Catfish Out of Water

We are officially into the second round of Coronavirus pandemic holidays! Last Easter feels like a distant memory when the pandemic was just in its early stages in the United States. Back when we weren't really sure what to expect or whether even to bother celebrating. I made lobster, but not with nearly as much gusto as I put into Easter brunch this year! With a fun sampling of No-knead Dutch Oven Bread; Salmon, Spinach & Chevre Terrine; and Mayonnaise-free Salmon & Dill Deviled Eggs.

Alas, for Easter this year I would be home alone. Not to outdo myself... for myself, I planned a simple menu. (Can you hear the sarcasm?) I absolutely adore cooking and there is nothing better on the holidays than cracking open a bottle of wine and spending the entire afternoon in cooking mode.

What to Make for a Socially Distant Easter?

I'd been thinking about making a terrine for weeks and this seemed as good a time as any. "Thinking about" is really the wrong word choice here, as what I was really doing is drooling over! I'd never made a terrine. And I ordinarily would not recommend experimenting with a new dish on a major holiday! But I was flying solo. And the concept seemed simple enough. Terrines are basically a cross between a pâté and a cheese log. Both of which I have made some kind of form of!

After determining that I was absolutely going to make a terrine, the next step was figuring out what kind of terrine. There seem to be several distinct varieties. Including those with or without gelatin, with or without eggs, and more or less pâté- or cheese log-like. Going with the egg theme for Easter, though, I was definitely going to make the more egg and less gelatin version, which seemed overly complicated and unnecessary. Maybe next time around I'll try the gelatinous version and suspend an egg in it! But, for now, that seemed to stretch the new and fascinating world of terrine recipes a little bit too far. I. figured that, if I was going to experiment, perhaps combining the pâté and cheese log elements were the way to go! So, inevitably I ended up making an egg-based terrine with salmon and chèvre.

I hadn't originally planned on making deviled eggs. I knew that bread was likely going to be part of the equation. But I had eggs and all of the ingredients that I cared about. So, why not? They also ended up being my absolute favorite part of the meal. I didn't have mayonnaise, but I'm not the biggest fan of mayonnaise to begin with. So, when I thought of substituting Greek yogurt, I jumped at the idea! And it was well worth it. Although I think if I made this medley in its entirety again, I would add a little bit more citrus and dijon mustard to the terrine, just to balance the combination of flavors.

The Pandemic Easter Menu

For this year's pandemic Easter I have come up with the following menu:

Gallery

How to Get All of the Dishes Out at the Same Time

This Easter menu was quite simple compared to my last Pandemic Thanksgiving and Coronavirus Christmas. Ordinarily I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what can be prepared ahead of time and what needs to go in the oven when to all come out miraculously around the same time! But this year's Easter was quite simplified. Bread takes about 3 hours, with most of that being inactive proofing, baking, and resting. Deviled eggs also only take about a half hour and can be tossed together quickly. So, after starting bread, I just delved into the terrine. I was absolutely winging it there, but the entire process can be done in about an hour with good time management. Mine took notably longer because I was figuring this out for the first time! But the process can absolutely be streamlined and made much quicker and easier.

Conclusion About the Meal

Overall I am quite pleased with myself! Sometimes it can be difficult to find the motivation to do things special just for yourself. But take any excuse to go ahead and celebrate you. If that's indulging in a big meal or taking a much needed break? Just make sure to have fun with it! And do what makes you happy.