A Greener Easter

This year, Easter Sunday takes place on our most favored day in history—April 20th. Not only will we be able to celebrate 4/20, but also chow down on some delicious treats and decorated Easter eggs. The First Council of Nicaea established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the March equinox. Since Easter is a moveable feast, it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar—it changes every year. We couldn’t be more excited to have it fall on 4/20 this year. We had great fun putting fresh twists on this classic Easter dinner menu. Roasted duck and oven roasted potatoes, with red wine sauce and poached pears, delectable deviled eggs and a fun peanut butter chocolate Easter egg recipe too! Do we have your appetite’s attention yet? It’s a feast to take proudly to the table. Enjoy!

ROAST DUCK WITH RED WINE POACHED PEARS

Serves 4

4 large pears, peeled

4 cups red wine (preferably Merlot)

2 cups Cannabis Infused Simple Syrup

½ cup crème de cassis (a black current liqueur)

2 cinnamon sticks

4 duck breast fillets, skin on, excess fat trimmed

Sea salt flakes

1 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 160° C. Use a small knife to remove the base of each pear so they sit upright. Combine the wine, simple syrup, crème de cassis and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring for three minutes. Add pears and cook turning occasionally for 30 minutes until tender. Set aside for 1 hour to cool. Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to score the skin of each duck breast. Rub the duck with sea salt flakes and set aside for 15 minutes to develop flavors. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the duck, skin side down, and cook for about 5 minutes until each side is golden brown. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and cover with foil. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked to perfection. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peers to a bowl, reserving 1 cup of poaching liquid. Place 2 teaspoons of liquid from the dish used to cook the duck in a saucepan. Add the stock, vinegar and reserved poaching liquid. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes until reduced in half. Add pears and cook for 5 minutes until heated through. Thickly slice the duck across the grain and divide among serving plates. Serve with pears and sauce.

OVEN ROASTED POTATOES

12 small yellow potatoes, sliced

¹/₈ cup Cannabis Infused Olive Oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

½ teaspoon dill weed

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried cannabis

½ teaspoon dried parsley                                                                                                                                                                                                                        ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 475°

Slice potatoes into quarter-inch thick, coin-sized circles. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, cannabis, parsley, red pepper flakes and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.

Roast for 30 minutes in the preheated oven turning occasionally to brown on all sides. Served stacked with duck and poached pears.

DEVILED EGGS

Makes 2 dozen

1 dozen eggs

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons Canna Butter, softened

¹/₃ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon finely minced onion

¼ teaspoon Tabasco

Salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle of paprika

Handful of chives to garnish

First hard boil the eggs. Fill up a large sauce pan half way with water and gently add eggs. Cover the eggs with an inch of water. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water. Add a pinch of salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit covered for 15 minutes. Drain hot water from pan and run cold water over the eggs. Let sit in cool water. Change water to keep it cool for a few minutes.

Peel the eggs, using a sharp knife, slice each egg in half, lengthwise. Gently remove the yolk halves and place in a small bowl. Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter. Using a fork, mash up the yolks and add mustard, Canna Butter, mayonnaise, onion, Tabasco and a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Spoon egg mixture into egg white halves, sprinkle with paprika and top with a few chives.

CHOCOLATE  EASTER EGGS

¼ cup Canna Butter, softened

¾ cup chunky peanut butter

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup flaked coconut

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoon Canna Butter (to melt with chocolate for the coating)

In a large bowl cream the Canna Butter and peanut butter until fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and mix well. Stir in coconut and walnuts. Turn peanut butter mixture onto a lightly dusted surface—dusted with powdered sugar—until mixture holds its shape when formed. Shape into small egg shaped pieces. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

In a microwave melt the chocolate chips and mix with the 2 tablespoons of Canna Butter, stir until smooth. Dip eggs allow excess to drip off Place on wax paper let stand until set. Chill. [Optional: Decorate or personalize with stiff colored decorating frosting after the chocolate shell has hardened.]