This Easter is just going to be so strange, isn’t it? I’m planning our menu and trying to make it as special as I can without the rest of our family. We’re planning on steaks and smashed potatoes with some veg on the side and a fresh batch of these blondies!
(PS you can grab last year’s Easter menu here!)
These are so easy to whip up, just 7 ingredients and a few minutes and bam, you’ve got blondies ready to bake. Aren’t these so cute, with the spring colored M&Ms?!
Harper’s first Easter is going to be a strange one with this quarantine. I wasn’t going to do an Easter basket this year (she’s a newborn, so who’s going to open it?!). But as the holiday comes closer I started to feel like she needed – needed – an Easter basket. I guess I needed her to have one to find some kind of normal, and start our own traditions as a new family.
For Harper’s basket, I took the approach of “something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.” I *tried* not to go crazy, which, let’s be honest is such a challenge with baby anything.
Warm, cheesy, tangy, flaky…downright dreamy. This asparagus tart recipe is perfect for your spring and Easter gatherings and is irresistible served warm and super tasty at room temperature.
I promise the only regret you’ll have with this recipe is wanting to eat it all! It’s so simple it’s almost a sin to even call this a recipe. You can change up any aspect of the recipe, change the cheeses, use a different veg – it’s all up to you!
The balsamic glaze I added at the end really helped to finish the dish, just add right before serving if you decide to serve this tart at room temperature!
Serve up this Asparagus Tart with an arugula salad, Lamb Lollipops and Lemon Loaf for dessert! Get your Easter table ready here!
Easy Asparagus Tart Recipe
Yield: 6-8 servings | Time: ~35 minutes
Ingredients:
Pastry dough, thawed.
1/4 c grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 c whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 tbsp lemon zest (optional!)
salt, pepper to taste (salt might depend on the cheese you choose)
optional: balsamic glaze to finish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°
Roll thawed pastry dough onto parchment lined baking sheet
Score pastry dough in a rectangle to make the area that will be the “crust,” about 1/2 inch from the edges. Poke the base with a fork generously to prevent the puff pastry from, well, puffing up too much. Bake dough for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, trim and blanch your asparagus. Drain well.
While pastry and asparagus are cooling, combine cheeses, lemon zest if using, salt and pepper. Mix well. Gently spread cheese mixture evenly on tart, leaving crust without cheese.
Top with blanched asparagus. Bake for 12 minutes or until crust is golden-brown and cheese is melty delicious.
Let cool for a few minutes and cut into slices. You’ll need a very sharp knife or a very sharp serated knife to cut the pastry without the crust falling apart.
Note: Frozen pastry dough typically comes with two sheets of dough. This recipe can easily be doubled to utilize both sheets of puff pastry. make sure to separate them from each other if you are going to thaw both sheets of pastry dough.
In planning our Easter menu, I’ve tried to keep our recipes light, simple and bright. Know what I mean by “bright”? Those dishes that just feel lively and springy and, well, bright, as soon as you take a bite. Enter, this simple spring lemon loaf recipe!
The key to the super lemon flavor in this dessert is lemon zest, and a lot of it. So you’ll need a zester – I have this one! I love how moist this lemon loaf is, and the trick is the full fat sour cream – it not only gives it zing but also keeps the slices moist, even after a few days.
Another reason I love this recipe? You don’t have to dirty up your stand mixer! Just one bowl and a whisk and you’re all set.
When I planned our Easter table, I wanted to find a few special ways to elevate the spring tablescape to be a little more elegant. Flowers can go a long way, I mean, check out those peonies and ranunculus!
I think of hosting gatherings as an event for our guests – how can we make every detail a little more special to really make a meal be an event for guests? It almost always comes down to taking one little extra step for a pretty detail.
Pretty ice cubes have always been #goals for me, but for some reason they always feel like so difficult to pull off. I’m here to tell you that’s not the case! Grab a bunch of edible flowers (here’s a list, super important to check first and not poison your guests) and toss some petals in an ice tray, topped with water. So simple, but so special!
My other favorite way to elevate a meal is a drink in a pretty bottle. I found these adorable bottles of elderflower sparkling water at World Market. It’s my new favorite place to find specialties to make my table feel elegant and I can’t wait to have an excuse to go back and find more goodies! Use a unique vessel to house the bottles, such as a large punch bowl filled half way with ice.
With Spring’s arrival tomorrow (albeit dropping in on us with 4-5 inches of snow) and Easter just around the corner, I’ve started putting together our table and menu for the holiday.
I love making a table feel extra special for guests, and make them feel like we really gave some thought to entertaining them in our home. A few extra layers – and cloth napkins – can really up your game.
This Spring-Easter-Ready table came together when I found these chargers at Pier1. I love the rustic look, which gives the table some texture. I added my scalloped plates from West Elm, which are no longer available but I found a great alternative from Target here.
These misty-green-blue salad plates from Pier1 have a subtle distressing around the trim, which goes so nicely with the charger. Then I found these amazing placemats? chargers? from World Market. Unfortunately, they’re not online, but if you have a store near you, see if they have them! They’re so springy and I know I’ll use them again and again as the weather gets warmer.