Easter Schmeaster or How I Scarificed a Ham to the One God of my Oven

Matt and I love all holidays. We constantly talk about hosting family gatherings in our tiny tiny apartment over the BQE but rarely do it. This Easter was a change. Although neither of us are particularly GOD FEARING we do have an appreciation for tradition. So I made a ham. Yeah, that's right a whole hock of hammy deliciousness. Needless to say, this was our first attempt at large scale animal cooking.

The menu, if you will, follows . . .
Baked Ham with a Thyme Honey Glaze


Scalloped Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin with Fresh Herbs


Asparagus with a Classic Hollandaise


Baby Peas with Mint Lemondrop Cupcakes (a la Baked.)
Paried with Semidry Reislings of assorted origin

(thanks to www.epicurious.com for being our one stop shop for all recipes)

WIthout a doubt, it was a knock down drag out success. Which we were thrilled about. Fellow blogger, Sarah was in attendance as well as another friend from work, L.

Some musings . . .
The ham we purchased was spiral cut, and while it was convienent, I wasn't happy with the way the outer slices crisped up and seperated from the rest of the ham in cooking. Buying the spiral cut ham was meant to take some of the complication out of the cooking prosess but I think we could have done just as well without it. The thyme glaze was mild, earthy and super shiny without the stickiness of a traditional ham. And although our neighborhood couldn't supply us with a classic Virginia Ham, I'll stick to my guns that these are the absolute best hams for Easter (or any other occasion). In end the meat nearly fell off the bone and we all went back for seconds and some thirds. Sweet, savory and totally not kosher, this was Sarah's first time eating a baked ham. I'm happy to say, we've brought her over to the dark side.

POTATOES! Hands down the best dish of the night. The mixture of potato and sweet potato was delicious. The gruyere and herbs tied in beautifully. Of course it was very heavy, with almost two cups of cream what wouldn't be, but it was an indulgence well worth it. Recommend cooking a little longer than the recipe says, to get a really nice golden top to crunch against the mushiness of the bottom layer.

The hollandaise was another first time for us (we've previously made it using a blender with the help of another friend, but she alas, wasn't here to talk us through it). It looks great on the stove but once it hit the aspargus it really thinned out. I think this is just a matter of mastering the elusive art of the perfect hollandaise. No complaints at the table though!

Lemondrop cupcakes. 'Nuff said. I can't extole the virtues of Baked. enough. You really just need to come down to Red Hook and try it yourself. I will say though, the the lemon curd inside the cupcakes really brings them together. The absolute perfect way to end a decadent meal.

a.