Easter Brunch

We hosted our first family holiday meal on Easter Sunday. It was a small group, and we determined early on that we would keep it simple:

• Fruit and croissants (courtesy of Whole Foods)
• Easter bread toast (courtesy of Mother of Fillippelli)
• Two types of scrambled eggs: plain and flavor-infused with ginger, garlic, scallions, red chili, cilantro (eggs courtesy of Sonshine Farms in Mercer, Pa.)
• Roasted asparagus (again, Whole Foods)
• And, the centerpiece of the meal, a hickory-smoked ham

The ham came from Willie’s Smokehouse in Harrisville, PA. The ham was excellent. Moist, extremely flavorful. I don’t yet know the source of Willie’s pigs, but I intend to find out, ‘cause I’m not waiting until next Easter to order another hickory-smoked ham.

The asparagus, unfortunately, was a flop. I have grilled and sautéed asparagus with great success, but never roasted it alone. Roasting the asparagus seemed to be a wise option because the stove top was busy with scrambled eggs. Although I had some of my own ideas, I searched for some roasted asparagus recipes, and Bon Appetit, via Epicurious, offered an appealing one: lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for approximately 20 minutes at 450.

Mistake. Way too long. It turned to mush. A terrible waste of what, by all appearances, should have been some fantastic asparagus. Bad Bon Appetit, Bad!

Thankfully, a shot of Crown Royal, a holiday tradition for my wife’s family, made the disappointment a little more bearable.