Easter is a major holiday here, and we were going to celebrate it in style.  We always invite everyone, and if they can’t attend, that is their loss, because I will tell you that the house smelled wonderful, as my Bride began making an entrée that was going to cook overnight.  I am hoping that she isn’t totally upset with me, but we are in the midst of another renovation and I couldn’t complete it in time for the holiday, actually it will still be a couple of weeks for the installation of some new carpeting for the staircase and upstairs hallway.  Actually, the house wasn’t in much of disarray, just a couple of pieces of furniture put elsewhere, so the living room was a bit cozier, with the seating arrangement.  I have to admit, that as crazy and hectic as it has been, my Bride was able to create a new small centerpiece for Easter to coordinate with the new colors of the main floor (if and when I finally finish).

My Bride was making Braised Short Ribs and she began the endeavor just before Midnight, and in the morning, she got up and added all the root vegetables and some more wine to braising sauce.  I sometimes think that I am one of the few people that like root vegetables, of course I just adore Braised Short Ribs and it is usually a dish that I normally order, when we go out, because it takes so long to prepare, but it may start appearing on our dietary regimen at home, so I may have to discover, another unique dish to order out.  Well, I am rambling again, about my Bride’s culinary skills and she made two other entrée dishes, Marinated Pork Tenderloin and Breaded Chicken Breasts.  We had appetizers, the famous Caesar Salad, Armenian Pilaf as well as her new latest vegetable dish of Fennel and Onions, as well as Asparagus drizzled with aged Balsamic.  We had leftover Death by Chocolate Cake, along with a Coconut Cake and some assorted ice creams, Lent is officially over and time for some to indulge in desserts.  

The main wine for the meal was Galante Vineyards Malbec “Ace High” Carmel Valley 2010.  I have already written about and am a fan of this wine since we enjoyed the 2009 vintage, so I am a happy camper.  Jack Galante’s family has a long history in the Carmel Valley, as his great-grandfather was the founder of the town of Carmel, and built the Pine Inn and the Highlands Inn. The family started a cattle ranch in the valley in 1969, and started planting Cabernet Sauvignon in 1983. There were 214 cases of this wine produced and the estimated aging potential is for eight to nine years, and I am happy to say that this twelve-year-old was still fresh.  I have found this wine to be a very well balanced and more elegant version of a Malbec with notes of black fruits, and on the palate plums and blackberry fruits were still showing well, and the tannins were velvety and a nice solid long count with the terroir that I just enjoy so much.