The great thing about Easter is that the menu is that no one expects you to reinvent the wheel. Most people want a ham, lamb or brunch. It’s tradition, right? So, I’m not going to post a bunch of complicated recipes. In fact, I usually don’t. Instead, here are some very delicious, easy  recipes that we cooked up for a segment on NBC15 and the wines (and beer!) that go with them.

Of course, there’s going to have to be a cheese tray. This is Wisconsin. For ours we selected 3 cheeses that will also be great on leftover ham sammies. We paired World Champ Havarti with Brennan’s Apricot Spreadable Fruit for a tasty combo, and Marieke’s Foenugreek Gouda with it’s mapley characters is another World Champ. Our best-selling Sweet Swiss perfectly rounds out the trio.

For the cheese platter, I recommend a Prosecco like Italia or La Corte. I think of these wines as work-horse wines because they could really take you all the way through  the meal, including dessert. Light, and refreshing, with low alcohol, you create sparkling cocktails like Mimosas or Bellinis or enjoy simply chilled. If want a drier style Prosecco, the Italia Prosecco is rich with lemony notes. The La Corte is a bit lighter and a bit sweeter, but not overly so.

In my family there wasn’t a choice between ham and brunch; it was both, so that’s what we did here. We made an Apricot Mustard Glazed Ham, Lemony Asparagus, Crustless Quiche and a Strawberry Spinach Salad. Again, could do Prosecco , but if you want to mix it up Riesling is a great choice here. Try Tarkine Forest Riesling is a sweeter style. If you love Rose, try Viu Manent Malbec Rose which pairs nicely with the fruity elements of the glaze and the strawberry salad. If you simply must go red, try a lighter-bodied red like Pinot Noir (Tarkine Forest).

Now I would be remiss if I left out micros because we have a brew from Scuttlebutt Brewery that tastes like it was made for Easter– Scuttlebutt Belgian-Style Tripel. It has huge aromas of pear and clove (yes!). Very much a chameleon beer, it will easily adapt to different foods with ease and your Uncle Larry, if necessary.

I hope that try some of these yummy recipes and pairings. Let us know what you think. Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy Spring Solstice!