A few Easter weekend eats to try from Chef Sharon Pye

The religious holiday of Easter is upon us and as is normal in the country there will be a feast of traditional or family specific dishes served for lunch after church.

For those who have heirloom recipes to prepare, everything is sorted I’m sure, but for those who are looking for something new, here are some Easter weekend eats to try from Chef Sharon Pye – a chef lecturer at the Rosebank campus of Capsicum Culinary Studio – and a bonus dessert recipe from Chef Norman Heath – the head chef at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Smoked Beef Brisket (serves 15)  

Ingredients 2 x 4kg beef brisket/topside

1 litre beef stock

125ml sea salt

125ml  coarse black pepper

125ml Worcestershire sauce

1 bag oak wood chips  

Method

Trim the brisket by cutting away the fat cap then score the meat by cutting straight lines into the flesh. Rub salt and pepper into the meat. Combine the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock and place in a food-safe spray bottle. Wrap 2 to 3 handfuls of wood chips in foil and poke tiny holes to allow steam to escape.

Lay the package of wood chips directly on the cooking grate. Continue to replace the wood chips every 30 minutes. Heat grill to 120°C and once chips start to smoke, place brisket fat side down and close the lid. Spray the meat with the bottled sauce once every hour. After about six hours, start checking the internal temperature of the meat until it reaches 93°C. Remove and rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.  

Harvest Table Salad

Ingredients 560g mixed green lettuce

500g blueberries

8 pears, sliced

330g red onion, thinly sliced

500g feta cheese, crumbled

500g caramelised pecans  

Dressing

250ml olive oil

180ml white wine vinegar

120ml honey

120ml Dijon mustard

5ml salt

5ml pepper

15ml dried oregano  

Method

Mix dressing ingredients to make a vinaigrette. Place the balance of ingredients in a bowl or platter. Drizzle dressing over salad just before serving.  

Bake Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake in Jars

Ingredients 1kg blueberries 60ml honey 15ml lemon juice 15ml water 15g corn starch  

For the cheesecake

230g cream cheese

200g Greek yoghurt

30ml honey

1 lemon, zest and juice  

For the biscuit crumb

1 packet Tennis biscuits

45ml butter, melted  

Method

For the lemon blueberry filling: Combine ingredients, except for cornstarch and water, and in a saucepan heat over low medium heat on your gas stove for 5 minutes. Mix in cornflour and water, add to sauce and continue to cook until sauce thickens. Allow to cool. For the cheesecake: Combine all ingredients and place in the fridge.

For the biscuit crumb: Crush the Tennis biscuits into a fine crumb. Add butter and mix. To assemble: Place biscuit crumbs into mason jars and pack gently with your fingertips. Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly amongst jars. Top off with blueberry sauce and chill for at least one hour or make it the day before (considering your load shedding schedule!

Peppermint crisp hot-cross bun fridge tart:

By Chef Norman Heath, Head Chef Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront

An extra-large trifle dish or serving bowl

A dozen chocolate hot cross buns

x 2 150g slabs Nestle peppermint crisp 

1l Fresh cream

2 Tins of caramel

80g Icing sugar

Vanilla extract (to taste)

Method:

Cut hot cross buns into halves and place on a wooden board covered with a dishcloth. Use a rolling pin over the dishcloth to flatten the hot cross bun halves and set aside. 

Mix 500ml of cream with 80g of icing sugar and vanilla extract and whip until hard peaks form. Mix the remaining 500ml of cream with 1 ½ tins of caramel and half of the grated peppermint crisp chocolate. 

Layer the dish with hot cross buns, caramel mixture and then fresh cream and repeat until the dish is full. Garnish with dollops of leftover cream and the remaining chocolate.

hot-cross bun fridge tart:

By Chef Norman Heath, Head Chef Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront

An extra-large trifle dish or serving bowl

A dozen chocolate hot cross buns

x 2 150g slabs Nestle peppermint crisp 

1l Fresh cream

2 Tins of caramel

80g Icing sugar

Vanilla extract (to taste)

Method:

Cut hot cross buns into halves and place on a wooden board covered with a dishcloth. Use a rolling pin over the dishcloth to flatten the hot cross bun halves and set aside. 

Mix 500ml of cream with 80g of icing sugar and vanilla extract and whip until hard peaks form. Mix the remaining 500ml of cream with 1 ½ tins of caramel and half of the grated peppermint crisp chocolate. 

Layer the dish with hot cross buns, caramel mixture and then fresh cream and repeat until the dish is full. Garnish with dollops of leftover cream and the remaining chocolate.