Cooking a familiar meal in a unfamiliar setting
With luck, millions of Americans will be traveling over Easter weekend to spend time with loved ones whom they have not seen in a long while.
Forty-three percent of consumers are expected to visit with family and friends over the weekend, according to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation. The fact that more and more individuals are getting vaccinated is one reason. The warmer weather is the other as it allows for outdoor dining, making the Easter dinner feel safer.
Yet along with feelings of joy, those who are headed to someone else’s house this weekend could also feel some trepidation if they’re the one in charge of preparing brunch or dinner. How do you cook Easter’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 outof-town cook:
Ham: Many Easter hams are pre-cooked and made to be enjoyed at room temperature. Heating up a spiralsliced 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.