Start the year off right with a leisurely brunch with family or friends. With good food and drinks, there is no reason the New Year's celebrations cannot continue.
I think buffet style is easiest on the host because so much of the food can be prepped ahead of time.
My mother always used her dining room sideboard as a buffet table and guests could come up and serve themselves.
This is a diagram that you can use to guide you on the best places for each menu item.
I choose to omit the napkins and flatware because I prefer to set place settings ahead of time. Guests always find it tricky to hold a plate of food, plus a cloth napkin and flatware.
Most people don't own chaffing dishes to keep hot food at the right temperature, but if you want go all out, you can always rent silver ones from a party rental company, or buy disposable aluminum ones from your local party supply store.
A great brunch menu should feature a number of hot & cold items to suit a variety of tastes. That way there is something for everyone. In terms of choice, anything goes. As long as it's tasty and can feed a crowd, go for it.
Here are some recipes to help inspire your menu.
Shrimp Cocktail
Ingredients
1/4 cup
Old Bay seasoning
3 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in Old
Bay seasoning and shrimp. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.
Drain, but do not rinse seasoning off shrimp.
Combine ketchup and remaining ingredients in a bowl. Serve with hot or chilled boiled shrimp.
Eggs Benedict for a Crowd
Domino Magazine, December 2005
Ingredients
no-stick cooking spray
12 eggs
12 slices Canadian bacon
6 English muffins, split
6 tablespoons butter, softened
bennie sauce (see recipe below)
snipped chives, for garnish
12 eggs
12 slices Canadian bacon
6 English muffins, split
6 tablespoons butter, softened
bennie sauce (see recipe below)
snipped chives, for garnish
Bennie Sauce
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Preheat oven to 375 degree. Put two 6-cup silicone muffin trays on a
baking sheet, and coat well with no-stick cooking spray. Crack an egg
into each muffin cup.
Cover each egg with a slice of Canadian bacon.
Butter the English muffins and place them buttered-side down on top of the Canadian bacon. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Cover the muffin pan
with a platter; flip over. Squeeze each of the muffin cups to release
the eggs, then carefully remove.
Top each egg with a spoonful of Bennie sauce (simply whisk together the ingredients above to make the sauce).
Sprinkle with chives and serve with simple watercress salad on the side.
Pesto Pasta Salad
All You, August 2008
Pesto
3 cups packed fresh basil
1 cup packed fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salad
1 pound gemelli or other short pasta
1 cup plain 2 percent Greek yogurt
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Make pesto: In a food processor puree basil, parsley, garlic,
lemon juice, salt, pepper and pine nuts until smooth. With motor
running, add olive oil and process until a thick paste forms. Add
Parmesan and pulse twice. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Make salad: Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking.
In a large bowl, combine pesto and Greek yogurt and stir until well blended. Add cold pasta and toss to coat with dressing. Top with tomatoes. Serve salad at room temperature or cover and refrigerate to serve chilled.
Pistachio-Dusted Salmon with Avocado and Black Olive Oil
Recipe from chef Franklin Becker
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
18 oz wild salmon
2 tbsp canola oil
Kosher salt to taste
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 sprigs thyme
4 tbsp white wine, sauvignon blanc
4 tbsp. water
1 lemon cut in half
6 tbsp pistachios, chopped finely into a dust
1 tsp piment de espelette
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 japanese eggplant, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
2 avocados, firm, diced
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
1tsp. fresh thyme, picked
1 tbsp thai basil
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp chives
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup black nicoise olives, pitted
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Season salmon with salt and flax oil. Place salmon on baking sheet. Top with sliced garlic, wine and thyme. Bake until done, approximately 7 minutes.
Sauté the vegetables adding them in order in a hot pan. Sauté till all vegetables are tender but remain intact. Add herbs and serve.
Take black olives and olive oil and process in a blender till smooth and black.
To serve: Remove fish from the oven and top with a squeeze of lemon and the finely chopped pistachios. Place fish on top of avocado ratatouille and drizzle black olive oil around the fish. Drizzle red wine vinegar and serve.
Baked Eggs
From userealbutter.com
Baked Eggs
a hybrid of Ina Garten’s herbed baked eggs and Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef‘s baked eggs recipe
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
8 eggs
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup kale, sautéed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oven to 375°F. Butter four ramekins. Combine the cheese and herbs in a small bowl. Crack two eggs into a bowl or cup, taking care not to break the yolks. Pour the two eggs into a ramekin and repeat until all four ramekins have eggs. Sprinkle bacon, kale, and the cheese-herb blend over the eggs. Finish with a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake the eggs for 10-15 minutes until the eggs have achieved desired doneness: less time for runny yolks, more time for firm yolks. Keep in mind that shallow ramekins will cook faster than deeper ramekins (uh, I found this out the first time around). Serve immediately.
Cinnamon Rolls
From Kimberly Schlegel Whitman
Yield: 8-12 large or 12-16 smaller cinnamon rolls
Ingredients:
6 ½ tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
5 ½ tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. lemon extract or 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 ½ cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
2 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
1 1/8 to 1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
For the filling:
6 ½ tbsp. granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
other spices to taste (ginger, cardamom, allspice, etc.)
For the white fondant glaze:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon or orange extract
6 tbsp. to ½ cup warm milk
Directions:
Cream together the sugar, salt, and butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and lemon zest/extract until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes, or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. (You may have to add a little flour or water while kneading to achieve this texture.) Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Don’t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces about 1 ¾ inches thick for larger rolls or 12 to 16 pieces about 1 ¼ inches thick for smaller rolls.
Line one or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately ½ inch apart so they aren’t touching but are close to one another.
Proof at room temperature for 75-90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pan out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.
Preheat the oven to 350° with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the rollss in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak white fondant glaze across the tops, while the rolls are warm but not too hot (see instructions below). Remove the buns from the pan and place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving.
White fondant glaze for cinnamon rolls:
Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Add lemon or orange extract and 6 tbsp. to ½ cup warm milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk slowly and only as much as needed to make a thick, smooth paste.
When the rolls have cooled but are still warm, streak the glaze over them by dipping the tines of a fork or a whisk into the glaze and waving the fork or whisk over the tops.
Source: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
Crispy Buttermilk Waffles
From The Secret Life of a Chef's Wife
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
18 oz wild salmon
2 tbsp canola oil
Kosher salt to taste
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 sprigs thyme
4 tbsp white wine, sauvignon blanc
4 tbsp. water
1 lemon cut in half
6 tbsp pistachios, chopped finely into a dust
1 tsp piment de espelette
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 japanese eggplant, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
2 avocados, firm, diced
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
1tsp. fresh thyme, picked
1 tbsp thai basil
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp chives
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup black nicoise olives, pitted
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Season salmon with salt and flax oil. Place salmon on baking sheet. Top with sliced garlic, wine and thyme. Bake until done, approximately 7 minutes.
Sauté the vegetables adding them in order in a hot pan. Sauté till all vegetables are tender but remain intact. Add herbs and serve.
Take black olives and olive oil and process in a blender till smooth and black.
To serve: Remove fish from the oven and top with a squeeze of lemon and the finely chopped pistachios. Place fish on top of avocado ratatouille and drizzle black olive oil around the fish. Drizzle red wine vinegar and serve.
Baked Eggs
Baked Eggs
a hybrid of Ina Garten’s herbed baked eggs and Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef‘s baked eggs recipe
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
8 eggs
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup kale, sautéed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oven to 375°F. Butter four ramekins. Combine the cheese and herbs in a small bowl. Crack two eggs into a bowl or cup, taking care not to break the yolks. Pour the two eggs into a ramekin and repeat until all four ramekins have eggs. Sprinkle bacon, kale, and the cheese-herb blend over the eggs. Finish with a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake the eggs for 10-15 minutes until the eggs have achieved desired doneness: less time for runny yolks, more time for firm yolks. Keep in mind that shallow ramekins will cook faster than deeper ramekins (uh, I found this out the first time around). Serve immediately.
Cinnamon Rolls
Yield: 8-12 large or 12-16 smaller cinnamon rolls
Ingredients:
6 ½ tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
5 ½ tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. lemon extract or 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 ½ cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
2 tsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast
1 1/8 to 1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
For the filling:
6 ½ tbsp. granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
other spices to taste (ginger, cardamom, allspice, etc.)
For the white fondant glaze:
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon or orange extract
6 tbsp. to ½ cup warm milk
Directions:
Cream together the sugar, salt, and butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and lemon zest/extract until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes, or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. (You may have to add a little flour or water while kneading to achieve this texture.) Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Don’t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces about 1 ¾ inches thick for larger rolls or 12 to 16 pieces about 1 ¼ inches thick for smaller rolls.
Line one or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately ½ inch apart so they aren’t touching but are close to one another.
Proof at room temperature for 75-90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pan out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.
Preheat the oven to 350° with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the rollss in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak white fondant glaze across the tops, while the rolls are warm but not too hot (see instructions below). Remove the buns from the pan and place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving.
White fondant glaze for cinnamon rolls:
Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Add lemon or orange extract and 6 tbsp. to ½ cup warm milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk slowly and only as much as needed to make a thick, smooth paste.
When the rolls have cooled but are still warm, streak the glaze over them by dipping the tines of a fork or a whisk into the glaze and waving the fork or whisk over the tops.
Source: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
Crispy Buttermilk Waffles
Ingredients
2 eggs (separated)
2 cups buttermilk*
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted butter
* if using regular milk, decrease to 1 3/4 cups milk and increase baking powder to 4 tsp and omit
baking soda
Instructions
Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) together in a large bowl. Set aside.
To the yolks, add the buttermilk and beat well.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Don’t over mix.
Add the melted butter
Place the whites in bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
Fold the beaten egg whites carefully into the batter until just incorporated.
Bake in hot waffle iron until steaming stops.
Serve right away with yummy buttermilk “Change your Life syrup!”
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These recipes are just some of my favorites but there are so many other options you could include like a green salad, pancakes, muffins & scones, beef tenderloin, oysters, quince, etc. The choices are endless.
Enjoy your New Year's Day, and don't forget the bloody mary's and mimosa's!
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