need to make brunch for 8 people and 2 kids - novice cook!
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Anonymous
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So, not exactly novice, but i am no expert in cooking for parties - in my younger days, i did a lot of lasagna and salad at dinenr parties, but now my mother is asking me to host brunch with my brother and new wife in town. the only kids will be mine, so now worries on what the kids will eat, but i want to serve something impressive and wonderful. I am thinking one salty thing with eggs and one sweet dish (baked french toast?) and a fruit salad and i'm on here b/ i want your tried and true recipies for maximum deliciousness. The best thing would be all make-ahead stuff that can be popped into the oven the morning of...
we don't eat pork, so no bacon or meals that rely on bacon (i've tried removing the bacon from some recipies and i always feel i'm missing some critical flavor - maybe bacon adds salt and fat?) |
Anonymous
| savory strata and sweet strata |
Anonymous
| Quiche can be served at room temp. I'm always good with bagels and lox, tuna salad, etc. |
Anonymous
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I like your baked french toast idea- easy, done the night before, and popped in the oven before guests arrive. I make it with any kind of bread around- loaf if I don't have french, and I like to put cinnamon and fruit in it, especially apple or banana slices in cool weather and berries in the summer.
My go to: 5 eggs beaten with about 2/3 c milk or half & half (just like scrambled eggs), a couple teaspoons vanilla extract, teaspoon of cinnamon, and sometimes a tablespoon or 2 of brown sugar. Butter a 9x13 dish and tear up bread to fill- take the crusts off regular loaf bread. Add fruit if desired. Pour egg mix over all, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 375 for about an hour. If I'm feeling really decadent, I'll mix in some chocolate chips with the banana slices & serve with a little whipped cream or syrup. I leave the sugar out of the egg mix in that case. |
Anonymous
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This is possible THE best baked french toast ever: Drunken Caramel French Toast!
http://www.amandamcclements.com/2011/03/drunken-caramel-french-toast.html |
Anonymous
| Open, do a google search for "dcurbanmom.com brunch" and some recent threads on this very topic should come up. |
Anonymous
Should be "OP". |
Anonymous
do this plus: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spinach-and-Cheese-Strata-107754 a fruit salad, and get some bagels and cream cheese. |
Anonymous
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Definitely do a couple of good salads to inject some freshness into a winter brunch! At this time of year, I'd do something like fennel/ blood orange/ avocado or Jean-georges' Kale salad. And my favorite winter fruit salad:
http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1834/Winter-Fruit-Salad.html |
Anonymous
I was going to suggest a strata and a good baked french toast, but PP is ahead of me. |
Anonymous
| op here. see? this is why i love you all. |
Anonymous
| Get the frozen croissants from Trader Joe's. They have to rise overnight and they are AWESOME! |
Anonymous
NP here -- thanks for this rec!! I just made the baked french toast and stuck it in the fridge. Have people coming over for brunch tomorrow -- hope it turns out well! |
Anonymous
I'm the PP who shared the French toast link. Let me know what you think when you try it. I could happily make this dish every week, if I didn't mind the accompanying weight gain, high cholesterol, and probable early death. Then again, it's so good, it might be worth it... 
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Anonymous
It was DELICIOUS. You are a bad person for sharing this link -- now I can't unlearn this easy, delicious, calorific recipe. 
Only things -- it didn't quite fluff up the way I expected, and I would have liked it to be a little more moist on top. Not sure if that's a function of how long it was soaking (about 13 hours?). I may try thinner slices of bread next time. And, to be even more decadent, I would probably serve it with some fresh whipped cream. Mmmmmm. |