I love this make ahead red pepper and goat cheese strata

https://momsicle.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/make-ahead-brunch-strata-recipes/

Avocado toast

I like to host brunch and usually follow the formula many of the PPs described of overnight egg dish, overnight French toast casserole, fruit, bakery good like muffins or scones, sometimes oven cooked bacon. But your blini and caviar sounds so much more appealing and different, I would definitely stick with that! Perhaps obvious but add smoked salmon, creme fraiche, mini pickles, sliced red onion, hard boiled eggs, chives, etc.

The NYT had a “Pigs and Figs in a blanket” recipe they posted over the holidays that might be a way for you to get your desired item but elevated to the level of your wife’s intended menu.

Definitely bagel spread, an egg dish (maybe a quiche), breakfast cake or cinnamon rolls and fruit salad. You could start out with blinis and caviar. I would skip pigs in a blanket.

I make a brunch strata and coffee cake the day before. In the morning, I pop the strata in the oven and a put a spiral ham in the slow cooker. Add to that yogurt, fruit, salad, cheese board, and rolls. We have coffee and juice. It works for a group of all ages, and you can make any of the items as fancy or simple as you want, depending on the audience.

Anonymous wrote:French toast casserole. Assemble the day before and bake day-of. Crowd pleaser

This is what I did for Christmas morning and everyone loved it. I think it would be great to do a savory breakfast casserole (or strata, I guess) along side it.

I sort of think this is the ultimate amazing breakfast food for company, and when I make it for a crowd it is gone in, like, three minutes. But it does require homemade pie crust so although you can do a lot ahead and there is no hands-on work after it's in the oven, it's not as easy as French toast casserole.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/12/breakfast-slab-pie/

French toast casserole. Assemble the day before and bake day-of. Crowd pleaser

If I were doing brunch, I think a good menu would be:

Quiche Lorraine
spinach or broccoli quiche
La Madeleine’s tomato basil soup
fruit salad
monkey bread
bagels and cream cheese (maybe with lox and accompaniments instead of quiche Lorraine)
optional green salad

I made this for a brunch earlier this year and it was a big hit - https://www.bhg.com/recipe/fig-pancetta-and-goat-cheese-brunch-casserole/

I do a lot of big bruches; I like to do a strata or two (or quiche) and a big salad that can be customized with proteins on the side (grilled chicken, chickpeas or another bean, hard boiled eggs) so that you've got some flexibility for allergies/preferences (vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free). Some fruit, bloody marys and mimosas and/or a sparkling sangria, a cookie tray.

We're hosting a brunch for about eight friends on New Year's Day and looking for ideas of what to serve. We originally wanted to do blinis and caviar but think that might be of a pain for a crowd that size (though my wife, the main cook in the house, might still go for it anyway). I also wanted to do pigs in a blanket, which I love for the holidays but didn't get to have this year yet. Would love to hear what others plan to serve or have served in the past!