Ask Whatever: The Effortless Art of Brunching

"Help, Cooking Whatever! I need ideas for a brunch this weekend that starts at 10! What should I make?"



Ah, Brunch. My all time favorite style of dining.

While brunch is by far the most fun to attend, it can often be a pain in the derrière if you're hosting.

Whether you're a morning person or not, waking up early to concentrate on cooking is challenging. Unless of course you're cooking whatever, then it's a easy as pie, or say quiche.

Here is my top advice for an easy yet elegant spread: start with a fresh fruit salad as a side dish. Really jazz up the display of the fruit and make it work! Then mix and match 2 or 3 items from my Ultimate Entree list below to suit your own preferences. Just keep in mind to pick dishes with variety to ensure you have something wonderful for everyone.

And my most important brunch tip: Always offer a signature brunch cocktail or mocktail, like a bellini or mango juice, fresh squeezed orange juice or anything else fancy. It's a nice bonus that shows off your expert hosting skills.

Brunch Entrees:

1.) Quiche or Frittata

Follow any easy quiche or frittata recipe (eggs, cheese, add-ins, done) and bake it the night before. Re-heat in the oven right before guests arrive. Never ever share your secret and complain/brag about slaving over a hot stove while they were still asleep.


2.) Strata

This gooey yet light and savory casserole-ish dish has to be assembled the night before and only takes about 45-minutes in the over the next day.



3.) Mini Eggs Benedict (see recipe below)

If you really want to impress and don't mind a teeny bit of stress, go for this cute version of the brunch classic. The secret is to use quail eggs, which are small and can be cooked in batches.



4.) Waffles 3 Ways

Make regular plain waffles and layout 3 (or more) varieties of toppings: think bananas foster sauce, shaved chocolate and whipped cream, cinnamon and sugar, coconut, maple syrup and walnuts. Display the toppings like you would see pairings on a cheese plate, maybe even with little index cards describing each one. It's easy but super fancy.





5.) Sausage-chip Pancakes

Yeah, you read that right. Just like you would add blueberries to your pancakes, simply fold in some cooked sausage (I think spicy Italian works best) into the batter. Definitely still serve with maple syrup. Yum.

6.) Savory muffins with scrambled eggs

Take a recipe for corn muffins and fold in bacon, mushrooms, cheddar cheese or anything else you think would taste good. I definitely recommend making the muffins the day before and re-heat in the oven before guests arrive. When you're ready to serve, slice them in half and scoop in some scrambled eggs for a cute little sandwich.

7.) Fruit Bread Pudding

Just like regular bread pudding but with a delicious addition of either fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries) or dried fruit (cherries, rasins, cranberries). Just make sure to use fruit that is different than what is in the fruit salad side.

8.) Breakfast Pizza

Exactly as it sounds, take pre-made pizza dough and cover it with cheese, veggies and breakfast meats - skip the tomato sauce. I like to top mine with fresh greens just before it's pulled out of the oven so they don't get too wilted. The presentation is great and it's a winner among kids and adults alike.

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Mini Eggs Benedict

Ingredients:
White Bread
Spinach
Quail Eggs
Hollandaise Sauce (try not to take the short cut with the packet, you really only need to add a few extra ingredients to make the real thing and its so much better.)


Prep:
Cook spinach in boiling water until slightly limp and let sit in water, do not drain until you're about to use. This will keep it warm.

Layout the bread and use a cookie cutter to cut out the centers (think stars, hearts, or plain circles, the design should be big enough to hold an mini-egg in the middle). Toast them in the oven, keeping a close eye to make sure they don't burn.

Pre-crack the quail eggs. They can be very difficult so have a few extra on hand just in case. I usually use a sharp knife (be careful!) to crack open the top the shells and then pour the yokes gently into the pan. The closer the eggs are the pan the less of chance they have of breaking.

You can cook a bunch of these little guys at a time, so go for it.

Take the toast out of the oven just before the eggs are done.

Plate the bread, the spinach, then the eggs and add the Hollandaise on top or on the side if you have picky guests. Serve on a platter with a spatula and get ready to smile and say "oh, it was no big deal" over and over.