Easter recipes
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Poached Quail Egg Salad with Watercress and Tarragon
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Ingredients
Serves 6
18 quails' eggs
For the watercress and tarragon sauce:
2 oz (50 g) watercress, dried on kitchen paper
1 tbsp tarragon leaves
1 large egg
½ tsp salt
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1 level tsp mustard powder
4 fl oz (120 ml) groundnut oil
1 fl oz (25 ml) olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp lemon juice
Freshly milled black pepper
To serve:
4 oz (110 g) fresh watercress
2 oz (50 g) fresh rocket
A few chives, finely snipped
Method
Begin by poaching the eggs: fill a medium-sized frying pan with water to a depth of approximately 1½ inches (4 cm), then heat it to a temperature just sufficient to keep the water at a bare simmer. Then break the eggs, 5 or 6 at a time, into the simmering water and let them cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes.
If you find it hard to break the shells, carefully make a cut in the shell with a small serrated knife before you break them into the water. Then, use a draining spoon and a wad of kitchen paper underneath to lift them from the water and transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Then continue to cook the remaining eggs in the same way, and leave them in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to use them.
For the sauce, separate off the watercress leaves and discard the stalks. Now break the egg into a food processor or blender, add the salt, garlic, mustard powder and a few twists of freshly milled black pepper, then switch on to blend these together.
Now mix the oils in a jug and pour in a thin trickle through the hole in the top with the machine still switched on. When all the oil is in, add the vinegar, lemon juice, watercress and tarragon leaves, then blend again until the leaves are quite finely chopped.
To serve, arrange salad leaves on each plate and arrange 3 poached quails eggs in the centre of each one. Drizzle some of the sauce over the top of each salad, followed by a sprinkle of a few snipped chives.
Serve with crusty bread.
From Delia Smith
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Crisp Roast Duck with a Confit of Rhubarb and Ginger The richness of duck is always complemented by something sweet and acidic, so rhubarb is absolutely perfect. Line
Ingredients
Serves 6 Method
You need to start this recipe the day before to make sure the ducks are as dry as possible before you cook them. So, prepare them by removing and discarding the wrapping and giblets.
Then dry the ducks with a clean tea cloth and leave them uncovered on a plate in the fridge till needed.
To make the confit, place all the ingredients in a large saucepan, stir well, then bring everything up to simmering point. After that turn the heat down to its lowest and let it simmer gently, without a lid, for 45-50 minutes.
Don't stir it at any stage as this will make the pieces of rhubarb mushy and you want it to retain some texture.
It's ready when it is covered with a dark, sticky glaze and there should be no more than a tablespoon of liquid left at the end.
When you are ready to cook the ducks, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 8, 450°F (230°C). Then, using a small skewer, prick all over the skin of each duck, particularly between the legs and the breast.
Now, either place the ducks on the roasting rack or make a rack yourself for each one by crumpling some kitchen foil and placing it in the bottom of the roasting tin.
Season the ducks generously with sea salt and freshly milled black pepper, using quite a lot of salt, as this encourages crunchiness.
Now place the tin on the centre shelf of the pre-heated oven and roast the ducks for 1 hour and 50 minutes.
During the cooking time, using an oven glove to protect your hands, remove the tin from the oven and drain the fat from the corner of the tin. You will need to do this 3 or 4 times. The leftover duck fat is wonderful for roast potatoes so don't throw it away.
When the cooking time is up, allow the ducks to rest for 20 minutes or so, then carve and serve the duck with the confit and garnished with fresh watercress.
From Delia Smith
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Ingredients
Serves 4 Method
Heat the oven to 190ºC, 375ºF, Gas 5.
With a metal skewer, make deep holes all over the leg of lamb and coat the entire leg of meat with the mustard.
Mix the sugar and the rosemary together in a small bowl and press the mixture on top of the mustard, using the back of a spoon, again, ensuring that the meat is completely covered.
Place the meat into a baking tray with about half an inch of water in the bottom of the tray, cover the meat with foil, and slowly roast depending on the weight of the lamb.
Serve with roast potatoes and generous helpings of vegetables.
From BBCi Food Pages
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This was traditionally a gift made for Mothering Sunday but is now associated with the Easter feast. The cake is decorated with 11 marzipan balls thought to symbolise Christ's disciples. Line
Ingredients
6 oz butter or margarine Method
Heat oven to 180ºC, 350ºF, Gas Mark 4. Grease and line an 8" round cake tin.
Beat fat and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, with a little flour, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the salt and spice, add milk and syrup with a little more flour and mix well.
Fold in the remaining flour and fruit. Place half the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth level.
Divide the almond paste into two. Roll out one into an 8" round on sugared greaseproof paper, remove from paper and place on top of the cake mixture. Cover with the remaining cake mixture.
Bake for 1 hr then reduce the temperature to 140ºC, 275ºF, Gas Mark 1 and bake for a further 2½ hrs.
Allow cake to cool, divide the remaining almond paste in two. Roll one half into an 8" round, brush cake with apricot jam and place the paste on top. Roll the remaining paste into eleven small balls.
Brush the top of the cake with beaten egg and place the balls of paste round the edge then brush again with egg.
Place under a hot grill to brown the marzipan.
From Be-Ro Flour Home Recipes
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Hot cross buns! Line
Ingredients
(Makes 12) Method
Mix all the dry ingredients and the fruit in a large bowl. Then stir in the wet ingredients.
With your hand, mix and knead the dough until everything is well combined. It will be sticky!
Cover the bowl with a cloth and put in a warm place to rise for about two hours.
When the dough has doubled in size, knock it back and turn it out on to a floured board. Knead it again, using a little flour if necessary, until smooth, then divide dough into 12 pieces and lightly knead each one into a round bun.
Make sure the fruit is well tucked inside, or it will burn.
Put the buns on a baking sheet and allow to rise again for 40-50 minutes until double in size.
Meanwhile, make a small piece of dough from flour and water, roll it out and cut into narrow strips. Place these in crosses over the buns, then bake in a pre-heated oven 220ºC, 425ºF, Gas Mark 7 for 20-25 minutes.
Take the buns out of the oven and brush them with glaze made by dissolving the sugar in the milk.
From Thane Prince Bread, Cakes and Puddings
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Children love to make these as Easter gifts for their friends. Line
Ingredients
2 oz butter Method
Melt the butter with the syrup and stir in the chocolate powder, then mix in the cereal. Put spoonfuls into paper cake cases, forming into nest shapes, and top with one or two small sugar eggs. Allow to set in a cool place.
From Thane Prince Bread, Cakes and Puddings
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The perfect egg dessert for Easter Sunday. Line
Ingredients
¾ pint single cream Method
Start by making the custard. Heat the cream to boiling point. Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the tiny black seeds then stir these into the hot cream.
Mix the egg yolks with the 2 tbsps of sugar and then add the scalded cream.
Strain the mixture back into the saucepan and, over a very low heat and stirring constantly, cook the custard until it just coats the back of the spoon. It must not boil!
Strain the custard again and add the liqueur. Pour into a serving dish, cover with clingfilm, and put in the fridge.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then beat in the remaining sugar. Continue to beat the mixture until stiff and glossy.
Set a deep frying pan on the stove with about 1½" of boiling water and allow to simmer. The water should just tremble.
Using two dessert spoons shape 'islands' of meringue and gently drop them into the water. Poach the islands, four or five at a time, for 60 seconds then turn and cook the other side for a further 60 seconds. Remove from the water and drain on to a folded tea towel.
When they are all cooked carefully float them on the custard and, just before serving, sprinkle on the crystallised flowers.
From Thane Prince Bread, Cakes and Puddings
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At one time nuns were forbidden to eat chocolate because of its sexual reputation, and it is believed that Casanova thought hot chocolate was the 'elixir of love' and drank it instead of champagne. In the 18th Century, French doctors prescribed chocolate to their lady patients for a broken heart. If all this is making your mouth water why not try this recipe! Line
Ingredients
Equal quantities of good quality dark chocolate and double or whipping cream Method
Finely chop your chocolate to achieve an even melting. Try and get all pieces the same size. If you are only making a small quantity, the finer the chocolate is chopped up the better as it will help to bring it up to room temperature, around 20°C, before you start.
Cut your unsalted butter into small hazelnut-sized pieces and again bring it up to room temperature. But do not allow it to melt.
Warm your mixing bowl to about 37°C or a little higher.
Heat your whipping or double cream gently until just boiling. Immediately drizzle ¼ into the centre of your chocolate. Firmly mix this to start the cream (ganache), add a little more cream at a time, gradually working outwards as the mixture develops, just like mayonnaise.
Blend in your softened butter when your mixture is just about 37°C. You must obtain the consistency of mayonnaise to ensure a perfect final result when you pop the truffle into your mouth! Cool your mixture at 15°C, overnight is best.
Form your desired shape then dip into liquid chocolate if you want to keep the truffles for more than two days and finally roll in cocoa powder. Or simply roll in cocoa powder and eat.
From The Chocolate Society
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2 x 4 lb (1.8 kg) Gressingham ducks
Fresh watercress, to garnish
Ssea salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the rhubarb and ginger confit:
1 lb 2 oz (500 g) rhubarb, cut into ¾ inch (2 cm) chunks
1 heaped tsp of finely grated fresh ginger
17 fl oz (500 ml) dry cider
5 fl oz (150 ml) cider vinegar
4½ oz (125 g) golden caster sugar
You will also need a large roasting tin measuring 14 x 10 x 2 inches (3.5 x 25.5 x 5 cm) and a roasting rack or some kitchen foil.
1 leg of lamb
½ small jar English mustard
7oz brown sugar
Sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
6 oz soft brown sugar
3 medium eggs
9 oz self raising flour
pinch of salt
½ tsp mixed spice
5 tbsps milk
2 tsps golden syrup
1 lb currants
2 oz raisins
4 oz sultanas
1 oz quartered glacé cherries
4 oz chopped mixed peel
1 lb almond paste
apricot jam
beaten egg to glaze
Hot cross buns!
One a penny!
Two a penny!
Hot cross buns!
12 oz strong white flour
2 oz light muscovado sugar
2 tsps mixed spice
½ tsp salt
2 packets easy blend yeast
2 oz sultanas
2 oz chopped mixed peel
6 fl oz mixture of warm milk and water
1 egg, beaten
2 oz butter, melted
to finish:
flour
water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsps golden syrup
2 oz drinking chocolate powder
3 oz puffed rice cereal
Small sugar eggs such as Cadbury's mini eggs
2" piece of vanilla pod or ½ tsp of good vanilla essence
3 medium eggs, separated
2 tbsps caster sugar
2 tbsps orange liqueur
4 oz caster sugar
crystallised rose and violet petals to decorate
An optional addition is a small amount of unsalted butter which gives the truffles a longer shelf life
Cocoa powder
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Crisp Roast Duck with a Confit of Rhubarb and Ginger Poached Quail Egg Salad with Watercress and Tarragon Send a recipe
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Copyright (c) 2000-2001 Sue Kelly. Tastes Of Home