Easter Egg Beet and Citrus Salad

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

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