Easter Brunch Recipes

Choose Your Own Adventure Puff Pastry Tarts with Roasted Garlic Pesto 

Pesto
2 heads of garlic, tops cut off to expose the cloves
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 cup packed basil leaves
1 cup packed mint leaves
½ cup roasted cashews
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
½ lemon, zested
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Tart

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 tbsp whole milk

Toppings

1. Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomatoes, Spicy Soppressata, Kalamata Olives, Honey
1 cup grated mozzarella
1-2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced thinly
18-24 thin slices of spicy Soppressata (or any spicy salami)
A few handfuls of pitted Kalamata olives
Honey

OR

2. Snap Peas, Wild Mushrooms, Parmesan, Fresh Herbs, Chilli Flakes
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups sliced snap peas
2 cups mixed wild mushrooms, chopped
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Finely grated parmesan cheese
Fresh herbs such as basil, mint, parsley, roughly torn
Chilli flakes

OR


3. Grilled Shrimp, Yellow Zucchini, Jalapeño, Lime

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 yellow zucchini, thinly sliced
1 lb medium shrimp, shelled, deveined and tails removed
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 jalapeño, finely minced (use ½ for less heat)
1 lime

Preheat oven to 350°F.

We’ll start by making the pesto, and for that, we need roasted garlic. Place the garlic bulbs on some foil, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil tightly around the garlic and place it on a baking sheet, then put it into the oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Squeeze the roasted garlic into a food processor along with the basil, mint, cashews, parmesan, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Blend until incorporated, and then, with the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Continue to blend until smooth. Set aside.

Turn the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Lightly flour your work surface and roll each puff pastry sheet to about 10” square. Using a sharp knife or a round cutter, cut out 4 to 6 circles or squares, depending on your preference and the size you want and place them on the prepared baking sheets.

With a knife, gently score a border about ½” from the edge of each piece, being careful not to cut all the way through. Then, make a criss-cross pattern in the middle; again, ensure you do not cut all the way through the pastry.

Beat the egg with the milk and gently brush the borders of each tart with the egg wash.

Slather about 2-3 tablespoons of pesto onto the centres of each piece. This is where you can decide which type of tart you’ll make or make them all!

For the mozzarella and tomato tart, sprinkle the mozzarella onto each unbaked tart and top each with the tomatoes, salami, and olives. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is gooey and melted. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Let it cool for a few minutes (those tomatoes will be hot!), and enjoy!

For the snap peas and mushrooms, heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. Add the snap peas and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the peas and mushrooms have cooked down, about 7-8 minutes. Divide the mixture between the tarts and top with a generous amount of grated parmesan. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool only slightly. Top with fresh herbs and a scant scattering of chilli flakes, depending on your desired heat level. Enjoy!

For the shrimp tarts, you’ll bake them with just the pesto. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. While the tarts are baking, heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and sauté until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and jalapeño and season with salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until the zucchini has cooked down and developed some colour and the shrimp are pink and curled. When the tarts come out of the oven, top them with shrimp mixture and garnish them with a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!


Glazed Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Cake

Cake 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup fresh raspberries 

Raspberry Mirror Glaze
5 gelatine sheets
1 ⅓ cup fresh raspberry purée (seeds strained)
½ cup whipping cream
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl and, using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar until it's fragrant and moist. Add the ricotta to the lemon-sugar mixture and stir to combine. Whisk in the olive oil until smooth. Then, one at a time, beat in the eggs, incorporating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. See, it's as easy as that!

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Gingerly fold the raspberries into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake cools, make the glaze. First, you’ll need to bloom the gelatine. Add the gelatine sheets to a bowl of cold water and let them sit for about 10 minutes. While the sheets bloom, add the raspberry purée, whipping cream, sugar and corn syrup to a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, ensuring all the sugar has successfully melted and remove from heat. Remove the gelatine sheets from the cold water, wring them out and add them to the hot liquid. Whisk until the gelatine has melted into the mixture. Stain the glaze through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside to cool.

Once the cake and glaze have completely cooled, place the cake on a serving plate and pour the glaze over the top, letting it naturally drip down the sides. Garnish with a few raspberries, and enjoy!