(From top) Easter bunnies at Flurys; a seven-year-old boy breaks open the city?s largest handcrafted Easter egg at Cakes on Ekdalia Road. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

With Easter comes spring ? a time to welcome back the tulips and daffodils, a time for new dresses, a time to celebrate life, a time for chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and multi-coloured eggs. As Easter weekend beckons, Goodlife takes a trek down fun munch lane.

Rabbit rage

The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The hare and rabbit were considered to be the most fertile animals, serving as symbols of abundant new life in the spring season as legendary producers of Easter eggs.

?Of all the symbols associated with Easter, the egg is the most identifiable. The custom and tradition of using eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries. The exchange of eggs in spring symbolised happiness and growth,? said a spokesperson of the Hyatt.

With the festive spirit of colours, eggs are often stained with various vegetable dyes. Among the Syrians and Greeks, the eggs are crimson in honour of the blood of Christ, while in Austria artists fasten ferns and tiny plants around the eggs. The Poles and Ukrainians decorate eggs with plain colours or simple designs (Krasanki), while in Germany and other parts of central Europe, the eggs are not broken but pierced with a needle on both ends, and used for games.

?Here, it?s all about celebrating a change of season ?one where the use of pastel colours on the eggs comes to the fore. We can experiment with various fun elements in our creations and, of course, sales soar too (though less than Christmas),? says Kookie Jar proprietor Lovey Burman.

Sweet savour

THE MITHAI SHOP, ITC SONAR BANGLA

On Offer: Spotted eggs, peanut-encrusted eggs, crackled-tree designs, feathered and mosaic eggs. Also, a variety of freshly-baked hot cross buns. For choco-lovers, there is an assortment of truffles, pralines or cookies

Price Tag: Rs 200 - Rs 300

Hot Pick: Maple Walnut Pies and Pumpkin Pies

HYATT REGENCY

On Offer: Hot cross buns, chocolate eggs, chocolate-filled egg shells, Easter bunnies, Easter icing cake, orange cointreau mousse cake, extra-large bunny, egg jujubs

Price Tag: Rs 18 - Rs 1,494

Hot Pick: Walnut Brownie Cake

LA PATISSERIE, TAJ BENGAL

On Offer: Easter eggs with chocolate, goodies, gems or almond nutties, bunny rabbits in suits with Easter eggs or roasted cashews, goodies or egg carts. Simnel cake, hot cross buns and the nutty Easter bread as well

Price Tag: Rs 20 - Rs 245

Hot Pick: Super Bunny with goodies and the Bunny-faced Chocolate Truffle Cake

FLURYS

On Offer: Solid chocolate eggs, nougatine eggs and hot cross buns, marshmallow chicks, coloured eggs, chocolate bunnies, simnel cake, nests filled with chocolate eggs, cupcakes with mini eggs and Easter bonnet cakes

Price Tag: Rs 15 - Rs 650

Hot Pick: A special Easter basket designed for kids with Chocolate Chicks, a Bunny Chocolate and a Teddy Bear

KOOKIE JAR

On Offer: Easter eggs in solid chocolate, marzipan fillings, nougat, cookies and candies, rabbit and chick-shaped eggs and car shapes. Also, Easter bunny cup cakes, chocolate truffle and pastries with chicks on top. There?s a range of pure chocolate bunnies, bunny-shaped chocolate lollipops, iced Easter cookies, biscuit bunny lollipop and hot cross buns

Price Tag: Rs 15 - Rs 1,000

Hot Pick: The Easter Bread Basket and Easter Hamper filled with goodies

BISCOTTI

On offer: Chocolate Easter eggs, eggs with jujubs, chocolate-dipped bunny cookie, breads like the Easter polish ring, Burma bread and hot cross buns. The Easter icing cake and strawberry Japanese cake are good options too

Price Tag: Rs 15 - Rs 350

Hot Pick: Orange Cointreau Mousse Cake

CAKES

On Offer: Hot cross buns, bread baskets, solid eggs, marzipan fruits, rabbit-shaped eggs, pastries with chicks and clowns, bunny-shaped lollipops and nougats

Price Tag: Rs 20 onwards

Hot Pick: Three-ft-high handcrafted Easter Egg

Brunch bites

The Easter Sunday lunch is a lavish affair in most Christian households. Here are a couple of eating-out options:

TANGERINE

On offer: Easter Sunday lunch with a bottle of Bacardi Breezer, a salad bar, soups, roast chicken with chilli mint jus, shepherd?s pie, potatoes lyonnasie and vegetable tetrazini to name a few. Also, desserts like pineapple gateaux, caramel custard and strawberry souffle

Price Tag: Rs 300

THE HUB, TAJ BENGAL

On offer: A special Sunday brunch with a host of pastas, antipasti, chocolate fondeau, a seafood counter, cheese counter, plenty of Easter desserts and some healthy juices

Price Tag: Rs 750, plus taxes

Bon Appetit!

Recipe by Lovey Burman

Chocolate Truffle Eggs in Crispy Nests

Ingredients for 8 nests with 24 eggs: 150 g chocolate, broken into pieces, 2 cups corn flakes, 115 g icing sugar, 3 tbsp double cream, hundreds and thousands of sugar sprinkles

Method:

Crispy Nests: Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking sheet and set aside. Fill a small pan one-third with water and place over low heat till the water simmers. Put half the chocolate into the bowl, place over the pan of water and allow it to melt. Crush the corn flakes into the bowl and stir with a large metal spoon until coated. Put heaped teaspoons of the mixture on to the baking sheet. Using the back of the spoon, lightly press the middle of the mixture to make a slight hollow for the eggs to sit in. Repeat this with the rest of the mixture to make eight nests. Chill them in the fridge while you make the Truffle Eggs.

Truffle Eggs: Put the remaining chocolate in a clean heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Allow the chocolate to melt. Remove the bowl from the water and leave the chocolate to cool for 10 minutes. Sift the icing sugar into a large glass bowl. Pour the cool melted chocolate over the sugar icing and add the cream. Using an electric blender, beat until well-blended. Cover with plastic film and chill for 20 minutes. Dust your hands with icing sugar and roll the truffle mixture into 24 small balls (the mixture is sticky so keep dusting your hands with icing sugar and return the mixture to the fridge to chill if it becomes too soft). To shape the balls into eggs, roll each one between your fingers, making one end more pointed than the other. Pour loads of sugar sprinkles on to a plate and roll the eggs in them.

Arrange three eggs in each nest.