Passover and a winner

The winner of the See's Candies gift certificate is Suzy!

I wanted to share some pictures from Passover with you. I hosted, and decided to go with a relatively simple menu - somehow most of the dishes ended up being adapted from Barefoot Contessa recipes. I didn't get pictures of everything, but here are some of the highlights.

This is a pretty traditional matzo ball soup. I took the idea of the fresh dill and parsley from Barefoot Contessa Parties.

I decided to splurge and go for rack of lamb as the main course. I used the recipe in Barefoot Contessa Parties which involves a crust of dijon mustard, fresh rosemary, balsamic vinegar, garlic and salt.

I boiled these baby yukon gold potatoes until tender, them flattened them under my palm and baked them with some olive oil, salt and pepper until crispy.

More of those delicious green green spring vegetables from Barefoot Contessa at Home.

This dessert was inspired by a meal I had at the restaurant Perbacco. I made meringue shells, which I filled with passion fruit curd. I put the meringues on a pool of raspberry sauce and garnished with fresh raspberries. The meringue and raspberry sauce recipes came from Barefoot in Paris. For the curd, I just substituted passion fruit puree for lemon juice in a lemon curd recipe.

I was really happy with this meal, everything came out about as well as could be expected.

Meyer lemon cake

There are some recipes that are just classics – they’re not particularly fancy or complicated, but delicious nonetheless. I think the lemon cake recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties falls into this category. I make this cake every year during meyer lemon season, and it’s definitely the best lemon cake I’ve ever had.

The recipe is pretty straightforward, but what elevates this cake to the next level is the use of lemon syrup. Equal parts of lemon juice and sugar are cooked together, and then drizzled over the warm cake. The syrup soaks into the cake and adds an extra layer of lemon flavor and additional moisture.

I made two changes to the recipe. The obvious change is the use of meyer lemons in lieu of regular lemons. In addition, I added some zest from a buddha’s hand citron to the batter. I didn’t notice a major difference in the flavor of the cake from the citron, it just added to the overall citrus flavor.

My only caveat with this recipe is to make sure you butter and flour your pans well, and don’t skip the parchment lining on the pans. The first time I made this I decided to forgo the parchment, which was not a good idea!

Thanksgiving 2008 - the main event

Our thanksgiving menu doesn't vary much from year to year. That being said, I love to experiment with new recipes, so I try to change up at least one or two of the sides each time. I didn't make all of the food pictured, so I'll fill in details where I can.

My mom's roasted turkey
Flaky dinner rolls - I make these for every holiday

This is a pretty traditional stuffing - cubes of no-knead bread, mushrooms, celery, water chestnuts and fresh herbs.

This dish of sweet potatoes with caramelized apples was one of the new recipes I made. I combined recipes from Ina Garten and Martha Stewart to come up with what I think was an outstanding sweet potato dish. I think this will be on the menu for years to come.

Cranberry sauce with cardamom and vanilla bean - this is another recipe that's become a tradition.

Brussels sprouts with pomegranate and walnuts - I made these a few weeks back, and we liked them so well that they were added to the thanksgiving menu.

Also on the menu but not pictured here - classic gravy, mashed potatoes, peas with pearl onions, berry jello and romaine salad with pears and walnuts.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's dessert recap!

Barefoot Contessa Parties - Lemon cake

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Parties

If you've never made Ina's lemon cake before, I highly recommend it. In fact, I should probably warn you that this cake is addictive. I think it's impossible to just have one slice. I didn't use all of the lemon syrup the recipe called for, it didn't seem to be necessary.

Barefoot Contessa Parties - Roast loin of pork with fennel

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Parties

This is a great one dish meal. Carrots, potatoes, onions and fennel are cooked along with the mustard crusted pork loin. I used both red and white potatoes. I recommend a meat thermometer to make sure the pork is cooked perfectly at 138 degrees.

Roast loin of pork with fennel