Once again…our lilac tree is bursting forth and I’m up to my little ears in planning Easter Dinner. Even though I’m a lapsed Lutheran, a few religious days have stuck like glue! For me, those days are wrapped around remembering traditions of making and eating delicious food.
We haven’t gotten into dying eggs in our house but I always think of the fun my sister and I had making them with our mom. Then there was the Easter Bunny…kind of like Santa except we left out a carrot and a glass of milk before going to bed rather than a shortbread cookie and knowing my dad, the guy responsible for eating those offerings, probably a glass of something other than milk!
Easter dinner dessert meant “Daffodil Cake,” a recipe mom probably tore out of the newspaper and that I was commandeered to make. I can’t tell you how many colourful little gumdrop flower decorations I made for those cakes over the years!
What is it about deviled eggs anyway? I think they were and are one of the best things, perched prettily on their special gold-trimmed, blue, deviled egg plate, with the finishing touch of freshly snipped chives from the garden.
Joe and I have our own traditions created along the way, like making hot crossed buns, eating new crop French Breakfast radishes, sliced and placed on buttered bread, with just a sprinkling of sparkly sea salt and asparagus…there has to be asparagus!
An especially important tradition is cooking a special “Easter Sunday” dinner, whether we have company or not. The menu this Sunday will be a rack of veal, covered with a layer thin pancetta slices, served with rosemary scented, wine infused jus and spoonful’s of creamy potato gratin or pommes Anna (which one to choose, is the big question). We will start our celebratory “Easter” meal with asparagus soup, because other than eggs, asparagus simply screams spring. As for dolce…we need something the Easter Bunny will like…so individual creamy cheesecakes, topped with mini Easter eggs…we do we need some chocolate after all! Must remember to leave out one for him!
Helpful link to my recipe for asparagus soup, click here.
