Night Before Easter Dinner

[jocko_nc]

Easter Bread.
Roast Leg of Lamb
Escalloped Potatoes
Cherry Pie.

1) Easter Bread came out great. Best ever.
Flour
Eggs
Sugar
Milk
Yeast
Salt
Lemon Zest
Orange Zest
Orange Juice
Vanilla
Anise Oil
Raisins
Dried Cranberry.

2) Greek seasoning. Mesquite smoked on the grill.

3) Potatoes
Butter and Flour Roux
Milk
Cabot Cheddar
Bleu Cheese
Ground Mustard
Smoked Cayenne
Bread Crumbs
Texas Pete
Paprika

4) Scratch cherry pie by my daughter.

Crappy photos from my phone.

 

[jocko_nc]

Pie...

 

[jimfet]

Damn, nice looking grill too.

 

[Satcom123]

Beautiful Jocko. Interesting looking breads. Are they like a desert kind of thing or is that butter melted all over it. It sure looks appetizing.

I've been wanting to get some lamb but anything west of the Mississippi is usually freezer burned.

Happy Easter to you.

 

[mulester7]

Potatoes
Butter and Flour Roux
Milk
Cabot Cheddar
Bleu Cheese
Ground Mustard
Smoked Cayenne
Bread Crumbs
Texas Pete
Paprika

.....I'd sure like to see the recipe and methods posted for the potatoes....they look great.....

 

[jocko_nc]

That essentially is the recipe, except for sauce technique.

Heat the butter in a saucepan to clarify and remove the water. It must not get too hot or the solids will burn. Add a couple tablespoons of flour and wisk. You are not making a dark roux here. Just toast the flour.

Add milk to temper the roux and keep wisking. As the temp comes up add the grated cheese, Bleu cheese, cayenne, mustard, salt and pepper. Keep wisking. As the sauce approaches a simmer it will begin to thicken from the roux. Kill the heat. Do not break the sauce.

Cut potatoes in thin slabs. Spray oil in a glass baking dish. Layer 1/2 the potatoes. Pour in 1/2 the cheese sauce. Repeat.

Sprinkle a little cheese over the top to allow for a nice crust. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Dust with paprika. Spray a little oil on the breadcrumbs for the hell of it. Drizzle a little hot sauce.

It bakes quite a long time in order to get heat all the way inside. This was a large glass pan that took 90 minutes or more. 325 degrees uncovered. Let rest.

Really, REALLY good. Easy, too.

You can do essentially the same thing with mac and cheese. I much prefer the texture of potato.

 

[jocko_nc]

Easter bread is really a breakfast thing.

That particular version comes only from the NE OH / NW PA Italian immigrants. I have seen Easter bread elsewhere not quite the same thing. Someone went for the glaze and sprinkles and the idea took off. That is how we all do it.

 

[jocko_nc]

I always get lamb from Sam's or Costco. It is cryopack bagged and comes from New Zealand. Never an issue. Roast the whole leg or trim it up and make kabobs.

Lamb is such a treat after eating mediocre beef for too long. It is like a SuperSteak.

 

[jocko_nc]

Wilmington Grill, baby. Suck it up and pay the $$$$ for something that can take the abuse and last forever.