Easter Brunch

[snowangel]

I'm revising my dessert plans. Heidi is, I think, sick, the house really needs to be cleaned, the kids are home all week (I'm going to pay them to clean), etc., etc. But, I have some frozen raspberries (from our own plants) and raspberry syrup, so I think that some really good vanilla ice cream, raspberries and syrup would be just dandy.

And, I'm up for Marlene's potato puff.

Do I also need bread?

[SuzySushi]

Every major holiday and often in-between, we get together with two other families that have kids (none of us has extended family in Hawaii) for an everybody-bring-a-dish foodfest in not-strictly-rotating locations -- my house, my friend C's house, the park for a picnic, or the beach for a picnic. Once we had a picnic for Thanksgiving!

Easter last year was at my house, this year it's at C's house. She's doing a ham and her famous German potato salad. I'm bringing veggies -- roast asparagus and something with carrots (I'll look through my recipes to decide what) -- and egg salad or deviled eggs. The third family will provide dessert.

We'll have an Easter egg hunt for the kids -- with plastic eggs filled with trinkets as last time, they didn't find some of the real eggs! The dogs can have fun, too -- we bring our dog to visit our friend's dogs. And we can all kick back, sharing the work and sharing the fun. The best part is, beyond the sit-down meal, the youngest kids are now of an age that we don't have to keep an eye on them all the time, so the adults can engage in conversation while the kids go off and play, and the teenagers go off in another room.

[viva]

Thanks for the link, Liz - I'm doing more of a French bistro-y theme, so I've found a recipe for a tarragon-mustard marinade that should work out pretty well. I feel that my responsibility ends at the marinade - the boys are responsible for cooking it correctly on the grill.

I found a cool recipe in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for a savory bread pudding with asparagus & wild mushrooms that I'm adding - was doing an asparagus & lemon sauce dish, but the bread pudding can be assembled in advance & baked on Easter, so for ease of preparation I changed my mind. I'm all about advance preparation!

I wish we could do an Easter-egg hunt, but no one under the age of 23 will be there! Even though I'm in my 30's, we still kept doing Easter egg hunts as long as there was someone still in their teens to justify it. I just got to do the hunt with a glass of wine in the other hand.

[Allura]

I found a cool recipe in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for a savory bread pudding with asparagus & wild mushrooms that I'm adding

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Hmm...don't suppose this is online some place? Might be a better choice then the pea & lettuce puree I was going to do for my "unusual" side (no one seemed too keen on the puree)...

Aha! I found it: Savory Bread Pudding. It's the third recipe on the page.

[Allura]

Do I also need bread?

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Well, you don't need bread, but it's one of those things that a lot of people don't have with everyday dinners, so it could make things more festive. But, only if you're buying it, and it's on your way someplace!

[chow guy]

I just found out I'll be supplyimg the dessert for an Easter brunch.

I'm going to make galaktoboureko, a wonderful lemony farina custard with filo pastry.

I'm told there will be a baked ham, rosemary roasted lamb, asparagus, rosti potatoes and a Greek Salad.

[Boris_A]

I'll stick with roasted baby goat (suckling kid), one of the easter classics here. Butter, a bit rosemary, a bit garlic and white wine to deglace.

I'll take a little stool, I'll sit in the front of the oven and "spoon" it uncountable times within an hour. Served with some roasted spring potaoes.

[Liz Johnson]

Boris, yours sounds like a labor of love! That always makes food taste better.

BTW, what's everyone drinking? (besides Hector, with his aquavit and Danish beer!) I like to serve rose with Easter brunch, too... I feel like it's a harbinger of warmer days!

Viva, do you have a carrot recipe yet? I use a delicious one from Patricia Wells' Provence cookbook where she braises with garlic and adds olives at the end. It's delicious and very colorful.

Snowangel, what have you decided to make?

[snowangel]

Snowangel, what have you decided to make?

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The ham has been purchased. I'm tempted to do Marlene's potato puff, because it can be assembled the night before, and bake after the ham comes out. Also thinking of her maple glazed carrots, and asparagus. Plus a big salad, and will decide on that when I see what greens look best. I'm thinking of deep-sixing the pie idea since I found a mess of raspberries I picked last summer and some raspberry syrup I made in the freezer, and putting that on top of ice cream. Pie is special, but seems pretty heavy after this meal.

[viva]

Viva, do you have a carrot recipe yet? I use a delicious one from Patricia Wells' Provence cookbook where she braises with garlic and adds olives at the end. It's delicious and very colorful.

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I found what looks to be an easy recipe for balsamic and butter glazed carrots here. I wouldn't mind seeing your recipe with the garlic and olives, though! I'd like to use the pretty little whole carrots with the trimmed green tops. They look so lovely on a platter.

[Liz Johnson]

I'll rephrase the recipe, but it comes from Patricia Wells' "At Home in Provence" (Fireside, 1996). She says its comes from a woman named Irma, the housekeeper of Wells' friend Maggie Shapiro. PM me if you want the exact wording.

Basically heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and coat 2 pounds of carrots with the oil. Cover and braise for 20 minutes. Add 1 head (YES!) of peeled garlic cloves and reduce heat to low. Cook until garlic is soft and carrots are caramelized, about 20 more minutes. Sprinkle with good black olives (pitted) and salt and pepper.

Wells also recommends a subtitution of tarragon instead of olives.

Honestly, you wouldn't believe how delicous this simple dish is.

[viva]

That sounds delightfully easy and a perfect fit for my menu flavors. Thanks so much!

[vogelap]

For Easter, I'll cook for my folks, Wendy's folks & brother, and Wendy at our house. Here's the menu:

* Cold Melon Soup

* Roast Pork Loin stuffed with Proscuitto & Rosemary

* Baby Spinach Salad with Roasted Red Onions, Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts, and Citrus Vinagrette

* Asparagus with Hollandaise

* Garlic-Lemon Roasted Potatoes with Olives & Feta

* Viennese Cherry-Cheese Torte

[Gracie'sMama]

Hi all,

This is my first post :)

Everyone's menus sound great. Thought I would throw my brunch menu out there too.

Creme brulee french toast

Eggs benedict

Quiche

Fruit Salad

Cinnamon Rolls

Coconut cream pie

Carrot cake

Very traditional, but that's what everyone likes.

[viva]

Welcome, Gracie's Mama! Your menu sounds delicious - creme brulee french toast! What kind of quiche are you making?

[Gracie'sMama]

Welcome, Gracie's Mama!  Your menu sounds delicious - creme brulee french toast!  What kind of quiche are you making?

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Thanks! Everyone's dishes sound so amazing, I was a little self conscious that mine seemed so mainstream. I'm still trying to master the "basics"!

I'm just making quiche with sausage and cheeses. It's my mom's recipe. She makes that as well as a bacon (or whatever she feels like) every Christmas and there are never leftovers.

[Liz Johnson]

What kind of cheeses? Sounds great.

Viva, I messed up on one part of the recipe. You're supposed to salt when you add the garlic — halfway through, not at the end. You should, of course, taste for seasoning again before serving. Sorry! I can't edit my post now... too late!

BTW, how about some photos on Sunday!

Edited March 25, 2005 by Liz Johnson (log)

[ludja]

Just a small dinner for two this year...

radishes and sweet butter

westphalian ham on buttered rye bread

olives

Austrian "Milchbrot" Easter Bread with sweet butter

Asparagus vinagrette

Steamed salmon with egg sauce and fresh peas

Buttered and parslied new potatoes

Mascarpone ice cream with strawberries

Meyer lemon pudding soufllees with whipped cream

My 'normal' Easter meal is usually centered on ham or lamb, but out here spring salmon is also a very nice seasonal dish. I'm excited to try the salmon dish; it's a traditional recipe (usually in summer) out of Jasper White's New England Cooking, although growing up in New England I've never had it. The salmon is steamed with wine, onion and herbs. Chopped leeks are placed on top of the salmon and also steamed.

A separate sauce to go on the fish is made using reduced fish stock and wine. Cream is added and then freshly shelled peas, butter is whisked in and then chopped hard boiled eggs are gently folded in. Finish with lemon juice, chive, s&p.

Serve sauce over salmon and leeks.

[rich]

I'll rephrase the recipe, but it comes from Patricia Wells' "At Home in Provence" (Fireside, 1996). She says its comes from a woman named Irma, the housekeeper of Wells' friend Maggie Shapiro. PM me if you want the exact wording.

Basically heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and coat 2 pounds of carrots with the oil. Cover and braise for 20 minutes. Add 1 head (YES!) of peeled garlic cloves and reduce heat to low. Cook until garlic is soft and carrots are caramelized, about 20 more minutes. Sprinkle with good black olives (pitted) and salt and pepper.

Wells also recommends a subtitution of tarragon instead of olives.

Honestly, you wouldn't believe how delicous this simple dish is.

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Sounds very interesting Liz. How to you prepare the carrots - peel, slice etc.?

[Liz Johnson]

Thanks Rich. That page in the cookbook page is definitely stained (mostly with olive brine from pitting!).

The baby carrots that viva was talking about with little green stems left on top are best, but if you have big ones, cut them. Wells says to cut them in half lengthwise, but I like them on the bias in 2-inch pieces.

PS You can serve this dish room temp.

Ludja, your meal sounds divine.

[rooftop1000]

Ludja

any meal posting that mentions butter 5 times is good enough for me

[ludja]

Ludja

any meal posting that mentions butter 5 times is good enough for me

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I guess I did mention butter a few times in there... isn't butter a seasonal spring item?

I guess while I was visualizing the dishes in my mind I was thinking of tasting the butter. I think I do actually associate sweet butter somewhat with Easter. My mom usually only bought salted butter. At Easter she buys the sweet to put on the Easter bread...; also on rye bread with Easter Ham and freshly grated horseradish.

[snowangel]

I know how many I'm having (earlier than expected). The food has been purchased (two trips to the grocery yesterday). The house is spotless; the only remaining household tasks are to clean the kitchen floor, counters and stovetop after frying chicken tomorrow. The kid really pitched in.

Sounds too perfect, right?

I neglected to mention that Paul is laying on his back right now under the kitchen sink, tools in hand, swearing. We hate plumbing worse than electricial.

So, we just might be washing dishes in the bathrub. It will be memory we'd never want to repeat!

[pam claughton]

Easter always meant ravioli to me. My grandmother made them every year, and I used to think that's what everyone ate. I never once had ham for Easter! Her ravioli were amazing, homemade pasta filled with spinach, sausage and three cheeses, in a slow simmered tomato sauce flavored with meat. I actually <a href= "http://efoodie.typepad.com/">blogged about it today, </a>and posted the recipe, which I'll be making again soon.

What we do now though is fun, and gets bigger every year. I think there will be close to twenty of us now, including cousins and new boyfriends, who will all be meeting up for a long, lazy brunch at a nearby hotel. One of those great places where they don't rush you, and there's ridiculous amounts of delicious food, including my favorite, a poached salmon with dill and fresh lemon.

Funniest thing though, is after feasting like this, we go back to my sisters in-laws, and she immediately puts out more food, great stuff, like homemade spinach pie.

Pam

[ruthcooks]

We're having an early brunch of creamed eggs, sausages and chocolate-walnut coffeecake, then a dinner later of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied sweet potatoes, green beans and cheesecake. Very plain and abbreviated because my daughter and her husband will be away through Wednesday and only my two teenage grandsons and I will be here to deal with leftovers. I wanted to do the turkey with more seasonal and lighter foods, but she went to the store and bought groceries without consulting me. Can't complain because she's doing most of the cooking.