Easter recipes from the Burr & Knot kitchen
Easter breakfast
Is there anything more delightful than waking up to the smell of freshly toasted hot cross buns?
We are a bit of a split household when it comes to this delectable traditional Easter breakfast as dried fruit is loathed and loved in equal measure! So our breakfast spread will be half croissants (our local farm shop Strawberry Fields supplies the best frozen pastries in all sorts of flavours!) and half homemade hot cross buns.
We’re not expert bakers and so always end up turning to Delia to guide us through the classics.
Going mad for wild garlic
This efficacious herb grows in droves and it’s best to pick as early as possible. And then the uses are plentiful! We make jars and jars of pungent pesto to last through the year, the sort of stuff that knocks you sideways, and James’ mum rustles up a delicious soup made from wild garlic and potatoes which is a bit like a vibrant leek and potato soup. We also make it into butter and freeze the whole log for spreading on toasted bread. We will also be trying this mouthwatering pasta dish from Anna Jones: Wild garlic polpette with spaghetti and pesto this Easter weekend.
Cook for Ukraine
Traditionally this bread is made all over Ukraine at Easter and Olia Hercules’ recipe is gorgeous.
Cook this beautiful bread and use the #CookforUkraine hashtag whilst thinking about all the families that won’t be in their country this Easter.
More importantly, follow Olia to find out how to help Ukraine.
Good Friday supper
Fish to feast on this Good Friday!
We have a bit of Friday fish tradition which stems back to Megan’s North Yorkshire family who would always get out the fryer at the end of the working week. Her grandparents, based in Hull and then later near Whitby would always make use of whatever seasonal white fish was available and cheap. Now based in Cornwall we’re lucky to have great fishmongers nearby to make the most of local catches. With seafood season nearly over, we make the most of fish like hake which holds batter just beautifully and makes a wonderful alternative to your classic cod or haddock fish supper. We found a neat trick to make your batter beautifully golden - add a pinch of turmeric and this is the best batter recipe we’ve found.
If a lighter dinner is in order, John Dory is in season and this recipe from our fishmonger is delicious or Rick Stein’s fish pie recipe makes the most of seasonal catches.
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate
Whilst the tradition of giving up sweet things for lent has never been adhered to in our household due to lack of willpower mostly, there’s no doubt that Easter is primarily about a long weekend, spending time with family and, most importantly, copious quantities of chocolate.
Always on the hunt for something outside of our usual realm of brownies and crunchy choco nests, this gloriously rich Ottelonghi raspberry and chocolate tart looks sublime and the River Cafe’s aptly named Chocolate Nemesis is often made in our kitchen.
However, we’ll be trying these salted caramel chocolate fondants from Rachel Khoo this Easter weekend for the ultimate decadent dessert.
Bank holiday baking
Again, our household is rather split when it comes to the subject of dried fruit. Marzipan however is revered by all, so a classic. Simnel cake will at least have its toppings gobbled up, even if the cake is left behind. We like this Nigela recipe.
If like James, you are equally enamoured with rice pudding and pastry, then this classic Italian pudding is for you.
If Easter really is about chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate then explore these recipes from chocolatier Paul Young.
Roast lunch or dinner
Lamb has been the traditional Easter lunch for carnivores across the world for centuries and we first came across the classic combination of anchovies, rosemary and garlic studded in the skin whilst watching a Nigel Slater TV show on Saturday Kitchen Live - his recipe is featured in this article.
However, lamb is not beloved by all in the Anderson house and so pork is usually the substitute. This year, we’re going to try stuffing and rolling the leg with succulent sausage meat to give it an extra oomph. Ginger pig have a create recipe for a stuffed rack of pork and this Jamie Oliver stuffed Porchetta looks divine.