Brunch: Recipes for Cozy Weekend Mornings
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About this ebook
Whether you have a special occasion to celebrate or you simply want to spend time with family and friends, hosting a brunch is the perfect opportunity. With more than fifty delicious recipes and six fresh ideas for serving them with style, Brunch offers a variety of ways to enjoy this favorite midday meal.
The recipes are grouped into six chapters to help you put together a complete menu. Choose from starters, egg dishes, morning sweets, main dishes, side dishes, and beverages. Enjoy such comforting dishes as French Toast and Apple Chutney; Spring Vegetable Frittata; Potato Pancakes; Lox and Bagel Bar; and dozens more. Also included are eight multicourse menus and suggestions for party themes.
In addition, six “idea spreads” offer smart suggestions for setting the table, creating a centerpiece, assembling a buffet, brewing great coffee, preparing the perfect pot of tea, and setting up a cocktail bar. Lavishly photographed, Brunch contains all you need to know to create the perfect daytime party for any occasion.
Georgeanne Brennan
Georgeanne Brennan is a James Beard award-winning cookbook author and journalist. She and her work have been featured in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Gourmet, Food and Wine, San Francisco Chronicle, Edible magazines and elsewhere. Her books have been translated into multiple languages, including her memoir, A Pig in Provence. In 2014 she founded La Vie Rustic: Sustainable Living in the French Style, a product line and on-line store. She lives in Northern California and travels several times a year to her long time home in Provence where she once lived, keeping goats and pigs and making and selling goats milk cheese.
Read more from Georgeanne Brennan
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Brunch - Georgeanne Brennan
Brunch Entertaining
Brunch is an ideal meal for daytime entertaining for a variety of reasons. Because two meal periods are combined into one wonderful feast, guests feel they can indulge, leaving the host with many options for recipes. In addition, brunch is usually a casual get-together enjoyed on weekends and vacations when there are no strict timelines. Because of the informal setting and flexible menu, children can easily be included in the festivities, making brunch a great way to celebrate with family and friends of all ages.
CREATING THE OCCASION
Almost any occasion can be celebrated at a brunch, including birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, graduations, and the many other holidays and events that occur throughout the year. But brunch can also be enjoyed as an event all its own, for no other reason than the desire to share a relaxing afternoon with family and friends. If you are new to entertaining, brunch is a great meal to start with, as you only need to select one or two dishes for the menu. In addition, the recipes are typically easy to prepare. Happening as it does at the most relaxed time of the week, and featuring breakfast and light luncheon foods that are associated with comfort and leisure, brunch epitomizes both casual entertaining and festive celebrations.
SERVING STYLES
Brunch dishes lend themselves readily to informal presentations. For a small gathering of guests seated around a table, it’s logical to serve the meal family-style: Bring the food out on serving platters from which guests can help themselves and pass the dish along. For large groups or to allow weekend guests to serve themselves at their own pace, a buffet is a good choice. Transform any tabletop into a buffet by stacking plates, flatware, napkins, and serving dishes on it. (For tips on setting up a brunch buffet, turn to see recipe.) Of course, brunches do not always have to be casual affairs. When the occasion or your mood calls for it, you can make the meal as formal as you like, setting the table with your best linens, glassware, and tableware, and serving the food individually plated.
Keeping Foods Warm
To keep pancakes and waffles warm while you finish cooking all the batter, transfer the cooked items to a rack set over a baking sheet and put in a preheated 200°F oven until ready to serve. You can also use this method with sausage, bacon, and potatoes.
Make-Ahead Tip
When making pancakes, waffles, or quick breads, combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and pour the wet ingredients into another the night before you cook them. In the morning, simply whisk the ingredients together to make the batter.
The versatility of brunch allows for great flexibility when it comes to where and how you serve it, if you choose to host a formal or informal meal, and whether you present the food on individual plates, family style, or as a buffet.
The dining room is one choice locale for brunch. Most tables will comfortably seat six to eight guests. For smaller gatherings, seating guests in a kitchen large enough to hold a table, or one with an adjoining breakfast nook, is an ideal way to make sure that everyone can mingle throughout the meal. This will create a relaxed mood and the proximity to the kitchen activities allows willing guests to assist you with the food.
There are other venues for brunch besides the predictable dining table. Living rooms can work well, especially if you are serving a large crowd or utilizing a buffet. Rearrange furniture as needed to provide convenient, comfortable seating; don’t forget to include tables for guests to rest their plates.
If the weather is warm, consider serving the meal outside. Set up the buffet near a door with easy outdoor access or in the yard on a table that is protected from sunlight. Be sure to position tables, chairs, or blankets on the lawn beneath umbrellas or trees to shade your guests while they eat.
Tips for Successful Brunch Entertaining
• Pick a serving style—formal or informal, individually plated, family style, or buffet—that matches your mood, the number of guests, and any time constraints.
• Select a location that’s right for the style of the brunch and the season—in the dining room, in an eat-in kitchen, in the garden, or in a large living room.
• Choose a menu that combines make-ahead dishes with last-minute preparations; use the season or the weather and the preferences of your guests to help you make decisions about your menu selections.
• The night before the brunch, clean the house, set the table, choose the serving vessels and utensils, and do as much advance cooking as you can.
• If you are serving a brunch outdoors, consider supplying mesh domes to keep bugs away from the food.
• For a pretty finishing touch, choose a simple centerpiece or floral arrangement to create a focal point for your meal. For smaller tables or meals served at the kitchen counter, put an individual bloom in a bud vase at each place setting.
Baked-Goods Station
Fill plates or napkin-lined baskets with Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins (see recipe), Orange-Zest Scones (see recipe), or Brown-Sugar Coffee Cake (see recipe), or serve purchased breads and bagels. Position the items near an electrical outlet where a toaster can be plugged in safely. Add bowls of toppings so guests can help themselves.
Cereal Buffet
Place containers of homemade granola (see recipe) or a favorite dry