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.

Carmelized Onion Tart with Apple Celery Salad

Let's face it, we can't eat out all the time so every Sunday night for the past month or so, I've dedicated my evening to a cooking adventure of one kind or another. Generally, these have soups and stews because I'm under the impression that if you can't whip up a good soup, you can't cook. This week, however, I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit and tried an all vegetarian dinner that was absolutely delicious!

The main dish was an carmelized onion tart that I found in Moosewood Restaurant New Classics from the Moosewood Collective (ISBN 0-609-80241-0 Clarkson Potter/Publishers New York). This is a must have for everyone who sometimes longs for a light and delicious, fresh tasting meal to replace the run-of-the-mill meat/carb/vegetable formula that we all know and love.

I don't think anyone wants to read the whole recipe, so I'm not going to include that here, but if your interest is piqued and you're not into investing in the book, send an email to bkfoodblog@gmail and I'll see what I can do for you!

It all started with this.


It's a VERY basic pastry dough. A note on the instructions for this recipe: 4 tablespoons of water didn't quite get the dry ingredients to stick. Aim for fewer then 8. Making the dough, I'm happy to report, was the hardest part of the process and it still only took about half and hour. WHAT?!? A half hour to mix flour, salt, butter and water? Yes. I don't own a pastry cutter and I couldn't find one at Gourmet Fresh or the Met. I had to use a freakin' fork to cut the butter in and it took forever. Note to self, BUY ONE OF THESE:

After making the dough, though, the rest was a breeze. All you need is a skillet and a blender, and those I have in abundance! I carmelized my onions until soft, delicious and fragrant. It takes about twenty to twenty five minutes. Against my fresh-herb-loving instincts, I followed the recipe's direction to use dried thyme. Oh, I still remember the smell!
I subbed Monterey Jack for the gruyere that was called for because I didn't really know what gruyere is. But I've checked my ignorance at the door and now feel comfortable suggesting a Swiss cheese as the closest approximation to the original recipe if you're stuck on this end of Henry Street and don't want to hoof it to Fairway.

The custard for the tart was simple, quick and messless: 6 eggs, 2 cups milk (oh, just buy the whole milk. I won't tell!) a pinch or two of flour and 1 tbs Dijon mustard blended to a fine puree. The onions are layered on the bottom, 1 cup packed grated cheese on top, the milk custard over all baked at 400 for about an hour and voila!

I served it with a simple salad (as in macaroni salad and potato salad) of apples, celery, raisin and walnuts with a bit of mayo and sour cream. You can grab that recipe here. It dawns on me that this meal is a dairy wonderland, so if you're watching your weight (the gods know I'm not!) please do serve with a simple green salad.

The tart was flavorful, but could use some complication. An extra herb or two while carmelizing the onions or a spice here and there in the custard could make a delightful change. I made the mistake of over-seasoning with salt on the plate. Do not repeat this mistake--a dash if any will suffice.

All in all, it was quite a strenuous adventure: my secret confession is that I don't (or at least, didn't) prefer baked egg-based dishes. Quiche is kind of my worst nightmare. This tart, however, won me over completely. And it was even better cold the next day for lunch at work. Try it out! You'll be so glad!