Here's an Entire Easter Menu of Gorgeous Spring Dishes

By Robin Bashinsky
February 27, 2018
Credit: Jennifer Causey
Celebrate the first big entertaining occasion of the year with a beautiful spread featuring lots of seasonal flourishes.
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Easter Menu for 8

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Our Easter feast celebrates early spring flavors, from asparagus and rhubarb to lamb and mushrooms. Most of the recipes are quick, and we offer get-ahead tips, so the meal is a cinch to pull together the day of. The menu serves eight (with dessert leftovers).

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Cucumber-Lime-Lavender Spritzer

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Cucumber-Lime-Lavender Spritzer

This effervescent, nonalcoholic refresher perfectly balances floral, tangy, and sweet flavors. If you'd like to turn it into a tipple, try adding a splash of gin or vodka.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Combine ingredients (minus club soda) in a pitcher up to a day ahead and chill; add fizz just before serving.

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Sweet-and-Sour Mushroom Toasts with Tarragon

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Sweet-and-Sour Mushroom Toasts with Tarragon

Be sure to get the skillet very hot before adding the mushrooms; otherwise, you won't get good browning (which is key to maximum flavor).

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Asparagus with Avocado-Herb Dressing

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Asparagus with Avocado-Herb Dressing

If you can find white asparagus, try using half white and half green. The white variety will need to boil a couple of minutes longer than the green.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cook asparagus and blend the dressing the day before. Assemble and leave at room temp an hour before serving.

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Roasted Spring Lamb with Fennel, Rhubarb, and Strawberries

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Roasted Spring Lamb with Fennel, Rhubarb, and Strawberries

"Frenched" racks of lamb are trimmed so that the bones are cleaned of fat and meat; if you can't find pre-frenched lamb racks, ask the butcher to french them for you.

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Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Fresh thyme gives this rustic cake a faint herbaceous quality that complements the warmth of cardamom and ginger and the tang of rhubarb. Be patient when turning the cake out of the pan; it may take several minutes for it to fully release. The surprise ingredient (mayonnaise) is an old-school trick for creating a super-moist cake. A dollop of yogurt cuts through the cake's richness—but you can omit it if you like.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Bake the cake in the morning, invert onto a plate or cake stand, and leave at room temperature, loosely covered, until ready to serve.

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By Robin Bashinsky