Spring and Easter Recipe Round Up

I have one week to figure out what I'll be making for Easter Sunday.  Will it be lamb? Ham? An Egg dish?  I'm just not sure, but I'm sure I'll think of something. I always do.  I have to say that lamb is one of my favorite Springtime meals.  I'm sorely tempted to repeat Ina Garten's 4-Hour Lamb with Provencal French Beans.  New Zealand lamb is surely on sale, at this time. With this recipe, it is slowly braised with white wine, chicken stock, plenty of garlic and herbs.  The lamb is tender and doesn't have a strong "gamey" flavor.  The beans are perfect, to go along with this dinner, too.

However, if I spot fresh salmon, these Wellington's might be a welcome addition on the table.  The Duxelles, are very easy to make and puff pastry is fun to work with. I show you how by clicking here.

One of my most welcomed Spring Seasonal product is asparagus.  I can pretty much buy it year-round, but locally grown Spring Asparagus is something I could eat almost every day.  This Asparagus, Pea and Saffron Rissotto is very easy to make (and I show you how) and has beautiful Spring Colors.

...and, because I love rissotto, here's Ina Garten's Spring Rissotto-- also with asparagus and peas, but with plenty of lemon and a little marscarpone added at the end.   This is creamy and decadent!

This is a Creamy Asparagus Soup, from the fine folks at Cook's Illustrated. There's a surprise ingredient that gives this soup a beautiful green color, and it's one of my all-time favorite soup recipes.

I can't forget to share my English Spring Pea Soup.  If you love tarragon as much as I do, I created this soup from a memory I had at a restaurant a very long time ago.  As soon as I spot English Peas, I'm going to make this again. Don't forget to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and it will be perfect.

Now that we've had some heavy rainfall, my chives, chervil and tarragon are growing heartily.  Ina Garten's French Potato salad, made with Yukon Gold Potatoes, white wine and champagne vinegar.  It's a nice change from American Potato Salad that is made with mayonnaise (which I love, too).

For something more on the "Brunchy" side, Ina Garten's Baked Blintzes with Fresh Blueberry Sauce looks impressive, and is much easier to make than traditional blintzes-- for one, you don't have to make crepes!

However, if you want to make crepes, then here's a recipe for Tyler Florence's Cheese Blintzes (with a few of my touches).

Eggs in a basket with shredded potatoes and candied bacon is a lovely presentation for Easter Brunch.

My German "Rohrnudeln" is a very easy sweet yeast dough, filled with your choice of jam. I can make these in just over an hour (seriously), and I call them my Bavarian Hot Cross Buns. I'm going to surprise my family with these, this week, as I have some homemade apricot jam that will be perfect for these.

Of course, an sweet Italian Ricotta Pie is perfect for this time of year.

Saving the best for last-- this is one of my son's #1 most requested recipes.  This Strawberry Cream Cake is quite easy-- albeit just a bit time-consuming-- to make, and I love the whipped cream/cream cheese frosting!  The moment my farm stand opens, with their sweet organic strawberries, I am making this-- and so should you!

Once again, our Wisteria is blooming at our home.  Our roses are beginning to show their colors, and our tomato plants are purchased and ready for planting.   I love Spring, and seeing all the seasonal product being sold at our local farmer's markets.  I'm excited to try some new recipes I've bookmarked for the coming weeks.

You can find all of these recipes by clicking on the name of each recipe.  Just scroll to the end of each post and you will find a printable recipe card.

Happy Spring!