Deviled eggs.

Everyone knows how to make these picnic-basket favorites, right? I mean, if you’ve ever done the “A to H bring a side dish” community supper thing, you’ve made deviled eggs.

Or not.

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What’s the difference between ricotta pie, and cheesecake?

Not much, taste-wise.

But if you’re looking for a lighter-textured “cheesecake,” do what many an Italian family does: enjoy a modest slice of Amaretto-scented ricotta pie, topped (or not) with orange marmalade.

With a cup of espresso, it’s the perfect end to the typical Easter feast: ham, potatoes, vegetables, salad… and lasagna.

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Someone posted this joke the other day. “Why is everyone so tired on April 1?”  “Because they just finished a 31-day March!”

Of course I giggled; it’s a cute joke, after all. Then my brain had to kick in and think. Wow, it really has been a long march to spring this year. How about you?

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Cheese bread.

Just hearing those two words together – “cheese,” and “bread” – makes your mouth start to water, doesn’t it?

Who doesn’t savor cheese? Who doesn’t love bread?

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Easter is coming, the geese are getting fat…

So starts my mom’s variation on an old Christmas song, one she sang to us each spring, when Easter was indeed coming.

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What IS it about hot, melty cheese, anyway? I mean, you see a picture like this, and you NEED THAT PLATE IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT THIS INSTANT.

From Gruyère Stuffed Crusty Loaves and Garlic-Herb Mac & Cheese to Sausage Cheese Biscuits and the meltiest cheese dish of them all – Cheese Fondue – some of the most popular recipes on this site feature hot melted cheese.

All involve cheese that goes into the oven (or onto the stovetop) solid and stolid; and comes out a glorious, lava-like, aromatic mass of pure oozing cheesiness. Cheddar, Jack, Swiss, mozzarella… doesn’t really matter what kind, does it? So long as it’s warm and soft and on your plate. read the rest of this entry »

The Easter ham.

It’s not a given, you know. Just because everyone else serves ham (or, for real traditionalists, lamb) on Easter, the Food Police won’t come knocking at your door if you dare to defy tradition and serve something else as the main dish.

Like lasagna, as my Italian in-laws often do.

Or roast turkey. After all, where is it writ that turkey can ONLY be served at Thanksgiving?

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I’ve no doubt baked many hundreds of different recipes in the 35+ years I’ve been baking on my own. But there are certain ones that I bake over and over again: fudge birthday cake, almond puff loaf, whole wheat pain de mie, and a host of others that never fail to win accolades from whatever audience enjoys them. read the rest of this entry »

OK, I’m about to confess a deep, dark secret.

I’m married to an Italian, and have been making Italian food for 35 years. I’ve also been baking for well over 35 years.

And in all those years, I’ve only ever found one Italian cake, cookie, pie, or other baked sweet I’m really fond of:

Biscotti.

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While Italy offers many traditional Easter breads, the best-known by far is Colomba Pasquale – Easter Dove Bread – a native of Lombardy in the north, but available everywhere when Easter rolls around.

Even in America one can find these panettone-like breads around the Easter holidays, especially in Italian bakeries.

The only challenge is, these “doves” look about as much like a bird as I look like – hmmm, how about the winner of the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon?

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