Celebrate Spring At White House Egg Roll with Bo and then Italian Easter Bread and Egg Art

Easter Sunday will soon be upon us and that means that come the Monday after, the White House will host the 134th (and oh so much fun) Easter Egg Roll. Invitations to the event can be obtained only via lottery luck and any resulting adult, fortunate enough to attend, must be accompanied by a child in order to gain final admission.

But best of all, the 2012 event will be co-host by Bo, the beloved First Family’s pet dog. In fact he will even be honored with his portrait on this year’s commemorative wooden Easter egg.

And though these memorable eggs have their original origin in the humble wooden darning egg, used by countless women for centuries from Boston to Moscow, just consider the skill and beauty of the current exhibition by Oksana Mas, made entirely from painted wooden eggs. 

Her amazing work, using thousands of traditional Ukrainian painted wooden eggs known as “krashenki”, has been shown in Stockholm, Barcelona and Venice.  Each egg is individual painted by a different artist and then crafted together by Mas to create a collective icon of meaning. The effect, whether seen close up or at a distance, is simply unforgettable.

Equally unforgettable is Italy’s “Pastelli di Pasqua” or egg-wrapped Easter Bread.  Similar to Mas' egg icon, chefs around the world will gather their individual ingredients together, and create a larger experience to share with others. 

 

Whether offered to guests as a full wreath or as individual smaller savory wreaths, this bread captures, like the egg icons, the essence of the season, spirit of Spring, hope and meaningful change.

This bread, like the season, is sweet and the colored cooked fresh eggs have the perfect holiday appearance and flavor. Consider celebrating Spring this year with friends and guests – all within the circle of friendship, fun and fine bread. Bo would so approve as would the First Family! Enjoy!

Post Note, April13, 2012: Each year there is a holiday idea that simply wins the hearts of all who see it.  This year's winner is Cheesecake Easter Eggs - a true delight! Each chocolate egg shell is filled with cheesecake while the 'yolk' center curd is a creative blend of fruit jams and purees (see recipe below for center accent).

And though Easter may have passed, this attractive (and very tasty) presentation is well worth trying as well as saving until the Easter Bunny comes hopping back around next year.

'Yolk' Fruit Curd - 1 tbsp passionfruit puree, 1 tbsp apricot jam, 1 tbsp unsalted butter.

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012