Easter brunch you can make in advance

Part of why I enjoy Easter is not just the look of pure joy on our daughter's face when she finds her Easter basket, overflowing with painted eggs and chocolate bunnies, but the timing.

Even though the Easter holiday lands on a different Sunday each year — the first Sunday following the full moon after the spring equinox — it is always a harbinger of spring.

Hand in hand with Easter come spring lambs, baby chicks, and the fresh vegetables and fruits I look forward to throughout the winter: tender artichokes, leeks, and green garlic; grassy asparagus; tiny fava beans; sweet strawberries; and tart rhubarb. Because the spring bounty is usually in full swing by the time Easter rolls around, an Easter meal is the perfect time to showcase it, whether it's a big sit-down family dinner or a festive brunch buffet following a raucous egg hunt.

Easter brunch is a tradition for many families (or just a good excuse to gather friends and family for a festive occasion). It tends to be more easygoing than a full sit-down meal and, because much of it can be made ahead (or at least before guests arrive) and set out buffet-style at room temperature, the pressure is off. Plus the timing works great alongside an egg hunt.

Coming up with a versatile, uncomplicated menu also doesn't need to be hard.

Start with a centerpiece, such as ham; add an egg-or vegetable-based dish, include something baked; and round it out with a slightly-naughty cocktail for the adults to sip while they watch the kids go haywire.

If you are serving a meal for a lot of folks, you can't go wrong with a freshly baked ham as your centerpiece, especially if you've picked one up from Bud's Custom Meats in Penngrove (I've made many hams over the years for birthdays, baby showers, Easter celebrations, and more, and Bud's is by far the best ham I've ever tasted).

Ham pairs nicely with all of the aforementioned springtime bounty, and it is a popular choice for many Easter tables. But wherever you get your ham — if you are making the recipe below — be sure to purchase a fully cooked, smoked, uncut, unglazed bone-in ham (not spiral cut, and not honey-glazed).

Choose a half- ham ideally from the shank end rather than the butt end, as it will be easier to slice and will contain less gristle; it should weigh around 9 to 11 pounds.

Eggs are often expected at a mid-morning meal — especially on Easter — but trying to serve up a bunch of fried, poached, or scrambled eggs can be a disaster. The solution? Frittata!

Always a crowd-pleaser, frittata is one of the most versatile, easy, and so-not-time-consuming ways to serve eggs at brunch.

The vegetarian frittata recipe here is a favorite in my household and makes use of tender asparagus and buttery leeks, but have fun experimenting with other lightly cooked springtime fare to personalize it to your taste: artichoke hearts, green garlic, baby potatoes, or peas.

Frittata can be served hot, but it's also great at room temperature. That means you can make it ahead of time, or at least pop it in the oven just when your guests arrive.

Also, it can easily be vegetarian and gluten-free (like the recipe below), making it extremely versatile for anyone with dietary restrictions.

Rounding out the meal — at least on my table — would be something baked. Sure, you can pick up treats at the local bakery, but homemade scones, muffins, biscuits, or even a fresh-out-of-the-oven coffeecake will always be welcomed with open arms by your guests.

And if you put streusel on a cake, I guarantee the crowds will gather, mouths watering.

Lightly sweetened strawberries and a thick buttery streusel topping blankets a tender, zest-laden vanilla cake in the recipe below. (Streusel is a crumbly topping made from sugar, flour, butter, and sometimes a bit of spice or some nuts, similar to what you find on top of a crumble.)

Like the frittata, the coffeecake is also pretty versatile, so change it up by swapping out the strawberries for lightly sautéed rhubarb, use Eureka lemon instead of Meyer lemon, swap out the lemon zest for orange zest, or add about 1/2 cup chopped almonds or pecans to the streusel.

Last but not least, try out the recipe for the mimosa-inspired cocktail made from fresh rhubarb and orange juice and topped with a splash of bubbly.

You can make it non-alcoholic by stirring the fruit mixture into sparkling water.

Asparagus, Leek, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 small bunch (about 1 pound) medium asparagus, ends snapped, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 heaping cups)

1 medium leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

— Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 large eggs, preferably pastured and organic

— About 2 teaspoons loosely packed, finely chopped fresh herbs, such as oregano, marjoram, thyme, or parsley, plus more for garnish

1 heaping cup (5 ounces) crumbled fresh goat or feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Fill a saucepan half- full of water, add a tablespoon of salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the asparagus to the boiling water and boil until it is barely crisp-tender, 30 to 60 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking (or plunge into an ice bath, then drain well).

In a 10-inch heavy, ovenproof skillet (I use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet) over medium heat, warm the butter.

Add the leeks and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and set aside off the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, herb, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Spread the vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan, return the pan to medium heat, and gently pour the egg mixture over the vegetables.

Cook until the egg at the edge of the pan begins to set, running a heat-resistant rubber spatula along the pan side to allow some of the uncooked egg to flow under the frittata, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the frittata and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until the eggs are set, 15 to 20 minutes.

Turn on the broiler and broil the frittata for a few minutes to brown the top. To check for doneness, cut a small slit in the center of the frittata; the egg should be just set.

Let the frittata stand for at least 5 minutes before serving, then cut into wedges to serve. The frittata can also be served at room temperature.

Strawberry–Meyer Lemon Coffeecake

Makes 8 to 10 servings

For streusel:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

— Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

— For strawberries:

1 pound strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons strawberry jam

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice

For cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

— Finely grated zest of 2 to 3 Meyer lemons

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, then line it with parchment so that the parchment rises about 1 inch above the rim of the dish on both of the long edges.

To make the streusel: In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. In another bowl, stir together the melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla.

Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The mixture should be mixed but lumpy in texture. Set aside.

To prepare the strawberries: Toss together the strawberries, sugar, jam, lemon juice, and flour. Set aside.

For the cake: In a bowl, sift together the 2 cups flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, and the lemon zest on medium-high speed until it all comes together, about 3 minutes.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream.

Beat just until the mixture comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. It will be very thick; do not overbeat.

Using the rubber spatula, spread the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer.

Top with the strawberry mixture, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the outside of the batter (so that the berries don't touch the sides of the pan and stick). Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter.

Bake until golden and set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before serving. The coffeecake can be made up to 1 day in advance, cooled, covered, and stored at room temperature before serving.

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If making this for brunch, start this first thing in the morning, as it takes about 2 to 3 hours to bake.

Orange Marmalade- Glazed Baked Ham

Makes 10 to 12 servings

1 fully cooked, bone-in, smoked ham, preferably shank end, about 9 to 11 pounds

1 cup orange marmalade

2 tablespoons orange juice

About two hours before you want to bake the ham, take it out of the fridge and let come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. If necessary, cut away any skin and trim the fat to about 1/2 inch.

Place the ham, fat side up, in a shallow roasting pan big enough to hold it. Score the fat in a crosshatch pattern.

Cover the ham with foil. Bake the ham for 1 1/2 hours.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the orange marmalade and orange juice together until the marmalade melts, stirring occasionally.

Remove the ham from the oven and brush the orange glaze all over the ham.

Continue cooking, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer reads 140 degrees when stuck into the center (but not touching the bone); another 1/2 to 1 1/2 hours (2 to 3 hours total) depending on the size of the ham.

While baking, occasionally baste the ham with any pan juices once or twice, until the glaze thickens.

Remove the ham from the oven, loosely tent it with foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Kim Laidlaw is a Petaluma- based food writer, recipe developer and cookbook producer.