Happy Easter

Was the bunny good to you?

Every Easter in our house is gluttonous, but this one was particularly so.

We had had a lot to celebrate: the Chocolate High Holiday, Anzac Day, and CB's birthday.

But best of all, our magical builder pulled a different kind of rabbit out of a hat and got us into our nearly-renovated house.

Before:

And after:

(More on this later.)

Which meant that we got to enjoy it all in our favorite spot.

And, despite being surrounded by boxes and dust, certain rituals were observed:

Egg dying in the great outdoors...

An Easter hunt along winding garden paths...

Pancetta, Gruyere & Spinach Baked Eggs for breakfast (following a first course of chocolate)...

Magnolia birthday cupcakes, and party food, in honor CB's big day, that harkened back to the '80s and our long-lost youth:

Prawns with cocktail sauce and...

Baked Brie.

The '80s tasted even better than I remembered, and there wasn't a mullet in sight.

It's good to be back!



Pancetta, Gruyere & Spinach Baked Eggs (serves 2 generously)

As always with my recipes, quantities are indicative, not precise.  Tilt the ratios whichever way you choose - with pancetta, gruyere and spinach, it's hard to go wrong!

Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 slices pancetta, chopped
2 large Swish brown or Portabella mushrooms, chopped
Several large handfuls baby spinach
Sea salt & black pepper
4 eggs
Gruyere, grated, to taste
2 large or 4 standard ramekins

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the pancetta, onion and mushrooms.  Season with sea salt and black pepper.  Add the spinach and toss until just wilted.  Divide the sauteed mixture between the ramekins and form a small well in each.  Crack eggs directly into well and season with salt and pepper.  Top with grated Gruyere and bake in oven until the whites of the egg turn white and the yolk still trembles.  Serve with toasted slices of baguette, for dunking.  If you like, you can prepare the sauteed mixture ahead of time and simple reheat in a fry pan on the day for a speedy brunch option.

Baked Brie (For The Lazy Hostess)

I cruised the internet in search of a Baked Brie recipe that wasn't too much trouble and came up empty handed.  All the entries I came across involved braising onions and buttering individual layers of Fillo and, frankly, I just wasn't up for it.  But, I had a yen for this gooey, oozy delicacy that wouldn't be denied, so I tried a couple of short cuts and it worked a treat.  Here is my lazy version of a high-maintenance classic.

One small wheel of brie
One jar best-quality chutney
One packet puff-pastry (only two sheets required)

Preheat the oven according the preparation instructions on the puff pastry packet (in my case, this was 220 C).  Defrost two sheets of puff pastry.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper and place one pastry sheet in the center.  Place the brie in the center of the pastry sheet.  Pour 1/2 the jar of chutney on top of the brie.  Fold the corners of the pastry sheet towards the center of the brie and squeeze the pastry together to seal. If the corners don't meet because the brie is too big, cut a long strip of pastry from the second sheet and form a decorative spiral (mine looked more like a snail than a rose) to cover the gap and just look pretty.  Place the baking sheet in the center oven rack and keep an eye on the decorative rose - it may start to toast up too quickly, in which case you will need to cover it with a piece of aluminum foil.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes and serve with sliced baguette, chilled white wine and lots of serviettes!