What can I take to this brunch??

[Anonymous]

My husband and I were invited to a brunch at the home of one of his colleagues this Sunday. The couple are in their 50's, we are in our mid 30's with an 8 month old. They are both high level executives with amazing educations/wealth/experiences. I've never met them but my husband has become pretty tight with thus guy so it is important to him that we accepted the invite and go! I have a feeling it's going to be fancy, given what I know about this couple.

I'm just getting the hang of having this new awesome baby and he's just really started having more of a reliable schedule which takes the pressure of a little bit.

We are offering to bring something of course, and I love to cook, but need ideas.

Please help and share ideas and recipes. I have no idea what they will be serving and we are going at noon.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I would bring something that they don't necessarily have to serve. Could be some prosecco/champagne (which could be saved/used for mimosas), maybe flowers, maybe some sort of dessert item.

[Anonymous]

PP is right. Don't bring food. People are touchy about guests interfering with their special "menus."

[Anonymous]

You don't know what else they will be serving and that makes it hard. Did you volunteer to bring something to contribute to the brunch? My fallback is always to buy really nice looking fresh fruit and cut it up really neatly on a platter, but they will likely already have fruit. You can do mini-quiches made in a muffin pan. You could also do fancy deviled eggs. If you have a good recipe for homemade crumb cake or coffee cake, that would be good. I would not do muffins from a box. If you want to forgo the food option, you can also bring a nice vase of flowers or bottle of chilled champagne/wine.

[Anonymous]

If you offered to bring something, you should probably bring something edible, not flowers (although you could also bring flowers). I have this problem when DH is the one organizing, too. "They said they would bring something!" Leaves both the guest and the host in a tough spot of not wanting to duplicate each others' effort, and the host wants to be sure to have enough to eat.

If you can get your DH to clarify with his friend what would be a good item to bring, that would be most helpful. If not...

Smoked salmon platter?
Deviled eggs
Melon and prosciutto (maybe on skewers?)
Fresh berries, either as a side or a dessert

[Anonymous]

Gourmet muffins or breakfast bread/coffee cake (high-end bakery or homemade, and I'd package nicely). Goes with any menu.

[Anonymous]

+1 on the champagne. I love mimosas for breakfast and if they already had the menu set, they can just keep the bottle.

[Anonymous]

If you offered to bring something and they said "yes that would be great, maybe some fruit salad or coffee cake" then I would bring something.

If you said "can we bring something" and got no response, or a "we're all set" then I would bring something that could serve as a hostess gift (champagne, possibly berries, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Agree with the champagne. Can't go wrong with that.

[Anonymous]

Without knowing the conversation about bringing something, I would bring something fresh fruit or a unique piece of charcuterie or cheese that could be eaten at another time. If I know a cooked dish is expected, I might try gougeres cut to make sandwiches. http://leitesculinaria.com/968/recipes-cheese-puffs-with-arugula-bacon-pickled-onions.html They are delicious, and you are unlikely to duplicate a dish from your host.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1 on the champagne. I love mimosas for breakfast and if they already had the menu set, they can just keep the bottle.

+1. And either berries or some kind of hostess gift like a mint plant. This is assuming you didn't offer to cook something.


OP, I'm not being snarky, I promise, but I couldn't figure out what your having a baby has to do with it? Are you saying that you don't have much time to cook because of the baby and therefore are looking for easy ideas?

[Anonymous]

I am a very laid back person, but it is stressful when people bring food that you weren't expecting (and embarrassing if it duplicates what you made). So I would ask what you can bring if you haven't already, and if they say nothing then bring champagne or something for "tomorrow's breakfast" (a loaf of banana bread or something) is something I've done.

[Anonymous]

Do not bring fruit. They will already have it. If you really feel like you need to bring something then banana bread or something like that.

[Anonymous]

How about a fancy jam?

[Anonymous]

I don't know where you're located but I would suggest going to a high end bakery and buying something very light and bite sized. I'm thinking of the macarons at Praline in Bethesda. The hosts could either serve at the party or keep and eat later on their own.