Our Most Popular Recipes in April

In April, we kissed the cycle of braise-stew-roast-repeat goodbye. After a couple quiet months, April entered with almost immediate cause for festivities, with the Masters held during the first week of the month, then onto Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. Warm days followed by languorous golden hours spurred our return to the patios, porches, and backyards—and, of course, we stirred up cocktails to pair with it. From classic recipes from the Masters to our Easter feasts, these were TLP’s most popular recipes last month.

Channeling Spring with our Most Popular Recipes

Azalea Cocktail

This essential cocktail at the Masters is named for the vibrant, pink blooms surrounding the golf course. Tart, sweet, and punch-like in flavor, a batch of these makes for prime viewing.

Tomato Aspic

The brilliant red molded gelatin pays homage to elegant luncheons of yesteryear. Its flavor profile is similar to a bloody mary, savory and slightly spiced. Serve with an herbed mayonnaise (we recommend the basil aïoli in this recipe).

Ultimate Coconut Cake

A frequent fan favorite on the Local Palate, this recipe gives the inside technique behind the Peninsula Grill’s famed ten-layer coconut cake. Tender layers sandwiched between coconut cream filling make this cake a delicious showstopper dessert.

Whole Roasted Leg of Lamb

We know what your Easter feast entailed: a bone-in leg of lamb that brined for at least a day. Hopefully, you served it with some big, fat yeast rolls to help sop up the delicious meat juices.

The Gamechanger

Warm weather means the return of frozen cocktails. This one from Charleston’s Home Team BBQ is a riff on the Pusser’s painkiller, using a mix of spiced and gold rum to make this tropical classic. While you don’t necessarily have to blend it, Home Team regulars will tell you it’s the only way.

Poached Asparagus

After much anticipation, tender green things are once again gracing the farmers market and produce stands. We like this simple preparation that quickly blanches the asparagus before shocking and dressing them in  olive oil and lemon.

Coconut Pecan Cake

This recipe uses coconut and all its byproducts, including coconut milk, coconut cream, and coconut extract. The result is a rich, layered cake where the sweet-nutty flavor shines.

Masters Egg Salad

Known for its highly transportable, green-bagged sammies, we have the Masters to thank for our favorite sandwich spreads. This three-ingredient egg salad makes for dainty tea sandwiches or good road trip lunches for anyone on the move.

The Commonwealth

Step aside, mint julep, there’s a new Derby Day drink we’re eyeing. This easy drinker, made with bourbon, sorghum coffee, and a peppery syrup, leans on a secret ingredient: Kentucky Ale-8-One, a gingery citrus soda.

Masters-Style Pimento Cheese Sandwich

This quintessential sandwich is the lunch of choice at the Masters. It’s well worth the splurge…at $1.50 a sandwich. But if you’re viewing from home, you’re just a handful of ingredients away from fixing this for a crowd.