34 easter recipes

Haymaker's switchel with molasses, brown sugar, ginger, and vinegar stirred into cold water. This colonial-era farmhouse thirst quencher predates modern sports drinks and tastes like a complex, grown-up lemonade.

Lemon cloud dessert with a light baked soufflé top and chilled strawberry-mint compote. An elegant Easter or spring dinner-party dessert with bright citrus and fresh fruit.

Mageritsa is the traditional Greek Easter lamb soup served after midnight Resurrection Mass. Lamb offal, rice, dill and scallions in a tart avgolemono broth thickened with egg and lemon.

Breaded pork chops braised until tender, topped with a warm sour cherry sauce spiked with cinnamon, cloves, honey, and Madeira wine. An elegant but approachable dinner.

Easy raisin sauce: a classic sweet-tangy companion for baked ham, made with brandy-plumped raisins, Dijon, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and brown sauce. An Easter dinner essential.

Spiced olives are the easiest homemade Moroccan-style appetizer: drained olives tossed with your favorite spice blend and left to marinate overnight. Transforms ordinary olives into something bar-worthy.

French-style stuffed eggs with ham, Dijon, and thyme, topped with a broiled breadcrumb crust. A lightened-up deviled egg appetizer with a warm, crispy topping perfect for Easter brunches.

Coconut meringue cookies shaped into little bird nests and filled with candy eggs or jelly beans. A show-stopping Easter dessert that's crisp, light as air, and gluten-free. Makes 20 nests.

Tex-Mex deviled eggs with fresh cilantro, serrano chile, scallions, and shredded cheddar. A southwestern twist on the classic deviled egg with a gentle kick and chili powder dusting.

Lentil kufta, a Middle Eastern vegetarian patty made with red lentils and bulgur, seasoned with sauteed onions, scallions, and red pepper. No-fry vegan appetizer shaped into balls or one big mound.

No-bake Easter pie with whipped gelatin folded into a graham cracker crust. Color it any flavor you like, garnish with jelly beans, and chill until firm.

This is a Middle Eastern soup, typical of the simple foods served in the desert regions. Serve with pita bread and a grain or vegetable dish for a simple meal. This soup is also food served cold, stuffed into a pita bread.

Easter chip cookies loaded with pastel candy-coated chocolate pieces in a chewy brown sugar dough. Festive, colorful drop cookies the kids will love decorating Easter baskets with.

While Schwartz describes the name for this Israeli dish as slightly pretentious, he notes that it won a cooking competition and found its way onto the menus of five star hotels. He recommends serving it over a bed or bulgur pilaf.

Orange sweet potatoes whipped with fresh orange juice, zest, brown sugar, and a secret splash of Angostura bitters. A lighter, butterless holiday side dish.

Three-ingredient honey pancake syrup: honey thinned with warm water and a splash of vanilla. Pours like maple syrup without honey's cloying intensity, ready in 10 minutes for the breakfast table.