Easter Brunch 2016

Happy Easter

Easter, or as my friend Greg calls it "Thanksgiving of the Spring". We have beed traveling quite a bit this winter visiting my family in Michigan, so this Easter I opted to host rather than travel for the long weekend. Easter is often the kick off for Rosé season, so I planned this year's brunch around wine pairings.

I usually start these multi-course meals by making the dessert ahead of time. I planned a lot of time to make the tarte, but it turned out much easier than I imagined. The candied lemon and bold almond flavors were unexpectedly delicious. The stored the tarte in the refrigerator for a day before brunch and sugar crystalized, so when i finally served the tarte, it wasn't as pristine. it still tasted great!

I have never cooked a ham before, so I had trouble even picking one up at the store. Memories of my mom over cooking our easter ham, resulting in a crusty, shriveled mass haunted me. I didn't know whether to get a pre-cooked ham and if it was on the bone. Luckily, I went with my gut and cashed in my Mariano's points to get $14.00 off of a 10-pound Roundy's ham. I threw out the seasoning packet that came with the ham. Instead, I loosely used the recipe for Monte's Ham from the New York Times Essential Cookbook, but opted out of using the cloves and I stepped it up by using Champagne Marmalade. 9.88 pounds of ham is a lot of meat for three people. I used the hambone to make a batch of simple pea soup and used the remaining ham for sandwiches. 

It turned out to be a beautiful day, as we concluded our brunch by relaxing and drinking wine in our garden. Below is my full menu and wine pairings. 

Menu

Stuffed Hard-Boiled Eggs

New York Times Essential Cookbook

paired with

Graham Beck Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine

Flamanche-Quiche aux Poireaux (Leek Quiche)

The Art of French Cooking

paired with

Signature Provence Rosé

Monte's Ham With Potatoes au Gratin

New Yorke Times Essential Cookbook

paired with 

La Galope Rosé

Tarte au Citron et aux Amandes

The Art of French Cooking

paired with

Ruffino Prosecco