Easter Menu Fantasies

I’ve been contemplating menus for Easter dinner, and I’ve come up with several different approaches.  Most of these have a common theme of being relatively healthy with a good balance of protein, fats, and carbs.  I aim for fresh food filled with healthy flavors!  That leaves room for guilty pleasures like dessert or a nice cheese plate. 

In most cases, I’ll put out a nice selection of olives, pickles, nuts, cheeses, and crackers well in advance of dinner.  My guests like to chat and watch us cook, and we always encourage guest participation.   Some forbidden celery is almost a requirement if my father in law will be there for a meal, so that might make an appearance somewhere in the day.  

The non-traditional:

• Planked salmon seasoned with mustard seeds, pepper corns, and sweet spring onion slices
• Goat cheese souffle served on a bed of wilted spinach
• Wild rice pilaf flavored with nuts, dried fruits, and herbs
• Fresh fruit trifle

The gourmet:

• Roast leg of lamb (see Alton Brown’s recipe)
• Carrot ginger sage soup
• Sauteed asparagus with red bell peppers
• Flour-less espresso chocolate cake

The budget:

• Baked pork tenderloin (bought in advance when it went on sale!)
• Baked sweet potatoes or roasted root vegetable medley
• Green beans cooked with mushrooms and onion
• Carrot cake

The traditional:

• Baked ham with pineapple (or check out Alton Brown’s city ham recipe, it’s fabulous)
• Green bean casserole
• Homemade yeast rolls
• Jello salad or ambrosia
• Candied baby carrots
• Some kind of cake covered with coconut flakes

The casual:

• Spiral sliced ham
• Quality rolls and all the trimmings for ham sandwiches
• Pea salad
• Egg salad or Deviled eggs
• Fruit salad
• Cupcakes
• Gingered lemonade

The brunch:

• Asparagus, ham and Gruyere cheese frittata
• Fresh fruit salad
• Homemade braided challah with fresh fruit preserves  (or buy it from a quality bakery)
• Bellinis

 As it turns out, I won’t be cooking any of these for Easter.  I have an invite to my Mom’s to enjoy dinner at her house.   I would love to cook any of these meals, but it won’t happen for Easter this year.  What’s your favorite Easter menu (fantasy or real)?  I’d love to hear some different ideas!  What would you serve if there were no limits on your time or budget or cooking ability?