Feast fantasies: 5 chefs plan their dream royal wedding menus

The royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton would likely be the biggest catering job of any chef's career. Although the food is pretty much in place, we asked five of our favorite chefs and experts to dream up their ultimate royal wedding dishes.

David Burke
The chef and owner of David Burke Kitchen and Burke Townhouse imagined British comfort foods with an elegant, playful and artistic twist.

Devon crab parfait with caviar
Sea scallops “English breakfast” style with petite bubble and squeak, country ham with quail eggs
Roasted pheasant salad with estate vegetables and spot of tea consommé
Lamb chops with wild mushroom-oat cakes, goat cheese stuffed zucchini blossoms and spiced apricot chutney
The royal trifle
English toffee cheesecake lollipops with “fortunes”

Chris Leahy
The chef of the West Village's Lyon, which will be celebrating the royal wedding all day on Friday, suggested modern spins on British favorites

Scotch eggs and beef Wellington.
Duck sausages with duck eggs, served with a watercress dipping sauce
A leg of lamb or a whole animal made into a wellington and served buffet style with peas pudding (similar to creamed peas in a bread pudding)
Drinks: Buck’s Fizz (British for mimosa) or Pimm's Cup

Suvir Saran
Suran, executive chef at Indian restaurant Devi, expects Indian food to show up somewhere on the royal menu because of its popularity in England. Saran said he'd serve things family style, with plenty of vegetarian options.

A chaat (a plate of savoury snacks based around a fried dough) with salmon or mint chutney
Mushy peas with ricotta fenagreek leaves, cashew nuts and raisins And many Indian spices
Crispy okra salad with tomatoes and cilantro
Crispy sweet potatoes with cayenne, cilantro and lime juice
A biryani (rice dish) with morel mushrooms
Lamb chops grilled in the tandoor
A trifle with creme anglaise with fresh fruit
Rice pudding

Anne Thornton
The host of Food Network’s "Dessert First With Anne Thornton" came up with a dessert menu for the royal lovebirds. She said that the wedding cake should look both formal and traditional, but should be a bit different inside, much like Kate and Wills.

Individual hand-held petit fours, topped with the betrothed couple's initials
Parisian macarons
Wedding cake: Salted caramel milk chocolate cake with fondant
Favors: Layered white cakes filled with jams, covered in royal icing (appropriate!) and topped with little pearls and a coat of arms

Zac Young
The executive pastry of Flex Mussels and former "Top Chef Just Desserts" contestant offered two cake ideas that feature both taste and texture. "Cake can be boring to eat, so you want different textures," he said.

Chocolate cake with a salted caramel filling and chocolate cereal for crunch
A spiced cake with an apple buttercream and an oat crumble inside

What’s a wedding without the booze?
For cocktails, noted mixologist Julie Reiner, owner of Lani Kai, recommended a Knickerbocker Royale, a more sophisticated and celebratory take on the classic Knickerbocker. This one has aged rum, orange curacao, lemon, fresh raspberries and Champagne.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Delicious
• Digg
• Stumble Upon