Instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut dome off of bread. Remove bread from the base part, leaving a wall of crust. Place base in oven and bake until quite hard, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat water, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, and vinegar to boil and add cod. Poach 3 to 4 minutes, or until just cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Set boiling water and ice bath up. Blanch consecutively the beans, carrots, celery and artichokes, refreshing and maintaining each individually. Place both beets and potato in boiling water and boil 20 minutes, or until they are done, and remove them to separate bowls. Peel each and cut into festive slices. Dress each of these 7 components separately with Ligurian oil and lemon juice and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Remove the cod and flake into large pieces. Dress with Ligurian oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Steam first the langostinos and then the lobsters over the court bouillon and allow them to cool. To make the sauce, remove the pits from the 8 green olives and place the flesh in a food processor. Add 1 tablespoon capers and anchovy fillets, 2 eggs, 1 bunch chopped parsley, garlic clove, 2 tablespoons pine nuts and the vinegar-soaked bread. Blend in the processor until smooth and then slowly add remaining 3/4 cup olive oil until you have formed a thick, creamy mayonnaise. It should still be quite sharp.

To assemble the dish, lay the bread disk in the center of large round plate. Build a pyramidal structure using first the beans, then a dollop of sauce, then the cod, and so on, until all the ingredients have a layer on top of the bread. Finish with the lobsters and nothing else on top. Garnish the base of the structure with quartered hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, olives and capers. Challenge your guests to be the first to consume your work!

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Yield: 4 servings

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