Tastes and Smells Like Easter

For those of you that celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend. And even if you're not a true believer, you may still score a chocolate bunny or marshmallow chicken, so you've got that going for you. Speaking of Easter edibles, for me there's one signature taste and smell that rises above all others; anise-scented Easter bread! 

Below you'll see my family's recipe for Italian Easter bread, and if you've never experienced this aromatic, and very addictive sweet bread before, I highly recommend you "rise" from the couch, and give it a try. You can read the original post and get the ingredients here. Enjoy!

Buttercrust Pastry Dough – Good Friday or Anytime

I knew better than to expect you guys to wait until next week for this buttercrust pastry dough, after teasing you with its flaky seductiveness during the apple hand pies video. Yes, the audience has spoken, and basically said, “post this before Easter or else.”

As I mention in the clip, you really want to use a food processor for this. You can certainly use a wire pastry blender and do it by hand, but it’ll take a while, and mixing in the ice water is so much easier with whirling blades. I’m not sure I’ve ever achieved that same gorgeous “breadcrumb” texture blending by hand.

If you decide to use this pastry for a savory recipe, I’d suggest cutting the sugar down a bit, but don’t be tempted to leave it out. I used the leftover dough from the apple turnovers video, which had all the sugar, for some duck pot pies, and it was really good, but maybe just a tiny bit sweet.

If you’re going to use this recipe for some Easter pies or brunch desserts, I hope you like the dough as much as I did. Just make sure your butter cubes are frozen, and your ice water is, well, ice-cold water. These are the keys. Do that, and you’ll have a pastry dough that tastes, feels, and sounds fantastic. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 pound pie dough (enough for 1 large pie or 4 turnovers):

2 cups flour (measure carefully, do not pack!)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 oz)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

6 tbsp ice water

Rack of Lamb with Blueberry Beurre Rouge – Small, Dark and Handsome New Twist

This Easter-inspired rack of lamb recipe is fairly typical of other dishes I’ve posted with this cut, except for one major difference; we’re actually roasting the meat over the sauce. And not just any sauce; we spiked this beurre rouge (red wine butter sauce) with fresh blueberries, and the small, dark fruit performed beautifully.

My game plan was to introduce some always-welcomed moisture into the cooking environment, as well as hopefully impart some flavor and aroma from the berries, shallots and wine. Both goals were realized, and I was very happy with the final results. Besides possibly straining the cooked berries out next time, I think it was pretty close to spot on.

One word of warning to you poor, unfortunate souls who will insist on cooking this longer: Beside the obvious crime against nature of not eating this pink, you’ll also risk having your sauce dry up and burn in the oven. So, if you are going longer than the 20 minutes recommended here, be sure to check the pan, and add a splash of water if needed.

Other than that, as long as you’re checking with a thermometer, I don’t think there’s a lot that can go wrong. The sauce is very simple to finish up as your lamb rests, and quite similar to most of the pan sauces you’ve seen posted here before. So, if you’re looking for something a little bit usual for your Easter menu, I hope you consider giving this a try…it was berry good! Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:
2 fully trimmed, racks of lamb (8 bone each)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp vegetable oil for browning

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cumin

1/3 cup sliced shallot

4 oz (about a cup) fresh blueberries

1 cup decent red wine

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 or 2 tbsp butter, whisked into finished sauce

View the complete recipe