Easter 08 Menus

Brunch:
Breakfast Bread Pudding with organic, pure maple syrup
Roasted Asparagus with Parmagiana Regiano
Scrambled Farm Fresh Eggs from the Austin Farmers' Market
Mixed fruit salad

--Brunch was very Ina Garten-inspired. I followed her recipe for the breakfast bread pudding. I think next time I'll slice the bread a little thinner.

Dinner:
Artichoke, Leek, and Goat Cheese Dip with crudites and crostini

-This is a recipe from the March issue of Cooking Light. I revised it as follows:
1/2 c low-fat plain yogurt
3 oz goat cheese, softened
1/4 c sliced leek
1-14 oz can artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
1/3 c grated Pecorino Romano
2 t fresh lemon juice
2 t lemon zest
1 T chopped chives
Salt and pepper to taste

- rinse and drain the artichokes well and squeeze excess liquid from them
- combine yogurt, goat cheese, Pecorino, and leeks in a food processor and process until smooth; add lemon juice and zest and pulse to incorporate; add artichokes and pulse to roughly chop; transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in salt, pepper, and chives; chill until ready to serve

Halibut with Lemon Pepper Sour Cream Sauce
--This recipe is from the March issue of Bon Appetit and was intended for salmon. Here's my rendition:
For marinade:
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 t lemon zest
2 T olive oil
1 T finely chopped leek or shallot
-combine all ingredients in a shallow glass dish

For sauce:
3 T sour cream
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 t lemon zest
1 T finely chopped leek or shallot
Salt to taste
Lots of pepper

-pre-heat oven to 425°
-place two halibut fillets in shallow glass dish with marinade and chill for 15 minutes to one hour turning every eight minutes or so
-heat additional olive oil in a sauté pan over high heat; season halibut with salt and pepper and place presentation side down in sauté pan; let cook without touching for 3-4 minutes; (a spatter screen is handy here); turn fillets and place sauté pan in oven for 3-4 minutes depending on thickness of fillets
-serve with seasonal vegetables and drizzle sauce over top

Sauteed Farmers' Market Spring Vegetables (oyster mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, leeks)

Meringues Chantilly


--This is from Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home by Ina Garten. (I should have cut the recipe in half since it makes 12.) I used a little less sugar than was listed for the meringues and the whipped cream because the berries were perfectly sweet. Unfortunately, I didn't have a large star tip for piping, so the meringues have a smooth edge, and they browned just slightly in the oven but were extremely delicious.

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