Easter Recipes

Easter is celebrated around the world and one of the finest ways to do that is with a stellar loaf of homemade bread. This ancient food is the perfect complement to an equally ancient holiday.

Russian Easter Bread

Ingredients:

4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
6 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¾ cup butter
Pinch of saffron threads
2 tsp salt
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
¼cup lukewarm water

To prepare the dough, stir the yeast slowly into water that has been warmed to about 110ºF or 43ºC. Add a pinch of sugar and allow to stand until it bubbles, which will take about five minutes.

Pour the flour into a large bowl and make an indentation with a large spoon or soup ladle. Beat three of the eggs in another bowl and pour them gently into the flour 'valley'. Add the milk, then slowly pour on the yeast solution.

Slowly stir the concoction, forming a dough. Allow it to rest for a few minutes, then move it to a floured surface and knead until it's completely smooth.

Lightly coat a large bowl with a little bit of Canola oil and move the dough around in the bowl until coated. Cover with a moist towel and let the dough rise for about three hours. Press the dough down, then allow to rise again for another hour.

Once it's ready, divide the dough into two separate soufflé dishes that have been smeared with butter on the inside. Divide off about 1/3 of each dish of dough and roll into long ropes. Cut into three pieces and braid the rope onto the surface of the dough mound in the dish.

More Recipes at Easy Easter Activities

Easter Breakfast Strata

Ham is a traditional Easter meat and it doesn't have to be reserved strictly for dinner. Naturally, since it's Easter, eggs are just the thing, too. But something that goes a little beyond mere ham and eggs turns an ordinary breakfast into an Easter celebration. Start the night before...

Ingredients:

8 medium-sized eggs
3 cups white bread chunks
3 cups cooked ham chunks
½ lb cheddar cheese
3 cups low-fat milk
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp dry mustard
3 tbsp butter

Dice the white bread and the ham into small chunks. Grate the cheddar cheese.

Beat the eggs well in a mixing bowl, then add the milk, butter and dry mustard seasoning.

Prepare a 9 in x 13 in baking pan with vegetable shortening or a non-stick Canola oil spray. Then, layer on the bread, followed by the ham cubes, then the cheese. Slowly pour on the egg and milk mixture and set the pan in the refrigerator to soak overnight.

The following day, bake at 350º F or 175º C for about 70 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a bit before scooping and serving.

Easter is celebrated in many countries and, as a result, there are Easter recipes from around the world. Here's one that supplies the perfect early treat to munch on during that egg hunt.

Swedish Easter Coffee Cakes


Ingredients:

2 eggs
4 ½ cups flour
¼ cup granular sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cup butter
½ cup heavy cream
6 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp salt
½ cup dried currants
2 pkg. active dry yeast
½ cup water
1 cup chopped pecans

Warm the water and dissolve the yeast into it slowly, letting it rest for about five minutes.

Combine the flour, ¼ cup of sugar and the salt, then warm a cup of butter and pour it in. To it, add the heavy cream, the eggs, yeast and currants. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of hours.

Remove and divide the dough into six parts onto a floured surface. Roll each one into a rectangle about 10 inches by 6 inches.

To make the filling just add the 6 tablespoons of heavy cream to a ½ cup of warmed butter, then fold in the brown sugar. Stir in the pecans well.

Spread the filling onto each dough rectangle and roll them up, then pinch the ends to seal. If you want to add a little decorative appearance, curve the dough into a crescent shape. Make a few shallow slices through the dough skin along the length of the roll. Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350ºF or 175ºC for about 20 minutes. Monitor them to see that the surface is a golden brown, but the pinched edges are not too dark.

Make a special breakfast for Easter and the egg hunt won't be the only thing that lights their eyes up!

More recipes over at Easy Easter

Easter Chocolate Crispy Treats

Ingredients:

40 small Butterfingers
6 cups toasted rice cereal
4 cups miniature marshmallows
3 tbsp butter

Preparation:

Buy a bag of small Nestle's Butterfinger bars, about 40 will do. Chop up 20 of them into a bowl. Add about 6 cups of toasted rice cereal. Set it aside.

Now, melt 3 tablespoons of butter into a bowl and add in 4 cups of miniature marshmallows. Microwave the butter and marshmallows on high for a couple of minutes. Add the Butterfinger and cereal mixture, then stir it all up.

Pour the results into a 13 in x 9 in baking pan and let it cool until hardened. Crumble the rest of the Butterfingers across the top and then cut the pan contents into squares. Serve like fudge squares. Yum!

Easter Bunny Cookies

Ingredients:

1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup molasses
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
1 ½ tsp cider vinegar
½ cup vegetable shortening
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt onto a large piece of waxed paper. Blend the egg with sugar and shortening until fluffy. Beat in the vinegar and molasses, then roll up the wax paper and stir in the flour mixture until it's smooth.

Knead the resulting dough into a ball, then wrap and chill for a few hours. Once the dough has cooled long enough, you can preheat the oven to 375º F/190º C.

Roll out the dough onto a floured wooden surface until it's about 1/8 inch thick. Then use a bunny-shaped cookie cutter to shape pieces to go into the oven. If you don't have a cookie cutter handy, just trace the outline using a knife.

Bake for about 5 minutes and remove from the oven. Allow to cool before serving.

A recipe for Chocolate Easter Nests is to be found at Easy Easter

HAM

Ham is a traditional Easter meat that can form the centerpiece of an easy-to-fix meal. After that exhausting effort of hiding and finding eggs, opening gifts from Easter baskets, and more, an easy supper will be appreciated by the cook.

A 6-pound ham takes a while to cook, but is ultra-easy to prepare. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Place the ham in a shallow pan and then bake for about an hour and a half. Serves 12


Apple Chutney

This is great with a Baked Ham

Ingredients:

3 green apples
½ red bell pepper
1 poblano chile
2 jalapeno chiles
2 cups rice wine vinegar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

Peel, core and dice the apples. Dice the bell pepper and chili peppers.

Then, in a large saucepan bring the vinegar to a boil and stir in the brown sugar until it's dissolved. Add the bell pepper and chile peppers. Boil the result for about 8 minutes. Add the apples and simmer until they're tender, but not mushy.

Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then remove and allow to warm to room temperature to serve.

LAMB

Roast lamb is another favorite of the holiday, and almost as easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

7-lb leg of lamb still on the bone
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
8 cloves of minced garlic
3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tbsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400º F/ 200ºC.

Rub the lemon juice over the leg of lamb. Evenly sprinkle on the garlic and rosemary, then shake the salt and pepper over the surface. Place in the oven on the middle rack and cook for 30 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350º F / 175ºC and cook for another hour.

You can test the lamb by using a meat thermometer. It should read around 150ºF / 65ºC.

While the meat is cooling, you can prepare the sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup combination of chives, rosemary and parsley
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine

Remove the lamb from the roasting pan to use for the sauce. Pour the wine and chicken stock into the pan. Warm over a medium fire on the stove and stir to combine with the lamb drippings. Pour the sauce over the lamb and you're ready to go!

VEGETABLES

For a vegetable to go with either meat dish you could do no better than a fine Broccoli and Olive Salad.

Ingredients:

14 cups mixed salad greens
6 cups fresh broccoli
4 oz feta cheese
1 red bell pepper
1 cup pitted black olives
1¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh dill
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp crushed red pepper
Pinch of salt
1 tsp shredded lemon peel

Boil the broccoli in a large covered saucepan with a quart of water for about 2 minutes. Then drain and rinse. Combine the broccoli, salad greens, bell pepper and olives in a large salad bowl.

In a lidded container, combine all the other ingredients except the feta and shake well. Pour it over the greens and toss lightly, then sprinkle the result with the feta cheese.

More recipes over at Easy Easter

Wine is the perfect beverage for the Easter holiday. A fine Beaujolais or Pinot Noir will add just the right touch to celebrate this ancient festival. But wine isn't the only drink....

Easter Bunny

Served at lunch or dinner, or whenever you feel like it.

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz creme de cacao
½ oz vodka
1 tsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp cherry brandy

Combine the Crème de Cacao and Vodka in a shaker with ice, then give it a few classic mambo dance moves. Strain into an old-fashion glass. Layer the top with chocolate syrup and cherry brandy. If this doesn't make you feel like hopping around, nothing will.

Chambord Spritzer

Another fine liqueur, this raspberry Chambord is so sweet you won't need chocolate.
Ingredients:

1 oz Chambord (a black raspberry-flavored liqueur)
1 ½ oz white wine
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Seltzer (or club soda)
A twist of lemon peel (for garnish)

Take a tall glass pour in the Chambord, then slowly add white wine around the edges. Top with lemon juice. Add ice cubes, then spritz on the seltzer and garnish.

Wines

It will come as no surprise to wine lovers that sparkling champagne is the perfect complement to an Easter brunch. The delicate white and frothy bubbles pair perfectly with a slice of ripe Brie.

But for those who plan to indulge in Easter chocolate, a deep red might be more appropriate. You can always claim that you're just trying to consume a healthy amount of antioxidants. A Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon is simply made for Easter - Full of fruit, with a heady aroma, it goes equally well with bread, cheese or chocolate depending on your mood. If your taste goes to something sweet then try the Quaddi Brothers delicious Californian Red Muscat, Elysium - it is truly heavenly.

The Rocca della Macie Chianti is equally deserving of a place at the Easter dinner table. Made from 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot and 5% rare Canaiolo grapes, this nectar makes mere mortals feel divine. Hints of pepper add just the right zing and the wine goes great with roast lamb.

If you're serving Ham, consider a fine white instead. Barton & Guestier makes an extraordinary Vouvray in Loire, France. The floral and fruity balance is round in the mouth and offers the perfect balance of acid and sweet.

Cheers!! Happy Easter