Easter is here! A meaningful and fun time of the year where we can spend time with friends and family! If you would like to make your celebration even more special this year, then perhaps you should consider some of the dishes and recipes listed below! They are sure to impress anyone!
Beety Pickled Eggs:
Total time: 1 day 3 hours and 30 minutes
Yield: 12 pickled eggs
Ingredients:
-2 1/4 cups distilled vinegar
-1 pound jarred or canned pickled baby beets, drained, pickling liquid reserved
-1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
-Kosher salt
-1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
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-1 tablespoon coriander seeds
-1 teaspoon sugar
-12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Directions:
Bring the vinegar, 3/4 cup of the pickling liquid, the onions, 4 teaspoons salt, the mustard seeds, coriander seeds and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Reduce the heat, cover and let the brine simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pierce each egg all the way through about 6 times with a cake tester or toothpick. Put 3 eggs and 1/4 of the beets in each of 2 glass quart jars with lids. Ladle in enough brine to cover. Add 3 more eggs to each jar, divide the remaining beets between them and ladle in more brine to cover, leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top. Close the jars, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
Serve the eggs and beets halved or quartered, with some of the onions and pickling liquid spooned on top. (The eggs will keep, covered by liquid and refrigerated, up to 5 days.)
Simple Scalloped Potatoes:
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing
-1/2 clove garlic
-2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
-Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
-1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
-1/2 cup skim milk
-1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
-4 fresh bay leaves
-1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese (about 2 ounces)
Directions:
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Generously brush a large skillet with butter, then rub with the garlic. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the potatoes, sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste, then arrange the remaining potatoes on top. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour the broth and milk over the potatoes, then add the nutmeg and bay leaves; simmer 3 minutes.
Generously brush a shallow baking dish with butter and slide the potatoes into the dish; arrange with a fork, if desired. (If your skillet is ovenproof, you can skip this step and bake the potatoes right in the skillet.)
Dot the potatoes with the cut-up butter and sprinkle with the gruyere. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Discard the bay leaves.
Carrot Cake:
Total Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
Yield: 1(9-inch) cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
-Unsalted butter, for the pan
-12 ounces, approximately 2 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour, plus extra for pan
-12 ounces grated carrots, medium grate, approximately 6 medium
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-10 ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/3 cups
-2 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup firmly packed
-3 large eggs
-6 ounces plain yogurt
-6 ounces vegetable oil
Cream Cheese Frosting:
-8 ounces cream cheese
-2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-9 ounces powdered sugar, sifted, approximately 2 cups
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour a 9-inch round and 3-inch deep cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
Put the carrots into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add this mixture to the carrots and toss until they are well-coated with the flour.
In the bowl of the food processor combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt.
With the processor still running drizzle in the vegetable oil. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cake reaches 205 to 210 degrees F in the center.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes in the pan. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a rack and allow cake to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake has cooled completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Yield: approximately 2 cups
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches and beat until smooth between each addition.
Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
Bunny Oreo Balls:
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 36 truffles
Ingredients:
-One 14.3-ounce package chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreo (about 36 cookies)
-6 ounces cream cheese
-3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
-3/4 teaspoon meringue powder (available in the baking aisle)
-Pink gel food coloring
-Black gel food coloring
-2 cups white candy melting wafers (about 13 ounces)
-1 teaspoon refined coconut oil
-White sanding sugar, for decorating
-Pink sanding sugar, for decorating
-45 mini marshmallows
Directions:
Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Pulse the cookies in a food processor to fine crumbs. Add the cream cheese and pulse together until the mixture begins to ball up. Transfer to a large bowl and knead together a few times until completely combined.
Roll about 1/3 of the mixture into 18 truffles (about 1 level tablespoon each) and place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Roll the remaining mixture into 18 larger truffles, (about 1 heaping tablespoon each), and place on the second prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm and chilled through, about 1 hour.
While the truffles chill, prepare the decorations.
For the royal icing, combine the confectioner's sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on low speed just to combine. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons water and increase the speed to medium. Beat the mixture until the icing is stiff enough to hold a peak but soft enough to pipe, about 2 minutes. If the icing gets too stiff, add up to 1/2 teaspoon more water.
Divide the icing evenly between 2 bowls. Tint one bowl of icing bright pink using the pink food coloring. Tint the remaining bowl of icing with the black food coloring. Transfer the pink and black icings to separate piping bags (with no cut openings) or to resealable plastic bags and set aside.
For the white coating, combine the candy melting wafers and coconut oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the mixture in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until the wafers are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute 20 seconds. Set aside.
Put some white sanding sugar and pink sanding sugar in separate bowls.
For the bunny tails: Cut 9 of the marshmallows crosswise to create 18 halves. Carefully dip one flat side of each marshmallow piece in the white candy coating, let the excess drip off and then dip in the white sanding sugar. Place each marshmallow piece sugar-side up on a plate to set. These will be the bunny tails.
For the bunny ears: Cut 18 of the marshmallows in half on the diagonal to create 18 pairs of bunny ears. Dip the cut side of each marshmallow piece in the pink sanding sugar. Place sugar-side up on the plate with the tails to set.
For the bunny feet: Cut the remaining 18 marshmallows in half lengthwise to create 18 pairs of feet. Set aside on the plate with the tails and ears.
Put a truffle in the white coating and use 2 forks to evenly coat. Lift out the truffle, letting any excess drip off, then return to the baking sheet. Continue with the remaining truffles (both sizes) until all are all coated. If the coating cools to room temperature during the dipping process, microwave it in 20-second intervals to reheat. Reserve the leftover white coating to use as glue for the tails, ears and feet.
For the heads: Dip the bottoms of 2 bunny ears in the leftover white coating, place on top of a small truffle and hold in place until the coating sets, about 15 seconds. Snip a very small tip off the corner of each bag of icing. Pipe a small pink heart for a nose on the front (face) of the truffle. Pipe a pair of eyes and mouth using the black royal icing. Repeat with the remaining small truffles.
For the bottoms: Dip the cut side of a marshmallow tail in the leftover white coating. Place the tail on top of one of the large truffles and hold in place until the coating sets, about 15 seconds. Dip the cut sides of two marshmallow feet in the leftover white coating. Position them on the truffle below the tail and hold until set in place. Use the pink royal icing to pipe a large oval on the top each foot and 3 small circles underneath for toes. Repeat with the remaining large truffles.
Return all the truffles to the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Serve chilled.
Creamy Herbed Easter Ham and Pea Pasta Salad:
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1/3 cup mayonnaise
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-1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
-3 tablespoons sour cream
-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-8 ounces dried penne or pennette
-1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
-1 cup diced ham
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, parsley, sour cream, chives, mint, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Three minutes before the pasta is done, add the peas to the pot. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool; add to the bowl with the dressing.
Add the ham to the bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. The pasta salad is best if served right away.
Italian Easter Cookies:
Total Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Yield: 36 cookies
Ingredients:
Cookies:
-2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
-3 tablespoons cornstarch
-1½ teaspoons baking powder
-½ teaspoon fine salt
-¼ teaspoon baking soda
-1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
-½ cup granulated sugar
-2 large eggs, at room temperature
-1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
-Grated zest of 1 lemon
Glaze and Sprinkles:
-1 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
-Juice of 1 lemon (about 4 tablespoons)
-Pinch fine salt
-1 to 2 tablespoons milk
-Pastel colored sprinkles
Directions:
For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Combine the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition until totally combined, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and zest and mix to combine, about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula then add all of the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until everything is well combined, scraping down the sides again if necessary, making sure not to overmix. Cover and refrigerate until the dough is completely chilled, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a rope, 5 to 6 inches long. Tie it into a loose knot and place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. If the knots start to get warm, refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
Bake on the upper and lower racks until the tops of the cookies are dry and set and the bottoms are golden, rotating the baking sheets front to back and switching rack positions, halfway through, about 15 minutes total.
For the glaze and sprinkles: Meanwhile, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, salt and 1 tablespoon of the milk in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon milk if needed—the glaze should be the consistency of heavy cream.
Place the sprinkles in a small bowl. Once the cookies are cool enough to handle, dip the tops in the glaze, letting any excess run off, then dip in the sprinkles. Transfer the cookies, glazed-side up, to a wire rack and let cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Sources: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/italian-easter-cookies-12501428