Easter is a time which is meant to be spent creating memories with friends and family. Although the festivities might look different this year owing to the coronavirus outbreak, it shouldn’t dull your spirit even a bit. And, since you can’t go out, we suggest you create the perfect brunch spread at home! And, by ‘perfect’ we don’t mean to be an elaborate affair. Just see what you have available at home or what can be arranged, make a dish from it and have it with your loved ones at home. If you need suggestions, we have some:
1. Walnut Carrot Sponge Cake
Ingredients: 200g of wheat flour, 200g of grated carrots, 200g of brown sugar, 150ml sunflower oil, 80g of walnut halves (chopped roughly), 3 eggs, 20g of ground walnuts, 1 packet of royal yeast, ground cinnamon, Nutmeg powder
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Arrange eggs together with sugar, wheat flour, walnut flour, yeast and sunflower oil in a bowl.
3. Beat well until smooth and lump-free. At this point, add the shredded carrot, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, in addition to the crumbled walnuts. Mix well until all the ingredients are well-integrated.
4. Line the pan with baking paper and pour the dough into it. Place the pan in the oven and cook the cake for 20 minutes. Afterwards, to check if it is cooked, poking it with a knife. If it comes clean, it is ready. If not, let it cook for a few more minutes.
5. Allow it to cool before consuming.
Recipe by Chef Sabyasachi Gorai
2. Mashed Potatoes And Walnuts
Ingredients: 8 potatoes (medium size), 80g walnuts (roughly chopped), 500ml milk, a pinch of salt, pepper to taste, extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
1. Boil the potatoes until they become tender.
2. Beat the potatoes with the chopped walnuts and then add milk.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Add a dash of olive oil and beat again.
4. Serve with roasted vegetables.
Recipe by Chef Sabyasachi Gorai
3. Easter Egg Pops
Ingredients: Biscuits 8-10 pcs (digestive/Marie/chocolate), Cocoa powder - 1 tablespoon, Condensed milk - 60 ml, milk -60 ml, chocolate melted- 1 cup
Preparation:
1. Crush the biscuit with a rolling pin.
2. Empty the crushed biscuits into a large bowl. Add some cocoa powder, milk & condensed milk and mix well until the mixture holds together.
3. Shape these into oval Easter eggs.
4. Melt chocolate and dip these eggs with a fork and coat in chocolate. You could add some sprinkles, crushed biscuits as a garnish.
5. Poke it into a stick and let it set.
6. If you have other coloured chocolate you can pipe the design of your choice.
Recipe by Monaz Irani, Founder & Chef, Plate & Pint
4. Roast Chicken
Ingredients: One chicken with skin (around 1200 gms), 2 teaspoons minced thyme/rosemary (optional), Unsalted butter, Dijon mustard, salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.
2. Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.
3. Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.
4. Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven.
5. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.
Serve with oven-roasted wedges or roast vegetables
Recipe by Chef Abhishek Basu, Executive Chef, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu
5. Lemon & Walnut Drizzle Cake
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Ingredients: 100g walnut halves (roughly chopped), 125g butter (softened), 125g caster sugar, 2 lemons, 3 medium eggs, 150g all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (if using gas, keep it at level 4). Grease the baseline of a 1 kg loaf tin.
2. Whisk butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the zest of 2 lemons and then whisk in the eggs, 1 at a time.
3. Place 50g walnuts in a food processor and blitz to a coarse powder, chop a further 25g.
4. Fold in the flour, baking powder and prepared walnuts to give a smooth batter. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
5. Just before the cake comes out of the oven, mix the juice of 1 lemon with granulated sugar. Chop the remaining 25g walnuts and stir into the syrup. Prick the cake with a skewer several times and drizzle over the lemon syrup. Allow it to cool a little in the tin before removing then allow to cool completely.
Pro tip: Try using a mixture of lemon and lime juice. This cake will keep for 2-3 days when wrapped in foil.
Recipe by Chef Sabyasachi Gorai