The forthcoming Easter celebrations and holidays hopefully mean family time. It’s a favourite time for us on the farm with new life beginning, shoots sprouting and splashes of colour blooming. Aside from an array of chocolate eggs in various sizes, Easter is a great time to enjoy other wonderful foods associated with this time of year.
A firm favourite has to be Hot Cross Buns, toasted with a layer of margarine melting on top. If you love these too, why not try making a batch to impress visitors?
You will need the following ingredients:
For the buns
- 500g quality strong bread flour (plus extra for dusting)
- 75g caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 7g sachet of dried yeast
- 250ml milk
- 65ml warm water
- 60g mixed peel
- zest of two small oranges
- 170g sultanas
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the piping
- 75g plain flour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 80ml water
For the glaze
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Method
Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 8, 230°C, fan 210°C.
Sift the flour into a bowl and add the caster sugar and salt. Mix well and then add in the yeast. Measure the milk and warm water and slowly add to the dry ingredients until it is a dough consistency. Lightly flour a surface and knead the dough until elastic and smooth (should take 5 minutes).
Add the mixed peel, zest, sultanas and cinnamon to the dough so they are all evenly spread. Leave this mixture in the bowl for an hour to rise. Grease a large baking tray and prepare the dough into balls weighing 85g each. Lay the balls onto the baking tray, spaced evenly apart and leave for another hour to prove further.
To create the crosses for the buns, mix the plain flour, 1 tbsp sugar and 80ml of water until smooth. Pour into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe a cross over the buns before putting them in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 230°C/fan 210°C and then turn the oven down to 200°C, fan 180°C, cover in tin foil and bake for 10 minutes. Next, heat 2 tbsp of water and the sugar for the glaze so the sugar dissolves. When you remove the buns from the oven, brush the glaze evenly over. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then serve warm, cut in half, toasted and spread with butter or margarine.
Simnel Cake is a beautiful cake baked around Easter. Its name comes from the Latin word ‘Simila’ meaning ‘fine white flour’ which was used in its creation.
Gather the following ingredients:
To make the almond paste
- 250g caster sugar
- 250g ground almonds
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp almond essence
To make the cake
- 175g butter or margarine
- 175g soft brown sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 175g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp ground mixed spice
- 350g mixed raisins and sultanas
- 55g chopped mixed peel
- Grated zest of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 egg, beaten for the glaze
Method
To create the almond paste, mix the sugar and ground almonds together, add the beaten egg gradually to get a soft consistency. Add the almond essence and knead the paste until it is smooth and malleable. Cut a third of the paste and roll out to make a circle 18cm in diameter. Reserve the remaining two thirds to cover the cake and decorate. Now pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 1 / 140°C. Grease and line an 18cm diameter cake tin.
Cream the butter (or margarine) with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs until well mixed and then sieve in the flour, salt and mixed spice gradually. Next add all of the dried fruit, peel and zest and stir well. Pour half of the cake mixture into the cake tin, smooth over and then lay the circle of almond paste on the top. Pour in the remaining cake mixture and smooth again, leaving a small dip in the middle (for when the cake rises). Bake in the oven for 1 ¾ hours. Test with a skewer to ensure it is ready. Then remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
The next task is to brush the top of the cake with the jam, then halve the almond paste and roll out one circle to cover the top of the cake. With the other half of the paste, roll out 11 small balls by hand. Lay the flat circle of paste on the jam and then arrange the balls around the edge. Brush the almond paste with the egg glaze.
Preheat your grill to high. Pop your cake on a baking tray and grill for a couple of minutes until the top of the marzipan begins to brown. You only want a little colour. Of course, if you possess a cook’s blow torch you can achieve the same effect with this. Feel free to add a ribbon around the cake to finish.
Easter Egg Rocky Road
This easy creation is much-loved by all of the family and is a great treat at this time of year. It’s fun to make too so the kids can help with breaking up the biscuits and chocolate eggs. A team effort and everyone will deserve a piece when it’s ready.
You will need the following ingredients:
- 400g milk chocolate
- 100g digestive biscuits
- 200g mini eggs
- 100g mini marshmallows
Method
Break up the chocolate into a glass bowl and place this over a pan of boiling water. Note – do not let the bowl touch the water. It should sit in the rim of the pan. Pop all of the biscuits in a bag and break up with a rolling pin (smaller family members will enjoy helping with this part). Add these crumbs to the melted chocolate.
Pop the mini eggs in a bag and give these a bash to break them into smaller pieces also. Add these to the chocolate mixture. Finally, add the marshmallows to the bowl and stir well. Line a baking tray with tin foil or baking paper and pour the mixture in. Spread it out and press down with a spatula or large spoon. Simply place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour, then cut into squares, share and enjoy!
A Roast Leg of Lamb is a wonderful centre piece to Easter Sunday lunch, served alongside an array of fresh seasonal vegetables.
These few ingredients are all that is needed to create a delicious centrepiece to your roast dinner.
- 1 whole leg of lamb (2-3kg)
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
- Rosemary sprigs
- Salt
- Pepper
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180°C. Prepare the leg of lamb by cutting slits all over the top, spaced an inch apart and deep enough to push a slice of garlic inside. Insert all of the garlic slices into the meat, then sprinkle salt and pepper all over. Place a few rosemary sprigs in the roasting tin, lay the leg on top and more rosemary on the top of the meat.
Roast in the oven until cooked medium well. A good rule of thumb is to roast a leg of lamb for 15 minutes per 500g, plus 10 minutes extra. Allow the joint to rest for 15 minutes before serving, to make sure it rests and remains succulent.
These delicious recipes will be enjoyed by everyone – young and old – at this time of year (and beyond). Happy Easter from all of us at Chimney Gill Cottage!