Easter dinner

I know that the traditional Easter dinner includes roasted lamb or ham, hot cross buns & probably some left over eggs from the morning's hunt but that is not what I wanted to have for dinner last night.

Instead we indulged in a host of favorites ... we started with oysters & clams on the half-shell ... I served them with a clamato & horseradish mignonette and we had an ice cold martini.

For the next course we broke out some Marques de Gelida Cava and enjoyed it with a cheese & meat plate and a soft pretzel twist.  For cheeses we had black pepper cheddar and Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam triple creme.  For the salame we had Olli calabrese.

For the second wine of the night we cracked open a bottle that had been in the cellar for a while ... 2007 Ladera Howell Mountain Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is a great big cab that went very well with our food choice of the evening.

For dinner we had Whole Foods dry-aged NY Strip served with beans and greens.  The strip I cooked on the grill and then sliced to serve.  I cooked the greens with a little vinegar and hot sauce.  The beans were cannellini beans that I cooked down shiitake mushrooms and a little chicken stock.

I topped off the plates with a salad and some Portuguese bread for a great easter dinner that didn't feel too over the top!