Entertaining for Easter; Elevate your celebration
MILWAUKEE - Easter is right around the corner! Chef Alisa Malavenda shares creative ways to elevate your Easter celebration.
Individual Easter Bunny Strawberry Trifles
Ingredients:
1-quart fresh strawberries
Juice of a half lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp sugar
Splash of Grand Marnier (optional)
1 homemade or store-bought angel food cake or pound cake
2 cups whipped cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp icing sugar or baker’s super fine sugar
Hostess coconut snowballs, buttercream or whipped cream with coconut
Marshmallows, pink sanding sugar, M&M eyes and nose
Instructions:
• Take out a few of the prettiest berries in the bunch a set aside. Cut all the rest in nice slices and put in a bowl with lemon juice and zest, sugar, salt and Grand Marnier (if using), let this mixture stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. After the strawberries have marinated, check for sweetness, adding sugar if desired.
Meanwhile,
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the cream to soft peaks. Add the vanilla and sugar. Whip to stiff peaks. Set aside.
• Using a serrated knife, slice the angel food cake or pound cake lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and then into cubes.
• Line up highball glasses or other pretty clear glasses.
• Press the sliced strawberries on the side of the glasses. They must be damp, but not too wet or they’ll slide.
• Add 2 tablespoons whipped cream to the bottom of the glass, then add a layer of cubed cake. , using a different spoon to keep your layers neat, add 2 T marinated strawberries, add another a large dollop of whipped cream and spread evenly. Add a second layer of angel cake, pressing down lightly. Add 2 tablespoons of marinated strawberries and spread evenly. Top with a large dollop of whipped cream, spreading evenly.
• Cut a marshmallow diagonally, then cut the corners off. dip the cut side into pink sugar to form the ears. Dip the small corner cut pieces in sugar to form little noses.
• Place a coconut snowball – a mound of butter or whipped cream for the bunny head on top. Add 2 small mounds of whipped cream to form "feet" in the front of the parfait.
• Cover the trifles with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Before serving add a few more pretty berries, the ears, nose and mouth. They are best eaten with in two days.
Limoncello Tiramisu
Custard Ingredients:
1/3 cup Limoncello
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup Sugar
6 egg yolks
1 pound mascarpone cheese
2 cups heavy cream, whipped until soft peaks
1 pound of lady finger cookies (about 30-40 lady finger cookies)
Limoncello Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Limoncello
Instructions:
• Mix water, sugar and Limoncello in a small sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Place in refrigerator to cool. (Can be made several days in advance.)
For Custard:
• Place Limoncello, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and egg yolks in a stainless-steel mixing bowl.
• Whisk constantly over simmering water bath until thick, about 5 minutes. Then,
• Place in mixer & whip until double in volume and nearly cool.
• Add mascarpone cheese to the yolk mixture. Whip until smooth.
ATTENTION: Do not over whip when using mascarpone cheese or it will separate.
Cool to room temperature or below.
Fold whipped cream (soft peaks) into above yolk/mascarpone cheese mixture.
• Dip ladyfingers in syrup & test dip a few lady fingers by cutting them in half to determine how long to soak them.
• In a 9 x 9 pan, alternate layers of lady fingers soaked with simple syrup and custard. Begin with cookies and finish with custard.
• It is best to assemble several hours before cutting. You can also make this in individual servings in a decorative glass or mason jar.
• Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. It’s better overnight
Alternatively, you can make this nonalcoholic by switching out the limoncello for a lemony simple syrup or even simply lemonade.
Carrot Cake Roll
Ingredients for cake:
3 eggs
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 ½ tsp cinnamon
3/4 C All Purpose flour
2 cups shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
Powdered sugar for rolling in the tea towel
Ingredients for the filling:
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
4 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C powdered icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a jelly roll (10x15") pan with parchment paper and grease and flour the pan.
• Beat eggs, until frothy. Beat in sugar and vanilla extract.
• Whisk together salt, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and flour. Stir into wet ingredients just until blended. Stir in carrots. Do not over mix.
• Spread in prepared pan. Bake for 9-12 minutes While the cake is baking, set a clean kitchen towel out on a large work surface. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar (about 1/4 cup). As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, turn it over on the kitchen towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Remove parchment paper carefully.
• Working at the short end, fold the edge of the towel over the cake. Roll tightly, rolling up the cake into the towel. Let cool completely rolled up for at least one hour.
• While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in icing sugar and vanilla. When cake is cool, carefully unroll the towel. Spread the filling on the cake evenly, and re-roll tightly. Chill for at least 30 min. until it firms up.
• You can dust it with powdered sugar, make an icing sugar glaze and sprinkle it with nuts or pie some cream cheese filling and add nuts.
Carrot Patch Cupcakes
Ingredients:
6 Chocolate Cupcakes – Homemade or store bought
6 Strawberries
Chocolate Frosting Homemade or store bought
Oreo Cookies
½ cup Orange Melts
Instructions:
• Make your favorite chocolate cupcakes or buy store bought chocolate. Dig out a little hole in the middle of the cooled cupcake. Reserve chocolate cake and use this if you would like in place of the Oreos.
• Melt orange chocolate discs.
• Pull up the stem of the strawberries but keep them intact. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• If you want to get fancy you can put some of the melted orange chocolate melts in a pastry bag and go crisscross for a more textured "carrot"
• Let dry.
• Break apart the Oreo cookies and scrape off the white frosting and discard. Place cookies into a baggie and crush with a rolling pin.
• Frost each cupcake and dip into the crushed cookies. Place one "carrot" into the middle of each cupcake.
Boozy Bunny Cocktail
Ingredients:
Hollow Chocolate Bunny
Cut ears off with a serrated knife
½ oz Kahlua
½ oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
½ oz Vodka
1 oz Milk
Instructions:
Mix all the liquid in a shaker with ice and strain. Use a small funnel to fill the hollowed-out bunny. Add a straw and enjoy.
For a kid’s version just use chocolate milk.