Ambrosia

A great addition to an Easter buffet.  Feel free to substitute store bought marshmallows.  It won't make that much of a difference.

While this is not the classic Ambrosia salad served in the South, I have had it like this many times and love it.  Guess that's the child in me.  It reminds me of a fruit salad my mother used to make years ago.  Maybe it's time to revive that one.  Stay tuned...

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 6 ounces homemade mini marshmallows, approximately 3 cups
• 1 cup clementine orange segments, approximately 6 clementines
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1 cup freshly grated coconut
• 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries

Directions

Place the cream and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip until stiff peaks are formed. Add the sour cream and whisk to combine. Add the marshmallows, orange, pineapple, coconut, pecans and cherries and stir to combine. Transfer to a glass serving bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.


Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown, Food Network

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake With Strawberries

 

 

A great dessert for Easter Sunday. The only thing I would add is a heavy dose of homemade whipped cream!

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 3 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 tablespoons Amaretto
• Powdered sugar, for dusting
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

© 2012 Cooking Channel, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Giada de Laurentis

Easter Leftovers...Ham And Green Eggs

Try this for breakfast or brunch made with leftover ham from Easter.  Makes a great lunch entree also for The Ladies Who Lunch!

Don't forget to check out 10 Recipes for Leftover Ham  in Lindaraxa's Garden and the Smoked Ham, Gruyere & Caramelized Onion Frittata!

I have been asked to tag along with my friend Libby of Libby Wilkie Designs and visit Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday, so come along too!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted in microwave and liquids drained

1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream, eyeball it

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

8 slices ham or prosciutto di Parma

8 eggs


Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter and sweat the shallots a few minutes. Add the spinach and stir in the cream, season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Cook the spinach, stirring occasionally, until the cream has thickened, 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to your taste.

Fold each slice of ham or prosciutto in half and line the nonstick cups with 1 slice of meat each. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cooked spinach into each of the cups, then crack an egg into each, making sure it stays whole (hint - if you're worried about breaking the egg yolk, crack the egg into a small bowl first, then pour it into the muffin cup). Season the tops of the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bake in the oven until set, about 15 minutes. Allow the baked eggs to cool in the muffin cups for a couple of minutes before removing them from the pan. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy Rachel Ray

Cocktails On The Lake

A new tradition started this weekend with our neighbors and friends, my daughter and me...  cocktails on the lake at the end of the day.  I am so thrilled to me invited, they are all half my age!  Some of us get there early, fish for awhile and then come back to the dock to pick up the stragglers...or should I say, those who still work for a living.  My poor daughter has a long drive home and she's usually the last one to arrive, but what a great way to unwind!

I'm still recovering from last night so I didn't go back out today. I don't think I can handle this every evening, or every weekend for that matter...these kids can drink! Sometimes I forget I can't do the things I used to twenty years ago, but I'm still willing to try.  It's so much fun to be out with the young!

Leaving our cove

 

L'Heure Bleu, my favorite time of the day!

Here come the neighbors !

First customers

Wonder what they have for snacks...

Uhm, Cheetos, my favorite!

My new young friend!

Hey, it's getting late, kids must be getting hungry!

Nice people, let's come back tomorrow!

Happy Easter, y'all!

Curry Deviled Eggs

Adding a little curry powder to a basic recipe for deviled eggs makes them special.  This is always a staple on my Easter table!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. curry powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 small pinches of paprika

Directions:

Cook the eggs

Put the eggs in a saucepan and fill half full with water. Set over medium heat. When the water bubbles gently, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.

Let the eggs cool

Remove the saucepan from the heat and place it in the sink. Run cold water over the eggs until both the water and the pan feel cool. Let the eggs cool in the water for 10 minutes.

When the eggs are cool enough to handle, take them out of the water. Roll each egg on the work surface to crack the shell. Carefully peel off the eggshell.

Flavor the yolks

Put the eggs on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut each egg in half lengthwise. Use a soup spoon to scoop the yolks out of the eggs and into a bowl. Put the egg white halves on a serving platter and set aside.

Add the mayonnaise, curry powder and mustard to the bowl with the yolks. Use the spoon to mash them all together into a paste. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Mound the yolks

Carefully spoon a small mound of the yolk mixture back into each egg white half.

For each stuffed egg half, pick up a pinch of paprika and sprinkle it on the yellow part. Serve immediately.


Photo: Williams Sonoma

Almond Macaroon Galette With Strawberries

This is a fantastic and easy dessert  now that fresh strawberries are available everywhere.  If you haven't thought of an Easter dessert, this is it!

Ingredients


Serves 12

3 large egg whites

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 cups sliced blanched almonds, toasted and finely ground in a food processor

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1 1/2 pints strawberries (about 6 cups), hulls on

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon kirsch

3 tablespoons strawberry jam

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 325. Put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Beat in lemon zest. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until whites are glossy and hold a ribbon on surface. Fold in almonds.

2.Coat the inside of an 8 3/4-inch flan ring with cooking spray, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spoon batter into mold, and smooth top. Let stand 10 minutes. Place cake in oven; prop door open about 1/2 inch using a wooden spoon. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 300, and close door completely. Bake until pale golden and set, about 25 minutes. Unmold, and let cool completely on a wire rack.

3.Halve 8 to 10 strawberries lengthwise; set aside. Hull remaining strawberries, and cut each lengthwise into 4 slices. Toss slices with granulated sugar, kirsch, and lemon juice in a medium bowl; let stand at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours), stirring occasionally.

4.Heat jam in a small saucepan until thin. Brush over top of galette. Arrange reserved strawberry halves around edge, with hulls facing out. Working inward, arrange sliced strawberries in a circular pattern, with bottoms facing out, reserving smallest slices for center. Drizzle liquid from strawberries over top. Serve immediately, or let stand up to 2 hours to allow juices to soak into cake.

From Martha Stewart Living, April 2007

An Easter Lunch At The Lake

Image Williams Sonoma

One of the first menus I posted when I started the blog was the Easter Lunch I make every year, no matter where I am. Since most of you have never seen it, here it is, with a few additions:

To me, Easter is all about deviled eggs,baked ham, asparagus or new baby peas, strawberries and coconut cake. With that in mind, here is what I am going to make this year. The menu is for 12 people

Easter Lunch Menu

Mimosas

Deviled Eggs

Mrs. Adams' Baked Ham

Scalloped Potato Gratin

Asparagus or Petite Peas with Onion
Strawberry Salad Glace
Home Biscuits

Easter Egg Nest Cupcakes

Wines for Easter Lunch