A Gastronomic Spectacular With Fancy Touches for the Easter Feast

The Easter tradition of fantasy eggs and animals in confectionary is ancient. In medieval times, the finale of a feast would be a grandiose castle of pastry and sugar as tall as a man.

An Elizabethan cookbook describes “the likeness of a ship of war in pasteboards” with real guns, flanked by stags spouting wine, and pies containing live birds and frogs “which make the ladies to skid and shreek (sic).”

I make no such claims for the following menu of dishes in disguise, which opens with Easter Egg Salad set in a vegetable nest. The main course is my favorite gastronomic spectacular--a whole fish wrapped in Brioche Dough and decorated with eyes, a mouth, scales and a tail, as fancy dictates. After that, what could be more fitting than a Fifth Avenue Strawberry Hat?

The Easter Egg Salad of hard-cooked eggs laid in a nest of multicolored julienned vegetables sets a lighthearted scene. The vegetables are tossed with vinaigrette while the herb mayonnaise for coating the eggs is lightened with yogurt for tartness. All can be prepared ahead and simply assembled at the last moment.

Fish in brioche is much easier to execute than it appears. The Brioche Dough, a quick recipe I learned in France, can be kneaded in the mixer without the long rising periods sometimes required. Shaping the dough is fun, and I find the brioche face takes on a distinctive personality.

As for the fish hidden inside, salmon is an ideal choice, but any well-flavored fish such as sea bass, hake or cod does very well. It cooks in its own juices, needing only herbs without any salt or pepper for seasoning. Avoid flat fish like halibut, or fish with large heads like snapper, which take up too much space.

Speaking of space, if your oven is small, you may need to cook two smaller four- to five-pound fish rather than a large one for 10 people. For two fish, the quantity of Brioche Dough should be increased by half and the cooking time reduced to a total of 30 to 40 minutes.

With the fish, I’m suggesting one of the new light butter sauces, flavored with green peppercorns. Quick to make, its only disadvantage is a tendency to separate, so it should be kept warm in a water bath and the pan should never be heated higher than hand-hot. A side dish of asparagus would complete the ensemble.

Dessert provides opportunity for decorative zeal. The centerpiece is a series of crisp, little almond wafers, arranged in tiers with strawberries and cream like a round Napoleon. One larger wafer at the base acts as the bonnet’s brim. As trimming, I suggest a modest garland of whole strawberries.

EASTER CELEBRATION FOR 10

Easter Egg Salad

Salmon in Brioche with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Fifth Avenue Strawberry Hat

Suggested wine: Champagne, or sparkling white wine

As with most grand menus, some time is needed to assemble these dishes shortly before serving.

Up to three days ahead, make the almond wafers for hat. Store in an airtight container.

Up to one day ahead, cook the eggs and vegetables. Make the dressing for the salad. Store in the refrigerator. Make the Brioche Dough, then refrigerate. Make the strawberry coulis , then chill.

Up to 12 hours ahead, roll out the Brioche Dough. Wrap the salmon, then refrigerate. Set the table. Chill the wine.

Up to two hours ahead, assemble the strawberry hats, then refrigerate.

About one hour before serving, start baking the salmon. Assemble the salad and keep at room temperature.

About 50 minutes before serving, reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. Continue baking the salmon.

About 15 minutes before serving, make the green peppercorn sauce, then warm. Coat the eggs with the herb dressing for the salad.

Just before serving, turn off the oven. Leave the salmon to keep warm.

EASTER EGG SALAD

1 1/4 pounds carrots, cut julienne

1 1/4 pounds unpeeled small zucchini, cut julienne

1 1/4 pounds leeks, cut julienne, with some green tops

1/4 cup parsley sprigs

Small bunch watercress

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup white wine vinegar or 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt, pepper

3/4 cup oil

10 hard-cooked eggs, shelled and halved lengthwise

Place carrots in pan of boiling, salted water. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes or just until tender. Drain. Cook zucchini and leeks separately in same way as carrots, allowing 1 to 2 minutes for zucchini, and about 5 minutes for leeks. Combine all vegetables.

To make herb dressing, blanch parsley and watercress in boiling, salted water 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain thoroughly. Mix mayonnaise and yogurt in food processor. Add blanched parsley and watercress. Puree thoroughly.

To make vinaigrette dressing, whisk vinegar with mustard and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in oil so dressing emulsifies and thickens slightly. Taste to adjust for seasonings. Refrigerate.

Hard-cooked eggs, vegetables and both dressings can be kept up to 24 hours in refrigerator.

Not more than 1 hour before serving, mix vegetables with vinaigrette dressing. Adjust for seasonings.

Arrange vegetables on 10 individual plates to form nests. Place 2 egg halves side by side inside each nest. Leave at room temperature. Just before serving, spoon herb dressing over eggs to coat. Makes 10 servings.

Note: If serving salad after Easter, festive presentation can be rearranged by piling vegetable salad beside eggs instead of forming nest on plate.

SALMON IN BRIOCHE

Brioche Dough

1 (7- to 8-pound) salmon, scaled and cleaned, with head

1 to 2 tablespoons oil

Large bouquet garni

1 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

Green Peppercorn Butter Sauce or hollandaise sauce

Make Brioche Dough. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Wash fish, then dry thoroughly inside and out. Cut off fins, then trim tail to form V shape. Cut piece of paper in same shape and a little larger than salmon.

Divide dough in half. Roll out half of dough a little longer than length of fish. Place dough diagonally on buttered baking sheet. Brush dough down center with oil.

Place salmon on its side on top of dough. Brush top of fish with oil to prevent skin from sticking to dough. Place bouquet garni in cavity of fish. Trim dough, leaving 1-inch border. Mix beaten egg with salt to form glaze. Brush dough border with some of egg glaze.

Add dough trimmings to remaining dough. Roll out to length of fish. Cut fish shape, using paper pattern. Place dough on top of fish. Press edges together to seal, pushing them in neatly.

Brush dough with remaining egg glaze. Decorate fish with mouth, eye and fins made from dough trimmings. Mark scales on body by snipping with scissors. Score tail in lines. Fish can be kept overnight in refrigerator, tightly covered with plastic wrap. Or it can be frozen.

To finish, let dough rise at room temperature 30 to 40 minutes or until slightly puffed. Bake at 425 degrees 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, then bake 40 to 50 minutes longer or until skewer inserted in center of fish 30 seconds is hot to touch when withdrawn. If brioche starts to brown too much, cover loosely with foil.

Transfer fish to large flat serving dish. At table, cut around edge of brioche to loosen crust. Lift off crust to disclose fish. Serve piece of brioche with each portion fish. Serve with Green Peppercorn Butter Sauce on side. Makes 10 servings.

Note: Frozen fresh fish in this instance survives well. It is protected by the Brioche Dough.

Brioche Dough

3/4 ounce compressed yeast or 3/8 ounce dry yeast

1/3 cup lukewarm water

6 cups flour, about

9 eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

Crumble or sprinkle yeast over water. Leave until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Sift flour onto work surface. Make well in center. Break eggs into well. Add salt, sugar and yeast mixture. With fingertips, work central ingredients until mixed, then gradually draw in flour to make dough. Dough should be moist. If very sticky, work in more flour.

Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth and very elastic, about 5 minutes. Add softened butter and knead into dough about 2 to 3 minutes. Mixture will be very sticky at first. Or use mixer with dough hook for kneading.

Transfer dough to lightly oiled bowl. Turn over to coat sides with oil. Cover with damp cloth. Let rise in warm place until doubled, about 2 hours. If preparing ahead, dough can be left to rise refrigerator up to 12 hours.

Green Peppercorn

Butter Sauce

5 tablespoons white wine vinegar

5 tablespoons dry white wine

3 shallots, very finely chopped

2 tablespoons green peppercorns, rinsed and crushed

1 tablespoon whipping cream

1 1/2 cups cold butter, cut into small pieces

Salt, pepper

Boil vinegar, wine, shallots and green peppercorns in small, heavy non-aluminum saucepan until reduced to 1 tablespoon. Add cream. Reduce again to 1 tablespoon. Gradually whisk in butter, turning heat on and off so butter melts into cream and emulsifies to form lightly thickened sauce. Do not let butter melt to oil.

Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Sauce can be kept warm on rack over pan of warm water up to 30 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 cups or enough for 10 servings.

Note: If you cannot find green peppercorns, make recipe without them.

FIFTH AVENUE STRAWBERRY HAT

Butter

8 ounces blanched almonds, ground

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 quarts strawberries, hulled

2 tablespoons kirsch or lemon juice

3 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups whipping cream, stiffly whipped

Generously butter several baking sheets. Move oven rack to upper third of oven.

To make almond wafers, mix ground almonds with powdered sugar, then beat in eggs. Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Drop 10 tablespoons of mixture by tablespoons well apart on baking sheets. Flatten with fork dipped in water to make very thin 4-inch rounds. Baking sheet should show through slightly. With remaining mixture, shape 30 (2 1/2-inch) rounds in same way.

Bake at 325 degrees 9 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch carefully since wafers burn quickly. While still hot, trim wafers into neat rounds on baking sheets, using 4-inch and 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters. Lift wafers off baking sheet with flexible knife or metal spatula. Place flat on rack to cool. Wafers can be stored up to 3 days in airtight container.

To make strawberry coulis, puree 1 1/2 quarts strawberries in food processor or blender with kirsch and 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Coulis can be kept in refrigerator up to 1 day.

Not more than 2 hours before serving, cut 2 1/2 quarts strawberries into 2 to 3 pieces, reserving 10 small ones for decoration.

Beat remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla into whipped cream continue beating until stiff again. Place cream in pastry bag fitted with small star tip.

Arrange layer of strawberries on 10 large wafers, leaving 3/4-inch border. Decorate strawberries around edge with few rosettes of whipped cream. Place smaller wafer on top. Both strawberries and cream should show around edge. Add 2 more layers of strawberries, cream and wafers, ending with wafer. Decorate brim of hat with reserved strawberries and rosettes of whipped cream.

Transfer hats to individual plates. Chill until serving time. Serve strawberry coulis on side. Makes 10 servings.

Note: Raspberries can be used instead of strawberries. Wash berries only if they are very sandy. If they are too wet, they will soak wafers quickly.