Why not serve both?

[muckefuck]

Every Easter, it's the same debate: Lamb or ham? For each of us, it's no question: monshu is a mongrel Scot who learned to cook like an Italian; it's your paschal duty to kill and eat a baa-baa! I'm like a good boilermaker: 7/8 German beer to one part Irish whiskey; high holidays mean hog hindquarters. This year, the crazy separation between Latin and Orthodox Easter offered us an opportunity: Ham this weekend, lamb a month later. Except old habits die hard and, as monshu was doing the shopping he couldn't resist...

Although I urged him to take a picture before our guest arrived, he hesitated and all was almost lost. At least we have evidence of cuorefelice34's character: Just so y'all know, he showed no hesitation about going for the head, although he did claim that, "If there had been other people, I would've taken the butt." (Good to know, especially along with the fact that he's a two-drink drunk.)

It was a great ham with a great preparation: garlic-herb rub followed by a cider reduction glaze. It was good, cloudy, organic cider, too, which meant that it tasted far more apply than sugary. He also made curried apricot chutney and sweet potatoes with candied ginger. He really, really wanted to serve the gay vegetable, but in another heroic moment of resistance, he left it on the shelf and let me complete my end run by serving Chinese mustard greens, Spanish style (i.e. raisins and pinenuts). Desert was his mother's traditional homemade strawberry shortcake, so I told cuorefelice34 our theme was "What it wouldn't be Easter without" and he responded with the yummiest mac-n-cheese I've had in an age. The least I could do to thank him was introduce him to Kriek cherry lambic.

Comments

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

I was watching Good Eats several weeks ago, and Alton Brown insisted that the best glaze base for a country ham is Dr. Pepper. I very nearly lost my faith in The Great AB.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

cuorefelice34's mother prefers Coca-Cola, but he also told us she had an aversion to spice; Dr. Pepper might've been too piquant.

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

Yes, megalita keeps singing the praises of Coke. I'm highly skeptical.

[sconstant.livejournal.com]

Is "Kriek cherry" lambic redundant as a description or am I misinformed or missing some lambic subtlety?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

If you already know what "Kriek" means, "cherry lambic" is pleonastic. However, if you don't, then it is valuable explanatory text.

[sconstant.livejournal.com]

Ok. I considered that, but decided that you would lean more towards avoiding redundancy and less towards valuable explanatory text, and that therefore there must be something more to it that I, as a fan of lambic, might want to know. I was wrong, but have learned something despite that. (Pleonastic!)

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, I'm actually making some effort to eschew obscurity. I might've been prompted by cuorefelice34's question last night, "Do you know any stupid people?" Our conversation isn't that insularly erudite, is it?

[sconstant.livejournal.com]

Struldbrug. I rest my case.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Quiet, you!

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Oh, and if you want to get picky about provenance (and upscale boozehands generally do), a Kriek is specifically a dark cherry lambic from Belgium, which this was. (Now that domestic microbreweries are getting more sophisticated, it's necessary to specify.)

[bunj.livejournal.com]

We cut the Gordian knot by having both: grilled lamb chops smothered in garlic and parsley, and sliced jamon serrano. For added measure, we had gambas al ajio. I vaguely recall something that wasn't meat, but I can't say what it was.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Why not wrap the lamb chops in the ham before grilling? Because it's too dry, of course. No matter: Stuff the chops with the ham, then use bacon to tie them shut again!

Easter bread

[(Anonymous)]

There was Easter bread, manchego, cabrales, and scalloped potatoes.

And chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

-e

[keyne.livejournal.com]

The gay vegetable?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

The one and only.

[keyne.livejournal.com]

Huh. Now however did I miss that entry? Thanks.