Easter Menu

As I mentioned earlier this week, we traditionally have lamb for Easter dinner. It's symbolic of Passover and
also a reminder of the Lamb of God who was slain for us. I almost always had lamb for Easter growing up and I hope to continue that tradition with my own family now.

Rosemary Leg of Lamb (adapted from the All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook)
5 lb boneless leg of lamb roast
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450F. Place lamb on rack in large roasting pan. In a cup or small bowl, combine herbs and spices and rub all over lamb. Roast lamb 15 mins then turn oven down to 350 and roast until meat thermometer reads 130F, about 1 hour longer. Internal temperature will keep rising approx another 5 degrees upon standing.

Roasted Asparagus
Wash and trim asparagus. Arrange in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle w/salt and pepper. Toss to coat. After lamb is done cooking, turn oven up to 400F and roast asparagus about 10 mins while lamb is resting, tossing once or twice during cooking.

Fingerling Potatoes
Scrub potatoes well and halve or quarter larger ones. Spread in single layer in baking dish or cookie sheet. Toss with EVOO, salt, pepper and rosemary. Roast in oven with lamb for the last 45 mins of cooking.

Easter Egg Bread (Sorry, I'm not posting the recipe for this b/c it's just too long for today. But enjoy the pic)

This is before baking. I didn't get a picture after before it was eaten!

Fresh Strawberry Pie (Inspiration for the filling came from Short Stop and the crust from Martha Stewart)
Crust:
4 Tbs unsalted butter at room temp
3 Tbs sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

With fork, combine butter and sugar in med bowl. Add in yolk and blend well. Add flour and salt and continue mashing with fork until mixture resembles dry crumbs. Pour into 9" pie pan and press in with clean hands. Press evenly along bottom and up sides of pan. Prick with fork all over. Place in freezer for 20 mins, then bake at 375F for about 10-15 mins or until lightly browned.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave at 60% power for about one minute, stirring often, until beginning to melt. Remove from microwave and stir until thoroughly melted. Brush over bottom and sides of crust. Besides being super yummy, the chocolate with prevent the crust from getting soggy!

Filling:
about 2 1/2 lbs fresh strawberries

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
juice of 1/2 lemon

Remove green tops from strawberries. Arrange as many will fit into your pie crust, points up, and set aside. Chop the remaining strawberries finely. Place in sauce pan and add sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over med low heat, stirring constantly. Reduce to simmer and mash w/potato masher until thickened, while continuing to stir. Cool to room temp. Pour on top of whole strawberries in pie crust, smoothing around all the strawberries evenly. Cover and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Top with freshly whipped cream and serve.