7 ways to make Easter weekend more delicious

Like every holiday, Easter tends to revolve around food.

Besides the plethora ofchocolate bunnies and candy Peeps, Calgarians will gather around tables for roastturkeys and baked ham, or perhaps an elaborate brunch of cinnamon buns or waffles.

If youre looking for new Easter inspiration, here are several ways to make yourweekend more delicious no Peeps required.

Cinnamon-Raisin Hot Cross Pull-apart Buns

Hot cross buns always make their appearance in the spring.If you like to make yourown, heres a fun way to upgrade them. Cut soft raisin and citron-studded dough into small pieces, roll them in cinnamon-sugar, and bake in muffin tins for pull-apart rolls thatare halfway between a hot cross bun and a cinnamon bun.

Dough:

• cup lukewarm milk
• cup lukewarm water
• 3 Tbsp. sugar (white or brown)
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• cup instant potato flakes (optional)
• 1 large egg
• cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. salt
• cup raisins (dark, golden or both)
• 1/3 cup candied citron (optional)

Cinnamon-sugar:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Glaze:

• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. water

Drizzle:

• cup icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp. milk or cream
• tsp. vanilla (optional)

Put the warm milk and water in a large bowl, and sprinkle a pinch of the sugar andall of the yeast overtop.Let sit for five minutes, until it gets foamy. Add the flour, potatoflakes, egg, butter and salt and blend until you have a sticky dough.

Add the raisins andcandied citron and knead (in your stand mixer with a dough hook or on a lightly-flouredcountertop) until smooth and elastic. It should be slightly tacky. Place in a greased bowl,cover with a tea towel and let sit for an hour, until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough and divide it into 12 pieces.I find this easiest to do by cutting itin half, then each half in half, then each piece in three. Then take each piece and cut itinto about six pieces.This is easy to do with a dough scraper/bench knife, and they don'tall have to be equal.

Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners and spray the papers with non-stick spray. Mix thesugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and roll each piece of dough in it to coat,then place in the tins so you'll have about sixpieces in each tin. Sprinkle the remainingcinnamon sugar overtop.

Cover loosely with a tea towel and let sit for another hour. Toward the end of the risingtime, preheat the oven to 350F.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden. In a small dish, stir together the sugar andwater and brush/dab over the tops of the buns while they're still warm. Stir together theicing sugar and milk or cream and drizzle over the cooled buns.

Makes 12 pull-apart hot cross buns.

Crme Brulgg

Looking for something different to serve for Easter dessert? Submerge Easter cremeeggs into crme brle before baking for Crme Brulgg! The chocolate egg will softenas it bakes, but hold its shapeuntil you dig into it with a spoon.

• 5 large egg yolks
• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream or 18% coffee cream
• tsp. good-quality vanilla (I used Madagascar vanilla bean paste, in which you cansee the teeny seeds from the vanilla pod)
• sugar, for sprinkling on top
• 4-6 CadburysEaster creme eggs

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in the cream and vanilla.Divide among four to sixsmall ramekins, and nestle an Easter creme egg in each. Place in aroasting pan or 9x13-inchpan, fill with water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins,and bake at 325F for 30-45 minutes, or until set but still slightly jiggly.

Take them out,let them cool and then refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, until nice and cold.

Sprinkle an even layer of sugar over each dish and caramelize with a torch or transferto a cookie sheet and place under the broiler in the oven for about twominutes, just untilthe sugar is caramelized and golden. Turn the sheet around if you need to to help themcaramelize evenly.

Refrigerate again, or just let them sit on the countertop while you eatdinner or make coffee, just until the sugar is set and crackly.

Serves six.

Tartiflette with Oka

If you struggle with making scalloped potatoesor just want a less fussy alternativethat just happens to be spectacularly delicioustry this simple, rustic French dish madewith cubed potatoes, bacon, creamand a whole round of Oka cheese.

The Oka meltsovertop as it bakes, making a sublimely gooey, cheesy dish thats the epitome ofcomfort food and perfect with ham.

• 1 -2 lbs thin skinned, yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5-6 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• a grating of fresh nutmeg
• cup heavy (whipping) cream or 18% coffee cream
• 1 small wheel Oka cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, but stillsomewhat firm in the middle. Drain well.

In a heavy oven-proof skillet (cast iron is ideal), cook the bacon until almost crisp; addthe onion and continue cooking for a couple minutes. Add the potatoes, salt and pepperand nutmeg and mix well. Drizzle the cream over the top. Remove the rind from thebottom of the cheese and lightly scratch the top rind of the cheese with a knife.

Place the cheese, rind side up, on top of the potato mixture. Bake for 40 -45 minutes until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are cooked through.

Serve immediately. Serves four to six.

Sticky Baked Ham

This is my go-to baked ham recipe.Its practically foolproof, requiring the cook only tounwrap the ham and put it in the oven, then paint it with brown sugar-mustard-balsamictoward the end of its cooking time. Its perfect for serving a large crowd, especially ofvarying ages and appetites.

• 1 5-6 lb. bone-in ham
• -cup brown sugar
• cup grainy mustard
• cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Unwrap your ham, check for a small plastic plug on the boneand remove it if there is one, put into a baking dish it will fit in and bake for about anhour. (Alternatively, put in a large slow cooker, cover and cook on low for four to sixhours,then remove from the slow cooker and put in a baking dish.)

Meanwhile, in a small dish, stir together the brown sugar, mustard and vinegar. Brushall over the surface of the ham and return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes,brushing once or twice with the glaze.

Serve warm. Serves lots.

The Ultimate Gooey Cinnamon Bun

Cinnamon buns are classic special occasion breakfast snacks when whatever yourecelebrating (Christmas, Easter) requires gathering in the morning. These are theultimate sticky, gooey cinnamon buns.

To make them ahead, stash the rolled, cut doughin the fridge overnight to slow the rise, then bake in the morning for warm buns withyour coffee and egg hunt.

Dough:

• cup water
• 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• cup sugar
• 1 cup milk, warmed
• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. salt

Goo:

• cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Rogers golden syrup, corn syrup or honey
• cup water
• 1 cup pecan halves (optional)

Filling:

• cup butter, melted
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon (approximately)

To make the dough, put the warm water in a large bowl (or the bowl of your standmixer) and sprinkle with the yeast and a pinch of the sugar. Let stand fiveminutes, or untilfoamy. (If it doesnt foam, toss it and buy fresh yeast.)

In a small bowl, mix the warm milk and eggs together with a fork. Add to the yeastmixture along with threecups of the flour and the remaining sugar; mix until well blendedand sticky. Add the butter and remaining flour and stir or beat with the dough hookattachment of your stand mixer until you have a soft, sticky dough.

Knead for about eightminutes, until smooth and elastic. It will still be slightly tacky. Place back in the bowl,cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, make the goo: combine the butter, brown sugar, syrup and water in a smallsaucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the butter is melted. Divide between twobuttered pie plates, nine-inch cake pans or 88-inch pans (or one of each), pouring it overthe bottom. If you like, scatter with pecan halves.

To make the buns, divide the dough in half, shape each into a rough rectangle (this willmake it roll out more evenly) and on a lightly-floured surface, roll into a rectangle thatsabout 1015-inches (or slightly bigger, even) and about -inch thick. Brush each piecewith half the melted butter and scatter with brown sugar; smooth the sugar to evenlydistribute it with your hand. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Starting on a long side, roll the dough up into a log, and using a serrated knife, cut itcrosswise into thirds. Cut each piece into thirds this is easier than eyeballing it to get nineeven pieces. Place cut-side-up into the pans, placing one in the middle and the restaround it, or in the case of a square pan, in threerows of three.

Cover with a tea towel andlet rise for another hour, until doubled in bulk. (If youre making them the night before,cover and place in the fridge for a slow rise; take them out and leave them on thecountertop for hour or so before baking.)

When youre ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Put a baking sheet on the rackunderneath (to catch any drips) and bake for 30-40 minutes, until deep golden. Let coolfor five to tenminutes, but invert onto a plate while still warm. (If you wait too long and theyget stuck in the pan, slide back into a hot oven to rewarm the goo, then try again.)

Eatwarm.Makes 1dozen cinnamon buns.

Maple Bacon Cornmeal Waffles

Weekend brunches are the ideal excuse to make waffles if your usual recipe is gettingtired, try these cornmeal waffles with a strip of bacon cooked inside. Theyre likebacon-y corn dogs for breakfast,and both cornbread and bacon are perfect dousedwith maple syrup.

• 6-8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• cup cornmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• pinch salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• cup canola oil
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

In large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and syrup; pour over the dryingredients. Stir just until blended.

Preheat your waffle iron and brush it with some oil or spray it with non-stick spray. Pourin cup batter and lay a strip of bacon overtop; cook according to the manufacturersdirections, or until the waffle is golden and crisp.

Serve warm. Serves six.

Wine Smoothies

A smoothie made of wine and frozen fruit essentially a bellini is perfect for acelebratory brunch. Its easy to omit the wine,or swap bubbly ginger alefor the kids.

You dont really need a recipe, justshake a bag of frozen fruit peaches, mango, berriesinto a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth with a big splash of appleor orange juice.

Spoon the slushy puree into glasses and top with bubbly anything: Prosecco, sparkling wine or ginger ale to serve.