Recipes for Your Easter Meal

Easter is just two weeks out; it is amazing how fast the time does fly. We will be putting some Easter meal ideas in this column for you over the next two issues.

If you have a favorite dish, that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you! Recipes, with photo (and a short story/history), if available, can be submitted to ads@thedrummer.com.

Bacon Asparagus Bites 

Yields: 6 Servings

Prep Time:  10 Min

Total Time:  30 Min

6 slices bacon, cut into thirds

5 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 garlic clove, minced

Freshly ground black pepper

Kosher salt

9 asparagus spears, blanched

Preheat oven to 400° and line 1 medium baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cook bacon: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until most of the fat is cooked out, but is not crisp. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese with garlic and season with salt and pepper. Stir until combined.

Assemble bites: Spread about 1/2 tablespoon cream cheese onto each strip of bacon. Place asparagus in the center and roll bacon until bacon ends meet. Once all bites are made, place on prepared baking sheet and bake 5 minutes, until bacon is crisp and cream cheese is warmed through. Serve.

Caprese Stuffed Mushrooms

Yields: 2-4 servings

Prep Time: 5 Min

Cook Time: 25 Min

Total Time: 30 Min

4 portobello mushrooms

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 c. shredded mozzarella

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. fresh basil, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

Balsamic glaze, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 425º. Place mushrooms on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with oil.

Add mozzarella to mushroom caps and top with tomatoes. Scatter with garlic and basil and season with salt.

Bake until mushrooms are tender and cheese is melty, 25 minutes.

Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.

Double Mustard and Herb Crusted Ham

Total: 3 hr 40 min

Prep: 15 min

Inactive: 30 min

Cook: 2 hr 55 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

One 8- to 10-pound bone-in, smoked, fully-cooked ham, butt or shank portion

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 cup whole grain mustard

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Let the ham sit at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Trim off any skin from the ham if needed. Score the ham through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting into the meat. Place the ham, flat-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1/4 inch of water into the bottom of the pan. Roast the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of about 130 degrees F, about 2 1/2 hours or 15 minutes per pound.

Meanwhile, mix the mustards and honey together in a small bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme and olive oil together in another bowl.

Remove the ham from the oven when it has reached 130 degrees F internally. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Spoon or brush the mustard mixture all over the ham. Carefully pat the crumbs all over the ham. Add water as needed to the bottom of the pan. Return the ham to the oven and roast until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 25 minutes more.

Hot Cross Buns

Total Time: 2 hr 55 min

Prep Time: 30 min

Inactive: 2 hr

Cook Time: 25 min

Yield: A dozen buns

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (2 (1/4 ounce) packages)

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus as needed

1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour (13 ounces)

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup currants, plumped in the microwave and cooled

1 egg beaten, for brushing

For the icing/glaze:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 tsp. finely gated lemon zest

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine the water and milk in a medium saucepan and warm over low heat until about 100 degrees F (but no more than 110 degrees). Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar and flour over the surface of the liquid. Set aside without stirring, until foamy and rising up the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

Whisk the butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture.

Whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and stir in the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon to make a thick, shaggy, and slightly sticky dough. Stir in currants. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 8 minutes. Shape into a ball.

Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Put dough in bowl, turning to coat lightly with butter. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour 30 minutes. (If you have a marker, trace a circle the size of the dough on the plastic, and note the time to help you keep track.)

To form the rolls: Butter a 9 by 14-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out of the bowl and pat into a rectangle about 16 by 8 inches. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, about 2 ounces each, with a pizza wheel or bench scraper. (If you don’t have a scale, divide the dough in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Cut each of those four sections into 3 equal-sized rolls.)

Tuck the edges of the dough under to make round rolls and place them seam-side down in the prepared pan, leaving a little space in between each roll. Cover the pan with buttered plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the rolls rise almost to the rim of the pan and have more than doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Remove the plastic wrap and brush the tops of the buns with beaten egg. Bake rolls until golden brown and puffy, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the rolls registers 190 degrees F, about 25 minutes.

For the glaze: Stir together confectioners’ sugar, milk, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth. Transfer icing to a zip bag or pastry bag, and make a small cut in the corner of the bag. Ice buns in a thick cross shape over the top of the warm buns.

Fresh Broccoli Salad

Total: 1 hr 50 min

Prep: 35 min

Inactive: 1 hr 15 min

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 lemon, zested

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound broccoli, rinsed, trimmed and sliced thinly on a mandolin

6 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

3 ounces coarsely chopped, toasted pecans or hazelnuts

2 tablespoons chiffonade fresh basil leaves

Whisk together the vinegar, zest, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. While whisking constantly, gradually add the olive oil. Add the broccoli and toss to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Stir in the tomatoes, hazelnuts and basil. Cover and allow to sit, at room temperature or in the refrigerator, for another 15 minutes before serving.

Sage Potatoes Au Gratin

Total: 1 hr 30 min

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 1 hr 10 min

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups heavy cream

Kosher salt

10 fresh sage leaves

1 pound (about 2 medium) russet potatoes

Cayenne pepper, to taste

1/2 cup grated manchego cheese (about 2 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.

Bring the cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sage to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; cook 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and slice 1/8 inch thick (use a mandoline, if you have one).

Cover the bottom of the prepared dish with about one-quarter of the potatoes, overlapping the slices. Season with salt and cayenne pepper and sprinkle with one-third of the cheese. Repeat the layers 2 more times (potatoes, salt, cayenne, cheese), ending with a layer of potatoes.

Strain the cream, discarding the sage. Pour the cream into the dish and press the potatoes down. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into pieces and dot over the potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven; reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake 40 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 more minutes.

Easter Pie

Total: 1 hr 15 min

Prep: 30 min

Cook: 45 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese

1/2 cup cooked short-grained rice

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

6 sheets fresh phyllo sheets or frozen, thawed

3/4 stick (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

Blend 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the rice and pine nuts. Set the ricotta mixture aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie dish. Lay 1 phyllo sheet over the bottom and up the sides of the dish, allowing the phyllo to hang over the sides. Brush the phyllo with the melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough, laying it in the opposite direction as the first phyllo sheet. Continue layering the remaining sheets of phyllo sheets, alternating after each layer and buttering each sheet. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dish. Fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the top of the filling to enclose it completely. Brush completely with melted butter.

Bake the pie until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is set, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over the pie and serve.

Bunny Butt Sundae Cone

Total: 25 min

Active: 10 min

Yield: 1 serving

Special equipment: a pink edible marker

Scoop vanilla ice cream into a flat-bottomed cake cone to come just past the rim. Press the top of the ice cream into crushed chocolate cookies. Secure the cone in a 3-ounce paper cup and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Place another scoop of ice cream on top of the crushed cookies. Snip a marshmallow in half crosswise and stretch to make an oval paw shape. Draw bunny paw pads on the smooth sides of the marshmallow pieces with a pink edible marker and stick to the ice cream. Pipe or top with a quarter-sized dollop of sweetened whipped cream between the feet for a bunny tail. Push 2 small oval shaped sandwich cookies (such as Mini Milanos) into the top of the ice cream scoop for bunny ears.

Quote of the Week:

“Character is a quality that embodies many important traits, such as integrity, courage, perseverance, confidence and wisdom. Unlike your fingerprints that you are born with and can’t change, character is something that you create within yourself and must take responsibility for changing.”

~ JIM ROHN