Tag Archives: Easter Brunch

Chocolate Hazelnut Crêpes Cake

Posted on by March 29, 2016

Easter candy is all about chocolate: chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, and whatever else you can get your paws on- pun intended. Just because you’re a grown up doesn’t mean you don’t wish to get in on all the chocolate decadence. This Chocolate Hazelnut Crêpes Cake won’t disappoint in that department. It’s really rich and dense and perfect for Easter Brunch since the Chocolate Hazelnut Crêpes Cake is made of a large stack of crêpes. Then they’re layered with a fluffy hazelnut butter cream and piled high. Finally, they’re coated in a deep dark chocolate ganache. To answer your question, yes, it’s seriously rich. And just check out that picture… This Chocolate Hazelnut Crêpes Cake looks amazing once you cut into it because of it’s layered structure. I can’t take all the credit for this recipe; it’s based on a Martha Stewart recipe I found long ago, but I can take credit for simplifying it. The filling is now easy to make (and even more important, easy to find the ingredients), which was not the case in the original. I’ve also upped the impact by using really dark chocolate for my Chocolate Hazelnut Crêpes Cake. All you need is a little sliver … Continue reading →

Sweet and Spicy Jalapeño Glazed Baked Ham

Posted on by November 20, 2014

What’s so great about this Sweet and Spicy Jalapeño Glazed Baked Ham? My brother likes to make ham, and over the years, he’s introduced me to coca cola glazes, pineapple glazes, coffee glazes, and a few more I can’t recall at the moment. For some reason he was often in charge of Easter. One thing I’ve learned about ham over the years (mostly from my brother Ivan) is that no matter what you do to prep it, it pretty much just tastes like ham, which is a good thing, since ham is so delicious. That said, it’s fun to try new glazes and preps and this year, I recommend this Sweet and Spicy Jalapeño Glazed Baked Ham as the main dish for Easter Brunch. There’s a hint of spice and lots of sweet. But the very best reason to make this Sweet and Spicy Jalapeño Glazed Baked Ham is that it pairs really nicely with the poblano potato gratin. Trust me, you want to have an excuse to make the gratin. Because it’s amazing. Also, while I just told you that you can’t really mess up ham… full disclosure… that’s only true if you start off with a good ham. In … Continue reading →

Easter Egg Beet and Citrus Salad

Posted on by January 27, 2015

Salads are way more fun to eat if you put lots of goodies on them, and this Easter Egg Beet and Citrus Salad is no exception. I always make lots extra of all the good stuff and then keep it on hand all week, to encourage me to eat my greens. The beautiful jewel colored beets, rhubarb and orange segments hide in the greens like tiny dyed eggs, ready for us to find just in time for Easter Brunch. The cheese adds just a little cream to break up the acid and the pea leaves and mint are both seasonal and give the Easter Egg Beet and Citrus Salad something a little extra and unexpected in terms of texture and flavor. They’re so much more fun than just plain greens, but when I can’t find them, I use a mix of baby spinach and baby salad mix. I always try to make a salad that is so good it can hold its own against other strong and perhaps richer dishes. And this salad definitely did that. In fact, it was the only dish I made that was completely gone by the end of the meal. I was glad I roasted … Continue reading →

Rhubarb Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

Posted on by February 12, 2015

After you’ve got your guests settled in with a Pamplemosa, it’s time to bring out the Rhubarb Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping to keep them happy while the rest of Easter Brunch heats up. This is my go-to coffee cake- sort of. The truth is I’m a kitchen-sinker when it comes to lots of classics, so while this is a good framework for how I make coffeecake, there’s lots of ingredients I substitute in and out based on what’s in the fridge and what’s in season. Yogurt, sour cream, creme fraiche, even ricotta all work for the sour cream and I sub them in whilly nilly. And I have to admit that every since I made it with ricotta last spring… Oh man. So good. And that’s not all that changes. I make it with different fruit throughout the year, and tweak the spices. Sometime I make blueberry with lemon or orange zest and cardamom. I make fresh peach in the summer, or frozen sour cherries in the winter, but I think best of all, is the when rhubarb is in season. There’s something about the Rhubarb Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping that has my guests begging for the recipe. … Continue reading →