Recipes for Easter Brunch

Here’s four fabulous recipes for Easter Brunch. They are from our President, Karen Anderson’s quintessential Alberta cookbook, Eat Alberta First. And we hope they help you do just that.

Berbon Glazed Ham

Makes: 10 to 12 servings

Takes: 2 – 3 hours

Our dear friends Nicole Liboiron-Coles (our community manager and the chief photographer for this book) and her husband Warren Coles are famous for this delicious ham. When I discovered Bridgeland Distillery uses Alberta’s famous Taber Corn to make their award-winning Berbon, I knew this tasty local ingredient would make this ham even more scrumptious. I even started a hashtag, #berbonNOTbourbon. 

What you need to gather: measuring cups and spoons, shallow roasting pan, knife, cutting board, saucepan, pastry brush, meat thermometer

1 – 5 to 6 pound Boneless Gammon or Bone-In Ham

½ cup Bridgeland Distillery Berbon (or your favourite Bourbon)

½ cup Alberta honey

¼ cup molasses

¼ cup orange marmalade

1 cup orange juice, divided (¼ then ¾ cup)

2 Tablespoons Alberta mustard

What you need to do:

Preheat oven to 325℉.

Stir the Berbon, honey, molasses, marmalade, ¼ cup of the orange juice and mustard in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Rinse the ham under cold, running water, pat it dry with a paper towel and place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface diagonally in both directions with ½ -inch deep cuts.

Use a pastry brush to baste the surface of the ham with the Berbon glaze. Add the remaining ¾ cup of orange juice to the pan, place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 2 to 2½  hours. 

Baste the ham every 30 minutes throughout and cook until a meat thermometer reads 140℉.

Alberta Sunshine Eggs with Billionaire’s Bacon

Makes: 6 servings

Takes: 75 minutes

What you need to gather: 

For the eggs:

1 teaspoon softened butter (for the baking dish)

1 cup frozen corn niblets

1 diced jalapeño (optional)

6 eggs

¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup cottage cheese

½ cup salsa

1 cup grated Monterey Jack

1 cup grated cheddar

1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly lengthwise

1 orange bell pepper, sliced thinly lengthwise

For the bacon:

1 lb bacon

½ cup maple syrup

½ – 1 cup brown sugar

What you need to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and butter the baking dish.
2. Spread the corn and jalapeño (if desired) over the bottom of the baking dish. Set aside.
3. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk them to break the yolks.
4. Whisk in the flour and baking powder until smooth then stir the cottage cheese and salsa.
5. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the corn and top with the grated cheese.
6. Arrange the bell peppers on top to make them look like rays of sun.
7. Place the baking dish in a large rimmed baking sheet and add enough water to the larger pan so it is an inch deep around the smaller dish.
8. Bake for 60 minutes, or until set. Prepare the bacon to bake alongside the eggs.
9. Dip each slice of bacon in a bowl of maple syrup, then press both sides into a plate of brown sugar and lay them side by side on a rack in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven on a rack below the eggs and cook until crispy.

Hot Pepper Cornbread

Makes: 12 large pieces or muffins

Takes: 30 minutes

What you need to gather:​​

Equipment list: 8×8-inch baking pan or 12 cup muffin tin, parchment paper, measuring cups and spoons, large bowl, wooden spoon, can opener, wire rack

1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup cane sugar

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup skim milk

¼ cup whipping cream or 2 teaspoons canola oil

1 (14 ounce-398 ml) can creamed corn

½ cup diced pickled banana peppers

½ – 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced – optional

What you need to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 425℉ and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray. 
2. Measure the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the center.
3. Pour the eggs, milk, cream, creamed corn into the well in the dry ingredients and stir until they are just mixed and moist then fold in the banana peppers and jalapeño – if using.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the parchment paper to lift the cornbread to a wire rack to finish cooling or cut and serve while still warm.