Happy Easter

We aren't real big on pomp and circumstance when it comes to holidays.  In fact, we aren't real big on pomp and circumstance at all.  Its just the two of us in this house and the rest of our family lives a thousand miles away.  What we really love to do is cook and eat.  So each family holiday we plan a fun menu and make the day special like that.
I woke up at 7:45 this morning and started in on creating the holiday feast.  The first thing I did was make buttermilk biscuits.  I used a recipe out of my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook which never fails.  Its not the best biscuit I've ever had nor the best biscuit I've ever made (that would be from a recipe I acquired during baking school... I really need to find that again).  It is, however, a good solid biscuit and Andrew, my son, likes them.

They were suppose to be Cheesy Garlic Biscuits, but I had almost literally woken up and walked into the kitchen and started to work.  No coffee and still in my pajamas.  I completely forgot.  So, regular buttermilk biscuits is what we had.

Next came the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  I personally had never had Strawberry Rhubarb before.  It was one of my mother's favorites and has become one of Andrew's favorites as well.  I tend to be a *very* picky eater growing up and still am for the most part but I am growing out of it slowly but surely.  In fact, I think my passion for recipes and starting this blog will help encourage me to try new things. 

Last week, I made a dear friend of mine a Cherry Pie and my recipe for pie dough (this one *is* from the baking school) makes enough for 4 single crust pies or 2 double crust pies.  I kept the extra dough in the freezer and took it out to thaw yesterday.  After I rolled out the bottom, I arranged it in the pie dish and put it back in the refrigerator to chill.  I then went to work on the filling.  I came across a recipe on the Food Network website.  It sounded good and the kid agreed. 

I like things simple.  So, I bought a bag of frozen strawberries and a bag of frozen rhubarb.  I put them in the fridge to thaw yesterday (with the pie dough).  This morning I just poured them into a bowl along with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 2 tablespoons of minute tapioca, a tablespoon of flour, a teaspoon of lemon zest, a teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a teaspoon or two of vanilla (I always pour this freehand).  Then simply stir until combined.

     

I rolled out the top layer of the crust, poured the filling into the pie dish, topped it with the pie dough and stuck it in the oven.  I find that dealing with homemade pie dough, no matter what season it is, is not an easy task in the home.  At school it was much easier because the temperature of the kitchen was more easily controlled and of course the prep area was not right next to the oven.  In the home, the temperature is undoubtedly "comfortable" while the ideal temperature for pie dough should always be chilly for the best results.  My kitchen is a regular old kitchen and the temp in the house is not all that chilly now that Spring is upon us in full here in New Mexico.  Here is what my dough looked like when I put it on top of the filling.  Not very pretty but it makes no matter.  I trimmed it up and tucked it under and stuck it in the oven.  It turned out beautifully.  Unfortunately, you'll have to trust me as I did not get a picture of it uncut.  You can sort of tell from the results pictures though.

After the pie came out of the oven, the ham and potatoes went in.  We glazed the game with our family tradition of mustard and brown sugar.  Andrew made it so the measurements are not available.  Just mix the two until it tastes yummy then smear it all over the ham.  Bake the ham (and the potatoes) at 325F for 20 minutes per pound (an hour and a half for the potatoes).  With our ham it baked for 2 hours and 40 minutes.  After an hour and a half, I pulled the potatoes out, scooped out the insides, added some milk, butter, garlic salt and a hand full of cheddar cheese and mixed it until yummy.  I scooped the mixture back into the potato shells and then put them in the fridge until it was time to bake the Asparagus and Cheese Tart.  This is where they stay even at this very moment.  Sounds like it will be a nice side dish for leftovers tomorrow!

Just a small portion of the ham.  It just does look yummy!

After the ham comes out, I mix some pecans with some peanut oil, a few pinches of salt and a handful of brown sugar and then toast them in the oven for 7-9 minutes.  Turns out it was a minute or two too long.  They weren't burned but *really* close.  I tossed these over some spinach with some Danish bleu cheese and raspberry vinaigrette.  Its very close to one of my favorite salads.  

Finally, I rolled out a puff pastry sheet to fit my cookie sheet and poked it (for what i think is) all over with a fork.  I baked it at 400F for 12 minutes.  When I pull it out, one side of it has puffed way up.  I push it back down, cracking it in places.  Andrew mixes a cup of grated fontina cheese, a cup of shredded swiss cheese, two egg yolks, the zest of half a lemon, half of a small shallot minced, 3 tablespoons of whole milk, and a couple of pinches of nutmeg.  He then spread it on the puff pastry leaving an edge like spreading sauce on pizza dough.  I top the cheese with a pound of lightly steamed asparagus tossed with some olive oil, sea salt and pepper.  We then bake the whole thing for another 15 minutes.  The result is very pretty and even more yummy.

And this completes our Easter meal.  It was fun trying out new recipes and its always a pleasure to cook with my son.  I hope your Easter has been filled with great food, fun times and the people you love most.

Love and Laughter