Easter Weekend Treats, Chocolate, Recipes

and

Champagne

Today is Good Friday and the start of Easter Weekend – it’s a day for Hot Cross Buns and Fish, a traditional meat-free day that I always observe. As we move through Easter weekend towards the joy of Easter Sunday (when Christ is risen) and with an abundance of Easter eggs, it’s nice to think of what recipes and treats can be made and enjoyed throughout this important Christian festival; chocolate obviously springs to mind immediately, as well as spring lamb, salmon and fish pie, but why not indulge in a glass of fizz too, such as a glass of Moet and Chandon Champagne?

Having just returned from a cruise where I had more than a few glasses of bubbles, I am planning on serving my Easter Sunday Lunch with some Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Champagne Brut, my favourite pink tipple! Champagne makes a fabulous aperitif, as well as being wonderful when served throughout the meal and with dessert. I have shared some of my most popular Easter recipes below – from cakes and puddings to roast dinners and buns, they would all certainly benefit with being served with a glass of champagne over Easter weekend.

So, all that remains for me to say, is a VERY HAPPY EASTER to all my readers, and I hope my selection of recipes below inspire you to make one or more of them, and don’t forget that well-earned glass of fizz too. Karen 

Disclaimer: Commissioned work written for Tesco

Easter Recipes:

A BIG Easter Cake! Creme Egg Chocolate Drizzle Cake

Every year, I always try to create a spectacular cake for Easter, it doesn’t have to have to be chocolate, but it’s nice to indulge in an excess of cocoa by way of a treat; and this year I think I have created my most indulgent cake yet, a towering chocolate mansion filled with chocolate cream cheese, topped with more of the same and then decorated with a white chocolate drizzle, mini chocolate buttons before being adorned with some Cadbury’s creme eggs…..and it’s mega!

A Good Friday Pie: Wild Garlic and Blue Wensleydale Tart

A delightful seasonal tart that makes good use of wild garlic in the spring, and also uses Blue Wensleydale cheese, which is fabulously creamy, crumbly and light in flavour, compared to other blue cheeses. When wild garlic is not in season, just substitute spring onions and a couple of garlic cloves for a similar taste and flavour. Similarly, Blue Wensleydale cheese can be substituted with another mild blue cheese too.

French Herb & Garlic Lamb

A fabulous French inspired recipe for slow roast lamb with a Dijon mustard crust, fresh herbs and garlic; this recipe makes its own red wine gravy that is infused with the herbs and garlic and is perfect for any special celebratory meal such as Easter or Mothering Sunday, as well as for a wonderful family Sunday lunch.

Pots au Chocolat: Chocolate Mousse with Mini Eggs and Cream

A light and fluffy two chocolate mousse that is perfect as a light dessert for Easter or even Christmas and Mothering Sunday; this French inspired recipe uses white and milk chocolate and is decorated with seasonal chocolates on top of whipped cream.

Mini Chocolate Drizzle Bundt Cakes

Pretty little vanilla sponge cakes that have been baked in mini bundt moulds and are drizzled with white chocolate; these mini bundts are then decorated with mini chocolate eggs and seasonal sprinkles or hundreds and thousands. Just perfectly pretty (and delicious) for the Easter Sunday tea time table!

Little Easter Egg & Daisy Cakes with Chocolate Cheese Cake Frosting

Delightful little vanilla Fairy cakes (cup cakes) that have a chocolate cream cheese topping with assorted edible decorations, perfect for the Easter Tea Time Table.

Persian Lamb

An exotic slow roasted lamb recipe, in the style of Persian and North African food, served with aromatic saffron rice. Perfect for Easter Sunday lunch or any special celebratory meal. The left overs can be made into more exciting meals, such as curry, tagine and spicy shepherd’s pie. (Recipe inspired by Silvena Rowe)

Chocolate Truffle Cake

A decadent dessert cake that is perfect for all celebrations such a birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas or just because! Use Organic chocolate such as Green and Blacks, organic vanilla extract as well as organic free-range eggs.

Chocolate Orange Daisy Cake

This lovely spring time cake was a hit on the cake club evening, as well as for the Easter Sunday tea time table the next day; it is a fresh orange cake, the recipe that I used here, Fresh Orange Layer Cake with Citrus Curd buttercream, but instead of the citrus curd buttercream filling and icing, I used some delicious Cadbury Philadelphia Cream Cheese instead.

Easter Eggy Bread: Raspberry & Vanilla “Pain Perdu” (French Toast)

A super easy and yet extremely tasty way to use up old (stale) bread, this recipe for “Pain Perdu” (French Toast, Eggy Bread) makes a perfect breakfast or brunch dish for the weekend or a special breakfast gathering, such as Easter or Christmas. Serve with home-made raspberry jam and fresh raspberries when they are in season. Vanilla sugar is easy to make at home and I have a recipe here: French Lavender and Vanilla Sugar (just omit the lavender)

Traditional Hot Cross Buns for Easter in the style of Brioche!

This year I have decided to go a little “off piste” with my buns, in a manner of speaking! I will be using my old family recipe, as it really is a winner, but, I will be baking these buns in a muffin tray this year, (as you can see from my photos) in the manner of a French Brioche. I decided that we are going to go dainty for Easter tea, with smaller buns that are also a pretty shape.

Traditional Easter Marbled Pace Eggs

Pace Eggs is a very old British tradition and method of colouring and dying eggs to be boiled and eaten on Good Friday and throughout the Easter weekend. There are commercial dyes available nowadays, but I still prefer the traditional natural methods of colouring my Easter Pace Eggs – onions skins (and also spinach & beetroot water)

Whole poached salmon with Herb mayonnaise

A stunning and elegant way to serve a whole salmon, and this is also easy to prepare, as the salmon is poached with herbs and a little wine in a foil parcel in the oven. Serve with herb mayonnaise, orange buttered spring greens and minted new potatoes for a special family lunch or celebration meal. A whole salmon will feed four to five people with ease, with enough left for some tasty leftover dishes; or, serve as one meal for up to eight or nine people. Use organic wild Scottish salmon for the best taste and quality, as well as being rich in Omega 3 oils, which is essential for good health.