Food Network Recipes to Try This Easter!

Written By: Lillian Kraft

There are lots of reasons to look forward to the upcoming spring season: warmer weather, more sunshine, and longer days to name a few. However, the biggest thing I’m looking forward to in the coming months is Easter. This spring holiday is a great break for students, parents, and professors alike in the college scene.

The importance of quality time with loved ones cannot be understated. According to Luci Fischer (Public Relations and Leadership, ‘26), “My cousins are all away at college, and Easter is a chance to catch up with and spend time with them. Easter is a great time of the year to take a break from my school schedule and really focus on what matters: family and friends.”

Not only is Easter a time to celebrate a religious holiday and spend time with family, it can also be an opportunity to follow old traditions and start new ones. As a lover of all things cuisine, I strongly advocate for quality time spent over making old (and new) seasonal dishes with family and friends. Here are some of Food Network’s top Easter dishes, including an appetizer, entrée, side dish, and dessert!

Appetizer: Smoked Salmon Filo Cups

Ingredients:

• 45 frozen mini filo (or phyllo) cups
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup roughly chopped smoked salmon (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped drained capers
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven according to the package instructions for the filo cups. Put the filo cups on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy according to the package instructions. Let cool.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, salmon, creme fraiche, capers, shallot, lemon zest and juice, 1 tablespoon of the dill and 1 tablespoon of the chives. Transfer the mixture to a ziptop bag. Cut an approximately 1-inch opening in the corner of the bag. Pipe the salmon mixture evenly among the filo cups, filling them to the top.
3. Mix together the remaining dill and chives, then sprinkle some of the herbs on top of each cup to garnish. Serve immediately.

Entrée: Sunny’s Easy Holiday Spiral Ham

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 6 to 8 scrapes of fresh nutmeg
• One 6- to 7- pound bone-in half spiral ham
• 10 to 12 sprigs fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar, honey, orange zest, 1/4 cup orange juice, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg. Season with salt.
3. Roll out enough aluminum foil to surround the ham and place the ham in the center of the foil. Peel back the layers of the ham and place a sprig of thyme between every other layer of the spirals. Pour half of the glaze over the ham, allowing it to sink into the slices. Tightly wrap the ham in the foil and place on a rack in a roasting pan. Fill the pan with an inch of water and roast in the oven until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F, about 20 minutes per pound.
4. Pour the remaining half of the glaze in a small saucepot on medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk until small bubbles appear all over, then turn off the heat. The glaze will thicken as it rests.
5. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
6. Remove the ham from the oven. Using caution and tongs to help, peel back the aluminum foil from the top, leaving the aluminum foil on the sides and underneath the ham to catch the glaze and juices. Slather the remaining glaze all over the top of the ham and place back in the oven uncovered for 15 more minutes. Remove and let rest before slicing.

Side Dish: Four-Cheese Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing
• 1/2 clove garlic
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded asiago cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded raclette or Comté cheese
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Generously brush a large skillet with butter, then rub with the garlic. Combine the mozzarella, asiago and raclette in a bowl.
2. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the potatoes, spreading them out. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, half of the cut-up butter, half of the shredded cheese blend, and pepper to taste. Arrange the remaining potatoes on top. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour the cream over the potatoes, then add the nutmeg and bay leaves; simmer 3 minutes. Dot the potatoes with the remaining cut-up butter.
3. Generously brush a shallow baking dish with butter; slide the potatoes into the dish; arrange with a fork, if desired. (If your skillet is ovenproof, you can skip this step and bake the potatoes in the skillet.)
4. Sprinkle the potatoes with the parmesan and the remaining shredded cheese blend. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Discard the bay leaves.

Dessert: Little Lamb Pull-Apart Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 pounds (2 boxes) confectioners’ sugar
• Pinch fine salt
• 24 devil’s food cupcakes
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• Green food coloring
• 5 licorice wheels, such as Haribo

Instructions:

1. Combine the butter, sugar and salt using an electric mixer on low speed until mostly incorporated. Add the milk and almond extract, increase the speed to medium-high and mix until light and fluffy. Take 3/4 cup of the frosting and reserve. Take 1 cup of the frosting and add 8 to 10 drops of green food coloring to make a grassy color and reserve. Fill a pastry bag or resealable plastic baggie with the remaining frosting and snip a 1-inch corner off the bag.
2. To make the body: Place 5 of the cupcakes in a line. Nestle 4 cupcakes above the line and 4 more cupcakes below the line, making them touch so you have a rough oval shape. Top each cupcake with a swirl of white frosting from the piping bag. Then pipe smaller peaks to fill all of the spaces between the cupcakes.
3. To make the head: Put 3 cupcakes together in an upside-down triangle. Spread with 1/2 cup of the reserved white frosting so that all of the cupcakes are connected.
4. To make the ears: Cut 1 cupcake in half, paper and all. Set each half, cut-side in, on either side of the bottom of the triangle. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of white frosting on top. Cut 1 licorice wheel in half and place, cut-side in, on each half cupcake. Now, pipe little swirls all over the top third of the head and around the outsides of the licorice ears. Nestle the head into the shoulder.
5. To make the face: Peel off a 3-inch strip of licorice. Pull apart into 2 strands and cut into 1-inch lengths. Place 2 of them on the head for eyes. Make a Y shape with 3 pieces and place so the bottom point is centered at the bottom edge of the face. Discard (or eat) the fourth piece.
6. To make the legs: Put 2 cupcakes into the first and third gaps on the bottom row of the body. Spread some frosting on each cupcake. Top each leg with a whole licorice wheel. Cut another wheel in half place one half under each wheel for the hooves.
7. To make the grass: Line the remaining 5 cupcakes horizontally under the legs. Spread half of the green frosting in an even layer along the cupcakes, covering and connecting them. Next, fill the reservoir of a garlic press with some of the remaining the green frosting. The frosting is easiest to work with at cool room temperature. Press, attaching the frosting to each cupcake, while pulling upward to create grass. Repeat using the rest of the frosting until all of the cupcakes are covered.

Easter is a great time of the year to take a break from my school schedule and really focus on what matters: family and friends.

No matter how you celebrate Easter, the most important part of any holiday is the people you celebrate with! One way to make this Easter extra special is to try your hand at new recipes in the kitchen. More than anything else, spending time in the kitchen is a great chance to spend quality time with loved ones and make quality memories (and food!) together.

Links:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/valerie-bertinelli/smoked-salmon-filo-cups-5248937

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/sunnys-easy-holiday-spiral-ham-recipe-2106515

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/four-cheese-scalloped-potatoes-recipe-1973354

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/little-lamb-pull-apart-cupcakes-recipe-2112260