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Gather some friends for an Easter lunch that’s certain to impress
“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life”
S D Gordon
Menu
Marbled Tea Eggs with Thai Curry Mayonnaise
Kumara & Manuka-smoked Bacon Soup
Creamy Chicken & Vegetables in Pastry Baskets
Little Gem Salad with Pears & Feta
Apricot Easter Eggs |
Marbled Tea Eggs with Thai Curry Mayonnaise
Hard-boiled eggs take on the appearance of marble in this classic Chinese appetiser. We used a mix of quail and hen eggs to create some variation in size.
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12 quail eggs
6 medium hen eggs
3 spiced tea bags, eg Red Bush Spice Tea
2-3 stalks lemon grass
2-3 slices fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Mayonnaise:
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon green curry paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, eg coriander, basil, parsley
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
To serve:
Rocket leaves
Seasoning, eg sea salt, cracked pepper, coriander and cumin seeds |
Place quail and hen eggs in a large saucepan, add cold water to just cover and bring to the boil. Simmer quail eggs for 3 minutes then remove from pan and refresh under cold water. Simmer hen eggs a further 5 minutes before removing from pan and refreshing (leave hot water in pan).
Add tea bags, lemon grass, ginger and soy sauce to hot water. Tap the eggs with the back of a teaspoon to crack the shells gently. Return eggs to pan and simmer very gently for 1 hour. Remove from heat and stand for at least half an hour before taking them from the water to cool.
Store eggs unpeeled and tightly sealed in the refrigerator. They will keep 2-3 days.
Mayonnaise: Whisk together egg yolks, curry paste, lemon juice and herbs. Slowly whisk in oil until thick and golden. Season with salt and pepper. Mayonnaise can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
To serve: Peel eggs and place on plates that have been garnished with rocket, a sprinkle of seasoning and a spoonful of mayonnaise for dipping. Serves 6
Setting the scene
Create a fresh, relaxed feel for this Easter gathering by using a palette of light, neutral colours for the table setting.
Handmade nests make simple yet effective decorations for the table. Fill them with quail eggs for a table display or pop the nests into white bowls, line them with a small piece of lunch paper and fill with chocolate Easter treats.(Materials to make Easter nests can be purchased from Trees Company – see the stockists list below.)
Line up white mismatched jugs down the centre of the table and fill them with different varieties of white flowers. Add a little green fern or an occasional leaf to give the display some texture. |
Kumara and Manuka-smoked Bacon Soup
This can be made a couple of days ahead (or longer if frozen) but leave out the coconut cream until it is time to reheat the soup.
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2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
4 rashers manuka-smoked bacon, chopped
750g kumara, peeled and chopped
1 litre chicken stock
1 cup lite coconut cream
Extra bacon, crème fraiche and coriander for garnish |
Heat oil in a large saucepan and sauté onion, garlic and ginger until opaque and fragrant. Add bacon and cook 2-3 minutes.
Add kumara and stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until kumara is tender. Mash or purée soup until smooth.
Add coconut cream and salt and pepper to taste and reheat soup (do not boil as cream may split). Serve garnished with crispy fried bacon, a little crème fraiche and a few coriander leaves. Serves 6
Work plan:
2-3 days ahead: Prepare marbled tea eggs.
1-2 days ahead: Make soup. Bake pastry baskets and make chicken filling. Make Easter eggs.
Up to 24 hours ahead: Make Thai curry mayonnaise. Dry-roast seeds for salad.
Close to serving: Make salad. Add coconut cream to soup and reheat. Reheat pastry cases and the chicken filling. |
Creamy Chicken and Vegetables in Pastry Baskets
Pastry baskets look impressive but are really a cinch to make with ready-rolled pastry.
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1 onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 courgette, finely diced
2-3 sprigs thyme and a few fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
¼ cup flour
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
¼ cup white wine
2-3 cups chicken stock, heated
3 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
Milk for brushing pastry
Extra sage for garnish (optional) |
Preheat oven to 190°C. Sauté vegetables and herbs in oil until just tender. Add chicken and sauté 2-3 minutes to colour. Add flour and mustard and cook 2-3 minutes. Add wine, simmer until evaporated then slowly add 2 cups hot stock. Simmer 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is creamy, adding more stock if the sauce becomes too thick. Season to taste.
Cut pastry sheets in half lengthways and brush the edges with milk. Fold each long rectangle in half then cut into ovals (or leave as is if preferred). Cut another smaller oval out of the top layer to leave a pastry border. Place on a lined baking tray, chill 5 minutes then bake 10-12 minutes or until the pastry cases are puffed and golden. Remove the centre piece of pastry to make space for the filling. (If baking ahead, store in an airtight container and reheat in the oven.)
Fill pastry cases with hot chicken and sauce just before serving. If desired, garnish with sage leaves that have been fried briefly in oil until crisp. Serve with honeyed carrots or another vegetable of choice. Serves 6
Little Gem Salad with Pears and Feta
Shredded iceberg lettuce or baby cos may be used instead of the little gem lettuces.
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¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium pears, cored and cut into quarters
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup apple juice
3 little gem lettuces
50g feta, crumbled |
Heat a shallow pan and dry-roast pumpkin and sunflower seeds until they start to pop. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add oil to pan and sauté pear quarters until coloured and just tender. Add maple syrup, lemon and apple juices and simmer until reduced to a syrup.
Cut lettuces in half and arrange in a serving dish. Top with warm pears, toasted seeds and feta. Pour over any remaining juices from the pan. Serves 6
Apricot Easter Eggs
Serve these easy treats with coffee or give them as Easter gifts.
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1 cup dark chocolate buttons
12 plump dried apricots
12 whole almonds, toasted if desired |
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave on medium power for 1-2 minutes. Stir until smooth.
Make a small slit in each dried apricot and slide in a whole almond.
Using two forks, dip each apricot into chocolate and turn until completely coated. Place on baking paper to set. Store in an airtight container. Makes 12
Web exclusive recipe: Orange and Ginger Pudding with Honey Cream
This sponge-topped dessert can be baked in advance and reheated (in the microwave is best).
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60g butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 medium oranges, very thinly sliced
6 cubes crystallised ginger, sliced
¼ cup boiling water
70g butter, softened
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
70g ground almonds
1¼ cups self-raising flour
½ cup orange juice
Honey cream:
½ cup thickened cream
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Cointreau (or to taste) |
Preheat oven to 175°C. In a medium saucepan combine the first measure of butter with the brown sugar, orange slices, ginger and boiling water. Simmer 5 minutes to dissolve sugar and soften oranges. Arrange orange slices in a 19cm x 28cm serving dish. Pour syrup over.
Beat second measure of butter with sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs then fold in almonds and orange juice. Spoon mixture over the orange syrup layer (it is easier to start from the outside then fill in the middle). Bake until set and golden, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and accompanied with honey cream.
Honey cream: Mix together cream, honey and liqueur until combined. Serves 6
What to drink
Easter is a time to appreciate new beginnings so try the following brand new wines with this menu: Mt Dotterel’s Central Otago Pinot Gris 2008 ($24) will work beautifully with the kumara and salty bacon in the soup and a glass of Spy Valley Unoaked Chardonnay 2008 ($17) will complement the chicken and cut through the creaminess of the sauce. For the Orange and Ginger Pudding reach for Sileni’s Late Harvest Semillon 2008 ($21) for a citrusy-sweet treat to enjoy with this pudding.
Yvonne Marie Lorkin
Stockists:
Tables, chairs, shelves, letters, white bottles, hat box, baskets, bird nest materials, white plant pot, hooks, shoe lasts, white pears and wooden spoon from Trees Company, (09) 529 9933; white jugs and dinnerware from Madder & Rouge, (09) 522 1062; tea towels from Freedom Furniture, 0800 373 336; fabrics from Spotlight, 0800 276 222; wooden chopping board and other items stylist’s own.
Story: Jo Wilcox
Photographs: Melanie Jenkins/Flash Studios
Stylist: Claudia Kozub, Food Stylist:Jo Wilcox
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