Easter recipes -- ordinary to extraordinary

Sometimes it is the little touches that make the difference between a good dinner and a great dinner. The right toppings, whether on an entrée or dessert, can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

In many homes across America, ham is a popular entrée at the Easter brunch table, however, a ham can be rather dry if not served with a sauce. In this article I have included recipes for two sauces that are my favorites. The cherry sauce has been a staple at our family Easter gatherings; and the raisin sauce has been relished for many years at the home of my friends, the Perdews. Connie Perdew, the family matriarch, agreed to share her Raisin Sauce recipe with me, but it came with a warning.

"Some people are afraid to try it because it is different," she said.

The flavor is unique and the color is different. It is the color of raisins. But, I have drizzled this sauce over my ham at Perdew family gatherings for 38 years and it is still one of the sauces that I crave. It adds pizzazz to any ham.

Skipping over the side dishes and going straight to dessert – an easy way to punch up an ordinary cupcake is with homemade butter-cream frosting. I prefer white cupcakes for an Easter brunch because white is reminiscent of Easter – light and hope. Also, white cakes are lighter in texture than chocolate.

For my Easter cupcakes I use a white cake recipe, crown it with my mother’s butter-cream frosting, then scatter some sugar sprinkles on top. The sweet scent of butter-cream frosting brings back childhood memories of my mother standing at the mixer while I was patiently waiting to lick the beaters. Low to the ground, I couldn’t see what was going on up on the counter, but I knew it was something wonderful. I could tell by the soothing cadence of the whirring mixer and the intoxicating scent of vanilla and cream. I got to lick two beaters until my younger brother was old enough to eat frosting. That was the day things changed – the day I had to share the beaters – he got one and I got one. However, my mother helped to offset the disappointment of only having one beater to lick. She spread a bit of frosting on a graham cracker and broke it in two – one for me and one for my brother.

Easter is a time for rejoicing, a time for the return of light, a time for fresh starts. It is a time for savoring family, friends and food. It also doesn’t hurt to try some new Easter recipes that just might transform the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Connie Perdew’s Raisin Sauce

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup butter
• 2 cups water
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• 1 cup seedless raisins

Combine butter, water, vinegar and mustard, then bring to boil. Add flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. (Make sure the mixture is free of lumps.) Add raisins and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 3 cups.

Cherry Sauce

Ingredients:

• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 16-oz can of dark sweet cherries (pitted)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Method:

Combine sugar, cornstarch and water in saucepan on low, stir until smooth. Add the cherries and bring to a boil. Stir for two minutes or until sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat. Add lemon juice and almond extract – stir until blended. Makes approx. 8 servings.

Barbara Taylor’s Butter-Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• 4 cups of powdered sugar (1 box)
• 4 tablespoons of cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat on low to mix; high to blend (Frosts a one-layer cake)