Zee Recipes

First, some pictures:


Yes, it snowed on Easter!

See the previous post for direct links to some of the recipes we used on Sunday. Panna cotta is a super-easy do-in-advance dessert, by the way! Highly recommended.

Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus
Brought in by A., this was a super-easy starter: simply wrap asparagus spears with prosciutto in a spiral, put in a roasting pan, drizzle the tips and ends with olive oil (and sprinkle with a bit of freshly cracked pepper) and roast in a 450 degree F oven for 5 minutes. Shake and roast another few minutes until the asparagus tips are nicely browned. Voila! and delicious.

Slow-Roasted Lamb
This recipe I concocted with reference to Nigella's overnight slow-roasted lamb in Nigella Bites (also posted on BBC Food), Jamie's version in Jamie at Home (plus advice from a forum of Jamie readers). My version:

1. Preheat oven to 140 degree C. Drizzle a large roasting pan with oil.
2. Poke holes all over the fat cap of a whole bone-in shoulder (mine was about 6 lbs.). Rub all over with spices (harissa, coriander, mint, sea salt, and garlic) and a bit of olive oil.
3. Place shoulder fat-side up in roasting pan, throw in two cups of water, cover tightly with foil, and roast at 140 degrees C overnight (mine was in for 12 hours - in the future, I would check to make sure the water hadn't totally evaporated when I woke up).
4. Remove from oven and let rest for about 30 min. to 1 hr.
5. Shred with forks - it will literarally fall apart
6. Sprinkle over freshly chopped mint and coriander and some more sea salt.
7. Serve warm with haroset, harissa, pita, hummous, etc. DO NOT EAT COLD.

The verdict: pretty finger-lickin' good, but could have been better by adding more liquid and making sure there were no holes in the foil for moisture to seep out of. The moistest bits were delicious (if you like strong flavours), especially with the haroset and the harissa.

Haroset
See here for several recipes and some comment on the Seder dish, haroset or charoset. As the website says:

Haroset (also charoset or charoses), the blend of fruit and nuts symbolizing the mortar which our forefathers used to build pyramids in Egypt, is one of the most popular and discussed foods served at the Seder. The fruit and nuts found in almost all haroset recipes refer to two verses in the Song of Songs closely linked with the spring season: "Under the apple tree I awakened thee" (8:5) and "I went down into the garden of nuts" (6:11). The red wine recalls the Red Sea, which parted its waters for the Jews....The real purpose of the haroset is to allay the bitterness of the maror (bitter herbs) required at the Seder.

I took a glance at these and adapted a recipe for haroset in Nigella's Feast based on affordability and my desire not to blacken the bottom of the pan with burnt sugar (in other words, I added more liquid and cooked it for less than 1.5 hours). Key element in mine was muscat, a sweet and orange-blossom scented dessert wine (1/3 c.).

Berry Couli
Well, really, this wasn't a real couli, just a sauce made by adding a small amount of water, some sugar, and frozen mixed berries into a saucepan and heated until it was the consistency I wanted. It still worked brilliantly with the smooth milky panna cotta.

Elderflower and Blackberry jelly
Again, a made-up special. I needed a dairy-free dessert that was low-hassle. I found some sparkling elderflower presse in the fridge and simply made a jello of sorts by adding gelatin. Someday, I'd like to figure out how to keep the bubbles in it:

1. Measure out 1 English pint of elderflower presse (or elderflower cordial mixed with water to taste).
2. Soften a packet of gelatin (about 2 1/2 tsp.) in a small amount of water.
3. Heat up the elderflower presse until just about to boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until completely dissolved.
4. In glass tumblers, place some fresh (or thawed) blackberries. Pour over elderflower gelatin and chill for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight. Serve with berry sauce or a tiny amount of cream on top.

That's all folks! The rest was just bought: cheeses, crackers, mints, fruits, and nuts, laid out on bowls and platters at the appropriate time