Easter Feast, On A Shoestring

Still seeking ideas for Easter dinner?

Gourmet magazine Executive Editor John "Doc" Willoughby had plenty on The Early Show Saturday Edition.

He took on our "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge of cooking a simple, yet delicious, three-course meal for four on our recession-busting budget of a meager $35. But the result was anything but meager!

He also threw the Easter bunny and his chef's hats into our "How Low Can You Go" competition. The "Shoestring" chef whose total is lowest will be invited back to prep our all-out, holiday extravaganza dinner at the end of the year!

Holiday meals can get pricey, but with good planning, you can make a feast without breaking the bank, as Doc proved.

His menu included Simple Spring Green Salad, Herb-Roasted Pork Loin with Golden Potatoes and Green Beans, and Lemon Glazed Butter Cake.

FOOD FACTS:

Bibb Lettuce: This butterhead lettuce has delicate, loose leaves and lots of flavor.

Boston Lettuce: This is a type of butterhead lettuce that has soft, tender leaves. It's terrific in salads and sandwiches, or the leaves can be used as a bed for other dishes.

RECIPES

Simple Spring Green Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 head Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 head Bibb lettuce, large leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD:

Combine lettuces in a large bowl. Season with salt, then drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Herb-Roasted Pork Loin

INGREDIENTS:

For Pork
1 (2 - 2-and-a-half pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
3 rosemary sprigs, divided
4 large thyme sprigs, divided
4 sage sprigs, divided
4 savory sprigs (optional), divided
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (2 to 3)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon pepper

For Sauce
1/3 cup dry vermouth
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

METHOD:

For Pork:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Pat pork dry and season with 1-3/4 teaspoon salt and 1-1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Straddle a flameproof roasting pan over 2 burners, then heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until it simmers. Brown pork on all sides, then transfer to a large plate.

Put a metal rack in pan and arrange half of herbs down middle of rack. Stir together shallots, garlic, mustard, and 1 tablespoon oil and smear over top and sides of roast, then put roast, fat side up, on top of herbs. Roast 1 hour. Toss remaining herbs with remaining teaspoon oil and arrange on top of roast.

Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 140° to 145°F, 5 to 15 minutes more (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees as it rests). Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 25 minutes.

Make sauce while pork rests:

Remove rack from pan and discard herbs from rack. Straddle pan across 2 burners on medium heat. Add vermouth and mustard and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half. Add broth and simmer 3 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a 2-cup measure. If you have more than 1 ½ cups, boil to reduce; if less, add water.

Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk in vermouth mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Serve pork with sauce.

For more recipes, go to Page 2.

Green Beans with Celery-Salt Butter

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Pepper to taste

METHOD:

Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 5 quarts water) until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together butter and celery salt. Drain beans, and then toss with butter and season with pepper.

Golden Potatoes with Caper Brown-Butter Crumbs

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, halved, and sliced ¼ inch thick
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup drained capers, chopped
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
Salt to taste

METHOD:

Put a 4-sided sheet pan in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
Cover potatoes with 2 inches water in a 5 quart pot and add 1 tablespoon salt. Simmer until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain potatoes well.
While potatoes simmer, heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in capers. Keep warm, covered.

Toss potatoes with half of the caper butter, then spread out in hot sheet pan. Stir remaining caper butter into bread crumbs and scatter over potatoes. Roast, turning potatoes once or twice, until potatoes are tender and crumbs are golden, about 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Lemon-Glazed Butter Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature 30 minutes
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Garnish:

Confectioners sugar for dusting

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together milk, zest, and vanilla.

Beat together butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Pour batter into cake pan and smooth top, then rap gently on counter to release any air bubbles. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes.
Whisk together confectioners sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

Turn out cake onto a rack set over a baking sheet, then reinvert. Brush top and side of cake with all of glaze. Cool completely.

So, how did Doc do with our $35 budget?

Spring Salad
Boston lettuce $.99
Bibb lettuce $.99
total: $1.98

Pork Loin
Pork Loin $7.98
Shallots $.31
Rosemary $1.49
Thyme $1.49
Sage $1.49
Garlic $.39
Dijon mustard $1.69
Dry vermouth $2.99
Chicken Broth $1.50
Yukon Gold Potatoes $2.26
Capers $1.69
Bread crumbs $1.49
Green Beans $1.99
Celery Salt $1.99
total: $28.75

Lemon Butter Cake
Lemons $.98
butter $1.99
total: $2.97

Doc's grand total: $33.70

"Leading" "shoestring" chefs so far this year:

1. Scott Peacock $32.60
Watershed Restaurant

2. Joey Campanaro $33.27
The Little Owl

3. Patrick Connolly $33.32
Bobo Restaurant