Easter Lunch
With Chad’s help, I whipped up an Easter lunch yesterday. I found all of the recipes quickly the day before, and started making things on Sunday at about 11am in LA…
Oddly enough, the Glazed Carrots turned out to be the amazing dish of the day. They just burst with good carrot, herb, and butter flavor, with a hint of sweetness (from only 1 added Tbs of sugar to 8 carrots). We couldn’t stop eating them. The recipe, from Fine Cooking, is at the end of this post.
For the ham, we made this Cola Baked Ham with Cherry-Orange Glaze. I’d never baked a ham before, and to pour 2 liters of Coca-Cola into its pan seemed very odd… But it turned it great, juicy and flavorful — with the tinge of cola flavor (and I think that the allspice is the true secret weapon of this dish). I always think, though, that the glaze is a bit wasted on the outside of the meat since the rind can get a little funky, so luckily, we had some extra glaze to serve with the baked ham. The glaze was flavorful (esp w/ the Grand Marnier), but quite sweet — but we made it using the Bonne Maman brand for the preserves, which are usually very sweet.
Ever on the lookout for gravy, Chad explored the possibility of making the mixture of ham juices and cola left from baking into gravy with the addition of cornstarch. After some time on the stove, it did turn into a rather thick cola-flavored gravy, but it was sweeeeeeet.
I made these Gingered Mashed Sweet Potatoes, too, and they were nicely creamy and ginger-y, and not as sweet as many sweet potato recipes. The recipe called for 1.5 c of cream and 6 Tbs of butter to be added to 4 sweet potatoes, but I just couldn’t do that to people that I know. Instead, I used 1/3 c cream and maybe 2 Tbs butter. We also didn’t have a food processor handy, so I just mashed it with the back of a wooden spoon. It was still quite fluffy, and the garlic stayed whole (or halved, as I cut them), which I liked as a textural contrast in the final dish; they were so soft and mellowed from the cream and the cooking that they were nice to eat with the mashed potatoes.
The Haricots Verts in Red Wine Vinegar Cream tasted great, but the cream was a little overwhipped by the time it was mixed with the haricots verts; it should have been runnier. Since we didn’t have red wine vinegar, we used balsamic, which turned out fine. Last time I made this, I didn’t have tomatoes, and I was impressed by how good they taste with the haricots verts, and cream, and chives. Next time, I’m looking forward to making the recipe as is and correctly. 
The recipe is below; it’s adapted from a Thomas Keller recipe that I found somewhere on the internet last year.
For dessert, we had this Strawberry Shortcake. After what seems like an eternity of making sponge cakes at school, little did I know that I walked myself into another sponge cake recipe here (as opposed to a biscuit-like shortcake which I avoided for lack of a rolling pin and cutter, but I probably should have worked around that since I like that better). The cake turned out fine — slightly dry yet buttery, as usual — but after my success with drastically decreasing the cream and butter in the sweet potato recipe, I tried to decrease the amount of sugar mixed with the strawberries from 2 c to .5 cups. It turned out that not enough syrup was really made from the strawberries as they macerated as a result, but I made up for that by serving it with lots of whipped cream. The berries probably should have soaked for at least an hour or two instead of my 15 mins to get the flavor more even, but the taste was still nice, and I was satisfied. Later, I’m told that the cake got more soaked with syrup, and so was moister.
In all, it wasn’t all that hard to make the meal. The recipes were pretty simple, and I baked the cake before baking the ham. Once the ham was in the oven, I cut up most of what needed to be cut up and would cook once the ham was taken out to rest. Then, at that point, it was mostly just pouring, stirring, and watching… and then eating and eating.
Classic Glazed Carrots
adapted from Fine Cooking
Serves 4-6
1.5 lbs carrots (about eight), peeled and trimmed
about 1 cup water
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp kosher salt; more if needed
1.5 Tbs chopped parsley, chervil or chives [I used chives]
Cut the carrots in half lengthwise, and then laying each half flat, cut at a diagonal angle so that the pieces are shaped like diamonds. Put carrots in a 10-12 inch saute pan (they should almost be in a single layer) and add enough water to come halfway up their sides. Add the butter, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with the lid slightly askew, reduce the heat to med-high, and cook at a steady boil, shaking the pan occasionally, until the carrots are tender but not soft (a small knife should enter carrot with just a little resistance), 12-14 mins. Uncover and continue to boil util the liquid evaporates and forms a syrup. Shake the pan and roll the pieces around to evenly glaze. Taste and adjust salt to taste, if needed. Toss with fresh herbs, and serve.
Haricots Verts in Red Wine Vinegar Cream
Total time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Note: Adapted from Thomas Keller
1/2 pound haricots verts
Coarse sea salt, preferably Maldon
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. best-quality red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsps. chopped chives
16 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1. Trim the stem ends of the haricots verts and cut the beans into 1-inch lengths.
2. Bring a 2 1/2 -quart pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt to a rolling boil. Blanch the beans until just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes depending on thickness and age. Drain immediately and transfer to a bowl of ice water to chill. Drain and pat dry.
3. In small bowl set over the larger bowl of ice, whisk the cream just until it thickens and the whisk leaves a trail in bowl, 1 to 2 minutes. Using the whisk, gently fold in the vinegar, about 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste; do not overbeat.
4. Toss the beans with cream, garnish with chives and serve at once on individual plates or a platter rimmed with halved grape tomatoes.
Nutrition information per serving:
100 calories; 2 grams protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 27 mg. cholesterol; 11 mg. sodium.
