Try Donal Skehan’s easy three-course Easter Sunday feast
For Easter this year, I’m aiming for a slightly more simplified menu that eliminates hours of prep. The starter and main courses are easy to prepare and taste fresh like spring, while the dessert takes a little longer but is a real piece of nostalgia.
ye Mrs. Sofie brings many of her Swedish Easter traditions to our celebrations and in the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday the house is full of branches adorned with hanging eggs and colorful feathers. Curiously, this time of year Swedes dress their children up as witches with brooms and trick-or-treat for eggs now instead of Halloween.
Our Sunday feast typically includes a leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic, potatoes dauphinoise or boulangère, crispy fried potatoes and steamed leafy greens with lots of butter.
If you fancy an easy appetizer to start, this recipe for Scallops with Green Peas and Asparagus is an ideal celebration of the season—creamy, tender scallops and sweet peas and asparagus, coupled with salty Parmesan and deliciously nutty brown butter. It’s an easy stir-fried appetizer that can be prepared while the rest of the feast rests.
While we tend to stick to the classics this time of year, I have a great recipe for a one-pan version that’s perfect for midweek but still impressive enough to serve on a table if you fancy friends and family have a simplified version of the main event.
For dessert, when it comes to entertaining, I always suggest something you can prep well in advance of guests arriving — the lemon custard slices here require a little effort, but when set, they’re ready to serve.
I’ve always had a thing for a custard slice: wobbly, vanilla-studded custard sandwiched between flaky, golden puff pastry and sweet glaze to finish… what’s not to love?
Scallops with green peas and asparagus
Scallops with green peas and asparagus. Photo: Issy Croker
Cooking time 20 minutes. Served 4
ingredients
350 g frozen peas
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs of mint, leaves picked
1 tbsp olive oil
A bunch of asparagus, trimmed
12 fat scallops, with or without roe
25g unsalted butter
20 g parmesan cheese, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
method
1. Cook the peas in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and reserve 100ml of the cooking water. Mash two thirds of the peas with half the extra virgin olive oil, the reserved cooking water and most of the mint leaves. Season and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the asparagus until lightly charred and just cooked through. Set aside with the non-flashed peas and keep warm.
3. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Add the butter to the hot pan and when it bubbles add the scallops and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side, spooning the browned butter over them after tossing them.
4. Place a dollop of mushy peas on four plates, garnish with the charred asparagus and peas and golden scallops. Drizzle with the remaining extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with shaved parmesan and the mint leaves that have been set aside.
Spring Lamb Dinner
Spring Lamb Dinner. Photo: Issy Croker
Cooking time 25 minutes. Served 4
ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
8 lamb shank steaks
250 g new potatoes, halved
350-400 ml fresh chicken broth
20g unsalted butter
3 small salads, quartered
150 g frozen peas
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
method
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and sear on all sides until just cooked, then transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Place the potatoes in the pan and pour in the broth, just covering the potatoes; Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Remove lid and add butter, baby gem and peas. Fry in the butter juice for 2-3 minutes, then add the vinegar and mustard. Return the lamb to the pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes to warm it up. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
Iced slice of lemon cream
Iced slice of lemon cream. Photo: Donal Skehan
Cooking time 50 minutes + cooling time. Served 8
ingredients
1 x 375g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
For the pudding filling
1 sheet of gelatin
3 large egg yolks
150g powdered sugar
zest of 2 lemons
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
75 g cornmeal
2 tbsp pudding powder
800ml milk
250 ml double cream
For the icing
250 g powdered sugar, sifted
4 tablespoons of milk
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Food coloring yellow
method
1. Preheat oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Line a 20cm high, high-sided rectangular baking tin double-lined with cling film and set aside.
2. Prepare the layers of dough by rolling out the puff pastry and placing it on the prepared baking sheet. Place a second baking sheet on top – this will allow the dough to rise slightly and bake evenly.
3. Place in the oven for 25 minutes until the dough is golden brown. Transfer the baked batter to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. For the cream filling, place the gelatin sheet in a small bowl of cold water and allow to soften while you prepare the cream.
5. In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, powdered sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste, cornflour and custard powder. Slowly stir in the milk and double cream until smooth, then heat and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until the pudding thickens – this can happen fairly quickly if the mixture comes to a steady simmer. Keep an eye on it and stir regularly to keep it from settling to the bottom. It should be fairly thick and spreadable.
6. Remove the pudding from the heat and squeeze excess water out of the gelatin foil before mixing vigorously through the pudding until well combined and completely dissolved. Leave the pudding to cool completely, placing cling film on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
7. Using a serrated knife, cut the puff pastry sheet in half, then trim the edges of both halves to be slightly smaller than the 20cm/8in square shape. Put a sheet in the prepared form and spread it over the cream as evenly as possible.
8. Again with the knife, carefully cut the second square into eight 10cm x 5cm/4″ x 2″ rectangles. Arrange them evenly on top of the pudding and gently press down to make sure the batter sticks to it. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours or overnight.
9. An hour before serving, remove the mold from the refrigerator and prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, gradually mix together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla bean until you have a smooth, pourable paste. In another small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the mixture and stir in a little yellow food coloring until well combined. Spread the white glaze over the dough. Drizzle with the yellow icing, then swirl and decorate with a toothpick or skewer. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the glaze to set before removing from the pan, slicing and serving.
https://www.independent.ie/life/food-drink/recipes/try-donal-skehans-easy-three-course-easter-sunday-feast-41550471.html Try Donal Skehan’s easy three-course Easter Sunday feast