One of the hallmark events of spring is the Easter Sunday brunch. Instead of heading to the nearest restaurant and fighting the crowds – not to mention spending a great deal of money – invite your family and friends over for an elegant Easter brunch made in the comfort of your own kitchen. Enjoy our great brunch recipes!
Easter brunch made easy
No need to stress about finding the time to assemble an impressive Sunday feast, fixing a couple of dishes a day or two before the big morning as well as scrumptious recipes that are quick to the table will make your brunch a truly enjoyable experience. In addition to choosing food that showcases an array of colors, textures, and tastes, decorate your dining area with crisp pastel tablecloths and napkins and beautiful bouquets of spring flowers.The following menu has something delicious for everyone and is best served buffet style.
Elegant Easter brunch extras
In addition to the sumptuous recipes below, set your buffet table with a variety of breakfast extras.• Baby spinach and fresh mint salad with brie, ripe raspberries, toasted walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette
• A bowl of juicy fresh fruit, including melon balls, quartered peaches and mandarin orange slices
• A bowl of whole milk plain, lemon or vanilla yogurt swirled with honey
• A bowl of granola, tender dried fruit and nuts
• Two or three juices – apple, tomato, or orange – each in their own pitchers.
• Croissants, toasted slices of artisan breads or English muffins with flavored butters
• A teapot of hot water with an assortment of teas
• A carafe of black coffee with cream, flavored syrups and other sweeteners
Boysenberry Thyme Scones
Serves 8Scones are the perfect compliment for a midmorning coffee or tea. Even though scones are easy to bake – comprised of simple ingredients – they are still a gourmet choice for breakfast or brunch. Adding the unusual combination of fresh thyme and boysenberry preserves makes these scones even more epicurean. Make these scones the same morning you are serving them – you can have them ready in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup boysenberry preserves
1 tablespoon whole milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Stir in cream to form dough, careful not to over-mix. In a small bowl, combine thyme, lemon and preserves. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten the center making a small well.
2. Pour preserves mixture over dough and knead a few times to swirl preserves through dough. Form into a flattened disk and use a sharp knife to cut into 8 wedges. Place scones on a baking sheet and brush with milk. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until scones are golden. Serve warm with butter.
Prosciutto and Wild Mushroom Quiche
Serves 8A generous wedge of a warm cheesy quiche punctuated with Italian ham and gourmet mushrooms makes a Sunday brunch special. Using a ready-made pie crust will save you time as will making the quiche a day or two in advance – just reheat in the oven and serve.
Ingredients:
Ready-made 10-inch pie crust
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
8 ounces fresh Chanterelle mushrooms or other wild mushroom
4 ounces prosciutto, cut into matchsticks
6 eggs
2 cups half and half
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 10-inch pie, quiche or tart pan with crust, neatly crimping the edges. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and cook onion and mushrooms, stirring often, until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in prosciutto, remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, salt, pepper and Worcestershire until well-blended. Stir in the cheese and onion-mushroom mixture. Pour over crust and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Smoky Chicken Corn Chowder
Serves 8Creamy with sweet and savory notes of flavor, a warm bowl of this blissful soup will give your guests something to talk about. Rotisserie chicken and jarred roasted red peppers make this chowder a quick fix. Save yourself even more time on brunch morning by preparing chowder up to two days ahead. Reheat in a stockpot on medium-low and serve.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 strips turkey bacon, diced
1 red onion, diced
2 roasted red or yellow peppers, diced
3 cups finely chopped roasted chicken, white and dark meat
3 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1 cup milk
Directions:
1. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and cook turkey bacon and onion, stirring often, until bacon is crisp and onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in roasted pepper, chicken, 2 cups corn kernels, salt, Italian seasoning and cayenne. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil then lower heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. In a blender, puree remaining corn kernels with half and half and milk. Pour into stockpot with chicken mixture and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer until ingredients are heated through. Be sure to keep chowder at a low simmer and avoid boiling once the half and half and milk has been added. Serve garnished with a dollop of crème fraiche or sour cream.
Poached Salmon with Roasted Asparagus
Serves 8A quintessential brunch favorite, poached salmon resounds the coming of spring, especially when served with toothsome roasted spears of asparagus. Poached salmon can be served warm or at room temperature. It is best when made the same day it will be served.
For the salmon:
2 pounds boneless, skinless salmon fillet, cut into 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
For the asparagus:
32 stalks asparagus, ends trimmed
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Season salmon with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir together wine and butter until butter melts. Place salmon in skillet and bring liquid to a boil. Cover and poach for 3 minutes. Use tongs to carefully turn salmon, cover skillet and cook 2 minutes or until salmon is just cooked through and flakes easily when pressed with the back of a fork.
2. Transfer salmon to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Reserve the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, place asparagus on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning every 5 minutes, until tender and slightly charred. Transfer to serving platter alongside the salmon and spoon the reserved cooking liquid over the salmon and asparagus.
Acai Berry Mimosa
Serves 8The latest buzzword for anti-oxidant rich fruits is acai, making this trendy variation on the mimosa an impressive brunch drink, especially for the health-conscious. R.W. Knudsen has a large variety of organic juices – including acai berry – giving you the opportunity to enjoy even more variations on this classic brunch beverage. For the traditionalists, replace the acai berry juice with orange juice. Mimosas can also be served iced in larger glasses.
Ingredients:
1 bottle chilled champagne
1 (32-ounce) bottle chilled organic acai berry juice
8 strawberries
4 thinly cut orange slices, halved
Directions:
Pour champagne into 8 champagne flutes until flutes are half-full. Pour juice into flutes until nearly full. Fit a strawberry and half of an orange slice to the side of each glass and serve immediately.
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