Adelaide Mueller, our recipe tester for In the Small Kitchen, is a fellow quarter-life cook and blogger who believes that solid recipes make for delicious food. Professionally, Adelaide works in a separate field, but she frequently fits cooking and easy entertaining into after-work hours and weekends. She is trained in French cuisine and tests recipes for blogs and cookbooks. Here’s her expert menu for the weekend’s Easter holiday!
-Cara & Phoebe, THE QUARTER LIFE COOKS
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When I reminisce about Easter brunches past, I think about sliced leg of lamb with mint jelly, buttery popovers, crisp white wine or champagne and maybe even eggs Benedict or deviled eggs – your classic holiday brunch fare. Fruit tarts or spring cakes might be offered for dessert. All of which are delicious and comforting and traditional.
Why not serve a different meal this year? Use the basics and must-haves for Easter: lamb, mint, eggs, fruit, libations…and dress them up. These dishes will be an unexpected and pleasant surprise for your Easter brunch or buffet.
French Deviled Eggs are an excellent aperitif, and they go with Vodka Lemonade. Lamb, of course, is on the menu, with rosemary and garlic, its traditional flavorings, but serving the chops with a Feta and Herb Dipping Sauce instead of mint jelly is a delicious decision. Potatoes-roasted, mashed, boiled-are almost always served with lamb. Instead, I serve orzo. It’s a lighter option, enabling the flavors of the lamb to shine and not become muddled against a creamy puree. Kalamata olives give the orzo a brininess and the scallions give the orzo an aromatic edge.
And for the finale serve a springtime tart that looks as if you selected it from a gorgeous display window of a Parisian Patisserie! This is an impressive dessert, albeit not as difficult to prepare as one might think. -Adelaide Mueller
Vodka Lemonade Laced with Basil and Mint
Rosemary and Garlic Grilled Lamb Chops
