Ok I hope your Easter Holiday was as fun as mine. Don't hate me because I didn't post this before. I am still sharing now, lol. I was enjoying the labors of my hard-work (housework that is) and sharing family time over great food with my family. I was thinking of you.
So today I said I will share my Easter Menu and pics and recipes with all of my friends here.
If you don't know, I am a great cook. I am not bragging on myself, this comes honestly from reviews from anyone that has taste my food. For one I am not afraid to try new things. Secondly, I come from a family from the old south that earned a living by cooking and catering for others. I say old south, because I live in the south now and no offense but I am still looking for all the good southern cooks down here. The women I know either don't want to cook or can't cook. The restaurants are commercial at best, and the ones that claim they have down home cooking are anything a beginner cook can do at home. I have heard that maybe I need to go deeper south, like Mississippi or Tennessee but I am still looking.
So in the meantime I pull out my cast-iron pans and dutchie pots (Caribbean iron stock pot) and get to creating. Oh yeah, I cook from almost every culture, I am half Jamaican so of course I do Caribbean food. My first love is Cajun, Gulf Coast cuisine so I have that mostly mastered as well. But like I said I cook from all cultures.
My Easter Menu
Appetizers- Deviled Eggs and Butter chip platter
Pimento cheese filled celery sticks
Entre
Garden Fresh Rosemary and White Wine Roasted Leg of Lamb
Potatoes Au gratin
Candied Carrots
Maple Bacon Green Beans
Dessert
Lemon coconut cake
Cadbury Cream Egg Cheesecake( Recipe from BHG)
Deviled Eggs
6 Hardboiled (I used Easter Dyed Hard Boiled Eggs)
1 Tbls Sweet Relish
3 Tbls Mayo
1 tsp Lawry's seasoning
1 tbls of French dressing
½ Tbls of Dijon Mustard
Directions: Peel egg shells under cold water. Slice eggs in half -length wise and scoop out yolk. Put egg whites on deviled egg tray and mix remainder ingredient s together until smooth
(Not runny consistency) Fill egg whites with filling. For a fancy display use a piping bag and tip)
The Potatoes, Candied Carrots and green beans are relatively easy.
For Potatoes Au gratin
Slice white potatoes uniform with mandolin, layer potatoes in buttered glass dish with cheese sauce mixture and extra cheese (medium cheddar & Pepper Jack)
Cheese sauce, 1 can evaporated milk, salt pepper to taste, I cup of cheese mixture, 1 Tablespoon of spicy mustard. Melt to sauce on low flame.
Candied Carrots
Boil baby carrots to just soft. Drain water, move to casserole dish and add in Tsp of ginger, 1/3 cup melted butter, ½ cup honey, ½ cup brown sugar. Bake until glazed and soft.
Green Beans* (Start with Fresh Green beans)*
I prep green beans by soaking to remove pesticides, then snapping stem ends.
Prepare a pot with some sort of smoked meat (pork or turkey) Brown meat in oil to season pot. Add water to half fill pot and season salts add in green beans and cook until tender but some crunch left. In a skillet cook 3 slices of maple bacon, remove bacon when crisp and break into pieces. In same skillet sauté a medium onion, add in green beans, add bacon pieces back in.
Rosemary Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ok first start with a nice piece of meat. Salt and pepper to taste.
Combine ½ minced garlic, celery and onion. Oh did I mention fresh rosemary (mine came from my garden) Pat mixture over lamb and allow to sit over-night.
Next morning mix 2tbs lemon juice with 1 cup white wine and pour over lamb. Put lamb in roasting pan (I used covered ducthie pot) Roast 1 ½ hrs. at 350. Checking and basting with pan juices. Stick a fork in deepest part of meat to see if juices run clear or use a meat thermometer 165- 170 degrees is what you are looking for doneness.
