Easter

This recipe was created to accompany Crown Roast of Lamb .

It's important to use an imported chocolate, such as Lindt or Callebaut, for this recipe. The high cocoa-butter content of the imported type produces chocolate eggs that are more flexible and easier to remove from the molds. You can make all the eggs out of white chocolate, all out of bitter-sweet chocolate or a few from each.

When shopping for ham, be aware that smoked pork shoulder is available partially or fully cooked. This will affect the braising time (partially cooked takes about 1 hour longer). We found that blanching the ham before braising helps eliminate excessive saltiness in both the ham and the broth. Leaving the skin on the ham adds body to the resulting sauce.

One of the layers in this delicious salad is lightly pickled sweet-and-sour cucumbers, a favorite throughout Denmark. They do need to marinate overnight, so make sure you start this recipe a day ahead of time.

This simple sauté is a perfect complement to roast chicken, pork or duck.

For a pretty decorative touch, snip a V at one end of each snow pea.

One of the very best things about this stew is its practical nature: If you blanch the vegetables, boil the potatoes, and make the infused broth a day ahead, this dish takes only 15 minutes to cook.

After the vegetables have been sautéed in a small amount of butter, some chicken broth and a bit of cornstarch are combined and added to the skillet. The mixture thickens as it cooks, forming a rich-tasting glaze that is extremely low in fat.

What to drink: Abarbanel 2001 Syrah, Vin de Pays de l'Aude, France (kosher) or Clos du Bois 1999 Reserve Shiraz, Alexander Valley.

These can be cooked two hours ahead, then rewarmed in the oven just before serving.

These special sweet buns, marked with a symbolic cross, are a fixture on many Easter tables. They are delicious plain; with fresh fruit (we loved them with the first strawberries of the season); or split, toasted, and spread with butter and jam.

For this recipe, use a fully cooked bone-in ham that has the natural shape of the leg, and has some fat and rind still attached. Do not substitute a “re-formed” oval canned ham or a deli ham. Serve a malty ale or French Gew‼rztraminer with the ham, and offer the Strawberry Basket Cake for dessert.

A buttery white wine glaze makes these an ideal holiday side, but leftovers are just as good on a cheeseboard or sandwich.
SEO Dek: Seared and simmered in white wine and chicken broth, these buttery caramelized shallots are an ideal holiday side dish. Stack the leftovers on a sandwich.

With colorful radishes and jammy eggs, this is just as great for a holiday as it is for a casual spring lunch.

Frozen hash brown patties—trimmed to fit in the bottom of a large baking dish—form a crisp-but-fluffy crust for this ample, sausage-studded casserole.

Boxed cornbread mix becomes its very best self thanks to cheddar cheese, sour cream, and lots of chives.

Call it retro if you want—we say this classic bacon and cheese quiche is timeless.

This cozy pasta is a twist on a white Bolognese, with no tomatoes in sight. Swap in chicken legs if you prefer—rabbit tastes a lot like dark meat poultry.

If Easter Bread Grand Prix were a thing, this tender orange-and-lemon-scented bread would be the clear winner.