Monday, March 21, 2016

Out of Hades' Clutches: A Springtime Feast


You know we gave the Composer's parents a Christmas gift of a dinner party--they invite their friends, we provide the venue, the food, and often a little after-dinner entertainment. This weekend they cashed in their gift certificate, and we threw a springtime feast.


My mother-in-law used to teach quite a bit of Greek literature (hence the Hades--remember that he kept Persephone underground for six months each year and only let her out in spring). She also got it when I set out the silver teaspoons engraved "Helen".

I was going with a Greek thing.


This was a really, really good dinner to eat--and one of the easiest to prepare. Much can be done ahead. See below for the full menu and recipes. 


Not-So-Hard Springtime Feast:

Homemade pitas*
Baba ganoush drizzled with olive oil and served with olives and parsley*
Homemade hummus*


Boneless leg of lamb marinated in yogurt, coffee, and cumin*
Steamed asparagus with lemon zest
New potatoes roasted a long time in olive oil
Sliced cucumbers in homemade yogurt*

Individual Pavlovas set in cream, topped with homemade lemon curd, cream, and berries*



*Can be made ahead--or in the case of the lamb, marinated the day before and roasted for two hours. And in the case of the dessert, the components can all be made ahead and assembled last minute.

8 comments:

Rose said...

What a feast!

Thanks for the recipe link on the lamb Anna, I think I'll use it for the lamb we are having on Easter Sunday. I'm intrigued by "New potatoes roasted a long time in olive oil". What constitutes a 'long time' please?

Anna said...

Rose, I think I had them in a 425 oven for about an hour--I was going for almost caramelized. The bottoms were starting to darken for sure. And they were delicious! Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt before cooking.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing these meals, I always enjoy them. Can you share your lemon curd recipe?
Jo

Lisa said...

All these annual feasts sound terribly delicious. I'm glad this time you were able to do much of it ahead.

Lisateresa

Margo said...

love your ideas! Dinner parties are always fun, but I love your light-hearted approach and menus.

jenny_o said...

Be still, my heart :)

Anna said...

Jo, we just pulled up something online--eggs, lemon juice and zest, sugar, and butter. There are tons of variations, and I'm sure that all of them are delicious.

Farrah said...

This is such a great idea! It all appears to be gluten free.

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