Easter with edge

Grant knows what it's like to miss out on the celebrations that anchor family life.

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 When he was slogging his way through the ranks in elite kitchens (Charlie Trotter's and The French Laundry among them), Easter was a holiday in which he participated by proxy. These days, with his flagship Chicago restaurant, Alinea, ranked among the world's best and other venues, Aviary, Next and Roister, shoring up a mini empire, it's a different story. Just don't expect this Michigan-bred chef to prepare a traditional Easter feast.

"The American Midwest has a specific food tradition,' he says. "Growing up there, I'd see people eat the same things each Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I'd think, gosh, the same thing, year after year...' Consequently, he took a different approach, and has forged a global reputation based on wildness and whimsy in equal measure; he is, famously, the inventor of the edible helium balloon.

So it comes as no surprise that an Achatz family Easter is a grab bag of global influences, including an Alinea-esque creation of grilled prawns and beetroot with smouldering cinnamon.

Many of these recipes are in the repertoire of stuff we like to cook at home,' he says. We draw from a mish-mash of inspirations, so it's a globally influenced meal of things we simply love to eat - plus, there's the influence of my cooking. And the kids love anything that's on fire.' While the calibre of the chef in the kitchen might be higher than normal, the Achatz Easter proceeds like many others. You plan to get food on the table at 3pm, but it's never ready on time, he says. As you're preparing.

you're constantly snacking. We just graze all day.'