PrintBreakfast for a Crowd: Any Ideas?
I need some ideas for breakfast that will feed 10 people. I would like to prepare something relatively simple that incorporates at least one fruit/vegetable to make it relatively healthy. What are your favorite breakfasts for a crowd?
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26 Comments:
The good 'ole breakfast casserole -
The night before scramble 6-8 eggs (or substitute)
chop or tear 6 slices of bread (any kind will do)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
s&p
and here is the fun part....anything else you like!
crumbled (cooked) sausage, roasted red peppers, mozzerella...
ham, peppers, onions, tomatoes, cheddar...
feta, spinach, mushrooms...
chorizo, corn, jalapenos, potatoes, cheese....
let your imagination run wild
then the next morning bake it at 350 for 35-45 min until it gets sort of crispy on top, ot to whatever done-ness you like your eggs. let it cool for 5 min and watch it dissappear!
sparkalina at 4:21PM on 02/12/08
You could also make a big fruit salad as a side dish.
woodenspoon at 4:30PM on 02/12/08
There's an awesome breakfast pizza recipe I have been making since my kids were little. A couple cans of crescent rolls pressed out in a pizza pan and frozen hash browns, browned breakfast sausage, sauteed onions, red pepper, eggs, parmesan cheese. Easy and soooo good.
A strata is always well received also. I make one with brie and crabmeat that is really rich and elegantly different for a holiday brunch.
You can add other vegs of your choice to either of those but sorry, the fruit is going to have to be on the side.
frederika at 4:41PM on 02/12/08
Baked French toast. Bacon can be baked at the same time. Fruit salad is fine, but I often fry up a large skillet of apples, if it's winter. Sunset magazine has a great recipe for scrambled eggs for a crowd, and there are also some good recips for a crowd in the food section of the New Orleans Times Picayune which is www.nola.com. Big brunches are frequent during Mardi Gras season, so there are plenty of ideas. In fact, the recipe section has one segment called cooking for a crowd.
lemons at 5:07PM on 02/12/08
I'd go with a frittata as they are just as good at room temp as they are hot. You can make several varieties -- with meat, without, different veg combos -- then, just turn them out onto platters or cheeseboards and cut into wedges. Can even be eaten with the hands.
Otherwise, the strata mentioned above is good. Which brings to mind quiche, which is great because it can be made days ahead.
You can skip the eggs all together and just make a mess of biscuits with a variety of breakfast meats (ham, sausage, bacon, etc.) to be eaten out of hand, like a sandwich.
A big ol' fruit salad, or a build-your-own fruit salad "bar" with each fruit offered in separate bowls, is is a no-fail item, especially if you provide yogurt, honey, poppyseed dressing, granola, raisins, nuts, shredded coconut, etc. for toppings. You can do this with "continental" breakfast offerings -- various breads, croissants, muffins, etc.
Speaking of muffins, do a variety of fruit-based (banana, blueberry, etc.). If you have a double oven, you can even bake 4 dozen at a time!
Another fruit option: Booze. I'm thinking Mimosa, Bloody Mary, Tequila Sunrise, Screwdriver, Salty Dog, Bellini, etc.
LoCo at 5:07PM on 02/12/08
Oh. Duh. And how could I forget to suggest bagels and lox with all the fixins? Gotta be the easiest thing on earth. And so, so yummy!
LoCo at 5:11PM on 02/12/08
Baked french toast and breakfast strata are excellent suggestions. Homemade granola and nice yogurt would also be nice and relatively healthy.
renzata at 5:30PM on 02/12/08
If you decide on yogurt...ya gotta go with Fage!
What time is the breakfast going to be served? What other "eating events" will take place later in the day? Just think knowing this may help in planning an appropriatre menu for you!
JEP at 6:06PM on 02/12/08
I recommend a big batch of whole grain pancakes. :) Everyone loves them, and they don't take long to make. Once each one comes out of the pan, just keep them warm in an oven on low. Plus they're healthy, especially if you top them with a berry coulis or pure maple syrup. You can even buy whole grain pancake mixes (see what I believe is the most recent, or second most-recent, issue of Bon Appetit).
Also, I can't believe no one has mentioned breakfast tacos!! There's a fabulous Cook the Book recipe here that includes lots of vegetables--onions, kale, chard, etc. with tomato salsa and queso fresco. I imagine you could prep the ingredients the night before--ie, chop the vegetables, get/make the salsa, cheese, tortillas-- and then put them together fairly quickly in the morning. Warm the tortillas in the oven, sautee the vegetables in your largest pan, divvy them up, and then you can keep everything warm in an oven set on low. Or you can do it assembly-line style. And traditional breakfast tacos--eggs, beans, cheese, bacon, whatever--wouldn't be too much harder.
Plus, breakfast tacos are incredibly delicious.
Christina at 6:54PM on 02/12/08
I was going to say pancakes as well (I usually mix whole wheat flour with buckwheat flour). Especially, if you have a larger griddle, or two griddle pans, and you can make 8-10 pancakes at a time at a time (I'm talking about 3.5-4" pancakes) - in no time you'll be able to whip a large batch. Keep them in a pre-warmed bowl or on a warming tray, and you''re all set!
LoCo's idea of a "bagel & fixings" buffet is also excellent, and would probably be the easiest to prepare.
brooke29 at 7:12PM on 02/12/08
How about a bread pudding? Here's a savory version, but you could easily swap in fruit and nuts and add some cinnamon to make it more breakfast-y.
bitchincamero at 7:13PM on 02/12/08
There is another idea - Crespeou. It can be served hot or cold, tastes really good and looks very pretty. Here is a recipe, but it's really more of a recommendation as you can vary ingredients as you please, just keep the technique: thin omelettes with different fillings are stacked to form a multicoloured layer cake. The term crespeou comes from the Provenal dialect and refers to the fact that the omelettes resemble crepes.
1 roasted red pepper, chopped (you can certainly use fresh)
Olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
Butter
Thyme for seasoning
12 eggs
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp tomato puree
5.5oz black olives, pitted
1 medium bunch basil, stems removed
1 medium bunch parsley, stems removed
Sweat the onions in butter and a bit of thyme.
Break three eggs into each of four bowls and beat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the red pepper and tomato puree to one bowl of eggs, the olives to another, the basil and parsley leaves to another, and the onions to the fourth. Blend each of the mixtures, apart from the onion mixture, in turn in a food processor.
In an omelette pan, make eight omelettes, using half the egg mixture from each of the bowls. Cook them over a hot flame for just a minute or so. They should still be soft and runny when you remove them from the heat.
Stack the omelettes one by one as they are cooked on to a flat metal pan lined with foil. Alternate the different fillings so that you create a colourful layered-cake look. The final omelette should be flipped in the pan and placed on the stack cooked-side up.
Put the stack of omelettes in the oven (300F) for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Trim any ragged edges with a sharp knife. Invert the crespeou on to a plate, then peel off the foil and turn the crespeou right side up on a serving plate.
To serve, cut into wedges and eat warm or cold with a tomato salad.
Note: The key to making crespeou hold together well is not to cook the omelettes too much before you stack them. They should be much runnier than a normal omelette. The oven will finish the cooking and bind the omelettes together.
brooke29 at 7:25PM on 02/12/08
I think strata is a great idea as well.
I made these overnight">http://offthemeathook.com/2008/01/12/overnight-cinnamon-rolls.aspx>overnight cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning- you do everything the day before then cook and ice them (if desired) in the morning. They were SUPER good and everyone loved them.
karenita at 7:45PM on 02/12/08
I have been dying to try these recipes, but I rarely have a crowd worthy of good breakfast cooking:
Paula Deen's baked french toast casserole
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26774,00.html
Everyday Food Breakfast Strata
http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/recipes/Canadian-Bacon_Strata.html
Sugarlaws Mini Spinach Fritatas
http://www.sugarlaws.com/mini-spinach-frittatas/
I have made Ina Garten's Roast Bacon. Drizzle it with maple syrup before you put it in the oven.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_25676,00.html
Good luck!
NuJoi
http://nujoikitchendiary.blogspot.com/
NuJoi at 6:48AM on 02/13/08
I agree with the frech toast casserole add in some fresh fruit toppings and maybe some veggie or turkey sausage and you've got a meal that is mostly do ahead and still fairly healthy. (oat bran bread is especially good) but whatever you plan remember the fun of entertaining is for you to have fun too.
huney_bumper at 8:31AM on 02/13/08
I recently did two breakfasts for 8, and here's what I did:
Breakfast 1:
Pear-Apple dutch baby
Autumn hash (purple peruvian potatoes and butternut squash with rosemary and sage)
Assorted cheese and fresh fruit
Hot cider
Breakfast 2:
Seasonal tofu scramble (could sub egg in for tofu- my crowd was veggie and disliked eggs) with kale, mushroom, carrot, etc.
Sage and goat cheese cornbread
Earl-grey hot cocoa
Toast points with preserves
EtherMaiden at 9:51AM on 02/13/08
Strata. You take a bunch of bread chunks, add eggs, cheese, veggies, and spices. Soak for a while. Bake and serve.
Stufsocker at 12:02PM on 02/13/08
try my favorite cajun breakfast, 2 cases of beer and 2 lbs of boudin.
olddad at 12:33PM on 02/13/08
Thanks, everyone, for your great suggestions. I'm intrigued by the Crespeou recipe. I will have to try that sometime.
PestoGal at 1:04PM on 02/13/08
An easy one is another variation on the breakfast casserole: if crunched for time, frozen hash brownson bottom, with layer of melty cheese then a layer of scrambled eggs, more cheese and bacon or sausage on top, baked the next morning for 30-40 minutes as described in the first casserole...yum!
rckymtnski at 1:20PM on 02/13/08
I made a recipe this weekend that I found on epicurious.com, "eggs with cream, spinach, and country ham".
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241180
This was the most amazing egg dish that I have eaten in a very long time. Simple to make, beautiful presentation, and delic.
You will have to serve some sort of bread along with it, maybe bagels or toast, some bacon and maybe sausage, I think some fruit too b/c the dish is somewhat rich in flavor.
I made it just for the 2 of us, but the recipe is for 8.
allakarasik at 3:28PM on 02/13/08
Capered Eggs is a real crowd-pleaser. I have never had a single leftover portion. Here's how I do it:
CAPERED EGGS
1 dozen hard-cooked eggs, halved
1 (or more) minced jalapeño pepper
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon bittersweet or hot Spanish (smoked) paprika
1/3 cup salted capers, very well rinsed and chopped if large
1 tablespoon Champagne or good sherry vinegar
dash of cayenne pepper or red Tabasco sauce (optional)
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
3-4 medium shallots, minced
sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
Plenty of croissants or brioche, or make popovers (page XX)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Arrange the egg halves, yolk side up, in a 9” x 13” baking dish. Top each egg with a bit of minced jalapeño, no more than 1/4 teaspoon.
Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over the eggs.
Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour or until the dish is hot. Don’t let it boil.
Yield: Six servings
Tom Steele at 4:48PM on 02/13/08
Sorry to get here late with a comment, but my suggestion is something called the Berkshire Apple Pancake. You could bake a double batch in two separate cast-iron skillets. Do the prep work the night before, combine while the oven's heating up in the morning and all you have to do is make coffee, cut up some fruit, and warm up the maple syrup. This recipe has been requested by my family for the past 8 years or so for our Christmas morning breakfast. It's not too overly sweet but is filling and impressive and EASY.
Good luck!
The recipe's at:
http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/breakfast/pancake_apple.html
moibec at 4:50PM on 02/13/08
I wrote about my new favorite breakfast casserole thing just the other day. It's Martha Stewart's Bread Pudding with Leeks, Ham, and Cheese and it is DIVINE. It's like a plain old casserole, just a little more sophisticated. I used her recipe and it made way more than enough for 8 people, we had a ton leftover (it's hellagood leftover too).
http://fourand20blackbirds.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/bread-pudding-with-ham-leeks-cheese/
Maggiebird at 9:59PM on 02/13/08
I made a version of the Everyday Food Strata I recommended. It turned out pretty good.
http://nujoikitchendiary.blogspot.com/2008/02/lazy-breakfast.html
NuJoi at 2:39PM on 02/16/08
Revueltos....crisp fried potatoes, chopped green onion, diced red and green peppers, crumbled crisp thick sliced bacon, bay shrimp, diced garlic, mushrooms, hot pepper flakes, parlsey.....and eggs poured over the lot when all are combined and HOT. Turn slowly....the eggs cooks to custard consistance on the hot potatoes, etc....not on the pan. Texture is creamy, crunchy, and delicious.
coastalvicar
coastalvicar at 12:31AM on 02/19/08