Betty Kaiser
Lighten up Easter dinner’s festive foods
So what’s on your Easter Sunday dinner menu? At our house it’s always baked ham. What a treat to walk into the kitchen after church and smell a flavorful, clove-studded, bone-in ham baking in the oven. It’s also nice to have most of the meal’s prep work done.
My husband’s recent abdominal surgery has wreaked havoc with his digestive system. So I’m lightening things up this year. His favorite German Potato Salad is going to be minus the bacon dressing. Instead, I’m going to try a Web MD recipe that is very similar and I hope will satisfy his cravings.
I’m not much on fancy glazes or sauces for hams. Too much of a good thing masks the taste of the meat. I make a simple brown sugar glaze that browns the ham nicely but only translates to maybe one tablespoon of sugar per serving.
A nice strawberry avocado salad will lend a splash of color to the plates and still be easy on the stomach.
We’ll polish off the meal with a low-fat, three-layer coconut cake. The frosting is an old-fashioned fluffy creation made with egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. You beat it up in a double boiler, pile it on and it melts in your mouth. Sugar, yes. Fat, no.
FYI: I often spread apricot or strawberry jam between the cake layers. It moistens the cake and gives you more frosting for the outside. Yummy. Enjoy!
BAKED HAM with BROWN SUGAR GLAZE
1 (12-pound) smoked cured ham shank (shank removed)
Whole cloves for studding ham
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard (more if desired)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Remove all excess skin and most of the fat from ham.
Score top of ham into diamonds and stud center of each diamond with a clove. Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan and bake for about 2-4 hours.
In a bowl combine the sugar, mustard and vinegar and spread glaze evenly over ham. Bake for another 45 minutes or until glaze is brown and bubbly. Transfer ham to a platter and let stand 15 minutes before carving. Serves 10 generously.
RED POTATO SALAD
With Champagne Vinegar
2 pounds firm Red potatoes
1 medium red onion
Extra virgin olive oil
Champagne vinegar
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
Tarragon -- fresh, snipped, or dried
Heat a large pot of fresh cold water to boil. Add some sea salt.
Wash off the potatoes; leave the skins on. Cut the potatoes into quarters or bite size chunks. Put them into the water and simmer until fork tender -- about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, dice the onion.
Drain the potatoes well and pour them into a large bowl. Add the onion and lightly mix. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to moisten the potatoes -- about 1/4 cup or so. Drizzle liberally with the Champagne vinegar and toss. Add more if needed. Don't be stingy.
Season with sea salt, cracked pepper, and tarragon. Mix well with a wooden spoon. I prefer my potato salad with some definition but soften the shape of some potatoes.
STRAWBERRY AVOCADO SALAD
SALAD
2 cups torn salad greens
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced
10 strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
DRESSING
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, olive oil, honey, vinegar, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Place the salad greens in a pretty bowl, and top with sliced avocado and strawberries. Drizzle dressing over everything; then sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving, or serve immediately. Serves 4
COCONUT TRIPLE-LAYER CAKE
"Cooking Light, March 1998"
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon cake flour
3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
1 2/3 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon butter extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.
Lightly spoon sifted flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine sifted flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Combine sugar, butter, and oil in a large bowl, and beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the milk and yogurt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in extracts.
Pour cake batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap cake pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Prepare frosting as follows.
Fluffy Coconut Frosting
2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash of salt
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
Combine first 5 ingredients in top of a double boiler; place egg white mixture over barely simmering water in bottom of double boiler on cook top. Beat at high speed of a hand-held mixer until stiff peaks form and candy thermometer registers 160°. Add extracts; beat until blended.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 2/3 cup Fluffy Coconut Frosting, and top with another cake layer. Spread with 2/3 cup frosting, and top with the remaining cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle top of cake with coconut. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.
Note: Apricot or strawberry jam is a delicious alternative to spread between the cake layers.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes
that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.
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