A generous buffet of spring dishes for lunch or dinner—what could be better for Easter?
The ham, biscuit and cupcake recipes will yield enough to serve 12; for the rest of the menu to match, double the salad and gratin, and triple the asparagus recipe. The shopping list reflects the scaled-up amounts.
At the center of this classic Easter meal is a baked half-ham with a sweet-tart tangerine glaze. Broiled asparagus, a creamy gratin, biscuits, and ginger mini-cupcakes are equally crowd-pleasing. The ham will serve up to 14 people, so we’ve designed the menu to serve 12. Or you can scale back and have plenty of leftover ham for sandwiches.
Download a pdfof this menu, including all recipes, shopping list, and timeline.
For hundreds more recipes and menus perfect for Easter, visit ourGuide to Easter Dinner, where you’ll find a video recipe for theBaked Tangerine-Glazed Hamstaring in this menu. You can also create your own Easter menu, featuring this ham or a different main dish, using the simpleEaster Menu Maker应用程序。
Menu Timeline
One day in advance:
- Bake the cupcakes (don’t frost them yet).
- Prepare and bake the sweet potato gratin.
- Boil the egg for the mimosa vinaigrette.
About 4 hours before the meal:
- Make lemon-cream cheese frosting and frost the cupcakes.
- 删除gratin from the refrigerator; let it come to room temperature.
About 2 hours before the meal:
- 开始烤ham.
- Clean and cut the Boston lettuce.
- Make the mimosa vinaigrette.
- Make, roll out and cut the biscuit dough.
- When the ham has about 30 minutes to go, cover gratin with foil and rewarm in the same oven.
- Prep asparagus, shallots and orange slices.
About 30 minutes before the meal:
- Remove ham and gratin from the oven and tent with foil to keep warm
- Increase oven temperature to 450°F; bake the biscuits.
- Make the pan sauce for the ham.
Fifteen minutes before the meal:
- Broil the asparagus; toss with orange zest and arrange on a serving platter.
- Cut the gratin.
- Slice the ham.
- Dress the lettuce wedges with vinaigrette.
- Arrange biscuits and cupcakes on serving platters.
Shopping List
Fresh Produce
- 3 lb. asparagus
- 6 medium Idaho potatoes (1-1/4 lb. total)
- 6 small heads Boston lettuce
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (2 lb. total)
- 4 large leeks (2 lb. total)
- 4 shallots
- 1 large bulb garlic
- 1 small piece fresh ginger root (1 oz.)
- 6 medium lemons
- 2 medium oranges
- 1群新鲜百里香
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
Meat, Eggs & Dairy
- 1 half-ham, preferably bone in
- 12 oz. pancetta or country ham
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 lb. (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 qt. heavy cream
- 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar, Gruyère, Gouda, or provolone
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup sour cream (not low-fat)
- 5 oz. cream cheese (not low-fat or whipped)
Other Groceries
- 4 oz. cake flour
- 1-1/2 cups orange juice
- 1/2 cup tangerine or other citrus marmalade
- 1 oz. crystallized ginger (to yield 1/4 cup finely chopped)
Pantry Staples
- 8 oz. (1-3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for shaping the biscuit dough
- 1-1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 oz. confectioner’s sugar (1-1/4 cups)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 3 Tbs. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 1 Tbs. cornstarch
- 1-1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- table salt
- kosher salt
- black peppercorns
