Easter Dishes 2012

I was sitting here the other day thinking that it's probably time to start thinking about Easter. I admit I was a little scared to see Easter sweets in the stores already in February, but when I think that there's less than a month left now... So let me suggest a few dishes that will be just right for the holiday. I'll keep adding to this list, though, because I still have a few tasty dishes (mostly sweet ones) planned.

I don't make a lot of food for Easter. Usually there's one cake, sometimes two, most often a babka (a traditional Polish Easter bundt-style cake) or a cheesecake. Sometimes there's also a mazurek (a flat Polish Easter cake), although not everyone likes it. Besides that, I make a roast (I don't know which one yet) and a vegetarian pâté (pasztet) for nibbling in between. Of course there are also eggs and salads made with eggs, as well as light fish dishes. I also like spreads for bread for the Easter breakfast. Dinner is light and easy to prepare too: żurek (a traditional Polish sour rye soup) and a piece of meat (most often poultry), so that I can enjoy the holiday with my whole family. There's also no shortage of fresh bread and all sorts of cookies. The kids will surely love the bunny rolls (maybe this year they won't turn out like gremlins ;)).

I'm curious what you are planning for Easter. Are there any dishes that simply must be on your table? Will it be more of a feast, or something modest?

Here are my Easter dish suggestions, gathered from my blog.

Savory:

Baked salmon with fennel seeds and egg, simple but very tasty. One of the recipes from Jamie Oliver's magazine.

baked salmon with fennel seeds

Hussar's roast (Pieczeń huzarska), easy to make and very juicy.

Hussar's roast

Chicken in milk, one of my favorite chicken recipes. Aromatic and delicious.

chicken in milk

Spring minestrone, light, aromatic and colorful. It's one of my favorite spring soups.

spring minestrone

Turkey stuffed with cranberries and ricotta. The tender turkey meat tastes wonderful with the lightly sweet cranberries. The ricotta gives the whole thing a creamy texture.

Turkey stuffed with cranberries and ricotta

Roast beef, a roast that's perfect for Easter dinner. It's also delicious cold, so it will be just right for the holiday breakfast.

Slow-roasted roast beef

Pork tenderloin in cheese sauce, tender, aromatic and juicy.

Pork tenderloin in cheese sauce

Salmon in aspic. This is a great way to add variety to the dishes on your holiday table. It's a delicate and tasty salmon dish layered with avocado and horseradish, set on a bed of green peas.

Salmon in aspic

Spanish-style chicken, a whole meal in one pot. All you need is a salad on the side and dinner is ready.

Spanish-style chicken

Salmon with young garlic and tomato sauce. It's an easy-to-make and super tasty salmon, prepared with young garlic and served with tomato sauce.

Salmon with young garlic in tomato sauce

Lamb in an herb and nut crust, another dinner dish made the easy way, with all the ingredients going in at once.

Lamb in an herb and nut crust

Grilled eggplant pâté. It can be served for supper or breakfast with delicious bread. For a dinner version, you can serve it with finely diced potatoes tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt and rosemary.

Eggplant pâté

Carrot pâté, my latest vegetarian discovery. Slightly sweet, but not bland. And wonderfully colorful, which brightens up the table.

Vegetarian carrot pâté

Spinach and egg casserole. My suggestion for an uncomplicated, tasty holiday dinner.

Spinach and egg casserole

Side dishes:

Duchess potatoes (kartofle księżnej), a wonderful alternative to mashed potatoes, and they look very decorative, too.

Duchess potatoes

Potato balls. A wonderful side dish for fish and every kind of meat. My daughters like them just as much simply as finger food.

Potato balls

Smoked mackerel and egg spread. This is a very easy and quick spread for bread. Really, the longest part of making it is boiling the eggs.

Mackerel and egg spread

Cheese balls in a green coating of wild garlic, dandelion, chives and nettle. A very springlike and aromatic snack or accompaniment to bread.

cheese balls in a green herb coating

Salmon rillettes. This spread is a great addition to bread. It tastes best with a dill pickle and a good white wine.

salmon rillettes

Light salmon salad with mustard-dill sauce. Cucumber, radish, smoked salmon, and a mustard-dill sauce on top make a perfect combination. And it's ready in about fifteen minutes.

light salmon salad with mustard-dill sauce

Neighbor's salad. It's light, tasty, filling, and you can make it in 5 minutes.

neighbor's salad

Chef's salad. As a side dish, this salad will brighten up any meal, and served with a baguette it can be a meal on its own, for supper, for example.

chef's salad

Eggs stuffed with salmon spread, a very easy and quick appetizer made with just a few ingredients. Perfect for Easter breakfast.

Eggs stuffed with salmon spread

Sweet:

Easter lamb or Easter bunny, without which the holiday just wouldn't be the same.

Easter lamb

Surprise eggs, a slightly different way to do Easter baking. Not just kids will love them.

Surprise eggs

Butter babka. Delicious, fluffy, buttery, light and melt-in-your-mouth.

Butter babka

Chocolate babka. A perfectly chocolaty babka that everyone will enjoy.

Chocolate babka

Marble babka. Classic, but a bit lighter than the traditional one, thanks to the use of yogurt butter and skim milk.

Marble babka

Apple pie (szarlotka), which I adore. My favorite one, on a very crumbly crust.

apple pie

Viennese cheesecake. A very moist and aromatic cheesecake without a crust.

Viennese cheesecake

No-bake name day layer cake. A delicate, delicious, creamy and sweet no-bake cake.

no-bake name day layer cake

Bunny rolls, which still look like gremlins. Soft holiday rolls with a honey glaze.

bunny rolls

Flower cookies. These are not shortbread-type cookies. The dough is very elastic, shapes beautifully, and can be mixed with marzipan. They keep their shape during baking, and once baked they don't crumble and look charming.

flower cookies

No-bake cheesecake with peaches. Quick to make, simple and very delicate. And its colors are just perfect for spring.

No-bake cheesecake with peaches

Key lime pie. A super limey tart with a wonderfully creamy texture, topped with a lovely meringue.

Key Lime Pie

Rafaello. A coconut, creamy and crumbly no-bake cake. It disappears very fast.

rafaello

Butter crescent rolls, which will be perfect for Easter breakfast.

butter crescent rolls

Wreath rolls, perfect for the Easter basket to be blessed and for the Easter breakfast.

Easter wreath rolls

Ricotta cream cake. A slightly different cake for Easter. A delicate, creamy and fluffy cake filled with a delicious ricotta cream with pieces of candied fruit.

Ricotta cream cake

That's it for now. I hope I've helped you at least a little with planning your Easter menu.

I wish you a lovely week and happy Easter preparations!