The Other Easter Egg: How To Host A Holiday Caviar Brunch. Chocolate eggs can be a bit cliché, no? This year, plan a caviar themed Easter brunch bar. Check out all of delicious details below and head to my column on Travel Curator to see more.

Since I was a little girl, Easter has always been a favorite family holiday of mine to celebrate, with sweet memories of my sister and I donning pretty new dresses for church, and then racing home for the egg hunt that Dad had secretly hidden. As the pandemic prevented us all from coming together as usual in Charleston, I decided to plot a new twist to celebrate Easter here in the Hamptons:  A Caviar & Bubbly Easter Brunch.  A small-bite brunch bar catered by Elegant Affairs is a deliciously chic and safe way to host a socially distant holiday celebration, and the perfect location for it was at my friend Michael Gianelli’s gorgeous design studio at East Hampton Gardens (above).

THE THEME: I love the idea of serving “casual caviar” and Petrossian offers my favorite indulgence. For this brunch menu, I chose Royal Beluga Hybrid, Daurenki, and Royal Ossetra Caviar. Each flavor is decadently delicious, and the beautiful cobalt blue packaging adds to your tabletop pop. If you’re not sure which kind of caviar you might like, you can always call a Petrossian Caviar Concierge.  Trés cool!

LET’S GET BUBBLY:  I chose two fantastic new sparkling wines recently launched by Mionetto: Prosecco Organic, which is made from grapes cultivated without usage of chemical product nor synthetic fertilizers, and merges delicate fragrances of acacia blossoms and strong tastes of golden apple, pineapple and orange. The second is Prosecco Rosé vintage, which uses a new blend of Glera (the Prosecco grape) and Pinot Nero. The Glera offers lightness and elegance along with minerality and citrus flavors combined with the Pinot Nero body, which offers structure and flavors of cherries and strawberry.

THE CAVIAR & BUBBLY BRUNCH CUISINE: Elegant Affairs owner Andrea Correale (above) curated my caviar brunch menu,  “High quality caviar is a delicacy and should be served for a very special occasion. I love to present caviar in creative ways other than the expected blini pancakes.”   Andrea adds,  “Small-bite serving is more popular than ever. It allows people to feel safe while socializing since there is no community grazing.  It also allows your guests to taste a variety of foods and feels more like a chefs tasting menu.”

THE MENU:

*Cucumber Cups with Petrossian Royal Beluga Hybrid Caviar (pictured above)
*Mionetto Organic Prosecco Jello Bites with Petrossian Royal Ossetra Caviar Topped Toast Points (below)
*Smoked Petrossian Salmon Pizzette with Dill Cream, Capers, Micro Arugula and Petrossian Daurenki Caviar
*Tuna Tartare Tacos with Sesame Seeds, Wasabi Creme, Wakami Salad, and Royal Beluga Hybrid Caviar
*Watermelon Radish Pinches with Sweet Potato Hummus, Pressed Yogurt, Honey, Chili Oil, and Daurenki Caviar
*Deviled Egg Salad Topped with Royal Ossetra Caviar (above)

RECIPE: Prosecco Jello Bites with Caviar

Ingredients
1 cup Mionetto Organic Prosecco
3-6 tbsp of white sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp unflavored gelatin 
1 cup ginger ale
Toast points
Petrossian Royal Beluga Hybrid Caviar
Micro greens  

Instructions: Add Prosecco, sugar, and lemon juice to a medium sauce pan. Add gelatin, sprinkling it in a little at a time. Allow it to sit 4-5 minutes, do not stir. Once the gelatin has bloomed, heat the mixture over medium-low heat and whisk until the gelatin has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the ginger ale, let carbonation fizz out and then evenly pour mixture into a Pyrex dish. Refrigerate 3-4 hours until it is set. Cut into cubes or desired shape. Spoon gelatin into dish and top with toast point, dollop of caviar, and micro green garnish.

RECIPE: Watermelon Radish Pinches with Sweet Potato Hummus, Pressed Yogurt, Honey, and Caviar (above)

Ingredients
1 watermelon radish sliced thin
1 pint sweet potato hummus (in pastry bag, recipe below)
1 pint plain Greek yogurt strained (in pastry bag)
Petrossian Royal Ossetra Caviar 
1 bag mini clothes pins
Drizzle of honey
Microgreens for garnish

Instructions: Lay sliced radishes out on a sheet pan so they do not touch. Use pastry bags filled with hummus and yogurt to place a dollop in the center of each round. Drizzle honey. Add clothes pin and pinch each round so it mimics a taco. Top with caviar and serve.

Sweet Potato Hummus
Ingredients
5 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup tahini
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Instructions: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potatoes to the water and allow to cook covered 35-45 minutes or until cooked and soft. Drain and allow to cool. Add cooked sweet potatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add tahini, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper flakes . Blend on  high for 2-3 minutes or until completely smooth. Place in pastry bag and chill.

THE TABLETOP DECOR: 

The perfect venue for my caviar brunch was at East Hampton Gardens.  My friend (and owner) Michael Giannelli shares, “I love that Easter is synonymous with Spring. It gives me the ability to introduce the season with beautiful blooms and spring themed table settings. It is also a day that prompts families to gather and break bread together. It’s the perfect opportunity to create a beautiful setting visually while tantalizing the palate with delicious culinary treats.”

The table was chock full of beautiful items which Michael carries in his stunning store, including:  Gien Paris dishes, Kim Seybert chargers, Sabre France flatware, William Yeoward glasses, silver from Hotel Silver Ltd., and of course lots of chicks and bunnies to add the Easter charm. Michael also designed the fabulous florals, “I love using pansies and spring bulbs as a runner for the table, I added moss and angel tears all in Bergs pottery to create a spring garden effect. The best part is you can plant everything in the garden after the party.”

A DECADENT DESSERT TABLE: Any Easter celebration is not complete without sweet treats! A separate grazing table filled with desserts is always a hit at every party.  Andrea  filled ours with frosted sugar cookies, cupcakes, fancy chocolates,  and my favorite macarons from Petrossian all served on sparkling pieces of Hotel Silver Ltd.  The Mionetto Prosecco Rosé was the perfect pairing to top things off. Cheers!

Happy Easter Everyone!  * All photographs in this feature by Ben Potter