. roasted the chickens (had 2) in the conventional oven but cooked them a few minutes in the convection to brown - dinner came together nicely.
Enjoyed a visit from BF's mom and dad and 2 guests from BF's job. Made the grain pie my mom made for most of my life. It was a fun Easter in the new house.
therealchiffonade at 8:31PM on 04/13/09
For Easter, we had burgers from Taylor's Refresher in St. Helena/Napa Valley.
But Saturday night we had a non-mammal eater and his wife over - with about a day's notice! I'm actually really happy with what we ended up with:
Nibbles of smoked duck crostini with goat cheese and cherry-onion marmalade and rosemary roasted nuts. The duck is the most amazing stuff ever - tastes like the best bacon you've ever had!
Dinner was adapted from Sunday Suppers with Lucuqes, and I think it might have been the only chicken recipe in the book. Saffron marinated chicken with spring veggies and parmesan pudding. The veggies ended up being totally improvised, but I think they came out well (green garlic, asparagus and local baby onions instead of green onions and sugar snap peas).
Ended with cheese (sadly finished my Humboldt Fog), and then fallen angel cake with strawberries and cream.
cyberroo at 9:02PM on 04/13/09
Starters:
Shrimp with cocktail sauce
crabcakes with Barefoot contessa tartar sauce
Main:
Baked smoked ham with cola bourbon glaze from Tyler Florence
Mac and Cheese my recipe
asparagus with vinagrette
string beans
Drinks:
pellegrino with lemon
Syrah-Viognier
Bread:
Datenut bread
Beer bread
Desserts:
Coconut cake (Dorie recipe) with lemon curd and a cream cheese/7 min frosting combo icing
Egg shaped sugar cookies
Raspberry Oatmeal Jam bars
Amaretti
Blondies
JerzeeTomato at 5:08AM on 04/14/09
Starters:
fresh fruit plate
white bean and artichoke bruschetta
mini-quiches
broiled kielbasa & pineapple (SIL's contribution, odd but tasty)
Main:
Honeybaked Ham
Roasted asparagus with hollandaise
Cheesy potato casserole (tradition demands it)
Braised leeks
Martha Stewart's Vegetable Tian (for vegan BIL)
Whole wheat rolls
Desserts (via the Sister)
Silver Palate Carrot Cake w/ cream cheese frosting
Lemon tart (with burnt crust and not enough lemon)
Sugar cookies
Lemon-thyme shortbread
Prosecco, Chardonnay and Cabernet
Dishes all done by Monday morning, despite broken dishwasher.
Still putting china away.
13 eaters, in total, excluding the dog, who was fed copious amounts of ham, while my father was carving.
sarajane at 4:21PM on 04/14/09