Kettle and Cup

Easy Make Ahead Easter Brunch

by Marye on March 20th, 2008

For most of my life my idea of Easter brunch has been a chocolate bunny washed down with either Dr. Pepper, or coffee.  Sort of depends on the era, if you know what I mean.  We have rarely attended a church that had the energy to do a sunrise service, anyway.  But, Easter brunch is an elegant way to end a sunrise service, and with make ahead things on the menu, it is really easy.

Choose your coffee for richness.  Try an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.  I think it is the perfect choice for an Easter brunch.    I would go with the Lipton Caramel Truffle for a flavored tea, and an English Breakfast tea for a black tea.  If you want to add something herbal, what about the blueberry tea from Celestial Seasonings?

I try to serve lots of protein for Easter brunch to offset the amount of sugar that my children take in. If you could harness the energy expended by my kids on an Easter afternoon you could light an entire area the size of Alaska for a month.  Pinkie swear.  Anyway, maybe the extra protein doesn’t help, but I don’t think it hurts.

This Breakfast Casserole is full of yumminess and protein.  You put it together the night before and then slide it into the oven while you are changing out of church clothes.  I use homemade croutons, fresh spinach, fresh button mushrooms, and  half & half (rather than milk).  Everyone loves it.

My favorite  fruit salad is a mixture of fresh fruit macerated in a little sugar, and then served with a dollop of creme fraiche.  Sometimes I use sour cream, lightly sweetened with sugar and with a tablespoon of rose water,  lavender syrup, or even violet syrup (last two by Monin) added.  Good  fruits for this are:

• Strawberries
• Clementines
• Mandarins
• Grapes
• Mango
• Kiwi
• Melon

You gotta have rolls of some sort and I like these bunnies from an old Better Homes and Garden’s cookbook.  The are cute, and delicious, and they are perfectly complimented by the yirgacheffe.

All of these things can be put together the night before and easily finished before serving.

Little Touches 

• Mix in some pink, purple, or yellow sugar crystals to the sugar in your sugar bowl
• Add a vanilla bean to the sugar you plan to serve
• Write names on hard-boiled eggs with crayon before dying.  Use the eggs as place-cards
• Make guests small Easter baskets with chocolate covered espresso beans, Jelly Belly coffee flavored jelly beans, or homemade earl grey truffles
  
• Put whipped, unsweetened cream on the table to add to coffee.
• Make small arrangements in vintage tea cups.  Just use a bit of oasis foam, soaked in water and cut to fit cup.  Push the stems of fresh flowers into the foam to create nosegays.  The flower stems should not show.  Sweetheart roses, baby’s breath, and other small flowers work well for this. Send them home with your guests as a small gift.
• If you can find them at thrift shops floral,vintage handkerchiefs make awesome napkins.
• Instead of a lemon slice next to a teacup skewer a strawberry half, a lime slice, quartered, and a mandarin orange segment.
• Use sugar cubes rather than sugar

Most of all, remember the reason for the day.  Spending time with family and friends is time well spent, creating treasured memories that nothing can erase.

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POSTED IN: Holidays, Recipes