Rise and Shine Recipes
by Kate Wicker in Food on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 6:00 AM
(Ed. note: Today we’re sharing the Easter brunch recipes Kate Wicker included in her What’s Cooking feature in the Spring 2010 issue of Faith & Family magazine. We hope they will inspire you and your family to celebrate in a glorious way this Easter season.)
Fr. Leo’s Warm Lemon and Mint Cream With Fruit
Father Leo Patalinghug is the faith-filled foodie behind Grace Before Meals, a movement that strives to build stronger families and communities one meal at a time. He’s also one good cook. Fr. Leo generously shared this recipe and the strata recipe on the next page; both would make perfect additions to any Easter brunch menu.
4 cups assorted fruit
(strawberries, raspberries,
blueberries, etc.)
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons fresh mint leaves,
finely minced
10-12-ounce can evaporated milk
10-12-ounce can sweetened
condensed milk
(Optional: crushed graham crackers
or dark chocolate shavings for garnish)
Melt butter in large saucepan. Add lemon juice, zest, and mint to flavor the butter. Add the flour, and whisk together thoroughly. Be careful to control the heat. Remove from heat, if necessary, to avoid “cooking” the flour. Once flour and butter are fully incorporated into a thick roux, add the evaporated milk and continue to whisk. Add the condensed milk, and whisk. Return to low heat to warm all the way through. Pour the warm cream over the fresh fruit, and serve slightly warmed. You can also top the fruit with crushed graham crackers or shaved chocolate. Garnish with a sprig of mint leaves.
Ham and Cheese Quiche
This is a super easy quiche recipe. Use ham if you like — or get creative. My kids love a spinach and feta quiche. Just add a 10-ounce package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained, to the egg mixture.
4 eggs
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
(substitute cheddar, if you prefer)
1 cup half and half
1 cup diced cooked ham
Dash of salt, pepper, and nutmeg
Prepared pie crust
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Puncture pie crust with a fork, and bake for about 10 minutes. Whisk eggs in a bowl. Beat in remaining ingredients. Fill pie crust, and bake until golden brown, about 35-45 minutes.
Quiche variations: Add one or more of the following: bacon, mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of chopped chives, chopped tomatoes, etc.
Grace Before Meals Strata
Father Leo says this strata recipe can easily serve 12 to 14 people, making it a perfect dish for a big family gathering.
14 slices white bread
(with or without crust)
2 cups cream cheese (melted soft)
1 cup melted butter
8 eggs, beaten
4 cups whole milk
1 cup maple syrup
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
Coat a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the dish with seven pieces of bread (if necessary, cut the bread so that it covers the entire bottom of the dish).
Spread the melted (or softened) cream cheese over top of the bread. Cover the cream cheese with the rest of the bread.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, and season with salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, melted butter, and milk. Pour the mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic, and let rest in a refrigerator overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300 degrees and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top becomes a buttery golden brown.
Potatoes Eileen
These are my mom’s signature potatoes, and while she always says, “They’re nothing fancy,” they sure are delicious. They would make a tasty side for a brunch or a traditional Easter ham dinner.
5 pounds Idaho potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Generous amount of garlic powder
1 1/2 to 2 sticks butter
Diced onions (optional)
Cooking spray
Peel and cut potatoes into chunks (Mom usually quarters them).
Coat glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray. Season potatoes with salt, pepper, and a generous amount of garlic powder, and layer in dish. Add chunks of one stick of butter.
Bake potatoes at 350 degrees for at least two hours, stirring every half hour and adding 1/2 to 1 stick more butter (do not skimp on the butter; this is Easter, folks). If you prefer crispier potatoes, turn oven temperature up to 400 degrees for the last half hour.
Merrell’s Sticky Buns
“The main, must-have item is a family recipe for homemade sticky buns,” says Kris Chatfield, a mom of five. “This is something I remember from my earliest holiday memories, helping my mom in the kitchen, punching and rolling dough, and sprinkling cinnamon. They’re labor-intensive, but well, well worth it.”
1/2 cup warm water
3 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups lukewarm mild
(scald then cool to lukewarm)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
7 to 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
Cinnamon
Sift flour. Dissolve yeast in water; add milk, white sugar, salt, eggs, 1/2 cup butter, and half of sifted flour to yeast mix. Mix with spoon until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to handle easily; the dough should not be gummy. Knead dough on lightly floured board until smooth. Form dough into a round ball and place in greased bowl; cover with cloth. Let rise in warm place until doubled in size — about 1 1/2 hours. To create the ideal warm atmosphere for the bread to rise, turn on the oven to about 250 degrees and put the bowl in the oven for about 10 minutes. Then turn oven off and leave bowl in for the remainder of the time.
After 1 1/2 hours, punch dough down; let rise again until almost doubled again, about 30 minutes. During last 30 minutes, melt 1 1/2 sticks butter and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar in saucepan. Add about 1 1/4 cups of the chopped pecans to the pan. Set aside.
Divide the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of 3 9-inch-round cake pans, then divide the dough into thirds. Roll out each third on a floured surface until it’s a rectangle, approximately 8 inches by 12 inches. Brush with melted butter and brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle dough with cinnamon and pecans. Cut roll crosswise into about 1/2-inch slices. Place buns on the cake pans by starting around the edge of the pan first, filling in towards the center. Repeat this with the other two sections of dough. After all dough is in pans, cover pans and let rise again for about 30 minutes.
Set oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25 minutes. Cool a few minutes, and immediately turn pans onto three plates. Put plate on top of pan and flip pan over. Be sure to scrape all the good, gooey stuff out of the pan and drizzle it over the rolls.
The rolls can be made ahead of time, which Kris recommends so you won’t be shackled to the kitchen come Easter. Prepare and bake according to directions, and then wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Store in the refrigerator for one to two days, or pop them in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw frozen rolls. When ready to serve, open tin foil and sprinkle tops of rolls with a little water, reseal the foil, and reheat for about 20 minutes in a 300-degree oven.
Dark Chocolate Chip Scones
You have to have some chocolate on Easter, especially since many families give up sweets during Lent. These scones are always delicious, but they taste even better after enduring a dearth of chocolate.
2/3 cup whipping cream
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark chocolate chips
(We use the big kind, but regular
or mini-sized chips are fine, too.*)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat scone pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray. Beat egg and cream, and set aside. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter, cutting it in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse sand. Gently stir in sugar and chocolate chips. Stir in cream mixture with fork until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about five times. If you have a scone pan (definitely worth the investment if you’re a scone fan), distribute dough evenly into compartments. Otherwise, divide dough into about eight equal-sized triangles. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until medium brown. Let cool 20 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.
*For a healthier variety, substitute 1 cup frozen blueberries. Dust with flour before adding to dough mixture.
— Senior writer Kate Wicker, a mom of three, celebrates in style at her home in Georgia. Find her online at KateWicker.com
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