Please help me with an Easter Lunch menu that is simple and delicious enough for Europeans

[Anonymous]

Short story is my girlfriend is coming to town on Easter and bringing her new French boyfriend and his Swiss cousin. Love her dearly but we could not be more opposite. I have a 2 year and live in North Arlington. She lives in Manhattan, jets to Paris every chance she gets and is uber cool.

I am a decent cook but am hoping for some suggestions to guide me with the Easter menu. Extra points for room temp or cold dishes that I can make the day before so I can actually chat with our guests instead of frantically trying to cook lunch for 5 adults and a toddler.

So, what’s delicious and impressive and easy to make?

THANKS!

[Anonymous]

Book -The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo.
BBC America - The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo.

[Anonymous]

First, have cocktails at the ready. Some sparkling wine, red wine, and do a cool homemade fruit juice to mix with liquor for those who want it (like rosemary lemonade or something simple but different).

Then have some nice cheeses, grapes (or figs if you can find them), good baguette, and/or spiced nuts and/olives ready to put out.

Definitely a big green spring salad to go with or end the lunch. I love a bed of micro greens, shaved fennel, orange slices, and chopped hazelnuts with an orange olive oil dressing. (All the chopping/slicing can be done ahead and just dress right before serving.)

Roasted fingerling potatoes that you can have all ready for the oven the day before (add rosemary or other herbs) and ideally find some purple potatoes to go with the yellow ones.

Roasted asparagus with lemon and maybe some parm.

And then a meat. I don't cook much lamb but feel like a roasted leg of lamb with lots of garlic and a herb to match the potatoes would be easy to get ready ahead of time and carve at the table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, have cocktails at the ready. Some sparkling wine, red wine, and do a cool homemade fruit juice to mix with liquor for those who want it (like rosemary lemonade or something simple but different).

Then have some nice cheeses, grapes (or figs if you can find them), good baguette, and/or spiced nuts and/olives ready to put out.

Definitely a big green spring salad to go with or end the lunch. I love a bed of micro greens, shaved fennel, orange slices, and chopped hazelnuts with an orange olive oil dressing. (All the chopping/slicing can be done ahead and just dress right before serving.)

Roasted fingerling potatoes that you can have all ready for the oven the day before (add rosemary or other herbs) and ideally find some purple potatoes to go with the yellow ones.

Roasted asparagus with lemon and maybe some parm.

And then a meat. I don't cook much lamb but feel like a roasted leg of lamb with lots of garlic and a herb to match the potatoes would be easy to get ready ahead of time and carve at the table.

If it's lunch, I think even a ham would be great.

I also think some really nice quiches, with a fancy green salad would be good (like the above mentioned). You could still have the baguettes, cheeses, etc. out beforehand.

[Anonymous]

I'm the quiche poster. This is a fabulous potato salad recipe that would go well with the quiche. You could roast the potatoes the day before, make the dressing the day before, and toss the two an hour before serving.

Alternatively, if you decide to do a meat with roasted potatoes, this recipe is great for that -- just skip the second part that turns it into a potato salad.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-specials/anns-roasted-potato-salad-recipe/index.html

[Anonymous]

Get a good, pre-cooked, pre-sliced Virginia ham. Let them enjoy the local cuisine. A do-ahead carrot souffle, that you can pop in the oven that day would be good too.

[Anonymous]

OP, that's awfully kind of you to go through so much trouble to show respect for your guests' exquisite tastes. She must be a good friend.
The classic chocolate tart from Gourmet (ca. 2000) is a winner for a sweet finish. The Speedy Spinach Quiche is also good, both available on epicurious.
Add a classic marinated vegetable dish served at room temp plus some kir, throw in some cheese and you'll have fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a good, pre-cooked, pre-sliced Virginia ham. Let them enjoy the local cuisine. A do-ahead carrot souffle, that you can pop in the oven that day would be good too.

Agree, I would go Americana post-church Sunday dinner.

I would do a really nice ham, mac and cheese, and collards, because that's what I like, but if you wanted to go lighter you could do ham, fancified green beans, salad, and popovers.

For dessert, since it is really too early for nice fruit, I would do a coconut cake or 7Up cake, or something like that.

[Anonymous]

I would do anything BUT ham. And please no mac and cheese. And NO FANCIFIED GREEN BEANS.

[Anonymous]

European here! I'd skip the ham, greens and mac and cheese and do something simple and light. Perhaps an asparagus soup with a nice baguette, followed by quiche and a salad. End with something like chocolate mousse. All can be made the day before, except the salad of course. And you could even buy a quiche from somewhere. Easy and tasty.

[Anonymous]

this are all great suggestions - please please keep them coming.

so I was (until i saw 12:27 post) leaning towards Americana. Just bc that's what I know and that's where we are. Plus its our (meaning my, DH and DS's) Easter too.

What do you think of this menu?

-precooked, presliced Virginia ham
-Potato salad
-Marinated Asparagus
-Green Bean, Walnut, and Feta Salad
-popovers
-carrotcake

and there will most certainly be wine. I was thinking a nice Sancerre.

And we could start out/enjoy drinks with a cheese tray - several local types, baguette, figs, grapes.

thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I think all the above are great ideas! OP, you are a peach for going above and beyond!

[Anonymous]

Don't start out with a cheese tray - that is a very vulgar Americanism. Chese should be served at the end of the meal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't start out with a cheese tray - that is a very vulgar Americanism. Chese should be served at the end of the meal.

I don't think it is vulgar but it is an Americanism.

I think a cheese tray before a big midday meal is probably not necessary. If you need a snack (and not sure that a midday meal really requires a snack) I'd go for something like vegetables and dip. Or you could do deviled eggs as a nod to Easter eggs.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think that menu sounds really good, although I agree that a cheese tray might be too rich. Personally, I love it when people cook what they know for me, it's much more fun than having them cook their version of my food.