Cooking a familiar Easter meal in a unfamiliar setting

(Editor’s Note: This story was originally published March 31, 2021.)

Along with feelings of joy, those who are headed to someone else’s house this Easter weekend could also feel some trepidation if they’re the one in charge of preparing brunch or dinner. How do you cook the holiday’s grand meal in someone else’s kitchen?

Unfamiliar kitchens can be a pain for those home cooks who like things just so. Take your kids, for example: Even though you may have raised the host, you can’t always count on a son or daughter to have the same kitchen utensils, pots and pans at the ready.

When I went looking for some run-of-the-mill curry powder in my son’s New Jersey kitchen recently, all I could find was a hot Jamaican variety.

Of course, he didn’t have any Crisco for biscuits. I was able to substitute butter, but still.

A pantry and fridge that hold vastly different contents are just one minor challenge. If your son or daughter has just begun adulting or doesn’t care much about cooking, he or she might not have your favorite appliances either. So you have to make do without a KitchenAid mixer to whip up cake batter or a Silpat mat for baked goods.

Then there is the space. Not every kitchen comes equipped with a center island for chopping and rolling or a stove with multiple racks. And you may have to trade the gas range you’re used to for electric or induction cooktops, or vice versa.

In short, it takes flexibility to be a chef on the go.

It’s best to keep your recipes as basic as possible — and go with the flow. Choose a simple menu that’s full of family favorites and one that can be adapted to different cooking methods, pans and ingredients.

Here are some holiday feast ideas on how to roll with it when you’re an out-of-town cook:

Ham: Many Easter hams are precooked and made to be enjoyed at room temperature. Heating up a spiral-sliced ham, in fact, can dry it out. If you’re not sure if there will be room in the oven to warm it up (10 minutes per pound at 325 degrees), focus instead on a stellar sauce to serve with it. How does a a spicy-sweet chutney made with juicy chunks of fresh pineapple, honey, brown sugar and vinegar sound? Curry powder (in my case, Jamaican) and hot pepper flakes add a fiery kick. It’s easy to make it in any type of pan on a stovetop, and it can be served warm or at room temperature. Added bonus: It can be made ahead.

Veggies: After eating root vegetables all winter, we can’t wait to fill up on early spring offerings like asparagus or tender spring mixes of lettuce. Get both tastes in one bite with a simple salad. Pair shaved asparagus with baby arugula dressed in a simple but zesty lemon vinaigrette. For a salty finish, add a handful of shaved Parmesan and some toasted nuts. Added bonus: No cooking required.

Sides: No Easter celebration is complete without potatoes. Instead of going the scalloped or mashed route, how do cheesy potatoes sound? It includes cream cheese, sour cream and shredded cheddar, along with just a tad of milk and butter. Any potato works. The dish can be made in an oven or countertop convection oven and in a casserole dish or cast-iron pan or even an aluminum brownie pan. Added bonus: It can be made ahead.

Biscuits: A traditional Easter dinner usually includes some sort of roll or bread. This year, opt for buttermilk biscuits. The dough is patted down evenly in a pan instead of being rolled out and baked on a cookie sheet. The biscuits bake up tall and pull apart light and fluffy. Added bonus: No fuss and easy clean up.

PAT-IN-THE-PAN BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

PG tested

Cook’s Country calls for baking buttermilk biscuits packed together in an 8-inch square pan instead of on a cookie sheet. But I used a Le Creuset casserole dish because that’s all I could find in my son’s kitchen. In a pinch, you also could use a 9-inch cast-iron skillet.

Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour gives the biscuits a soft, delicate texture. Be sure to let them cool before removing them from the pan or they could fall apart.

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

4 cups (16 ounces) cake flour, plus extra for sprinkling

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons table salt

2 cups buttermilk, chilled

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 8-inch square baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Cut 10 tablespoons butter into 1/2-inch pieces and freeze until chilled, about 15 minutes. Let remaining 1 tablespoon butter sit at room temperature to soften.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in bowl. Add chilled butter to flour mixture and smash butter between your fingertips into pea-size pieces. Gently stir in buttermilk until no dry pockets of flour remain. Using rubber spatula, transfer dough to the prepared pan.

Lightly sprinkle extra flour evenly over dough to prevent sticking. Using your floured hands, pat dough into even layer and into corners of pan.

Using bench scraper sprayed with vegetable oil spray, cut dough into 9 equal squares (2 cuts by 2 cuts) but do not separate. Bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Let biscuits cool in pan for 5 minutes. Using thin metal spatula, slide biscuits onto wire rack. Brush tops with softened butter. Let cool for 10 minutes. Pull biscuits apart at cuts and serve warm.

— Cookscountry.com

SHAVED ASPARAGUS SALAD

PG tested

For this salad, spears of asparagus are shaved into long, thin strips and then tossed with baby arugula in a zesty lemon vinaigrette. Shaved Parmesan adds a salty finish. I garnished the salad with toasted almonds but you could easily substitute with any other nut of your choice.

• For dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon citrus champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

• For salad

1 pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed

6 ounces fresh arugula

1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

First, make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Lay an asparagus spear flat on a cutting board. Starting at the bottom end, use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus into long thin strips or ribbons. Place the asparagus shavings in a large bowl and repeat with remaining asparagus.

Add arugula to the bowl. Toss the asparagus and arugula together.

Add the Parmesan cheese and toasted almonds. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over the salad and gently toss. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve the salad immediately.

Serves 4.

— Adapted from twopeasandtheirpod.com

CHEESY CRISPY POTATOES

PG tested

This recipe is a toddler-friendly take on scalloped potatoes — the potatoes are cubed in bite-sized pieces instead of sliced so they’re easy to grab with chubby little hands. I used russets, but you could swap in Yukon gold or baby reds. The sauce includes three different cheeses, but calories be damned. Holidays are meant for splurging.

• For potatoes

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4 -inch cubes

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more butter for the pan

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup whole milk

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

• For topping

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Put potatoes in a large heavy-bottomed pot and cover with cold water. Set on stove over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow potatoes to simmer until they have just started to soften, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine cream cheese, butter and sour cream in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add enough milk so that the mixture is creamy but not soupy. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Add potatoes to bowl and stir gently to combine.

Generously grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Tip half the potatoes into the dish and spread to the edges, then scatter half the grated cheese over the top. Add remaining potatoes and spread to the edges, then top with remaining cheese.

Make topping: Combine butter, breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a small bowl, and toss together with a fork or your fingers until mixed well. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the potatoes.

Bake until casserole is bubbling at the edges and cheese has melted across the top, 30 to 35 minutes.

Serves 6.

— Adapted from nyt.com

PINEAPPLE CHUTNEY

PG tested

No matter what kind of ham you have on your Easter table — be it a spiralized sugar ham, a couple of thick slices or a canned variety — it’s going to taste better dressed up with a glaze, sauce or other condiment. This spicy-sweet chutney features fresh pineapple cooked with honey, brown sugar, vinegar and the kick of Jamaican curry powder. The sweet flavor of the pineapple complements the salty ham perfectly.

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white wine or champagne vinegar

I fresh pineapple, cored and cubed

2 teaspoons Jamaican curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 or 2 pinches red pepper flakes

In a heavy saucepan, combine the onion, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, pineapple, curry powder, ginger, salt and red pepper flakes, and mix well.

Put the pan on the stovetop and cook over high heat until the mixture comes to a full rolling boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce the heat to low and cook the chutney, stirring occasionally so the food doesn’t burn until the pineapple is tender and the mixture is thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and cool the chutney completely. Then stir well and remove to a bowl or another container with a tight lid. You can refrigerate the chutney for up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Serve chutney with ham slices.

Makes about 2 cups.

— Adapted from thespruceeats.com