Night Before Easter, At Home with the Family

I like feasts with the family...and that's usually what our holidays turn into. My grandmother made wonderful feasts, my mother and sister still do, and though I haven't been able to wrestle the reins from them completely...every once in a while, they'll let the baby (they always see the younger sib as the "baby") make a dinner.

Tonight was my night! I finally made that seafood terrine I have been threatening to make with herring. I used herring, but added some scallops to soften the flavor a bit. It was a total experiment, but it made no enemies, except perhaps with the under-12 set who preferred playing ball in the yard to having hors d'oeuvres in the living room. I would even be willing to put this starter in the "healthy" category, what with all the Omega-3 oils in herring. I'll list the recipe below.

We moved on to "Mock" Beef Wellington. Originally my dinner was intended to be a cookout, but who knows what the weather will do Easter weekend in Cleveland (we had a snowstorm a couple years ago!) and hamburgers inside cooked in a pan just seemed, well, kind of sad for a nice gathering of family, some of whom traveled quite a ways for the occasion. So, I jazzed up the burgers with a little duxelles and wrapped it in some puff pastry. It felt adequately celebratory for the adults, and the kids were willing to try it when it was sold as a "French Hamburger".

Finally, we celebrated MeeMaw's birthday with cake and ice cream. My sister (Hough cake EXPERT) thinks my cake was close to duplicating the Hough frosting experience, but I don't think she's convinced I have it down pat yet. Sigh. I am at least bolstered by the fact that I did not have to scrape ANY cake or frosting down the disposal hatch...so it was at least good enough to put everyone in the clean plate club.

The details of the food aside...isn't it just nice to sit around a table with people you love? The preparations mean something, to be sure, but more meaningful is being there all together. Even when I was barely in my twenties...I'd skimp on some item that the rest of the world deemed a necessity to be able to go out to dinner with my friends on the weekend. I recognized that someday, when I am on my deathbed and reflecting on my life, I'll never remember whether I had the "right" blazer for a job interview, but I would remember the meals and the laughter I shared with special people in special places. I'd still rather buy generic everything-else and be able to create and share wonderful times around the table with family and good friends. I hope you, too, see it as a necessity and not a luxury.

SCALLOP-HERRING TERRINE

1/4 lb. bay scallops
1 tin of kippered herring, deboned
6 oz cream cheese, brought to room temp. (about 3/4 of standard package)
1/8 C very thinly sliced scallions (green part only!...or use chives)
1 egg
1/4 C milk or cream
1 T flour
1 t salt
2 T lumpfish caviar (optional...garnish)

Puree the raw scallops in a food processor. Mix the pureed scallops with all other ingredients except scallions. Once thoroughly combined, fold in scallions. Line a small terrine pan/loafdish with parchment or waxed paper. Pour mixture into terrine pan. Bake in a water bath in a 300 degree oven for approx. 50 minutes to an hour. The top of the terrine may go a deeper shade of blonde, but do not let it brown. Cool under refrigeration for 1 hour before unmolding. Serve with water crackers, cold and garnished with lumpfish caviar.