Easter Dinner

My husband wowed us all again last night with another of his gourmet meals. He did a lot of prep the day before so although he was serving numerous little masterpieces, he was still being a mindful host. Everything from beginning to end was impeccable. Each course was as visually pleasing as it was tasty, from the pungent cheeses to the savory vegetables and smokey meat. Most of the recipes were taken from epicurious.com, I have linked each dish with the site. 

As people arrived, we served a much too large (that's my fault – my eyes have always been bigger than my stomach) selection of meat, terrines and cheeses. We had Faisan et Pistaches from Les Terrines du Terroir as well as another terrine from la Ferme de l'Oie d'Or. Some Chorizo Sausage, Smoked Ham, Guiness Cheddar, Morbier Lait Cru, my favourite, the Bleu Benedictin and a Spelt and Kamut baguette. Our friends Bruce and Gina topped that cheese list off with some delicious Smoked Cheddar and Roasted Garlic Cheddar. 

This all went really well with our first wine, Muscadet Sèvre & Main. 

Then the sit-down meal began. For our first course, my husband served a Roasted Asparagus and Leek Soup with Spring Herb Gremolata. 

We paired it with a Sauvignon Blanc – Natura that was featured in the Vintages magazine this month. This nourishing soup was highly flavoured by the roasting that had been done beforehand. A real winner in my books! 

Next came the Pea Salad with Radishes and Feta Cheese. It's tough to say with all the fabulous food that was served, but I think this was my favourite dish of the meal. This salad was so fresh and summery and so fun to eat. 

Our main was a Balsamic and Dijon Glazed Ham that was spectacular. The ham was sweet and a sumptuous feast with the addition of Olive Oil Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes and Roasted Pearl Onions. He even made a non-pork option – Cornish Hen.

 

We devoured this with a great organic Shiraz – The Hedonist and delicious Cab Sauvignon – Stormy Bay. 

As if that wasn't enough food, we finished off with a trio of desserts. My mother in-law brought a fresh out-of-the-oven Apple Pie and also made, upon her arrival and with my forcing her into it, her staple and my top choice – yummy Apple Crisp which I served with pecan and caramel ice cream. 

And Teresa surprised us with festive chocolatey Cupcakes made from scratch and stuffed with a Cadbury cream egg. Decadence at it's best, so rich and moist and topped with a sweet, Fluff-like icing and smarties. We did our best with these desserts. We were so full from dinner. Only Bruce and I managed to fit in the apple desserts in addition to the cupcakes. The others stopped after one. We served these with choice of sweet Sherry – Nectar, Limoncello, coffee or tea. I'm still full this morning. But as I write this, I can't help but want to go downstairs and grab another cupcake and bowl of apple crisp. So bad!