Oven-baked French toast is a thing? Our everyday baker Anneka Manning did some Easter brunch experimenting and discovered that yes, the baking option works just as well. Serve your toast with garlic mushrooms, Persian feta, parsley and Tabasco for a better-than-a-café brekkie this weekend.
Source: Alan Benson
These marzipan-filled biscuits known as figolli date back centuries in Malta. Traditionally eaten on Easter Sunday, they’re a delicious project for young cooks and the young at heart. Make the recipe on Saturday as your cookies need time to chill and rest. That way, everyone can munch on marzipan first thing Sunday.
Source: Feast magazine / Ben Dearnley
What would Easter be without fresh-from-the-oven-and-swimming-in-butter hot cross buns? Take the homemade route and bake your own. Think traditional and spice-laden, or boost your chocolate intake with these dried cherry and choc hot cross buns from Anneka Manning. Just remember to factor in resting time and everything will be sweet.
Dried cherry and chocolate hot cross buns.
If you’re celebrating Good Friday with a seafood feast, we recommend O Tama Carey's easy, yet incredibly impressive chargrilled snapper. Pop your olives in the oven in the morning, as they’ll need to dry out for two hours. After breakfast, whip up the honey and oregano butter and bung your fish on the barbie, before serving on a bed of greens with those crispy black olives.
If you want to avoid an Elaine-like babka disaster (yes, that's a Seinfeld reference), stay clear of busy bakeries and make some at home. Many countries have their own versions of this egg-rich, cakey bread. Ukrainians, for example, enjoy theirs slightly sweet and citrus-scented. If, like Elaine, you rate chocolate above all else, try this mouth-watering cherry-choc-rum variety. Soak the sour cherries in rum for four hours or overnight.
Source: Chris Chen
The South African specialty known as bunny chow isn’t an seasonal specialty, but with its cute name and clever make-up, we deem it the perfect Easter picnic treat. The spicy bean curry is nestled into a hollowed out loaf of bread, then topped with carrot salad for a fresh, vinegary hit. Remember to soak your beans overnight!
Source: Christopher Ireland
Give chocolate eggs the flick in favour of Anneka Manning’s good old-fashioned melt and mix cake. This chocolate and coconut combo is a serious crowd-pleaser and could keep in an airtight container for up to three days, were it not so addictive. Let the cake cool over lunch, then ice, slice and serve with tea for an afternoon treat.
Melt and mix chocolate coconut cake Source: Alan Benson
Silverbeet and ricotta Easter pie or torta pasqualina is one of Liguria’s most iconic dishes (next to pesto, of course) and dates back to the 15th or 16th century. It’s said the original called for 33 layers of dough to represent the 33 years of Christ, but thankfully Emiko Davies' version is fantastic with just four. Prepare the pastry the night before to save valuable cooking time come D-Day, or should we say E-Day.
Source: Emiko Davies
For those living outside the clean eating bubble, “bark” might sound more like a backyard than brunch item. Believe us, the granola-like slice of almonds, seeds, coconut and cinnamon truly delivers the goods. Team with caramelised honey-roasted pears and you have a breakfast (or dessert) made in wholefood heaven.
Source: Alan Benson
According to chef Tama Carey, this slow-cooked lamb is “stupidly easy, requires very little preparation and is incredibly delicious.” In other words, cook it or weep! Put your lamb in the oven after a leisurely Easter breakfast, and astonish friends or family come dinner time with melt-in-the-mouth meat. Mop up the juices with the food dept.’s best-ever rosemary roast potatoes.
More eggs-traordinary ideas:
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