EASTER MENU

EASTER MENU

UNION SQUARE CARA CARA SALAD

ROASTED CARROTS

GARLIC SCALLOPED POTATOES

 GLAZED HAM

 JEANNE'S ORANGE ROLLS

COCONUT NEST CAKE

UNION SQUARE CARA CARA SALAD

   (recently enjoyed with David in NYC)

    6 Cara Cara Oranges

    4 cups mixed salad greens, (arugula and spinach)

    6 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled

    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

    1/2 cup orange juice

    1 cup fennel, finely chopped

    1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

    Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel oranges using a sharp knife, thinly slice crosswise. 

Toss together greens, crumbled ricotta, fennel, and pine nuts. 

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice and oil until blended.  Drizzle over salad.  Toss gently and serve immediately. 

ROASTED CARROTS

3 (1-lb) bags Trader Joe's Les Petites Carrots of Many Colors 

4 tablespoons good olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Minced fresh dill or flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

If carrots are thick, cut in half lengthwise; if not, leave whole.  Toss ionn a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet in one layer and roast in oven for 20 minutes.  

Toss carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, serve. 

MARTHA STEWART'S GARLIC SCALLOPED POTATOES

   (A nod to Martha - our favorite for years)

2 cloves garlic, halved

6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature, plus more for dish

3 pounds Yukon gold or all-purpose potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Rub a baking dish with garlic and butter generously.  Add the garlic cloves to the dish.  Arrange potatoes in layers in baking dish, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper and dotting with butter.  Pour cream over potatoes.  Dot top with any remaining butter.

Bake until golden and bubbling and potatoes are tender when pierced with tip of a knife, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake until top is brown, about 10 minutes more.  Let stand about 15 minutes before serving. 

INA GARTEN'S GLAZED HAM

1 fully cooked, spiral-cut smoked ham

6 garlic cloves

8 1/2 ounces mango chutney (Major Grey's)

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place ham in heavy roasting pan.

Mince garlic in a food processor.  Add chutney, mustard, brown sugar, orange zest and orange juice and process until smooth.  Pout glaze over ham and bake 1 hour, until fully heated and glaze is well browned.  

Serve hot or at room temperature.

JEANNE'S ORANGE ROLLS

In a small bowl combine:

1/2 cup warm water

2 tablespoons yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

Melt 1 square (1/2 cup) butter and add 2 cups milk - set aside

In a mixer combine:

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

3 cups flour

Mix in milk and butter, then add:

1 cup flour

yeast mixture

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Add more flour as needed (about 6 1/2 cups total)

Mix or knead for 4 minutes

Let rise 1 1/2 hours

Divide dough into fourths.  Roill out into a circle and cut triangles.  Brush with butter.  Place on a baking sheet sprayed with PAM.

Let rise for 30 minutes

Bake at 400 degrees, 10-12 minutes - Let rolls cool, then frost.

Frosting:

1/3 cup softened butter

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons cream or milk

Juice of 1 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

Whip together.

COCONUT NEST CAKE

Wet ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup cream of coconut (not coconut milk)

4 large eggs

Dry ingredients:

2 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Additional ingredients

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon coconut extract

Coconut cream cheese frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon coconut extract

2 lbs. powdered sugar, more if needed

milk as needed

Toasted coconut

Separate eggs, set whites aside.

Beat wet ingredients together including egg yolks until fluffy

Sift dry ingredients together and stir well.

Add dry ingredients to wet using mixer on low alternating with buttermilk/extract mixture.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with a pin

ch of salt until stiff.  Fold egg whites into batter.

Line two 9-inch pans with baking spray and flour (or line bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Bake at 275 for about 90 minutes (i only baked for about 60).  

After cake is out of oven and transferred to parchment paper, poke each cake with a few holes and drizzle another 1/2 cup coconut cream over top.  

After cake completely cools, cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

The next day, frost immediately after removing from freeze.  This keeps cake from crumbling while frosting.

Sprinkle with toasted coconut and decorate with Cadbury Eggs.