April marks the start of spring holiday season, beginning with Easter this Sunday. A new menu item or creative preparation is a fitting way to celebrate these events or turn any balmy spring day into a special occasion. For inspiration, tap one of these five recipes.
Rack of Lamb with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Meyer Lemon Crema
Rack of lamb makes for a festive centerpiece to a spring dinner. Chef Holly Smith of Café Juanita infuses the dish with flavor-enhancing touches, including rosemary, thyme, garlic, anchovies and Meyer lemon. The ingredients and presentation add up to an impressive entree.
This dish shouts “spring” with its bright green colors and first-of-the season trio of fresh peas. Chef Hunter Pritchett of Melody in Los Angeles combines English peas, sugar snaps and snow peas to pair with creamy burrata cheese, tying them together with an herbaceous blend of fresh mint, tarragon, parsley and chives.
Eggs are an Easter icon, usually ending up at egg hunts and in baskets. But there’s no reason not to extend deviled eggs way beyond the April 4 holiday. These would make a welcome addition at spring and summer picnics, barbecues and other seasonal events.
This towering layer cake makes for a showstopper of a dessert on a holiday table or at any celebratory get-together. The hummingbird cake is traditionally made with bananas and pineapple, tying it back to its Jamaican roots, but it has since become popular in the South.
This onion-focused dish, which features sweet onions as a carrier and in the sauce and green onions in the vinaigrette, could serve as an appetizer, side or light entree. Fresh chives add a touch of spring, and chive blossoms and microgreens carry out the seasonal theme.
University of Florida’s solution for feeding students in the midst of construction of a new dining hall has turned out so well, it will almost be a shame to see it go.
The endlessly colorful cuisine of Mexico is always in season, but Cinco de Mayo is a great time to bring some new recipes to the party, starting with El Rio Picante, an alternative marg, and finishing with DIY churro sundaes.