#easter dinner menu

Easter is one of the most important holidays that Christians and Jews celebrate in family atmosphere, where many traditional and new dishes are served. Due to the importance of Easter foods, we are starting now with quick Easter dinner ideas, then some detailed Easter recipes to be posted in the next topics. A traditional Easter dinner may include roast ham, ribs or lamb as a basic dish, like…

Ready to assemble:  Beef Wellington gets a healthy flip with lamb loin and vegetarian pate.

I woke up yesterday and my first thought was, "Holy Thursday!  Easter's Sunday."  I don't know how this realization escaped me.  I actually prepared and photographed my Easter menu weeks ago.  I was aware that last Sunday was Palm Sunday and all my Jewish friends are eating in this week so as not to be tempted by unleavened flour products in NYC's eateries.  I even remembered today is my dad's birthday -- my usual indicator that Easter is near.  So really, I have no excuse for sitting on this story for so long (this will be one of many story apologies I will have to make in the coming weeks!) except that I've been too busy eating and cooking to post.  (I know, it's a lame but fun excuse!)

Well, if you haven't made any big Easter plans or are looking for a a couple of simple and quick ideas to supplement your traditional ham, here's an impressive, but surprisingly simple, lamb presentation I "borrowed" from the traditional centerpiece of a British Christmas table -- Beef Wellington.

Last Easter, I wrote about the ham versus lamb dilemma and noted that, due to childhood ham trauma (we spent the holiday with the Irish side of the family), I was a big proponent of lamb.  Although I've come around on the baked ham just a little bit (I no longer have to put peanut butter on it but I do prefer it in between two slices of bread), I still support lamb as the main dish on the traditional Easter table.  I thought a somewhat healthier preparation of a classic Beef Wellington would make an interesting and elegant main course.  I went with lamb and a vegetarian pate and skipped the rich Madeira sauce.I added some color to the "fancy" dish with beautiful purple smashed potatoes with lemon dill, potato-chip like kale crisps and proper garlic-herbed popovers.

At the table:  purple potatoes add lively color to the Easter plate while kale crisps give the dish a healthy crunch.  Lamb Wellington and a garlic-herbed popover are little slices of heaven... and there's more where that came from!

While a traditional Beef Wellington calls for chicken liver pate and duxelles (a rich paste of mushroom, shallots, herbs and butter), I decided to combine the theory and go with a vegetable pate that included wild mushrooms, peas, carrots.  I recently learned that some versions of Wellington call for a crepe to be spread with the pate/duxelle mixutre and wrapped around the meat to keep the juices from making the puff pastry soggy.  I thought that was a brilliant idea so I prepared an herbed crepe mixture.  I used purchased puff pastry sheets -- mainly because I wanted to keep things moving quickly but also because baking is not my strong suit!!

  Lamb Wellington fresh from the oven and ready for slicing.  A thin layer of crepe spread with the pate keeps the pastry from getting soggy.

I purchased some beautiful New Zeland lamb loins from Whole Foods.  They are so much smaller than beef, though, that I decided to stack 2 together.  I hoped they would fuse together once I wrapped and cooked the Wellington but they didn't!  No matter, the preparation was perfect and my guests/guinea pigs went back for seconds!

To keep the meal on the lighter side, I served delicious fresh strawberries dessert.  For a classic Easter treat, pick up fresh biscuits or pound cake, whip up some fresh cream and mix sliced strawberries with a tablespoon of sugar for a yummy strawberry shortcake!

And, to find out what I'm really eating on Easter Sunday, check back next week!  I know it will be something based on deep fried poached eggs and a tea-infused bubbly concoction!!

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Easter Sunday Menu

Mini Mascarpone Tarts with Asparagus and Prosciutto

Lamb Wellington

Baby Purples Potatoes with Lemon and Dill, Smashed

Kale Crisps

Strawberry Shortcake

Wine:  White Burgundy if your serving for lunch; Malbec at dinner

Lamb loin is a mild cut of meat that is tender and juicy and cooked to medium-rare perfection with the aid of a meat thermometer.  The recipe looks much more complicated and time consuming than it actually is.  Purchased puff pastry speeds up the process.

Recipe:  Lamb Wellington

Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the Vegetarian Pate

2 oz. unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 Tbl. fresh chopped herbs:  thyme, parsley, sage, rosemary

3/4 lb. cremini and/or wild mushrooms, medium diced, sliced and stems removed

1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, medium-diced sliced and stems removed

1/2 cup carrots, medium-diced

1 cup green peas

sea salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbs. dry sherry

1 cup pistachios

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

For the Crepes

2 1/4 oz. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. chopped rosemary

2 large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

For Assembly:

3 lb. lamb loin, trimmed (may need 2)

kosher salt and pepper

1 tsp. vegetable oil

2/3 cup vegetarian pate

1 lb. puff pastry (store bought)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. unsalted butter, softened

Prepare the pate:

Over medium heat Melt the butter in a 12 inch skilled with straight sides.  Add the onion and herbs and cook, stirring until the onion is dark brown (not black), 15 - 20 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, carrots, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is evaporated -- about 8 minutes.  Add the peas and sherry and cook 1 minute until the sherry is evaporated.  Cool to room temperature.

Add the mixture to a food processor.  Add the pistachios, lemon juice, zest, 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.  Process until smooth.  Season to taste with more lemon, salt and pepper.  Can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.

Prepare the crepes (can be made 1 day in advance):

In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt.  Make a well in the center, add the eggs and 1/4 cup milk.  Gently whisk the eggs and milk while gradually incorporating the flour, salt and rosemary.  Slowly whisk in the remaining milk to make a smooth batter.

Melt the butter in a 10" skillet over medium low heat.  Swirl the pan to coat with the butter and pour the excess butter into a small bowl.  Whisk 1 Tbl. of the melted butter into the batter.  Reserve the rest for greasing the pan in between crepes.  Turn the heat to medium high and pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet.  Swirl so the batter thinly and evenly coats the bottom of the pan.

Cook until the crepe is spotted with brown on the underside, about 1 minute, then flip and cook the other side until lightly browned -- about 30 seconds more.  Repeat with the remaining batter.  Transfer the crepes to a plate, separating them with sheets of parchment.  Cool.  You'll need 4 crepes.  The leftovers can be wrapped and served with Nutella, delicious jam or a savory concoction of your choice!

Assemble and Bake:

Remove the lamb from the fridge a half hour to an hour ahead to lose the chill.  Pat dry and season with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until very hot.  Sear the lamb until it's evenly browned -- 1 - 2 minutes.  Transfer the lamb to a baking sheet and cool.

Lay 4 crepes on a flat work surface, overlapping them to make a 13"x13" square surface.  Dot the pate over the crepes, then spread it evenly over the surface.  Place the lamb loin in the center of the crepes and wrap them around the meat, pressing and them into place.  Trim off the excess ends (I ate them as a snack... delish!)

If using packaged puff pastry, take the 2 sheets and fuse them together.  Roll over the seem until it's adhered.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 13"x16" rectangle.  Transfer the wrapped lamb to the center of the pastry and tuck any crepes that have come loose back into place.  Bring the pastry around the lamb and make it smooth.  Brush some of the beaten egg along the bottom edge of the seam and press gently to seal.  Trim off excess (I did not eat this!!). Seal the pastry with the egg on both ends.

Lightly grease a large baking sheet with the butter.  Lift the Wellington onto the sheet, seam side down.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes and up to 3 hours (if longer than 1 hour, let the Wellington sit at room temp for 1 hour before baking).  Twenty minutes before baking, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 475°. 

Brush the Wellington with the remaining beaten egg.  Score the surface of the pastry with diagonal lines -- but don't cut through the pastry.  Place the Wellington in the oven and reduce the temperature to 425°.  Roast for 10 minutes and reduce the heat to 400°.  Roast until a meat thermometer reads 135° for medium rare or 140° for medium -- about 20 minutes.  Transfer to a carving platter and let rest for 10 minutes.  Thickly slice the Wellington and serve.

I got the idea for these delicious bites from Executive Chef Nick Curtain at NYC's Compose -- a cool new concept restaurant in Tribeca.  I'm not sure of his actual technique but liked my version almost as much.  I hope to persuade Chef Nick to share some of his cool recipes in upcoming post!

Recipe:  Baby Purple Potatoes with Lemon and Dill, Smashed

Serves eight

Ingredients:

16 baby purple potatoes

1 Tbl. dill + more for garnish

2 Tbl. olive oil

1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Prepare: Cook potatoes in salted, boiling water for 20 minutes.  Let cool.  In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, 1 Tbl. olive oil and dill.  Place cooled potatoes on a flat surface.  With a potato masher, gently "smash" the potatoes into flat disks.  Brush both sides with lemon juice mixture, sprinkle with salt and pepper and press one small sprig of dill into the center of each potato.

In a 12 inch skillet, heat 1 Tbl. olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add potatoes (you'll need to work in batches) and pan fry until the potato skins are crispy -- about 3 minutes each side.  Drizzle with left over lemon mixture and serve.

Kale crisps make a healthy and tasty alternative to potato chips.  And they're just as delicious and addictive!!

Recipe:  Kale Crisps

Makes 2 trays

Ingredients:

1 bunch Kale, washed thoroughly and dried

1 Tbl. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 tsp. sea salt

Prepare:

Preheat oven to 325°.  Remove kale leaves from stems and slice in 2" strips.  Place dried leaves in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, lemon zest and sea salt.  Place leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet (you'll probably need 2; I make them in 2 batches).  Bake until the leaves turn a deep, forest green -- 8 - 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.  You can't eat just one!!