Casual Spring Supper

Serves 4 to 6

Look for a bone-in ham steak that is cut crosswise from a whole ham. These steaks are far superior to individual (and sometimes processed) ham steaks.

1. Toss rhubarb with 1 teaspoon salt in medium bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse rhubarb in colander and drain well. Set aside.

2. Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add ham steak and cook without moving until browned, about 5 minutes. Using tongs and large spatula, flip steak and cook on second side until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer ham steak to serving platter, tent with foil, and set aside.

3. Return skillet to medium heat and add water, vinegar, sugar, and ginger. Simmer until sugar has dissolved, about 30 seconds. Stir in rhubarb and cook until tender but not mushy, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over ham steak and serve.

Serves 4

Peppered Boursin cheese also works well in this recipe.

1. Adjust oven rack so that it sits 6 inches below heating element and heat broiler. Toss bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon melted butter in bowl and season with salt and pepper. Using fork, mix cheese, cream, and lemon zest in another bowl until paste forms.

2. Toss asparagus with remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter on large rimmed baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper. Spread asparagus in single layer on baking sheet and broil, shaking pan halfway through, until asparagus is tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Transfer asparagus to broilersafe baking dish. Spoon cheese mixture over asparagus and toss to coat. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and broil until lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds. Serve.

Serves 8

For best results, the butter should be between 65 and 70 degrees--it should give slightly when pressed with your finger but still hold its shape. You will need three lemons for this recipe.

1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with butter; dust pan with flour, then tap out excess. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into bowl. Stir sour cream and lemon juice together in second bowl.

2. Using fingers, toss lemon zest and sugar together in large bowl until clumps are gone. Add butter and beat with electric mixer at medium-high speed until smooth and light, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add beaten eggs in three additions, mixing until smooth and scraping down bowl after each addition (mixture will begin to look curdled). With mixer on low, add one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream mixture, stopping as necessary to scrape down bowl. Repeat, ending with flour mixture. Scrape down bowl, then mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Use rubber spatula to give batter final stir.

3. Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles. Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 55 to 70 minutes.

4. For the syrup: While cake bakes, stir sugar and lemon juice together in saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside.

5. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Brush top and sides of still-warm cake with syrup and cool completely, about 2 hours.

6. For the glaze: Whisk confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in bowl until smooth. Spread glaze over cake, allowing some to drip down sides. Let glaze set for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead

The test kitchen found this cake to be more moist the day after it was baked. In fact, when tightly wrapped, the cake will stay fresh up to 5 days. This cake also freezes well. Apply syrup, let cool, and wrap, unglazed, in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze in a zipper-lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. When ready to serve, defrost the cake, still wrapped, at room temperature, then remove the plastic wrap and proceed with the recipe from step 6.

To Make Two Cakes

Double all ingredients except the eggs, using 9 eggs (instead of 10). Cream the butter and sugar in step 2 for 6 minutes (rather than 3 minutes) and add the eggs in four additions (rather than three). Divide the batter between two buttered and floured loaf pans and bake as directed, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.