Whether your Easter plans involve a sunrise church service, an Easter egg hunt or sleeping in, having most of the prep work and cooking done beforehand can ease the stress of getting a holiday meal on the table.
The following recipes can be started or prepared a few hours to a couple of days in advance leaving plenty of time for the cook to enjoy the day's festivities.
Sausage-Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Butter, for greasing
3 tablespoons butter OR vegetable oil
16 ounces frozen hash-browned potatoes, thawed
Salt and ground black pepper
1 pound hot breakfast sausage
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 heaping teaspoon chile powder
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided use
Generously butter or grease a 2-quart casserole or baking dish; set aside.
In a large skillet, melt the butter or heat the vegetable oil. Cook potatoes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are beginning to brown. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
In the same skillet, cook the sausage, onion and bell pepper over medium heat, breaking the sausage into crumbles, until sausage is cooked through. Transfer mixture to a colander and drain well. Spread drained sausage mixture over potatoes.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, chile powder, a generous grind of black pepper, a pinch of salt and the cheese. Pour egg mixture over sausage. Cover with foil and refrigerate up to 18 hours.
When ready to bake, remove casserole from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature while the oven heats.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 to 20 minutes more or until filling is set and cheese is golden brown.
Makes about 8 servings.
Fresh asparagus and lemon dressing give this make-ahead pasta salad a bright, springlike flavor.
Tortellini Salad With Asparagus and Lemony Dressing
To make ahead:
1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
16 to 19 ounces frozen cheese tortellini
5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided use
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
To finish and serve:
1/4 cup boiling-hot water
12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil, mint or parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Fill a bowl half full with ice and water.
Add asparagus and 1 tablespoon salt to the boiling water and cook until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. (Do not discard water.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer asparagus to ice water and let cool, about 2 minutes. Remove asparagus from ice water and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer asparagus to a storage container; cover.
Return pot of water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook, stirring often, until tortellini is tender. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Drain tortellini, rinse with cold water and drain again, leaving tortellini slightly wet.
Meanwhile, whisk 4 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic, shallot, 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper together in a large bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil. Transfer 1/4 cup dressing to a small bowl and stir in the remaining lemon juice; cover.
Add tortellini to the remaining dressing and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta cooking water as needed to adjust consistency; cover.
Refrigerate asparagus, tortellini mixture and dressing separately for up to 2 days.
To serve, remove asparagus, tortellini mixture and dressing from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. If necessary, stir boiling water into tortellini to loosen. Whisk dressing to recombine, then drizzle over tortellini. Stir in asparagus, tomatoes, parmesan, herbs and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen The Make-Ahead Cook
For a hearty, main dish salad that doesn't include ham, this one fits the bill. Make the components of this salad up to 2 days in advance and dress it just before serving.
Moroccan Chicken Salad with Apricots and Almonds
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil, divided use
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch smoked paprika
1/4 cup lemon juice, divided use
1 tablespoon honey
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and well drained
1 shallot or 1/2 small sweet red onion, sliced thin
3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
12 ounces romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
4 ounces microgreens
1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted and chopped
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and brown well, 6 to 8 minutes, turn, add 1/2 cup water, cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 5 to 7 minutes more, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let cool slightly, then slice 1/2 inch thick on the bias. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
While chicken cools, in a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the garam masala, coriander and paprika and microwave until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in 3 tablespoons lemon juice, honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisking constantly, drizzle in remaining oil.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled chicken, chickpeas, shallot, apricots, parsley and half of the dressing and toss to coat; cover. Whisk remaining tablespoon of lemon juice into the remaining dressing; cover.
In a separate bowl, combine the lettuce, microgreens and almonds; cover.
Refrigerate chicken, dressing and lettuce, separately, until ready to serve, up to 2 days.
To serve: Remove chicken, dressing and lettuce from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Whisk dressing to recombine. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the dressing over the chicken mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Toss lettuce mixture with the remaining dressing.
Arrange lettuce and chicken on serving platter. Serve.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen The Make-Ahead Cook
Monte Cristo Casserole
12 ounces Italian bread, cut into bite-size chunks
Butter
12 ounces deli turkey, thinly sliced
12 ounces deli Black Forest ham, thinly sliced and chopped
10 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
10 eggs
3 cups 2 percent milk
1 cup half-and-half
3 tablespoons coarse-grain mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Strawberry jam, for serving
Spread bread in a single layer on a baking sheet and let dry for several hours. Bread should be dry, but not hard.
Generously butter a 3-quart baking dish or 12 (1-cup) ramekins.
In a large bowl, combine the turkey, ham and cheese and mix to break up any clumps of meat. Add the bread and mix well.
Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish(es).
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour mixture over bread and stir gently to make sure all of the bread is moistened. Cover with foil and refrigerate 8 to 18 hours.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
While oven heats, set the baking dish on the counter to warm up a little.
Bake 50 minutes for a large casserole or 35 to 40 minutes for individual dishes, or until set and puffy.
Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving. Serve with strawberry jam.
Makes 12 servings.
Recipe adapted from The Runaway Spoon
Mix the batter for these popovers the night before or in the morning before heading off to church or an Easter egg hunt.
Cinnamon Popovers
Popovers:
6 eggs
2 cups whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons melted butter OR vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
Topping:
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
In a mixing bowl with a pouring spout, beat eggs, using a whisk, until foamy. Add milk, flour, melted butter or vegetable oil, salt, 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and brown sugar and beat just until smooth. A few small lumps are OK. Do not overmix. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to overnight.
Line a popover pan or muffin tin bottoms with rounds of parchment paper cut to fit and generously grease sides. Fill each cup of muffin tin two-thirds full with batter.
Place pans in center of cold oven and set temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes (do not open oven door during baking). After 30 minutes of baking, open oven and gently pierce the side of each popover with a skewer to let steam escape. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until firm and golden brown.
Stir together the remaining cinnamon and granulated sugar.
Brush each popover with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 dozen.
Strawberry-Biscoff Cheesecake Parfaits
8 large strawberries, capped
12 Biscoff cookies
8 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup Biscoff cookie spread
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Dice 6 of the strawberries. Cut the remaining strawberries into quarters vertically; set aside.
Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and Biscoff cookie spread until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, whip cream to firm peaks.
Fold half of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
Crumble one Biscoff cookie into each of 6 individual serving dishes.
Top cookie crumbles with a diced strawberry, then a dollop of cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Divide the remaining whipped cream among the serving dishes. Top each with a strawberry quarter (you will have 2 quarters left over).
Refrigerate several hours before serving.
Makes 6 servings.
Food on 04/01/2015