Mini Easter brunch to enjoy at home

It’s almost Easter and that means I’m going to share delicious Easter recipes with you once more this year. This year we will of course celebrate it once more with our own family and an Easter brunch with all cheerful and fresh spring dishes. But because there are four of us, that doesn’t have to be …

It’s almost Easter and that means I’m going to share delicious Easter recipes with you once more this year. This year we will of course celebrate it once more with our own family and an Easter brunch with all cheerful and fresh spring dishes. But because there are four of us, that doesn’t have to be a huge amount of food. In other words: it will be a mini Easter brunch!

For the mini Easter brunch I made stuffed Italian buns with pesto, roasted vegetables, mozzarella and beetroot. But also a glass with a fresh shrimp cocktail with mango and green asparagus. And as a sweet dish homemade scones with blueberry compote and lemon. Scones are very easy to make yourself and you can’t fail with my recipe. Even the kids can make them.

Do you want to supplement the mini Easter brunch with goodies. Then choose, for example, an Easter stick with salted butter, fresh spring fruit, Easter eggs, boiled eggs, mini bake-off croissants with jam or bake-off rolls with smoked salmon and avocado spread or any other filling you like. Enjoy this mini Easter brunch!

Recipe 1: Italian dumplings with pesto, roasted vegetables, mozzarella and beetroot

What you need for 4 people as a dish at Easter brunch

• • 2 bake-off Italian balls
  • ½ ball of buffalo mozzarella or Dutch mozzarella from GIJS
  • 2 cooked beets (from 1 pack of 500 grams)
  • 100 gr Taleggio cheese (or any other soft cheese you like)
  • 2 sprigs of fresh basil, leaves only
  • 4 slices of zucchini that you grill first, you can also buy ready-made grilled vegetables in the store
  • 4 tbsp pesto (homemade or from a jar)

What you’re going to do

Preparation: 30 minutes (including baking and cooling)

1. 1. Bake the Italian buns according to the instructions on the package and let them cool. Cut off a top and remove the soft bread (see below for a waste-free tip), but leave the outside intact.
   2. Cut the buffalo mozzarella, beets and Taleggio cheese into thin slices.
   3. Spread 2 tablespoons of pesto on the bottom of the dumplings.
   4. Now you are going to make layers with the toppings. First a layer of mozzarella, then a layer of beetroot, some basil leaves, then a layer of Taleggio cheese and finally a layer of grilled vegetables.

Tip: You can of course also grill the vegetables yourself, choose zucchini and bell pepper.

1. 5. Spread the insides of the caps with pesto and cover the filled rolls with it.
   6. Cut the filled rolls in half so that the layers are nicely visible and serve them on a plate.

Tip: I also tested these filled sandwiches in the oven. I wrapped each half in aluminum foil and heated it for 15 minutes at 200 degrees. The result was delicious, especially if you are a lover of melted cheese.

Recipe 2: Cocktail of Dutch shrimps, mango and asparagus

What you need for 4 people as a dish at Easter brunch

• • 200 gr green asparagus tips
  • ¼ see mango
  • ¼ red pepper (omit if you don’t like spice)
  • 100 gr Dutch shrimps
  • 1 tsp chopped shallot
  • olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 citroen
  • pepper
  • salty
  • 100 g iceberg lettuce, chopped
  • 2 sprigs of dill, leaves finely chopped

What you’re going to do

Preparation: 15 minutes

1. 1. Blanch the green asparagus tips in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.
   2. In the meantime, cut the mango in red pepper into very small cubes. Cut 4 of the green asparagus tips into pieces as well.
   3. Mix the shrimps with the mango, red pepper, shallot and green asparagus in a bowl with a dash of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
   4. Fill 4 small (glass) bowls with some iceberg lettuce and divide the shrimp cocktail over them. Garnish with fresh dill.
   5. You can serve the remaining green asparagus tips separately at the mini Easter brunch. Delicious with some lemon zest, extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of coarse sea salt.

Recipe 3: Scones with blueberry compote and lemon

What you need for 8 large or 10 smaller scones

• • 300 gr self raising flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 75 gr + 2 tbsp (regarding 30 gr) granulated sugar
  • 100 g butter, cold and in small cubes
  • 100 ml whole milk
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tl vanille essence of -pasta
  • 250 gr blueberries
  • zest of ½ organic lemon
  • 100 g real Greek yogurt (10% fat)

What you’re going to do

Preparation: 20 minutes + Oven: 20 – 25 minutes + Cooling

Tip in advance: I like my scones best when they are just baked. But you can also bake them a day earlier and pack them airtight at room temperature.

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.
   2. Mix the self-rising flour with the salt and the granulated sugar together in a bowl. Add the cubes of butter and mix into the flour with your fingertips. Knead them until you get a granular mixture.
   3. Pour in the milk along with the beaten egg, lemon juice and vanilla essence. Quickly knead this together with your hand. It just needs to be well mixed.
   4. Divide the dough (it will be slightly sticky, this is correct) into 8 or 10 equal parts. I always use a scale for this. Shape it into a kind of ball and place it, with some space in between, on your baking paper.
   5. Place the baking tray in the center of the oven and bake the scones for 20-25 minutes until they are risen and golden brown. Every oven is different, so check the oven every 15 minutes to see how they brown. And if your griddle is on high, they will brown faster. Then let the scones cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container if you are not going to eat them until later or the next day.
   6. Reserve a few blueberries for garnish and mix the rest in a saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat. About 12 – 15 minutes until the blueberry compote starts to thicken. Then transfer to a bowl and let cool.
   7. Place the scones on a nice serving platter and garnish each scone with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt. Garnish with some blueberry compote, grated lemon zest and fresh blueberries. Then serve immediately.

Tips for not wasting anything following the mini Easter brunch

You have some ingredients left following preparing the mini Easter brunch, here’s what you can make with it so as not to waste anything.

• • Make breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs) from the bread from the Italian buns by drying it in the oven at 120 degrees. Then finely grind the dried bread.
  • Make a salad of the remaining beetroot, some grilled vegetables, iceberg lettuce, basil leaves and mozzarella. Make a dressing of olive oil, (balsamic) vinegar, salt and pepper.
  • Top a flammkuchen with 125 grams of sour cream, beetroot wedges, finely chopped shallot, pepper, salt and pieces of mozzarella. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes at 250 degrees and garnish with basil leaves.
  • Serve the remaining diced mango at Easter brunch.
  • Make fresh fruit water with the remaining lemon, some blueberries and possibly mint leaves if you have them at home.
  • With the leftover Greek yogurt and blueberry compote you can have breakfast the next day. With the leftover scones too ;-).

Recipe & photo: Francesca