Happy Easter

Joyeuz Pacques everyone! It was a quiet Easter here, but nice ... very relaxed. I made a tomato-bechamele lasagna--with nine layers, per Marcella's recipe--a big mixed greens salad, and shrimp ... most of which were left because the rest was plenty. I also made Nathan Lyon's nutmeg bundt cake with apple compote, which was delicious. It's a very light cake, using half butter and half apple sauce, and the nutmeg flavor is strong but not overwhelming. For the compote I used only 1/4 tsp of ground cloves, vs. 1 tsp, because I just couldn't imagine using that much--and the 1/4 tsp seemed plenty to me, blending nicely with the cognac and the nutmeg flavor of the cake.

Lyon's Chicken Marsala

Feeling inspired, and having most of the right ingredients, I made Nathan Lyon's fabulous chicken marsala tonight. I pulled some chicken breasts out of the freezer and dashed off to buy the key ingredient at the liquor store--where I encountered someone else running in just for marsala. Once defrosted, I flattened two chicken breast halves til they were approximately even in thickness, and I dropped them into some seasoned flour. From there it was into the olive oil, where they became lightly brown and par-cooked. Then the chicken came out, and the mushrooms and shallots went in, eventually followed by marsala and chicken broth. The chicken was then added back in, and it all cooked down til the chicken was done and the sauce had thickened. Instead of the usual pasta, this was served over a saute of leeks, carrots, asparagus, and zucchini, and we had a simple salad of spinach, perfectly ripe pear, and toasted pecans on the side.