When I was a little girl, my April birthday just happened to coincide
with Easter one year. My grandmother made me a special 6th birthday cake, complete with
six small nests crafted from green-dyed coconut flakes, each nest filled with
Cadburry mini eggs. I remember the cake fondly. The two rows of three neatly arranged nests appealed to my already-there six-year-old sense of order. The cake tasted
like only a homemade cake can—filled with the love of my Grandma Rose. I think
I've been chasing after that taste and feeling my whole life. No birthday cake
has ever really lived up to it (though, last year Ryan made a truly valiant
effort with a dark chocolate cake topped with peanut butter frosting!!!). So, this
Easter was a chance to bring a little of my Grandma Rose to the table, and to
prepare a special springtime meal for my family.
On the Menu:
- Roasted carrot hummus served with crudités
- Savory balsamic tomato and onion tart
- Creamy spring pea soup with basil pesto
- Simple fennel and greens salad with lemon vinaigrette
- Lemon layer cake with coconut cream frosting
For
Easter dinner, despite the windy 45-degree weather that stormed outside, I
wanted to feature the flavors and feeling of spring. All of the recipes featured bright, flavorful springtime ingredients: carrots, peas, and citrus. I also wanted do as many of the dishes make-ahead style so that I could actually relax and enjoy hosting. Over the years,
I've learned some tricks to hosting a smooth dinner party.
- Never make a fussy, new dish. It's one thing to try your hand at a new soup (which I did), but I have made some form of a pea soup a billion times. I really just wanted an excuse to test out my new Le Creuset Dutch Oven!
- Do as much ahead of time as possible. Including dishes. I wash as I go and always run the dishwasher, or hand-wash, any dishes that I've dirtied right before my guests arrive. That way, I have maximum dishwasher space available for after dinner. I also use disposable plates for dessert. One less set of dishes to wash and you can send leftovers home with your guests with the extra paper plates.
- Don't make everything from scratch. For the tart, I purchased a vegan puff pastry from the frozen section of my local grocery store. I could have made the pastry dough from scratch, but it's so much easier to use a store bought dough. You have to put your energy in where it counts—like the made-from-scratch-cake—and learnt to take small shortcuts.
- Make food you love. Even though I'm the only vegan in my family, I've learned to let go of the guilt I used to feel about serving a plant-based meal. When I go to other people's homes for dinner, I know meat will likely be served. When guests come to my house, I am going to serve vegan food. Food is a form of love and expression. To serve anything other than what you truly love would be doing your guests a disservice. So, this Easter feast was proudly vegan--no ham at this Easter table!
- Flowers. Fresh cut flowers are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to dress up your table for any season or party theme. I love to do the arrangements myself. Tip: use low profile vases so your guests can see each other across the dining table! For the hors d'ouevres bar, I play with heights by using different sized vases to add visual interest and to provide a colorful backdrop to the appetizers.
Here
are the recipes.
Roasted Carrot Hummus
Because
this recipe calls for oven-roasted carrots, it’s a little more time
intensive than a run-of-the-mill hummus. But, it’s well worth the effort. The
oven roasted carrots add a depth of flavor that is subtle, but sweet,
offsetting the strong, richness of the tahini. I made a double batch ahead of
time so we would have leftovers and served it in a hollowed out red cabbage
with crudités scattered about for a festive spring garden inspired
presentation. This recipe was originally inspired by one found on Oh She Glows.
Roasted
Carrot Hummus
Ingredients
4
medium carrots chopped into 1” pieces or thick coins (about 1 1/5 cups total)
1
teaspoon canola oil
Pinch
of sea salt
2
tablespoons minced garlic (several cloves)
4
tablespoons packed chopped fresh dill
1
14-oz can chickpeas drained (reserve the liquid)
6
tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6-8
tablespoons aquafaba (reserved chickpea liquid)
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Peel and chop the carrots into 1” pieces and drizzle with 1
teaspoon of canola oil. Place in a foil-lined glass baking dish and roast for
35 minutes until the carrots are fork-tender.
Place the garlic, dill, chickpeas, and lemon juice in the
bowl of a large food processor. Process until the herbs and garlic are well
incorporated with the chickpeas and lemon juice. Add the roasted carrots and 6
tablespoons of the aquafaba. Process until smooth.
Continue adding aquafaba 1 tablespoon at a time until you
get the right consistency. I ended up using about 8 tablespoons of aquafaba for
a thicker hummus (I prefer my hummus to be on the thicker side—closer to a nut
butter than a runny dressing so that it can hold up on the end of a carrot or
radish without dripping off). At the end, I let the machine run for about two
straight minutes to make for a super smooth but thick hummus.
Serve hummus in a halved and hollowed out red cabbage along
with crudités and firm crackers. You could sprinkle with cumin and coriander
for a garnish, or drizzle with a bit of olive oil to make for a fancy
presentation. Leftover hummus keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for
5-7 days.
Savory Balsamic Tomato and
Onion Tart
This was the show stopper. The idea came from a recipe I saw
for a tatin, but I realized that you need a shallow metal tart pan for a tatin,
and I wasn’t about to purchase a tart pan for one recipe. My hard and fast keep
the kitchen clean rule is to never buy a gadget that only works for one
ingredient or one dish. Example: I don’t own a pizza stone. Just throw your
dough on a cookie sheet and it will bake up beautifully and with a crispy
bottom. Or better yet, toss it on the grill! But, I digress. I roasted the
tomatoes the day prior along with the carrots for the hummus. I layered the tomatoes
on wax paper, covered them, and put them in the fridge. On Sunday morning, I par
baked the tart crust, sautéed the onions, and put the tart together. I served it
at room temperature for the ease of not having to time it perfectly for the
start of dinner, but also because the puff pastry was a little firmer after the
tart had cooled so that you could eat the pieces, like pizza, with your hands.
Savory
Balsamic Tomato and Onion Tart
Ingredients
1 pound mixed heirloom and cherry tomatoes (whatever is in
season/looks best), de-seeded
10 ounces (1 sheet) puff pastry, rolled out
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons high quality aged balsamic vinegar
4 leaves of basil chiffonade (as garnish)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Halve the cherry
tomatoes and scoop out the seeds. Slice the heirloom tomatoes into ¼ inch slices
and de-seed. This removes some of the liquid so the tomatoes will be less damp
and the sugars will caramelize a bit for better flavor. Spread the tomatoes on
a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for about 20 minutes, or
until the tomatoes have dried out slightly and are cooked through.
After removing the tomatoes from the oven, spread the puff
pastry sheet on baking pan lined with parchment paper. Score the edges,
creating a rim of about 1 centimeter all the way around the perimeter of the
pastry dough. Staying within the perimeter, pierce with a fork all over the
surface of the dough. Bake in the 400-degree oven for 5 minutes, until the edge
has risen and the bottom starts to cook through. Remove from the oven.
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and then sauté the
onions until slightly translucent. Then, add the garlic and continue to sauté
for another 2-3 minutes. Take the onion and garlic mixture and spread on the
pastry dough. Cover with tomatoes and then drizzle with balsamic. Sprinkle with
chopped thyme, a pinch of salt, and a couple twists of from pepper grinder. Bake
in the oven for 15 minutes, until the pastry dough is cooked through. Let cool slightly
and then slice in a 3x3 grid to make nine slices. Top with basil chiffonade for
garnish.
Creamy
Spring Pea Soup with Basil Pesto
This
soup was really just a way to show off my new Le Creuset Dutch Oven. The first
of many meals to come from my new favorite pot. The spring flavors meld
together to create a soup that’s light in flavor, but surprisingly hearty. I
wish I had doubled the recipe so we would have had leftovers! It may be on the
menu again next weekend. I made the basil pesto the day prior, and might just
spread it on some avocado toast for lunch today. It gives the soup a little
extra pizazz, and it adds some creaminess in the way that a dollop of crème fraiche
would. You could certainly make the soup without the pesto, but it wouldn’t be
as vibrant in flavor. This recipe was inspired by one from The Greedy Vegan.
Creamy
Spring Pea Soup with Basil Pesto
Ingredients
Soup
2/3
cup raw cashews, pre-soaked in water for 6 hours in the fridge
3
tablespoons minced garlic
6
green onions, sliced; 2-3 additional green onions for garnish
2
tablespoons olive oil
2 10-oz
bags frozen peas
4
cups low sodium vegetable stock
1 ½ teaspoons
red pepper flakes
¼ cup
fresh lemon juice
Salt
and pepper to taste
Pesto
6-8
large basil leaves, 2-3 additional basil leaves for garnish
2
tablespoons raw cashews (not soaked in water)
2
tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons
nutritional yeast
1
teaspoon minced garlic
Chop
the garlic and green onions. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch Oven over medium
high heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until the
garlic and onions have softened. Add about 4 tablespoons of the vegetable stock
to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Then, add the rest of the stock, peas, and
red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5-7 minutes, or
until the peas are done cooking.
While
the soup is going, place all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor.
Blend until smooth. If the pesto is too thick, you can add some vegetable
stock, but I wanted it to have a cream cheese or nut butter consistency so it
would sit atop the soup for plating.
Once
the soup is done and the peas are tender, add about ¼ cup fresh lemon juice.
Then, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until creamy. If the soup is
too thick for your liking, you could add more vegetable stock. Add salt and
pepper to taste. Once the soup was done, I turned the burner all the way to low
and let it simmer, covered, until dinner was ready (about 1-1 ½ hours). This
step is optional, but it made it easy to entertain and the flavors deepened a
bit with the added cooking time.
To
serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of pesto. Garnish with some
additional sliced green onions and basil chiffonade.
Simple Fennel and Greens
Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
This
is my go-to salad with flavors so light it can accompany nearly any meal. I use
whatever is in season, or whatever I happen to have on hand. So, while the
lettuce and veggies change slightly, the concept stays the same.
Simple
Fennel and Greens Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1
bag mixed greens
5
radishes, thinly sliced
1
bulb of fennel, de-cored and thinly sliced
1
small container cherry tomatoes, halved
1
large Hass avocado, diced
Olive
oil
Fresh
lemon juice
Salt
and pepper, a generous amount
Combine
all the vegetables in a large salad bowl. The bigger the bowl, the smaller the
mess. Toss together with a 2 to 3 ratio of olive oil to lemon juice. I like a
tangy, zesty salad dressing by going heavier with the lemon juice than the
olive oil. Once the dressing is well incorporated, add the avocado and
generously season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Lemon Layer Cake with Coconut
Cream Frosting
This
cake was light, moist, and lemony. All the makings for a perfect springtime
dessert. I topped it with brightly colored jellybeans for a festive Easter
look, though the cake is beautiful enough without any topper. You could also
add shaved, baked coconut flakes, edible flowers, or cheerful sprinkles to
match your party’s theme. The pour over lemon drizzle is the secret to making
this a super moist cake, and it reminded me of the Jell-O cakes I used to prepare
as a kid. I fairly closely followed a recipe from kidspot.
Lemon
Layer Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting
Ingredients
Cakes
3 ¾ cups
all purpose flour
2
cups sugar
2
teaspoons baking soda
1
teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups
hot water
½ cup
fresh lemon juice
2/3
cup rice bran oil
2
teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Zest
of 1 lemon rind
Lemon
Drizzle
¼ cup
sugar
¼ cup
water (room temp)
¼ cup
fresh lemon juice
Coconut
Frosting
¼ cup
coconut cream (not milk—the cream comes in a can but can be hard to find)
2 ½ cups
powdered sugar
1
cup vegan margarine (cold)
Early
in the day, or the night before, empty the entire contents of the coconut cream
can into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid down until
syrupy in consistency. Refrigerate to cool.
In a
large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the
liquid ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
Oil
and flour two 8” cake pans. Pour cake batter evenly into the two pans. Bake at
350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out
clean. Leave in the cake tin and, while warm, use a toothpick to poke holes all
over the top of both cakes. Whisk the lemon drizzle ingredients together and
spoon over the warm cakes. Leave to cool in the pans atop cooling racks. You
could heat the lemon drizzle as you would for a simple syrup, but I found that
whisking the ingredients and quickly pouring over the cakes worked just as well
and involved fewer steps (and fewer dishes!).
When
the cakes have cooled completely, turn out from pans. Take one cake and place
it on a cake stand. I like to place 4 pieces of parchment paper under the edges
of the cake so I don’t get frosting all over the cake plate. You can easily
slip the parchment paper out after frosting the cake. If the cake is domed,
slice a little off the top so that you have a level surface. Spoon a few
tablespoons of frosting onto the bottom layer and spread with a spatula until
the frosting is about ¾ of an inch from the cake’s edge. Place the second cake
layer on top. Use the rest of the frosting to cover the top and sides of the
cake. Garnish and decorate.
If
you aren’t serving this cake day-of, cover and store in the refrigerator. I
took my largest mixing bowl and placed it over the top of the cake stand as a
lid. Let the cake stand at room temperature for an hour or so before serving.
Enjoy!
This video shows the syrup-like consistency of the coconut cream.
