Treat of the Week: An Easter Feast

My family always celebrates holidays in a big way. My parents spend a lot of time making sure all the details are absolutely perfect from the table settings to the food. Each holiday is observed with a gorgeous feast—the centerpiece of which is always one of my mother’s gorgeous baked works of art. This Easter was no exception.

On the Saturday before Easter, we enjoyed a simple springtime meal which concluded with a preview of the next day’s dessert. Miniature marble Bundt cakes filled with ganache gave us both a visual and gustatory taste of what was to come. Decorated with butter cream and immaculately piped floral decorations, we gobbled up these delicious glimpses into the future and looked forward to what was to come.

The following day began with a crystal basket of expertly dyed boiled eggs. First dyed a single color, they’re then rolled in a mixture of oil, vinegar, boiling water and additional food coloring to create a marbled effect which makes them look a bit like the enamel creations of Fabregé. The eggs were joined by bacon, fresh-made corn muffins, miniature croissants and jam. With bellies full, we turned our attention to the big meal which would make the day all the more wonderful.

A dinner of carefully roasted chickens, couscous with peas and carrots and asparagus was delightful and very much enjoyed. When the dishes were cleared, it was time for the real showstopper—the cake.

This year’s cake was a “checkerboard” cake of yellow and chocolate cake. My mother achieves the checkerboard effect by the use of special pans which divide each of the three layers into rings of the two colors. When combined and sliced, the layers create the look of a checkerboard pattern. This was the surprise in the center of this magnificent cake—the wonderful pattern between layers of ganache.

The cake was iced in butter cream and decorated with polychrome flowers which were painstakingly piped in great detail. This celebration of Spring and renewal was the perfect confection to end an Easter meal.