Easter Made Easy: Menu, shopping list and recipes

Celebrating Easter in a delicious way means choosing quality ingredients that have been prepared with care. We suggest a Brunch menu that is simple to prepare and very tasty. The following easy recipes are perfect for entertaining.

Easter Brunch Menu

Main

Mustardy Glazed Ham
Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Maple Syrup Pearls
Mélange of Baby Vegetables

Dessert

Cheese plate with nuts and condiments
Plate of mixed fine chocolate
Fruit salad

Shopping list

Ham
Eggs
Mixed vegetables
Smoked salmon
Fruit for the salad

At Pêches & Poivre we can help you find the products you will need to make this meal a success. We suggest you use these flavourful ingredients:

Rootham’s Marmalade
Mrs. Bridges Dijon Mustard
Oleum Priorat Olive Oil
Maple Dale award-winning 5 year old Cheddar and/or wine soaked old cheddar
Back Forty Flower Station and/or Bonnechere raw ewe’s milk cheeses
Glengarry, Nevis and/or Lankaaster cheeses
Les Folies Bergères Chèvre
Condiments (chutneys, Michael Dolce jams, and others)
Fine Chocolate (Hummingbird, Ludwig fine chocolate, 2 Friends)

RECIPES

Mustardy Glazed Ham* (serves 16 to 20)

This recipe can be made a day ahead, if refrigerated, and can be reheated at 300F wrapped in foil for about 30 minutes.

It can be served warm or at room temperature.

1 (7-9 pound) bone-in smoked ham
2 bay leaves

The Orange-Honey-Mustard Glaze

¾ cup orange marmalade
¾ cup (packed) brown sugar
½ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon whole cloves (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300F. Cut the netting off the ham and rinse the ham under cold water. Cut of and discard the tough outer skin and some of the fat, leaving a ¼ inch-thick-layer. Place the ham in a large roasting pan and make long parallel cuts ¼ inch deep and 1 inch apart all over the fatty side. Repeat the opposite side. Place the ham in the oven uncovered for 1 hour.

The make the glaze, combine the marmalade, brown sugar, mustard and honey in a bowl with a fork.

Remove the ham from the oven and increase the heat to 350 F. You can stud the ham with the cloves, inserting one at each crosshatch. With a wide pastry brush, generously brush the entire ham with about half of the glaze and return it to the oven. Cook for another 45-60 minutes brushing with the glaze every 20 minutes. Let rest covered for at least 30 minutes and serve.

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Maple Syrup Pearls (serves 6)

This recipe will take about 30 minutes to prepare and to cook.

1 tbsp butter
6 eggs
1/3 cup whipping cream
¼ pound Smoked Salmon sliced in julienne
2 tbsp (or more to taste) of Maple Syrup Pearls
salt and pepper to taste
parsley to garnish

In a skillet over medium heat melt the butter. In a bowl, mix together eggs and cream then pour the mixture in the skillet. Cook the eggs over medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon making sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once the eggs are cooked, set aside and stir in half of the smoked salmon, keeping the other half aside.

Transfer equally in 6 small individual serving bowls and decorate with the salmon set aside, the Maple Syrup Pearls and a sprig of parsley. Serve warm.

Mélange of Baby Vegetables* (serves 12)

Choose your favorite vegetables according to what is available at this time of year to make this dish. We suggest:

1 pound baby carrots, halved lengthwise
½ pound baby spring turnips halved
1 pound mixed zucchini cut into ½ inch strips
1 pound of asparagus diagonally cut into 4-inch sections
1 red bell pepper sliced ¼ inch wide strips
1 yellow bell pepper sliced ¼ inch wide strips
1 bunch Swiss chard, stem and 4 inches of the green, chopped
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3-1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
4 lemons, cut into wedges, for garnish

In a large skillet over high heat, melt 1 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp oil, until bubbly. Add the red and yellow peppers first and sauté until softened and browned, about 3 minutes stirring constantly. Adding equal parts butter and oil as you go, next add the carrots and turnips and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened. Then add the asparagus and zucchini, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Then add the chard. Cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until nice and hot, 5 to 10 minutes. You want all the vegetables to be just tender and heated thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt, toss to distribute, and then transfer right away to a serving dish. Cool at room temperature. Arrange the lemon wedges around the outside of the serving dish.