"There are very few things this New Yorker loves as much as Sunday brunch. You can sleep until noon and still get eggs anywhere in the city, alcohol is often included with the meal, and Sunday is the one day a week you get the single woman's sports pages: the New York Times wedding section."- Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City
I think that I have decided that brunch is my favorite meal. There are so many options! I think it is the most flexible meal of the day; there is so much freedom in menu planning, timing, and you can even serve alcohol. Brunch just makes me happy.
If you are entertaining, brunch is a very budget-friendly choice. I have a miniscule entertaining budget, so hosting a brunch is the way to go for Brian and I. There are also a number of make ahead or overnight brunch recipes that allow you to do most, if not all, of the preparation the day before so that you can relax with your guests and a cup of coffee. Ahhh.... :)
I hosted two brunches recently. At the first, we entertained Brian's mom and two sisters. It was our belated Christmas celebration with them as we were away for the holiday. It was very successful and relaxing. I made way too much food, but the leftovers were put to good use. We hosted the second brunch this past Sunday. Brian and I had gone to a concert on Saturday night with my best friend, Jess, my mom, and my step-dad. They all spent the night and we had a nice meal before my mom and step-dad had to head home. There were fewer leftovers this time as I learned my lesson after having made way too much for Brian's family.
I have listed some of the recipes that I used for the brunches below. All of these recipes can be made ahead. With these recipes, you'll just need to add some fresh fruit or fruit salad, a green salad, and some bagels or other purchased bakery items to flush out the menu. I hope you have a reason to enjoy these recipes sometime soon.
Brunch Recipes
Overnight French Toast
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
12 3/4-inch-thick French bread slices
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
confectioners' sugar
Preparation
Spread butter over bottom of large baking pan (jelly roll pan) with 1-inch-high sides. Arrange bread slices in the pan. Combine eggs, milk, sugar, syrup, vanilla and salt in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Pour egg mixture over bread. Turn bread slices to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 400°. Bake French bread 10 minutes. Turn bread over and continue baking just until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes longer. Transfer cooked French toast to plates and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve hot, with maple syrup or your favorite topping.
Cheese Strata
Ingredients
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
12 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh chives
2 cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
1 pound sourdough bread (boule preferred), crust removed and cut into 1-inch cubes or french bread
Directions
Grease a 3-quart gratin dish or casserole with 1 teaspoon of the butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg, cayenne, chives, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
To make the strata: Scatter a 1/2 cup of the cheese over the bottom of the buttered dish and cover with one-third of the bread. Repeat. Top with a final layer of bread and remaining cheese.
Pour the egg mixture over the strata and gently press it down with the back of a large spoon to make sure the top layer is moistened with the custard. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and drizzle it over the strata.(Or spray with butter-flavored cooking spray) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until golden brown and slightly puffed, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Brown Sugar-Glazed Bacon
Ingredients
24 slices bacon
2 to 3 Tbsp. pepper
2 to 3 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil; place a baking rack on top. Mist rack with cooking spray. Arrange 12 slices of bacon on rack. Sprinkle on 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp. pepper and dark brown sugar. Roast until bacon begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove sheet from oven. Place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate. Pour grease out of tray into a bowl. Repeat with 12 more slices of bacon, pepper and brown sugar. When bacon is cool, wrap in plastic wrap and chill overnight. Reheat in batches in microwave.
Pumpkin Bread
One 9 x 5-inch loaf
This loaf can be made with any cooked mashed squash, yams, or sweet potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Whisk together:
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
Combine in a small bowl:
1⁄3 cup water or milk
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
Beat in a large bowl until fluffy:
6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) butter, softened, or 1⁄3 cup vegetable shortening
1 1⁄3 cups sugar or 1 cup sugar plus 1⁄ 3 cup packed brown sugar
Beat in one at a time:
2 large eggs
Add and beat on low speed just until blended:
1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin puree
Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture, beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Fold in:
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1⁄3 cup raisins or chopped dates
Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.
Cola Baked Ham
Ingredients
1 spiral-sliced, fully cooked, bone-in half ham (7 to 10 pounds) or any similar size ham
½ c dark brown sugar
1 bottle cola (20 oz)
3/4 cup cherry preserves (or jelly)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 large oven bag (plastic) (usually used for turkey)
Preparation
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Unwrap ham; remove and discard plastic disk covering bone. Trim the rind and excess fat from the ham (if necessary), leaving a 1/4-inch thick layer of fat. With a sharp knife, score the fat in a crosshatch diamond pattern. Rub brown sugar over ham. Place ham in oven bag. Pour ½ bottle cola over ham, remove as much air as possible, gather top of bag tightly so bag fits snugly around ham, tie bag, and trim excess plastic. Set ham cut-side down in large roasting pan and cut 4 1” slits in top of bag with paring knife to allow steam to escape.
In a medium saucepan, combine the cherry preserves, remaining cola, and orange juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the preserves are dissolved, about 2 minutes.
Bake ham until center registers 100 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (about 10 minutes per pound). Remove ham from oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Cut open oven bag and roll back sides to expose ham. Brush ham with one-third of glaze and return to oven until glaze becomes sticky, about 10 minutes (if glaze is too thick to brush, return to heat to loosen). Remove ham from oven, transfer to cutting board, and brush entire ham with another third of glaze. Let ham rest, loosely tented with foil, for 15 minutes. While ham rests, heat remaining third of glaze with 4 to 6 tablespoons of ham juices until it forms thick but fluid sauce. Carve and serve ham, passing sauce at table. You can bake the ham the day before and reheat in the oven or in the microwave.
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