What are you cooking for Easter?

We will be hosting an Easter Brunch this year and am looking for interesting and new ideas to add to the menu. We have hosted many times in the past and the menu usually goes something like this:

Spiral ham
Asparagus quiche with swiss cheese and bacon
lox/bagels/cream cheese/tomatoes/capers/red onion
spinach dip/bread bowl
fruit salad
bunny cake
lemon squares
Coffee/tea/orange juice

As you can see...its a pretty tame menu and I am looking to change it up a bit. The ham and bunny cake need to stay--but open to new ideas for everything else.

It is a brunch with a dining time of 11am.

Blood Orange and Fennel salad w/ Mint and Red Onion

Aparagus Tarts

Bone In Leg of Lamb w/ Tarragon Butter and Spring Vegetables

Goat Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

Rasberry and Ricotta cupcakes

Some hot cross buns maybe?

Can you direct me to a link and/or post a recipe for your goat cheese scalloped potatoes. That sounds wonderful and a great addition to the spiral ham.

I asked Sweet Baboo to vote for Ham, Lamb, or other, and he voted for Ham.

I think I will do a spiral-sliced ham for the first time ever - something I resolved back when I was last hacking my way through either a butt or shank portion of unsliced ham, without benefit of an electric knife. I'm curious to hear opinions on spiral-sliced versus non-sliced, though.

Or should I just cave in and get an electric carving knife?

We are doing waffles using Golden-Dipt Belgian http://www.goldendipt.com/pages/master.html Waffle Mix which I first encountered at a Country Club making the finest waffles I have ever had.
The waffles will be served with a choice of Scott's http://www.scotthams.com/ cold smoked sausage(absolutely the best sausage for breakfast), Scott country ham and Scott bacon. Strawberries and whip cream are available.
Scott's does not use any nitrates or nitrites in the curing of thier products. It's how it was done in George Washington's day.
Mimosa's will be available.-Dick

Having the family over for an afternoon dinner. Am thinking about:

Frisee and Lardons salad, maybe with poached quail eggs (if I can find some conveniently)
Avocado deviled eggs
A Four-pea saute, based on Food and Wine's Three-pea salad (I'm adding pea shoots, because I can) probably simply topped with parmesan
A Potato and Leek gratin, maybe I'll stuff another vegetable in there, I just have to think about what I'd like
Roast Leg of Lamb
Chocolate-filled eggshells

I'm trying the five-minutes-a-day challah recipe today to see how it goes...

budrichard wrote:Scott's does not use any nitrates or nitrites in the curing of thier products. It's how it was done in George Washington's day.

Nitrates have been used to cure meat for a couple thousand years (not always deliberately) so I suspect the use was common in Washington's ham and sausages. Salt, saltpeter and smoke is what it takes for cured meat.

ppezalla wrote:

budrichard wrote:Scott's does not use any nitrates or nitrites in the curing of thier products. It's how it was done in George Washington's day.

Nitrates have been used to cure meat for a couple thousand years (not always deliberately) so I suspect the use was common in Washington's ham and sausages. Salt, saltpeter and smoke is what it takes for cured meat.

Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) is used to preserve color in curing meats with salt. It is possible and indeed one is quite able to cure meat without saltpeter. 'Suspect' or do you know? My information is that salt was the curing agent along with smoke for George Washington.
Indeed as i referenced Scott Ham says "we have added no Nitrates, Nitrites, or MSG added".-Dick

My family is driving out from N'ville for Easter. They have been bugging us about bringing lobsters out whenever we visit so... Instead we're doing a lobster boil for Easter. Called the local lobster guy and placed an order for 8 1.5 pound bugs and 2.5 pounds of steamers. Serving with red potatoes, corn saved from last summer, and andouille that I made and smoked myself. For dessert we are having fresh strawberry shortcake served over warm sweet biscuits.

The FIL is from Baltimore and is making his favorite crabcake recipe for an appetizer.

Flip

At the time of settlement of North America by the Europeans, saltpeter was in common use. Salt alone dries out the meat and gives a grey, tough lump of flesh. I can say for certain that Washington had saltpeter in his ham but most of the very early American references to ham curring do call for it.

La Quercia, makers of the best American prosciutto, use only salt, no nitrate/trites. Mado, here in Chicago, does likewise.

Similarly, the addition of nitrates to a Parma ham would likely be cause for banishment from Italy, if not execution. Prosciutto di Parma is nitrate/ nitrite free.

A couple of briskets on the smoker. Trying G Wiv's rub for the first time.

I'm going to my aunt's for Easter dinner. I am going to make the Torta di Riso from Jamie's Italy. Anyone have experience making a rice tart - Italian or Swiss? I've never had it before so I'm curious.

HI,

It is not all thought out, we will at a minimum have:

Country ham
Ambrosia
Sweet potatoes (probably mashed, but may have praline crust - because I like it)
Asparagus (I got the nice thick ones)
Biscuits (might be croissants, because my cousin likes them)
(maybe a sour cream coleslaw akin to what I had at a church dinner)
(maybe deviled eggs with salmon roe on top, an egg's egg)

Lamb cake aka Coconut Cake - I expect to use fresh coconut

Punch from my cousin (because it is tradition)

It's only 6-8 people, so I have to be careful not to make too much food or it is leftovers for days afterwards.

Regards,

Mmmm...eggs with eggs....

Hosting a fill-your-own crepe party. 2 types of crepes (one made with buckwheat flour) and several fillings and toppings available to mix and match at guests' discretion:

- sherried mushrooms
- creamed spinach
- shredded pork shoulder
- lobster newburg
- gruyere
- parmesan
- ricotta
- guava marmalade
- nutella
- chocolate
- sour cherry compote
- whipped cream

Hi,

Kept our lunch simple, because I am not always keen to spend every holiday in the kitchen.

Shrimp cocktail appetizer

Roast beef (cooked slow, high heat sear just before serving)
Mashed cauliflower and potatoes (only had one pound of potatoes in the house)
Orange and fennel salad (mixed reviews, probably won't do it again)
Wilted cucumber salad in sour cream
Orange jello with mandarin oranges

Oma's Cheesecake

Relative to Thanksgiving and Christmas, this was a pretty low work effort.

Regards,
Cathy2

A top sirloin roast from Zeier's butcher shop in Wilmette made a fine main course for our Easter table.