Here at Gourmet Live, some of us observe Passover; others, Easter; and some just plain celebrate spring. But all of us tend to worship ingredients, and for that this is perhaps the most glorious time of year. In this Easter & Passover Double Issue, the season’s finest ingredients star in two new Gourmet Modern Menus.
Our Passover spread features fragrant Wine-Braised Brisket with Tart Cherries, a deeply flavored, melt-in-your-mouth rendition that several recipe testers and eager in-house tasters declared the best brisket they’d ever had. A lively Quinoa and Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette shouts spring, and a light yet ultra-almondy Amaretto Olive Oil Cake meets Passover’s requirements so scrumptiously that it’s worth putting into year-round rotation. For Easter, we’re serving an herbaceous Arugula-Stuffed Leg of Lamb with Roasted Spring Vegetables; a Frisée, Radicchio, and Fennel Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette that hits all the right sweet and sharp notes; plus Lemon Pudding with Strawberries and Meringue Cigars. (Don’t resist the urge to dip—the pistachio-dotted meringues double nicely as spoons.)
If you’re not hosting this year’s seder or Easter dinner, we’ve got advice for guests, too. Don’t miss our rundown of the top 10 faux pas of Passover’s ritual meal, courtesy of Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, author of Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st Century. Or get into the spirit of Easter by gifting your host with some wine, beer, or liqueur produced—according to long tradition—by monks and nuns: James Rodewald recommends his favorites.
Sourcing, we know, gets plenty of ink on restaurant menus and in food publications, but this issue offers a few novel spins on the subject: Anne Hanley’s inside report on the farm that supplies the Vatican, and Rebecca Flint Marx’s profile of Devora Kimelman-Block, an ethical meat–eater who refused to choose between kosher and organic and wound up in business filling this niche.
There’s plenty more to nibble on in this issue, including a little jelly candy—and eye candy—so dig in.
What foods make your spring celebrations sing? Tell us via Twitter or Facebook, drop us a line (gourmetlive@condenast.com), or post a comment on our blog. For more tasty bites, sign up for our weekly newsletter to get convenient access to our most-read blog posts, editors’ favorite recipes, and exclusive reader offers.
Happy holidays!
The editors of Gourmet Live