Leg of Lamb for the Return of the Prodigals

Saturday April 26

The constellations somehow lined up so that three of our good friends - Brian, Nancy, and Kevin - who had moved away from Cincinnati were all coming back on the same weekend. So we called Liz as well, and planned a giant welcoming feast.

Everybody was arriving at different times, so we made a whole bunch of appetizers to snack on until the whole party was assembled. Findlay Market provided olives, thin-sliced Canadian prosciutto and provolone, plus red and yellow peppers for Holt to roast and adorn with chopped garlic and capers. There were also tiny new Yukon golds, which we prepared as we had a week ago.
Holt also made focaccia topped with red onions and Moroccan olives, and Barbara whipped up her herbed goat cheese spread, which is so simple to make it's laughable. Here's the recipe:

salt
white pepper
a big handful of herbs, preferably from the garden but store-bought is okay, so long as they're fresh. Today's choice was oregano, thyme, and a couple of winter savory tops.
plain goat cheese, usually an 11-oz. tube from Trader Joe's
good olive oil
In a food processor with steel blade, throw a half teaspoon of salt, a couple of grinds of white pepper, and the herbs. Pulse until the herbs are well-chopped.
Break up the goat cheese and throw the chunks in. Pulse until well-mixed.
Now run the machine and drizzle in olive oil until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Scrape out into a bowl, and serve with bread of any sort.

Fatted calf was not on the budget, so we settled for a leg of lamb as main course. We roasted it with vegetables, including shallots, potatoes, and turnips.
The wines were Spanish Con Class and the Red Newt Cabernet Franc.

Dessert was Holt's raspberry genoise tart, an edible work of art; and some of us had a little Buffalo Trace bourbon with it. As you can imagine, we were talking and laughing far into the night.