Make a portable meal ahead of time
Maybe you don't have parents to cook for. Perhaps you're traveling to a friend or relative's house for dinner or, like me, just want to take it easy.
The solution: A make-ahead and portable feast. You might want to try something like it.
For the main, I'll make an Easter strata, a hearty, bread pudding-like casserole made with ham, eggs, cheese and toasted cubed bread.
Not only can be it be assembled a day ahead, but it's easy to divide after baking into re-heatable portions.
Paired with a fresh green salad and a luscious coconut layer cake for dessert (jelly beans optional), it's the perfect dish to carry to their house in a giant Easter basket.
All three dishes are simple to make, travel well and take just minutes to get on the table when you arrive at your destination.
The strata tastes just as good at room temperature as it does fresh from the oven or reheated in the microwave (I'm eating a piece at my desk as I write), and the salad can be tossed lickety-split with a pair of forks.
Even the cake, which is refrigerated, is pretty indestructible.
Of course, this is just the start of a great Easter meal basket. Depending on your recipients' taste (and appetite), you'll also want to include a few sweet treats.
One sure bet is a fruit-and-nut or peanut-butter meltaway egg; you also can't miss with a chocolate Easter bunny or foil-wrapped chocolate eggs.
Lamb-shaped butter is another seasonal classic, along with sweet Easter bread.
MAKE-AHEAD RECIPES
Spring Green Salad with Creamy Shallot Vinaigrette
FOR VINAIGRETTE:
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon creme fraiche or heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
FOR SALAD:
1/2 head butter lettuce, washed and dried
3 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roughly chopped assorted fresh herbs, such as tarragon, dill, mint, chives, parsley and cilantro
3 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
Flake salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves two.
Make vinaigrette: Whisk together shallot, honey, mustard, creme fraiche and vinegar. Continue to whisk while pouring in the oil. Alternatively, combine ingredients in a jar and then shake until combined. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Make salad: Place lettuce leaves in medium bowl and toss with1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Arrange leaves on two plates and then top with the radishes, avocado and herbs. Finish with crumbled goat cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Country Ham Breakfast Strata
1-pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 quarts)
8 eggs
2 1/3 cups half-and-half
6 ounces country ham, diced
2 tablespoons bacon grease
2 cups julienned collared greens (optional)
1 small onion, cut into1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
1 small red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
5 scallions, root ends trimmed, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Serves eight to 10.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread bread on baking sheet and toast until crispy but not browned, about 8 minutes.
In large bowl, whisk eggs with half-and-half until well combined. Gently fold in bread cubes, and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Place a large skillet on stove. Add ham and turn temperature to high. Add bacon grease and toss with ham until melted. Cook, tossing frequently, just until ham begins to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add collards and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in onions and peppers and toss and cook until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes.
Remove bread that has been soaking overnight and fold in the scallions, cheese and cooked vegetables. Spread egg mixture in prepared dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake until set, puffed and golden brown, another 15 minutes or so. You can test it with a toothpick; when it comes out clean, it's done. The eggs will deflate quickly, which is fine.
Coconut Layer Cake
FOR CAKE:
1 box French vanilla cake mix, with ingredients listed on box for batter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
FOR FILLING:
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream
14-ounce bag sweetened flaked coconut (about 5 cups)
FOR FROSTING:
4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar, sifted, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon coconut extract
7-ounce bag sweetened flaked coconut (about 2 1/2 cups)
Serves 16.
For cake: Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Prepare mix according to package directions, adding vanilla and coconut extracts to batter. Bake as directed. Cool layers to room temperature and then split them in half horizontally with a large serrated knife to make 4 layers.
For filling: In large bowl, stir together sugar, sour cream and coconut. Place 1 cake layer on cake plate or pedestal. Cover with 1/3 of filling. Repeat twice more, ending with a cake layer that is bare on top.
For frosting: In large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter until smooth and light, about 3 minutes. (I used a stand mixer.) Add 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Quickly beat in vanilla and coconut extracts. Frosting will be soft. Cover top and sides of cake with a thin, even layer of frosting. (This layer is called a crumb coat and helps prevent cake crumbs from mixing into the final layer of frosting.)
Beat in enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups powdered sugar to make a stiff frosting. Spread over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle the coconut over top and sides of cake, pressing lightly to help it adhere. Let sit at room temperature until frosting sets up a bit.
Place cake in airtight carrier or cover with foil, taking care not to dislodge the coconut. Refrigerate at least 2 days, preferably 4 days, before serving.
This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Make a portable meal ahead of time ."