Recipe(tried): An Easter Lunch as an Alternative.

Sometimes our families live at a reasonable distance from our homes. As a result, dinner is not a realistic alternative to share with our family during the Easter Sunday Celebration. Considering that an Easter Lunch will be the most convenient for all involved, I am posting as elaborate MENU for an EASTER LUNCH WITH THE FAMILY. Buen Provecho!

Prawn and Apple Cocktail
Serves 4

2oz / 50g long grain rice, cooked
4oz / 100g frozen peas, cooked
4oz / 100g prawns
1 red skinned eating apple
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Iceberg lettuce, shredded
Lemon slices for garnish

Mix all the ingredients together, except for the lettuce. Line the serving glasses or bowls with the lettuce, and top with the prawn filling. Garnish with the lemon slices and chill well before serving. If liked, you could add a few saut ed button mushrooms to this mixture. This starter is light and delicious and will leave plenty of room for all that is to follow.

Fresh Rosemary Leg of Lamb

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C / Gas 4. With a very sharp knife, spear some points into the leg of lamb - and insert rosemary sprigs into the small holes along the flesh. Season with salt & pepper. Cover with foil and place onto a roasting rack in a baking tin. Put roast into the oven for about one hour. Then remove the foil and return to the oven for another 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the leg. Once cooked, remove from the oven, cover the roast in foil and let it rest for 20 minutes to absorb juices before carving.

Notes: Using a roasting rack ensures that the lamb roasts rather than "stewing" in it's own juices. It should take an hour and a half for a leg of lamb which weighs in at 1.5 - 2kg

If wished you could also insert some slivers of garlic alongside the rosemary. Serve with boiled minted new potatoes and a selection of vegetables, such as cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, carrots and mint sauce if liked.

Caramelised Orange Trifle

For the base:
Trifle sponge
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
5 fl oz Madeira
2 bananas

For the caramel oranges:
3 large Navel oranges
The grated zest of one of the oranges
1 tablespoon Cognac
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar

For the custard:
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon cornflour
15 fl oz cream
1 oz caster sugar
A few drops vanilla essence

For the topping:
10 fl oz cream, whipped
2 tablespoons hazelnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped.

Cut sponge into squares and split in half lengthways. Spread each half with marmalade, then re-form them into sandwiches. Spread the top of each sandwich with marmalade, arrange the pieces in the base of a glass bowl. Stab sponges with a knife and pour the Madeira all over them, then set aside for the sponges to soak it up. Grate the zest from one of the oranges and keep on one side. Carefully pare off all of the skin and pith from the oranges. Then, holding each orange over a bowl to catch the juices, cut out the segments by slicing the knife in at the line of pith which divides the segments (you need to cut out each segment, leaving behind the pithy membrane). Cut each segment in half and place in a small bowl together with the grated zest.

To make the caramel: dissolve the 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar with 1 tablespoon of the reserved orange juice in a small pan over a gentle heat, and as soon as the crystals have dissolved turn the heat up to caramelise the mixture. It is ready when it turns one shade darker and looks syrupy and slightly thicker than before. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Cognac. Pour the caramel over the oranges.

Mix egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and vanilla essence in a basin, then in a saucepan bring the cream up to simmering point and pour it over the egg mixture. Whisk well, return to the saucepan and re-heat gently, still whisking, until the custard has thickened (don't worry if it looks curdled at this stage, the addition of the cornflour will ensure that it will eventually become smooth once off the heat, if you keep whisking). Let the custard cool. In the meantime strain the oranges, reserving the caramel juice. Arrange the oranges in amongst the sponge in the bowl, slice the bananas thinly and scatter them over the sponges, pushing them down the sides as well. Next add the caramel juice to the custard and pour this on top of everything. Cover with cling film and chill for several hours before topping the trifle with the whipped cream and scattering with the toasted hazelnuts. Keep covered in fridge and serve chilled.