Make Easter
Dinner Special
Organization and planning can
help make your Easter dinner a
success. Select recipes that can be
partially prepared in advance and
supplement your “from scratch”
menu components with high qual
ity prepared foods.
The dairy association suggests
an Easter menu that is flexible and
easy.
Roasted Leg of Lamb or
Baked Ham
Buttery Asparagus Saute
Wild Rice Pilaf
Hot Cross Buns with Cream
Cheese Frosting
Lemon Cream Tiramisu
Lamb or ham is a traditional
main dish for Easier. The prepara
tion options are many;
• Rub lamb with dried or fresh
herbs such as rosemary, thyme,
and marjoram before roasting.
• Coat lamb with Dijon-slyle
mustard and buttered bread
crumbs before roasting.
• Purchase a pre-cooked ham so
all you have to do is heal it through
before serving.
• Order the ham baked and
sliced from the supermarket, local
carry-out or a restaurant and spend
a few minutes garnishing the plat
ter with fresh herbs.
• Add a special touch to the ham
by brushing with cherry preserves
or orange marmalade during the
last 10 minutes of baking.
• Purchase a boneless lamb roast
or ham it’s easier to carve and
serve whether on a buffet or at the
dinner table.
The recipes for the menu sug
gested by the Dairy Association
are included in this column, which
also includes many wonderful
recipes from our readers.
BUTTERY ASPARAGUS
SAUTE
1 pound asparagus, cut into
1-inch pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut
into short thin strips
'A cup sliced shallots or chopped
onions
3 tablespoons butter
'A tcapoon sail
'/■ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
In large skillet over medium
heat, cook asparagus, bell pepper,
and shallots in butter until aspara
gus is crisp-tender, about 5
minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season with salt, nutmeg, and pep
per. Serve immediately.
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please share
them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you
include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingre
dients and clear instructions with each recipe you submit.
Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O.
Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522 Recipes should reach our office
one week before publishing date
April
10- Peanut Butter Recipes
17- Cooking With Eggs
24- Basic Mix Recipes
May
Home On The Benge
HOT CROSS BUNS WITH
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
4'/j to 5 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
A cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
'A teaspoon ground cardamom
'A teaspoon cloves
'A teaspoon nutmeg
VA cups milk
'A cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
A cup currants or raisins
'A cup candied orange peel,
optional
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 table
spoons water
Frosting:
3-ounces cream cheese,
softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon milk
Combine 2 cups flour, yeast,
granulated sugar, salt, and spices
in large mixer bowl. Heat milk and
butter to very warm. Add to flour
mixture. Beat on medium speed
for 1 minute. Add eggs, beat 1
minute.
Stir in currants, orange peel, and
enough remaining flour to make
dough easy to handle. Turn onto
lightly floured work surface and
knead until smooth and clastic,
about 5 minutes, adding additional
(lour as needed. Place in buttered
bowl, turning to butter top. Cover;
let rise in warm place until doubled
in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down
dough; turn onto lightly floured
surface. Divide dough in half;
divide each half into 9 pieces.
Form each piece into smooth
round ball.
Place balls of dough in two but
tered 8-inch square baking pans.
Cover; let rise in warm place until
doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes
to 1 hour. Brush lightly with egg
yolk mixture. Bake rolls in pre
heated 375 degree oven, 20 to 25
minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from pans. Cool on wire
rack. For frosting, beat cream
cheese and confectioners’ sugar
until smooth. Add milk as desired
for drizzling consistency. Drizzle
frosting across top of each bun in
the shape of a cross.
High-Calcium Recipes
Add a special touch to your Easter meal with homemade Hot Cross Buns with
Cream Cheese Frosting. These buttery, yeast-raised rolls can be baked weeks ahead
and frozen.
JELLY BEAN COOKIES
A cup butter
'A cup granulated sugar
A cup light brown sugar
1 egg
A teaspoon baking soda
A teaspoon baking powder
A teaspoon salt
A teaspoon vanilla
1/* cups flour
A cup rolled oats
1 cup miniature jelly beans
Cream together butter and
sugars. Beal in egg, baking soda,
baking powder, salt, and vanilla.
Stir in flour and oats. Add jelly
beans. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Drop batter by rounded spoonfuls
about 2 inches apart on lightly
greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to
12 minutes or lightly brown.
Makes 3 to ZA dozen.
Contributor writes that she dou
bles the recipe at Easter lime
because the cookies disappear so
quickly.
Marjorie Wertman
Co.
Featured Recipe
Hop to it: You can compete with the Easter Bunny this year when it
comes to creating a basketful of good taste. Pistachio Swirl Easter
Bread doubles as a delightful treat and a colorful centerpiece.
Rich with homemade goodness, this luscious loaf is wonderfully
easy to make. Within frozen bread dough and the most basic of ingre
dients are treasures of color and taste: orange peel, tangy lemon glaze
and plenty of rich, crunchy pistachios.
PISTACHIO SWIRL EASTER BREAD
1 cup natural pistachios, finely chopped in food processor or blender
1 egg
'/i cup sugar
'A cup butter, softened
VA tablespoons finely chopped orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
'/< teaspoon salt
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed until soft and puffy
1 egg while, bealed with 1 tablespoon water
Mix pistachios with egg, sugar, butter, orange peel, vanilla and salt;
set aside. Roll out dough on floured board to 12x9-inch rectangle
(dough will feel elastic and want to pull back). Spread pistachio mix
ture onto rectangle, leaving Vi -inch border at edges. Roll up dough,
starting from long side. Transfer to oiled, 12-inch pizza pan. Carefully
shape into ring, then seal ends together, wetting dough with water if
necessary. With kitchen shears or knife, snip into or slice dough ring at
V* to 1-inch intervals, culling from outside edge towards center but not
quite all the way through. Gently pull apart and turn each slicxe to face
up and brush ring with egg wash.
i Place in warm place for 30 to 60 minutes to let rise until soft and puf
, fy. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.; bake for 17 minutes or until goden,
covering loosely with foil if it browns 100 quickly. Cool; drizzle with
glaxe of 1 cup powdered sugar mixed with 4 to 5 teaspoons lemon
juice. Garnish with extra chopped pistachios.
lV