I enjoy thinking about and planning for Easter as it is a special holiday time for our family. We usually try to get together with our extended families, but this year will be more difficult with both of our boys in the middle of university final exams.
Traditionally we always color Easter eggs and then enjoy some egg games before eating them. I love hot cross buns but some members of our family prefer breads without raisins and peel.
In thinking about Easter foods I visited the websites of the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency, www.canadaegg.ca, and Fleischmann’s yeast, www.breadworld.com and found interesting ideas and recipes.
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Coloring Easter eggs
We usually color three or four dozen eggs. The eggs can also be blown hollow and the insides used for baking or in egg dishes.
A food safety note to remember is if the colored hard-cooked eggs are to be eaten, be sure to use only non-toxic coloring dyes on the shells (e.g. food coloring) and do not leave the eggs unrefrigerated for more than two hours.
Coloring: Food coloring, natural colors, commercial egg dyes and water-based felt pens can be used for coloring eggs. For each color, mix 3/4 cup (175 mL) of water and one teaspoon (five mL) vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon (one mL) food coloring.
Add food coloring one drop at a time until you obtain the brightness you want. Completely submerge the eggs until tinted the color you want, from two to five minutes.
Remove the eggs from the water and allow to dry before adding another color or continuing to decorate.
Tongs are a handy tool to use for dipping raw or hard-cooked eggs in and out of the water.
An easy way to color a blown egg is to thread a thin piece of wire through the holes and bend the wire at one end to create a hook so the egg won’t slip off. A cake rack is also useful for drying eggs.
Egg yolk paints (egg tempera): Carefully crack open an egg. Separate the yolk from the white. Mix 1/2 teaspoon (two mL) water with the yolk.
Pour a little of the yolk mixture into several small cups. Add food coloring, using a different color for each cup. Use a brush to paint your egg. If the paint gets too thick, add a few drops of water.
Note: Egg yolk paints can be used to paint designs on sugar cookies before they are put in the oven, or to paint faces or designs on bread before making toast. Pop bread into toaster to dry the paint.
Egg decorating ideas
Use wax crayons, magic markers or paints (acrylics, tempera, enamel or poster paints) on the eggshell. Then coat it with clear nail polish to prevent smearing. Since these coatings are toxic, eggs should not be eaten.
To make the eggshell glisten, use pearl-colored nail polish. For a porcelain finish, apply many coats of Elmer’s glue diluted with a bit of water, over the egg and any designs. Allow to dry between coats and before finishing with a fixative spray or lacquer.
Any eggs you wish to keep can be coated with spray lacquer or acrylic sealer.
For egghead faces, use felt pens and paints or dye eggs flesh colors of brown, pink or yellow. Glue on ribbons, lace, buttons, cotton balls, wool, sequins, macaroni, feathers, glitter, pencil shavings, fabric, yarn, dried plants, buttons or jewelry.
To make stands for decorated eggs, glue on small plastic curtain rings, buttons, spools, stones, pieces of wood or bottle caps. Strips of colored heavy paper can be rolled up until small enough to hold an egg and secured with tape.
To make an egg owl: Color egg with black or brown felt pen. Glue on beak made of triangle of construction paper. Use two small stones for feet.
Pig: Dye egg pink. Glue on miniature marshmallows for four legs and snout. Make a curly tail from a pipe cleaner. Draw eyes with a felt pen.
Mouse: Glue on large pink ovals of construction paper for ears. Add a pipe cleaner tail. Draw on whiskers and eyes with a felt pen.
Bird: Dye egg blue. Glue on construction paper beak and tissue paper wings and tail. Draw eyes with felt pen.
Fish: Dye egg green or color egg shell green with paint or felt pen. Cut eyes, tail and fins from construction paper and glue on.
Chocolate bunny bread
Makes one bunny. Dough can be prepared in all-sized bread machines.
2/3 cup milk 150 mL
1 large egg
2 tablespoons butter or 30 mL
margarine, cut up
2 teaspoons vanilla 10 mL
extract
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 7 mL
2 1/4 cups bread flour 550 mL
1/3 cup sugar 75 mL
3 tablespoons 45 mL
unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon 15 mL
bread machine yeast
1/4 cup milk chocolate or 50 mL
peanut butter morsels
Measure milk, egg, butter, vanilla, salt, bread flour, sugar, cocoa and yeast into bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Process on dough/manual cycle.
When cycle is complete, remove dough to floured surface. If necessary, knead in additional flour to make dough easy to handle.
Divide dough in half. For body, knead chocolate morsels into one half, form into ball. Place on bottom end of greased large baking sheet, flatten to make five inch (12 cm) round.
For head, remove 1/3 of remaining half, form into ball. Place on pan above body, flatten slightly, pinching to attach. For nose, pinch off a half inch (one cm) ball from remaining dough, place on centre of head. Divide remaining dough into four equal pieces, roll each to form five in. (12 cm) rope.
For arms, arrange two ropes across body, attach by tucking one end of each under body. Shape remaining ropes into ears, arrange above head. Attach by tucking one end of each under head. Cover, let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 35 to 40 minutes or until done, covering with aluminum foil during last 20 minutes to prevent excess browning. Remove from pan, cool on wire rack. Decorate as desired.
Hot cross buns
Makes nine buns. Dough can be prepared in all-sized bread machines.
These buns feature dried or candied pineapple for a taste of the tropics. For a more traditional flavor, omit the lemon peel and pineapple, increase the currants to 1/2 cup (125 mL), and add 3/4 teaspoon (3 mL) ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon (0.5 mL) ground cloves.
Dough
2/3 cup milk 150 mL
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter or 45 mL
margarine, cut up
3/4 teaspoon salt 3 mL
21/3 cups bread flour 575 mL
2 tablespoons sugar 30 mL
1/2 teaspoon freshly 2 mL
grated lemon peel
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg .5 mL
11/2 teaspoons 7 mL
bread machine yeast
1/3 cup dried currants or 75 mL
raisins
3 tablespoons finely 45 mL
chopped dried or
candied pineapple
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Icing
1/2 cup sifted powdered 125 mL
sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 mL
1-2 teaspoons milk 5-10 mL
Dough: Measure milk, egg, butter, salt, flour, sugar, lemon peel, nutmeg and yeast into bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Process on dough/manual cycle. When cycle is complete, remove dough to lightly floured surface; knead in fruits and additional flour to make dough easy to handle. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough into nine equal pieces and form each into a ball. Place two inches (five cm) apart on greased large baking sheet. Cover and let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
With sharp knife, cut shallow cross in top of each bun. Brush egg white over tops. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 15 to 18 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack.
Icing: In small bowl, combine all icing ingredients; stir until smooth. Drizzle over buns in shape of cross.
Reader request
Dear TEAM: I am interested in obtaining a copy of Agriculture Means the World to Saskatchewan. — M.S. Calgary, Alta.
Dear M.S.: This booklet, which is also called Tastes of Saskatchewan , is produced by Saskatchewan Agriculture and is distributed through the department’s extension agrologist. It can also be obtained by calling 306-787-5140, or writing Saskatch-ewan Agriculture at 3085 Albert Street, Regina, Sask., S4S 0B1.
The booklet features recipes from Culinary Team Saskatchewan. Another source of excellent recipes from Culinary Team Saskatchewan is the booklet Canola Cooks. Dorothy Long, a fellow home economist from Saskatchewan, is the editor. She writes the food column in The Western Producer. Liz Delahey, former Western Producer columnist, also contributed to this cookbook.
Contact 306-387-6610, fax 306-386-6637, or check the website at www.canolainfo.org.
If you have access to a computer you can e-mail questions to any of our expert columnists at newsroom@producer.com. Or mail your question to the relevant columnist. The newspaper will forward it unopened. Mail to columnist name c/o Editorial Dept., Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4.
