An Easy, Elegant, Make-Ahead Easter Brunch

For a little decoration, I added a single spring flower to an egg cup with a hard-boiled egg – probably the easiest way to decorate an Easter egg that doesn’t involve vinegar or turning your fingers pink.

I also added a few spring flowers to my napkins with dry bunny tails for a little soft Easter sweetness. They looked so delicate and lovely.

I placed the flowers in the napkins about 2 hours before guests arrived and they still looked fresh and pretty until the evening!

Spinach, Shallot, and Goat Cheese Crustless Quiche

This quiche can actually be made a whole 2 days ahead! It’s a simple, rustic quiche that’s just as good cold as warmed up. Feel free to pop it in the oven for 15 minutes at 375 F. (190 C.) if you want to serve something warm, but otherwise, it’s perfect right out of the fridge.

• 6 large eggs 
• 3 medium shallots
• 8 oz. baby spinach
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 oz. goat cheese – divided
• 3 tbsp. olive oil – divided
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• salted butter – for liberally greasing quiche dish

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. (190 C.). Thinly slice 3 shallots. Drizzle sauté pan with about 1 tbsp. olive oil. Sauté sliced shallots until brown – about 3-5 minutes. Once just about brown, sprinkle with 1 tsp. fresh thyme. Give everything a little stir and remove from pan into a bowl.
   
2. In 1 more tbsp. olive oil, sauté 8 oz. baby spinach – about 2-3 minutes. Remove into the bowl with other sautéd ingredients. 
   
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk 6 eggs. Add ½ cup whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream, whisk together, then, add sautéd ingredients, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and stir. Crumble 2 oz. goat cheese in dollops into the mixture and stir. Save 1 oz. of goat cheese for later.
   
4. Very liberally grease a 9½-inch quiche dish with butter, then pour quiche mixture into the dish. Add 1 more ounce of goat cheese globs on top, then bake on top rack for 40-45 minutes. Slice and serve.

Ponzu Marinated Radishes and English Cucumbers

Ponzu sauce is a citrusy soy sauce that is bright and exciting! You’ll find it in the Asian section of your food store. You can find it in different flavors, but my very favorite is Yuzu ponzu sauce – you know those big lemon-looking citrus fruits that capybaras soak with in steamy hot springs? Those are yuzu.

They actually more closely taste like grapefruit or mandarin orange than lemon, with a tart and fragrant aroma. You’ll love this citrusy, savory, crunchy side dish!

• 1 large English cucumber
• 5 red radishes
• ½ cup ponzu sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• sesame seeds – for garnish

1. Slice 1 large English cucumber into ⅔-inch-thick pieces and slice in half.
2. Thinly slice 5 radishes.
3. Place radishes and cucumbers in a sealable bag with ½ cup ponzu sauce and 1 tbsp. sesame oil. Refrigerate for 8-10 hours. Strain ponzu sauce and oil when done, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.

Garden-Herbed Potato Salad

This potato salad really does need to sit a while to shine! Once I made it, I was worried I added a bit too much parsley. No one wants a mouthful of leaves when eating potato salad.

But after letting it sit overnight, all of the herbs had deeply flavored the potatoes while still tasting light and fresh!

• 1½ pounds baby medley potatoes (multi-colored)
• 6 green onions
• ½ tsp. rosemary
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tbsp. chopped parsley 
• 3 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1. Slice 1½ pounds of potatoes in quarters, place in a pot of cold water, and boil for about 20 minutes until potatoes are tender but still a bit firm.
2. Place potatoes in a sealed container (or a bowl covered with a paper towel), and refrigerate until cool. About 1 hour.
3. Once potatoes are cool, thinly slice 6 green onions – using the white part, and just a bit of the green. Finely chop 1 tbsp. parsley, very finely mince ½ tsp. rosemary and remove 1 tsp. thyme leaves from stems. 
4. In a small mixing bowl combine 3 tbsp. mayonnaise and 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, herbs, green onion, and mixed sauce. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to sit overnight or at least 8 hours to allow the herbs to more deeply flavor the potatoes.

Balsamic Marinated Cherry Tomatoes with Dill

Look at these little balls of sunshine! Just 5 ingredients and so full of flavor! Be sure to use WHITE balsamic vinegar, and not dark, otherwise it won’t look so pretty.

This also is a recipe that really benefits from a few hours in the fridge – at least 6 hours. The onion pickles a little and the dill makes the entire recipe taste like a spring garden!

• 24 oz. yellow cherry tomatoes
• ½ oz. red onion
• 2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh dill

1. Sliced 24 oz. cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a container.
2. Slice ½ oz. red onion very thinly and add to the container
3. Very finely mince 1 tbsp. fresh dill, and add to the container.
4. Add 2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp. olive oil to the container and gently stir.
5. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) in a covered container to let the flavors marinate.

Cold Farro with Beets, Goat Cheese, and Mandarins

This is a very original dish, and so pretty Easter pink! Simply roast your beats, boil the farro, and cool them. Then, once cooled, it takes only about 5 minutes to prep and mix the other ingredients in!

Farro is a chewy, hearty grain that absorbs flavors wonderfully, so like the other recipes, feel free to let this one sit for a few hours in the fridge before serving.

• 1 bunch medium red beets
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 11 oz. can mandarin oranges in light syrup
• 1 tbsp. mandarin syrup – from the can
• 1 cup uncooked farro
• 4 oz. goat cheese crumbles
• 2 tsp. mint
• 2 oz. pea sprouts – or arugula
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce – or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• 2 cups water
• salt & pepper – just a sprinkle

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.). Peel and slice 1 bunch red beets into small bitesize pieces. Toss them in a mixing bowl with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay them on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Once done, refrigerate in a sealed container for at least 1 hour.

2. While beets roast, (check to be sure your farro cooking instructions match mine) bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Rinse 1 cup farro, then add to the pot once boiling. Boil for about 15 minutes. Once water is almost fully absorbed, reduce heat to a low simmer, stirring occasionally, and simmer for about 5 more minutes until water is fully absorbed. Remove into a container with a lid, add 2 tbsp. soy sauce, stir, and refrigerate.

3. Once beets and farro are cooled, in a mixing bowl, fluff farro and gently stir in beets. You want the beets to dye the farro a pretty pink.

4. Add 4 oz. blue cheese crumbles and stir. Add 1 tbsp. mandarin syrup and 11 oz. mandarins. Carefully stir so you don’t break them up.

5. Place 2 oz. pea sprouts into a bowl around the edges, pour farro on top, and serve.

No-Bake Salted Caramel Cheesecake

I thought I’d have enough slices to save at least one for later… nope. This disappeared fast. This is a show-stopping, light, fluffy, no-bake cheesecake, swirled with salted caramel, sprinkled with chocolate, and topped with cute little easter eggs.

I do wish I put the eggs on the edges right before serving since the colors faded a bit overnight into the cheesecake, but C’est la vie! It was still incredible, and no one seemed to mind.

This recipe was created in a 9-inch tart tin that is about 1 inch deep. If you want to use a larger cheesecake pan, instead of a tin, you will have to double the recipe, and the crumbs will go about ⅔rds up the sides of the pan.

For the Crust

• 6 tbsp. salted butter – melted
• 1½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs – about 20 wafers
• 2 tbsp. white granulated sugar

For the Cheesecake

• 16 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp. real vanilla extract
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. salted caramel 
• ½ cup Cadbury Mini Eggs

1. Place 16 oz. cream cheese out to soften. It should be about room temperature by the time you need it. Use a food processor to chop about 20 vanilla wafers until you have about 1½ cups of vanilla wafer crumbs once processed. In a mixing bowl, combine vanilla wafer crumbs with 6 tbsp. melted butter and 2 tbsp. white granulated sugar.
   
2. Pour the crumb mixture into the center of a 9-inch tart tin. Spread evenly on the bottom of the tin and up the sides. You want to pack it very tightly. I used a measuring cup to press it firmly into the bottom. To line the edges nicely, I find it helps to wrap cellophane over the sides and pinch with my fingers to keep it from overflowing over the top. Once ready, refrigerate while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
   
3. Add 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 2 tsp. cornstarch to a food processor (you could also use a hand mixer in a mixing bowl, or standing mixer, but it may splash out of the bowl a bit). Process on a puree setting until the cream stops splashing inside. This could take about a minute or a bit longer. 
   
4. Add whipped cream to a mixing bowl (or standing mixer with beaters) with softened cream cheese, 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. real vanilla extract, and ½ cup sugar. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to thoroughly mix ingredients. Remove tart tin from the refrigerator. Spoon the cheesecake mixture into the crust, gently pushing it to the edges but not up the sides. 
5. Swirl 1 tbsp. salted caramel around the top, then use a spoon to blend it into the top in a circular motion, leaving some unblended. Place ½ cup Cadbury Mini Eggs in a bag, and use a bowl, mallet or rolling pin to smash them into small pieces. Sprinkle along the edge of the crust, adding a few un-crushed eggs for decoration. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and serve.

A Sparkling Ginger Grapefruit Lillet Cocktail

This is so easy, and so enchanting! Just make a bottle of the ginger-grapefruit-Lillet mixer, pop it in the fridge, and when guests arrive, pour some prosecco, top with the mixer, and watch the sunshine beam from their faces!

• 2 bottles of Prosecco
• 1 cup Lillet Rose
• 2 cups ruby red grapefruit juice
• 2 ounces fresh ginger root

1. Peel and slice 2 ounces fresh ginger root. Place it in a food processor with 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice. On a purée setting, pulse until ginger is puréed into the juice.
2. Use either cheesecloth or a nut bag to strain juice into a container or bottle. Don’t squeeze too hard tho. You don’t want too much ginger spice.
3. Mix ginger grapefruit juice with 1 more cup juice, and 1 cup Lillet Rose. Refrigerate.
4. To make the cocktail, use 2 parts Prosecco and 1 part mixer.