Lemon-Poppyseed Scones

Living in England as a teenager, I came to love scones at an early age.  Fresh from the oven with a piping hot cup of herbal tea is such a special treat and comfort to me.  That said, I've always been wary of pastries and things that involve skills like cutting in butter or pulsing to just the right consistency.  Typically my Easter scones are store-bought.  Well, not this year!  This year I found a recipe that promised to be fool-proof and delicious and I was determined to make my own.  I'm so glad I did, because these were well worth the effort and there are plenty of leftovers for my teatime treats later this week!

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup (or more) whole milk

Preheat oven to 375°F. Position rack in top third of oven.  Mix flour, 1 cup sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, lemon peel, and salt in processor.  Add butter and cut in, pulsing, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk egg and lemon juice in medium bowl to blend. Add to flour mixture. Pulse until moist clumps form.  Add 1/3 cup milk. Pulse just until dough comes together, adding more milk if dough seems dry.  Using floured hands, gather dough into ball.  Flatten into 8-inch round.  Cut round into 8 wedges.  Transfer scones to large baking sheet; brush with milk.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake until scones are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. 

Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.  

Serve warm plain, buttered, or with fruit preserves (I'm a fan of raspberry!).

Quiche Lorraine

Last year when I invited my mom to our house for Easter and told her I was thinking about serving quiche, she nearly had a heart attack!  Growing up, I never liked quiche and adamantly refused to eat it on the (many) occasions my mom served it.  Imagine Mom's surprise when I told her I was going to completely change my typical East brunch menu to feature a dish I claimed to hate.  My mom had a great recipe at her house, but since that was three hours away, we combined was she could recall from the recipe with a basic quiche from Julia Child.  The result was a hit.  And I ate two helpings!  Now, this quiche is becoming an Easter tradition!

1 9-inch piecrust, frozen or homemade

6 strips bacon

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons

1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Place piecrust in a pie pan and bake 5 minutes.  Leave the oven on.

Chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces.  Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp.  Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from skillet and let drain on a paper-towel lined plate.  Pour off all but two tablespoons bacon drippings remaining in skillet.  Saute onion in drippings until translucent.

When the piecrust is done, layer the bacon, onion, and cheeses over the partly baked pie crust.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Pour over the cheese mixture in the pie crust.

Bake the quiche for 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350, and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes longer.

Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8.

Strawberry Sparkler

Easter Brunch is just one of those meals that requires a special cocktail.  I wanted something fun and refreshing, but also something colorful, like an Easter Egg this year.  I'm not a huge fan of champagne, but the sparkly stuff does lend itself well to brunch beverages.  So, I went rooting around in my fridge, did a little internet searching for inspiration, and came up with this lovely drink!  It reminded me of a pink tulip and tasted just like Springtime!  This is the perfect signature cocktail for a bridal shower, spring luncheon, or for no reason at all!  Enjoy...and Happy Easter!

2 cups hulled strawberries

1/4 cup orange juice

1 bottle chilled Prosecco or other dry sparkling wine

Mint sprigs, whole strawberries, and orange slices for garnish

In a blender, puree strawberries and orange juice until smooth. In a pitcher, combine strawberry puree and prosecco.  Stir gently. Serve garnished with sprigs of mint and additional whole strawberries and orange slices.

This Month: Easter Brunch

It seems as though I've hosted Easter the last couple of years.  However, this year was just the four of us.  With two little guys, Easter is exciting.  This year, since my husband was out of town (with the kids) during Holy Week and I was working, it was a tad bit hectic and I had to make some concessions when it came to normal traditions.  The timing simply didn't work out...and I was too exhausted...to dye Easter Eggs and put out carrots for the Bunny Saturday night.  Instead, I bought plastic eggs and filled them with chocolates while the boys were out of town.  I prepped brunch the night before Easter too, and we went to early Mass (hello 7:00!) instead of the normal time so I could max out on "relaxing" on my one day off in a nine-day period.  I repeated my brunch menu from last year, and it was a hit once again!  I set the table with butter yellow, sky blue, cream, and taupe linens and dishes.  The colors just say "Spring" to me, and of course I love my bunny plates!  Two $6 bunches of tulips in dollar vases and my table was complete!

Strawberry Sparkler

Lemon-Poppyseed Scones

Quiche Lorraine

Mixed Berry Salad

Summertime Strawberry Pie

OK, so I made this pie several times this spring and summer...but only managed to get pictures from the Easter pie.  That's how quickly this tasty dessert gets gobbled up around here!  This pie is easy and fast to make, super refreshing, bright and colorful, and oh so delicious!  My little brother would a whole pie in one sitting if my mama would let him!  Oh yeah, and there are only about a million variations based on your fruit preferences, so go ahead and experiment; you won't be disappointed!

1 pre-baked shortbread pie crust (or make your own, but then you won't be able to eat as fast!)

1 1/2 - 2 quarts fresh strawberries

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons strawberry jello

Cool Whip

Mix water, sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring often, until thickened (this happens quickly, so keep an eye on it!).  Add jello, stir to combine, then set aside to cool completely.

Fill pie shell with sliced strawberries.  Pour cooled jello mixture over fruit.  Chill in the refrigerator until set, a couple of hours.  Once set, top with cool whip, cut, and serve!

Variations:

~Use a combination of blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries along with the strawberry jello

~Use sliced peaches and peach jello

~Use sliced peaches with strawberry jello

~Mix and match your favorite fresh fruit with your favorite jello flavor

Orange-Upside Down French Toast

This was a favorite breakfast growing up.  Especially for my older brother!  Living in California, thousands of miles from my family, the holidays are hard.  Whipping up a family recipe, from the cookbook my mama made me when I was in college, always takes me back East, where I can soak up the nostalgia just as this French toast soaks up the orangey, eggy goodness!  This is simple enough for any Sunday breakfast, yet elegant enough for a holiday brunch.  I served it for Easter breakfast this year, along  with fresh berries and piping hot sausage patties!

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

4 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup orange juice

8 slices cinnamon-raisin bread

Melt butter in a 10x15 jelly pan.  Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on melted butter.  Ensure it's evenly distributed in bottom of pan.

Mix eggs and juice.  Dip bread to soak.  Arrange in pan.

Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

Serves 4.

Summer Fruit Crostata

For Easter, I like to make lamb, but I'm not a fan of the "traditional" version with mint jelly.  Instead, I make a Mediterranean version of lamb kebabs with couscous and a tomato-feta salad.  This year, I tried this recipe for our dessert and Hubs and I both loved it!  Light, summery, and full of flavor...

For the pastry (makes two crostatas):

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 pound cold, unsalted butter, diced

6 tablespoons ice water

For the filling (makes one crostata):

1 pound firm, ripe peaches, peeled

1/2 pound firm, ripe black plums, unpeeled

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon grates orange zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Add the butter and toss quickly (and carefully) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour.  Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas.  With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube.  Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together.  Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll into a ball, cut in half, and form into two flat disks.  Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate  for at least an hour.  If you only need one dough, freeze the second disk.

Preheat the oven to 450.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface.  Transfer it to the sheet pan.

For the filling, cut the peaches and plums in wedges and place them in a bowl with the blueberries.  Toss with 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar, the orange zest, and the orange juice.  Place the mixed fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.

Combine the 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.  Pour into a bowl and rub with your fingers until it starts to hold together.  Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.  Gently fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge.

Bake the crostata for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender.  Let the crostata cool for 5 minutes, then use 2 large spatulas to transfer to a wire rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  I served warm with vanilla bean ice cream on top!

Each crostata serves 6.

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home, by Ina Garten.  The recipes for the remainder of our Mediterranean Easter Feast are all in the same cookbook.