A few pics of our Easter feast this year. Click any picture to enlarge.
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Prologue: Homemade bread and store-bought wine for Maundy Thursday.
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M.P. made the centerpiece of colored eggshells and artificial flowers.
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Appetizers! Clockwise from the left:
1. Fried won tons - a favorite of M.P.'s
2. Deviled eggs, which we both love, surrounding assorted olives and bits of fontina cheese.
3. Chicken puffs - delicious swirls of choux pastry filled with minced chicken and gently warmed in the toaster oven to give them a light, delicate crunch.
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In the wine glasses, notice the wonderful Easter lilies M.P. made from paper napkins.
You can't really tell from the photograph, but underneath the white lace is another tablecloth of pink and green squares, adding a subtle touch of pastel colors.
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Over the electric fireplace, artificial lilies and daffodils sit in a warm glow of candlelight.
Enfin, le diner est servi: A delightful chicken consommé with lemon and lavender bits, and two crispy chicken balls just for fun.
Roast leg of lamb, mmm-mmm good! It was first marinated in wine and herbs for two days, then slow-roasted with breadcrumbs, juniper berries, and a soupçon of mustard. It came out juicy, tender, and luscious.
Steamed asparagus, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and seasonings.
A creamy casserole of potatoes au gratin.
Bunny buns: two snips of the kitchen shears for the ears, one for the tail, and voila!
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From the left, potatoes au gratin, asparagus with Hollandaise, roast lamb au jus with mint jelly, and a bunny bun. Missing due to my hasty picture-taking: a ramekin of green pistachio fluff (pudding + crushed pineapple + mini marshmallows). Really a most delightful dinner, accompanied by our favorite white zinfandel.
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For dessert, M.P.'s famous lemon mousse, and a rosette sprinkled with powdered sugar. Superbe! A cup of caramel coffee rounded out the feast.
Epilogue: a few botanical snapshots.
Inspecting the outdoor plants after the last winter freeze was past, M.P. found these wild violets growing in the pot with his bonsai elm, which he assures me is still living, contrary to appearances.
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Backyard trees leafed out in spring green, with some lovely wisteria intermingled on high - but alas, invisible in this snapshot.
Our first yellow rose of the year - tiny but exquisite.
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2 comments:
That lovely meal and fancy decor must have taken a week to prepare. Not to mention the planning that must have preceded. One thing we have in common, we like to eat well - but I'm much more a "last minute" cook.
I hear you, I'm the same way. At M.P.'s request, I made spaghetti and meat sauce last week, and timed myself - exactly an hour and a half, including the garlic bread. I thought that was moving at a good clip, myself - here it is, eat it up! (And he did, too.)
Though I must confess that M.P. had kindly chopped the veggies beforehand, which saved me a big chunk of time.
But M.P. continually thinks about what he's going to cook next - it's his main hobby and one of his greatest joys in life. He spends all day, or all weekend, working on our Sunday dinners. It's really his pride and joy to present a beautiful meal - though sometimes he's all pooped out by dinnertime.
But it makes him very happy. I hear him humming and sometimes dancing around in the kitchen, listening to music with one of those earbug things while he cooks. We can't afford to go out on the town, and really don't want to, either - so these fancy dinners you see are in fact our main entertainment. It suits us.
And I am very grateful for all the fine dining.
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