Simple and Elegant Easter Dinner

It doesn't have to be difficult to offer an elegant Easter Dinner for family and friends. Here is a full Easter Dinner menu that even the novice home chef can put together without too much difficulty.

Menu
Prime Rib with Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce
Yorkshire Pudding
Wild Rice Pilaf
Asparagus Salad

Rib Roast (Prime Rib)

Ingredients:
Butter
2 cloves fresh chopped garlic
Two sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven at 450˙.
To cook evenly, the roast should be at room temperature before placing in the oven. Trim excess fat off of the prime rib. Pat down rib roast with a paper towel.

Smear roast with butter and garlic. Sprinkle on rosemary and Italian seasoning. Place the roast rib side up in a heavy metal pan. Place in oven for 15 minutes. Turn the oven to 325˙ for the rest of the cooking time. Every half hour, baste the cut ends of the roast with the drippings accumulated in the roasting pan.

About half and hour before the estimated end of the roasting time, begin checking the internal temperature. Place temperature gage in the meaty end of roast.

Ovens can vary so temperature gages can be a great help. 110°F on your meat thermometer for rare, 115˙ to 120˙ medium rare and 125˙ for medium doneness. Cooking time depends on how big the roast is. It can take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.

Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl, combine horseradish, sour cream, lemon juice, and salt; thoroughly mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup melted butter, or substitute drippings from beef

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450˙.

Beat the eggs with a whisk with milk flour, and salt. Cover the batter with a towel and let it rest for a while to become bubbly.

Using a large muffin pan, put about a tablespoon of melted butter (or drippings) into the bottom of each muffin cup. Put butter muffin pan in oven long enough to get butter and pan hot (about 3-5 minutes).

Remove the pan, and quickly fill each muffin cup about halfway with the batter then bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˙ and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until toasted and "set".

In the California valley area, asparagus is plentiful during the end of March and April. Asparagus is an elegant looking vegetable, but it can also be made into a color side dish by adding a just a few items.

Wild Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:
1/2 pound sausage
1 cup fresh mushrooms
1 (6 ounce) package uncooked long grain and wild rice

Directions:
Place sausage in a medium frying pan and brown. Add mushroom.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir in mushrooms and sausage. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Asparagus Salad

Ingredients:
½ pound fresh asparagus spears
2 tomatoes, chopped
1//2 pound small red potatoes
1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons of Hollandaise Sauce (packaged or canned)

Directions:
Boil the red tomatoes. Boil water in a kettle. In a large pot place trimmed asparagus. Take boiling water and pour over to the top asparagus and simmer for about 12 minutes.

Remove the asparagus spears and run cold water over them. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl place the asparagus, potatoes, corn and tomatoes and mix together.

Pour Hollandaise sauce over top. Chill and serve ad desired.