Easter Brunch Tea: Little Lemon Carrot Cakes

These little cakes are light, not heavy as some carrot cakes can be. They are perfect in case the Easter Bunny happens by.

1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 ½ cups finely shredded carrot
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
Glaze

Grease and flour a muffin tin or mini fluted baking pan. Stir together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In a mixer bowl beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla, beat till fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low after each addition, just till combined. Stir in carrot and lemon peel.

Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake in 350º oven 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans on rack 5 minutes. Remove cakes and spoon glaze over warm cakes. Cool completely. Makes 12.

Easter Brunch Tea: Home Fries

In planning this menu, I tried to have all the dishes be made ahead. These potatoes had me stumped though. There are lots of oven home fries recipes but none of the dishes turned out as I wanted. They took forever to brown, had a mushy texture or had to bake at too high a temperature. And they needed to be stirred several times, necessitating opening the oven and lowering the temperature for the other dishes baking at the same time. The oven home fries were not up to my standards and I’d never serve them to company.

Make the home fries on the stove or on your griddle while everything else is in the oven. They do best when not fussed with anyway. Just turn them a few times and they will give you a beautiful crisp brown crust with a fluffy interior. Here’s how:

Peel (or leave the peel on) and cut 1 ½ pounds potatoes into ¾” cubes. Cook them in boiling, salted water for 6 minutes. Drain, cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat about 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or griddle. Add a chopped red onion and cook about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the cold potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes have a good crust and the onions are almost burned, 16-18 minutes. This makes about 6 servings so double the recipe if you're having more guests.

Easter Brunch Tea: Red Beet Eggs

Red Beet Eggs are a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) specialty. Their pretty color is so nice for the Easter table. Fresh beets give a deeper, richer color and taste but canned beets can substitute. These eggs must be made at least a day before using.

2 ½ cups cooked or canned beets, sliced, reserve juice
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup beet juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
3 peppercorns
¼ bay leaf
½ teaspoon horseradish
1 onion, sliced very thin
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Combine in a saucepan, the vinegar and ½ cup of the reserved beet juice, along with all the remaining ingredients except for the onion and eggs. Boil for ten minutes. Pour mixture over peeled eggs and sliced onions in a deep bowl and cover. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

Easter Brunch Tea: Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs is one of the first dishes I learned to make as a kid. There are so many things that can be added to deviled eggs, herbs, bacon, spinach, pickle relish, cheese, almost whatever you have in the fridge but this recipe is the most basic and good for a tea where there are lots of other flavors going on.

If you ask five people how to boil eggs, you’ll probably get five different answers. So long as the yolks are cooked through and there is no gray ring around them, it doesn’t matter how you get there. Here’s my method:

Hard Boiled Eggs
12 fresh eggs
Cold water to cover
1 teaspoon salt

Add eggs and salt to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for exactly 10 minutes. Rinse eggs under cold water. To peel, gently roll egg on the kitchen counter to crack the shell. Peel off shell under cold running water.

Deviled Eggs:
12 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half lengthwise
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
Salt and pepper
Paprika

Gently remove the yellow yolk from the egg to a bowl. Keep the white intact.

Add the mayonnaise and mustard to the yolks and season with salt and pepper, Use a folk to break up the yolks and combine the mixture well.

Using a teaspoon, or a pastry bag with a star tip for an extra fancy look, fill each egg white half with the yolk mixture. Garnish with a pretty sprinkle of paprika. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Easter Brunch Tea: Honey Lime Fruit Salad

I used pineapple, oranges, apples, maraschino cherries, bananas and canned peaches in my fruit salad but use what you like when you make it. Two cautions though: don’t use blueberries or blackberries because they will turn everything in the fruit salad blue and add the bananas at the last minute because they will get brown and mushy even with all the citrus juice in the salad. Adjust the sugar depending on the tartness of the fruit you use or leave it out altogether.

4 limes
1 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons honey
Fruit of your choice, in bite-size pieces

Finely shred 2 teaspoon lime peel; set aside. Juice limes. In a medium bowl combine lime peel, lime juice, sugar and honey, stir to dissolve sugar. Pour over fruit.

Easter Brunch Tea: Pomegranate Sparkler

I like to welcome guests with a glass of something to drink as soon as they enter my home and this brunch tea is no exception. Pomegranate Sparklers are a nice change from orange juice based drinks. They have lots of health benefits too. The recipe can be doubled or tripled for more guests.

4 cups pomegranate juice
4 sticks cinnamon
8 cups sparkling mineral water

In a small saucepan, heat pomegranate juice to near boiling, add cinnamon sticks, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to chill in the fridge. Remove cinnamon sticks. Divide the spiced juice between 8 glasses, more or less, depending on the size of your glasses; add 1 cup sparkling mineral water to each glass. Stir and serve.

Easter Brunch Tea Party: Casserole French Toast

This French Toast does bake up beautifully in the 40 minutes the recipe recommends. Set your oven to automatically come on so it can be preheated and ready to go if you'll be at Easter services before the brunch.

1 loaf French bread (about a pound)
8 eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Maple syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and whisk until blended. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Remove foil about half way through baking. Serve with maple syrup.

Easter Brunch Tea: Sausage Balls

Paula Deen made this recipe on her Home Cooking show and I thought it would be perfect for this brunch. Paula recommends serving the sausage balls with a mayonnaise dip. I don’t think it is necessary but I’ll include the recipe in case you’d like to try it.

1 (1-pound) package ground sausage
3 cups baking mix (Bisquick)
4 cups grated sharp Cheddar
1/8 tablespoon pepper
Dip: 1 cup mayonnaise1 tablespoon mustard

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients in a large glass bowl. Mix well with your fingers. The mixture will be very crumbly. Form into balls, squeezing the mixture so it holds together, then rolling it between the palms of your hands to form balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. To prevent sticking, move the balls with a spatula halfway through cooking.

To make the dip, combine the mayonnaise and mustard. Serve with sausage balls.

Easter Brunch Tea Party: Asparagus with Lemon

I used to have a long bed of asparagus. What a treat it was to see the first green tips sprouting through the earth in the Spring. Some stalks emerge pencil thin and some come up as thick as your thumb. It is a mistake to think that the skinny stalks are the youngest or freshest. Asparagus was called sparrow grass by country folks a few generations ago. Those same country folks recommended that asparagus not be cut after the longest day of the year, advice we always followed. And one last asparagus fact, asparagus gives some people smelly pee (I really did work hard to come up with a better way to say this). Everyone affected this way is genetically related to everyone else with the same condition.

Asparagus stems get woody and tough at the base. Bend the stalk and where it breaks is where you should cut and discard. Peeling or not peeling is a matter of aesthetics; I rather like the natural stalks myself. Try to buy asparagus that’s all about the same size so it cooks evenly. When steaming, slim spears take two to three minutes to tender crisp, medium spears about five to seven minutes and fat spears eight to ten minutes. Boiling takes one to two minutes less.

To make the recipe: bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook according to size as described above. OR use a large frying pan in which you’ve placed a cooling rack in order to steam the asparagus. Never use a lid when cooking asparagus or it will lose its green color.

When cooked, drain the asparagus and plunge into ice water to cool. Drain and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.

For simple Asparagus with Lemon, serve cold with lemon wedges on the side. For something a bit more, serve the asparagus with vinaigrette on the side.

Asparagus Vinaigrette:
2 egg yolks
1 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and slowly whisk the oil into them until thick and creamy. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and chill. There is still some controversy about using raw eggs. The very young, the elderly and people who are already battling disease probably want to avoid them.

Easter Brunch Tea Menu

The menu for the Easter Brunch Tea Party is all do-ahead. Attend Easter Dawn Services, regular Easter services or sleep late on Saturday. This Brunch Tea takes care of itself on the morning of your party.

Welcome your guests to your home with a Pomegranate Sparkler. No one can resist the pretty color and the bubbles in this non-alcoholic drink. It is so good for you too.

On the dining table set a beautiful bowl of Honey-Lime Fruit Salad so guests can help themselves. The honey-lime dressing adds a special touch but if you prefer, serve the fruit salad without it for a more low-cal version.

The French Toast Casserole is made the night before the party and baked in the oven for just 40 minutes before serving. Use a pretty, oven-safe 9x13” dish and it can go directly to the buffet table (on a heat resistant trivet, of course.)

Heating along side the French toast are Oven Home Fries and Sausage Balls. The Sausage Balls are a Paula Deen recipe so you know already what to expect. The Home Fries are simple and delicious. There aren’t many times during the year when you get to eat potatoes for breakfast—your guests will love them.

Since the oven is full, prepare Asparagus with Lemon the day before your tea. This dish is served cold or at room temperature and takes the place of a green salad. If you really want to impress your guests, use white asparagus.

No Easter meal would be complete without eggs. Serve both Deviled Eggs and that old Pennsylvania Dutch favorite, Red Beet Eggs.

Little Carrot Cakes are a sweet bite and will please any bunnies that might stop by.

The preparation of the tea, the ceremony of pouring it and offering special sugars and perhaps lemon are what make this brunch a tea brunch. Tea is a main component and requires some special leaves. Harney and Sons has a beautiful tea, perfect for Easter, called Chinese Flower. It is a blend of green teas and three types of flowers accented with citrus flavors. It is never a bad idea to have a second tea. Earl Grey Supreme, also from Harney, is made with a higher grade of tea leaves than regular Earl Grey. Folks who enjoy Earl Grey will love this version.

Stop back tomorrow for recipes and more Easter Brunch Tea ideas.

Easter Brunch Tea Party

To borrow from Sara Lee, nobody doesn’t like Easter. At Christmas there are a million and one obligations to fulfill and Thanksgiving requires a million and one foods to prepare. But Easter is calmer, gentle and serene, full of grace.

Easter is the perfect time to hold a Brunch Tea Party. On the Saturday morning before Easter, after Easter Dawn church services or in place of Easter dinner are all good times to schedule this tea party.

Send written invitations if you like; there are lovely Easter styles from which to choose. But be open to issuing last-minute invitations. You might decide to invite someone from a church service you’ve attended, your kids might bring friends home from college or you might have seen your neighbor for the first time all winter. How nice to be able to say “Come for brunch!”

Nothing will set the mood for a joyous Easter Tea more than fresh or potted flowers. Lilies and hyacinth with their beautiful fragrance, tulips in vibrant colors and sweet daffodils should welcome your guests. The rest of the decorating depends on your mood this year. Whimsical, folk art, retro or a natural garden theme might feel just right.

Colored eggs are a pretty decoration for your table. If you have children, they’ll be happy to help. Martha Stewart has beautiful ideas for the crafty. Her lace-dyed eggs are gorgeous and relatively easy. Place the decorated eggs on the table in egg cups to show them off. Or use a cake stand, covering the top with artificial grass or dyed green coconut in which to nestle the eggs. Or use an Easter tree and hang the eggs with colorful ribbon.

This tea is just right for using your prettiest dishes in a mix and match fashion. On the buffet table, stack your plates in flowery patterns with your Spring pastel solids and line up your teacups and saucers. This is decorative in itself.

It is considered very special to be asked to pour the tea; ask one of your guests to do the honors. On the other hand, if this keeps her from eating with her family, you might want to pour yourself. Carrying a plate of food and a teacup and saucer could be more than some of your guests want to tackle. Bring the tea to these guests after they are seated. Remember, the tablecloth you save will be your own.

Since your guests will fill their plates at the buffet table (or sideboard or kitchen table or kitchen island) and bring them to your dining table to eat, place cards won’t work well. If your Easter Tea extends for a couple hours, you might even have double seatings. Be sure to lay a fresh place setting and freshen the spot as soon as the first guests leave the dining area.

Good music adds to the mood of any tea party. Vivaldi, Stravinsky or Ravel might please your guests’ ears. Or not. I realize everyone doesn’t love classical music. Play what you enjoy, anything but vocal music. Having Josh Groban, as great as you might think he is, warbling in the background will impede conversation among your guests and leave them with congested heads.

I don’t think favors are necessary at this Easter Brunch Tea Party but you could keep a basket filled with foil-wrapped chocolate bunnies or eggs on a table beside your front door. As you say goodbye to your guests, give each one a little treat to eat later.

The food I’ve chosen for this tea party can be prepared in advance and baked at the last minute. The menu allows the hostess to attend her Easter church services and return home to simply put on her apron and set the food on the table. Come back tomorrow for the menu. Recipes for the dishes will follow.