Easter brunch menu recommendations

[foufou]

I am preparing an Easter brunch this year for a small group of close friends/family. For the most part I will prepare the foods I grew up eating on Easter as a homage to my deceased mom; including the following:

Baked Ham with Pineapple/Brown Sugar Glaze
Potato Salad
Deviled Eggs
Coconut Cake

I plan to include asparagus but I am tired of my usual roast asparagus and would like something new to try. What are you preparing for Easter? Do you have any suggestions for my menu? I am particularly interested in vegetable sides...As well, I am considering preparing Thomas Keller's Fried Chicken. I am a decent intermediate level home cook and baker. Thanks in advance for any suggestions....this is my first Easter entertaining in years(I usually do Thanksgiving).

foufou

[othervoice]

I'm also doing brunch and on my list is an Ambrosia. I've made it many times and it's always a hit. Just fruit and whipped cream add a little coconut and some walnuts and it's done. I'm also doing a ham, I always do the pineapple and brown sugar glaze, we love the pineapple when it's done. For one of the desserts I'm making a scratch carrot cake, (hopefully that fiesty rabbit will leave me some) cream cheese frosting. So good!!!!!! I'm also making cinnamon bisquits. I'm making a strata with asparagus, I've never made it before but it sounds wonderful.....and last but not least the infamous cheesy hasbrown egg casserole.....just can't do without it the kids love it. Most everything can be prepare ahead so I can enjoy the day and not be rushing. Enjoy your day !

[foufou]

sounds good......is your carrot cake made with oil or butter? Do you have a recipe for your cinnamon biscuits? thanks in advance

[julesincoq]

My Mum always did ambrosia at Easter and Christmas - it was dessert with dinner!! so exciting for the kds! But my mum did not use whip cream. 2 cups full fat sour cream, 1 c up sweet coconut, 1 tin pinapple drained and 1 tin mandarine oranges drained. Mix. Done. Very yummy, You woudn't know it was sour cream but it was less sweet and really nice and thick.

[julesincoq]

Instead of potato salad what about a hash brown casserole. Do you know the one i"m thinking of ...its a classic one with cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, cheese and frozen hashbrowns. It always seems like a good brunchy dish to me.

I would throw in a spinach salad too, to celebrate spring. Spinach, strawberrys, stilton, red onion, carmelized pecans and a poppy seed vinigret...or a raspberry one.

Love the cold asparagus idea too. Our chef at work (not kidding) often blanches them and seves them with a creamy lemony dressing to dip in.

[foufou]

love your salad suggestion....do you soak your red onions before using them in salads?

[julesincoq]

I don't soak them I just slice them paper thin. I have done it where I soak them in the dressing for several hours then drain off the dressing, add them to the salad, and dress with a fresh batch of dressing. It makes the onion milder but I tend to like the bite and I feel like I wasted dressing by tossing it out. I don't mind a wee bit of onion bite, I like it against the sweetness of the dressing and berries.

[Indirect Heat]

I have a tradition of every year roasting a rabbit on Easter (think the Easter bunny). This year I'm branching out, and I'm going to cook a lamb. Perhaps next year, balut http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(egg) I'm all about celebrating Easter.

[foufou]

is this snark?

[boyzoma]

One of the yummy things my mother always used to make (especially when we had ham) was a warm German potato salad. It had that tart taste and the bacon blended so well with the ham.

[foufou]

I have never made a warm German potato salad; do you have a recipe? My mom's recipe was a traditional southern potato salad that I have tweaked over the years to suit my taste buds. thank you in advance

[boyzoma]

Unfortunately I don't. My mother passed suddenly and I never got the recipe. It was always something mom did. But I would be open to trying some other CH's recipes. I just know it was always yummy.

[JEN10]

I have made this Warm Potato, Sausage, & goat Cheese Salad from William Sonoma cookbook several times. It is DELICIOUS!!
1-1/2 lb sausage your choice
2 lb thin skinned potatoes, scrubbed

dressing:
1 shallot finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. fresh parsley chopped
1 T. fresh chives chopped
1 tsp fresh basil chopped
1 tsp dijon
1 T. fresh lemon juice
3 T. white wine vinegar
3/4 C. EVOO
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 C. crumbled goat cheese
4 T. chopped fresh parsley

Grill sausage, let cool and slice
Cook potatoes in boiling water, cut into bite size pieces, peel if desired
Add to sausage

Make the dressing, pour over the potaoes and sausage. mix gently. Adjust seasoning, add the cheese and parsley toss and serve.

[nemo]

One of my favorite spring vegetable sides is asparagus tips, petit pois (frozen work fine), the tiniest haricot vert. Maybe snow peas, destringed and slivered if you can't find haricot vert. Blanch each vegetable individually until just barely tender crisp. Sometimes I only thaw the petit pois and skip the snow peas as well. Can be done ahead. Then rewarm them all in butter stove top with S&P. Fresh, green, different shapes, very spingtime.

An old luncheon dish could be reworked as a side. Waffle, asparagus spears in a pile on top, a generous spoonful of sauteed mushrooms, white sauce with hard boiled eggs chopped up in it ladled over top. You could substitute crepes and roll the asparagus and mushrooms into bundles, then sauce. Omit the eggs since you're already having deviled.

[foufou]

thank you...I definitely think I need some color and some crunch/texture in my proposed menu

[Fuller]

"I am considering preparing Thomas Keller's Fried Chicken."

There's not a more perfect day to serve fried rabbit. Just don't tell the kids. Mom will be smiling. ;-)

[foufou]

lol.....this made me laugh out loud!!!!!

[katecm]

I think asparagus is a good green side with this, but I think you want to lighten things a bit. What about a raw shaved asparagus salad? Then it is made in advance.

[foufou]

like your suggestion of a raw asparagus dish because I think I need some texture in this propose menu; as well, I have not eaten raw asparagus so that would be interesting

[weezycom]

you could steam the asparagus and chill, then serve as a finger food with a shallot or mustard vinagrette spooned over.

Another side I like to do is baby spinach sauteed with some garlic and pine nuts in olive oil, or if I want more of an Asian flavor, I will sautee with sesame seeds in canola and finish with a bit of sesame oil.

[greygarious]

Though it's not then a finger food, pouring vinaigrette over still-hot steamed asparagus, then cooling, melds the flavors well. Serve either cold or room temp.

I'd think about a colorful julienned vegetable slaw with an Asian dressing.

Add curry powder to some of your devilled eggs.

[foufou]

with regard to the curry in the deviled eggs, I like the sound of that...I had thought I would prepare chive/tarragon deviled eggs but might do some of both...what else do you use in addition to the curry ?

[greygarious]

typical mayo/mustard/chive, plus curry

[foufou]

sounds good as I said below I definitely need some color and some texture in my proposed menu