Sunday Funday Brunch-Make Ahead Items
I am hosting a casual brunch at my apartment on Sunday. It is a belated house warming party as well as way to kick off Sunday Football. I will have bagels, mimosas, bloody marys and snacks. I am looking for some easy make ahead recipes possibly for Bloodies, Quiche or anything else that is easy to prep. I am happy to do stuff on Saturday so I don't have too much to do Sunday morning. This is informal so no sit down meal, just some good food and drinks with friends to welcome fall into NYC. Thanks for your help.
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12 Comments:
How about a strata with eggs, cheese, bread and maybe bacon or sausage? Or a sweet or savory bread pudding? My mom makes a fantastic sweet bread pudding with chunks of guava paste instead of raisins or dates -- YUM.
Since it's also a football party, maybe some chicken enchiladas -- they are easy to make ahead of time, and are a hit when the guys come over to watch the game. My husband's favorite football food right now is steak and carmelized onion sandwiches with bleu cheese crumbles. You can carmelize the onions ahead of time, then right before serving, warm them up and throw in some thinly sliced steak to cook up until medium rare. Serve on warm bread with the bleu cheese sprinkled on top. Goes great with a frosty beer.
gbania at 11:51AM on 09/15/09
thanks gbania. we will be heading out mid/late afternoon to watch sports. this is more of the brunch to start the day portion. can i prep a strata before hand? i wasn't thinking of doing eggs bc they can get messy plus i don't want to be cooking but if there is something i can prep before, bake and serve that would be ideal.
the steak sandwich sounds delicious.
jaf at 11:59AM on 09/15/09
You can totally do a strata the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight -- it's actually better, b/c the bread soaks up the eggs and milk. I did a quick search and found this which looks pretty good:
http://bakingdesserts.suite101.com/article.cfm/strata_recipe_overnight_breakfast_casserole
Enjoy!
I also had a sweet/savory strata once that had maple syrup and bacon in it and it was divine.
gbania at 12:11PM on 09/15/09
My go-to recipe for this sort of thing is spanikopita. Very elegant but also simple finger food. Google a recipe or cobble something together with favorite fillings This is not as complicated as you'd think.
Takes a 9-13 pan, a package of phyllo, 8 oz of melted butter, and your filling. Make sure there are at least 7 layers phyllo and butter on the bottom. Then a layer of filling. Then about 4 layers of phyllo/butter in the middle,the second half of the filling and 7-10 (or the rest of the package) layers phyllo/butter on top. Butter the top layer.
Cut into squares before you bake, at about 375 for 20 plus minutes, until pleasingly golden brown. The prepared dish can sit overnight in the fridge, and then you can pop it in the over a couple of hours before people come over. Leftovers are good, but very different (no more crisp to the phyllo) so plan to cook it on the day.
lemonfair at 12:19PM on 09/15/09
What about a great coffee cake, or blueberry bars...You could also have a yogurt bar. Different kinds of yogurt and toppings-- fruit, granola, stuff like that.
kmgagne at 12:48PM on 09/15/09
thanks for all the ideas. love the yogurt bar idea. will have to save that for more of a grown up brunch. any one have a good bloody recipe? we are doing cava and grapefruit juice for a twist on mimosas.
jaf at 1:00PM on 09/15/09
Here's a recipe for Reuben Bread Pudding which needs to sit and soak in the fridge up to a day, so it would be fine to prep the night before and bake off in the morning. I haven't made this in a while, but my notes to myself indicate to add more sauerkraut and cheese.
I'm sure you could substitute Swiss cheese for the Havarti. I used deli corned beef, but if you have homemade, just shred it and use. I don't have a 14X10 dish, so I must have used my 9X13 Pyrex. I definitely prefer the plastic refrigerated bag of sauerkraut over canned.
Reuben Bread Pudding
12 slices pumpernickel, cut into 3/4" cubes (7-1/2 cups)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound thinly sliced corned beef, cut into 1/4" strips
1 cup drained and squeezed sauerkraut
1 cup coarsely grated Havarti cheese (about 4 oz)
4 large eggs
3 Tbls coarse-grained mustard
4 cups milk
2 Tbls melted butter
Spread bread cubes on a large baking sheet and dry, uncovered, at room temp 12 hours OR dry in a 250 oven for 1 hour. Toss periodically to dry evenly.
Butter a 4-quart shallow baking dish (14 X 10 X 2). Layer half of bread, half of sauerkraut, half of onion, half of corned beef, and half of Havarti, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering, and season with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour slowly and evenly over bread mixture. Cut butter into bits and dot pudding with it.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350. Remove plastic wrap. Bake pudding in middle of oven until bubbling and slightly puffed, about 40 minutes. (There will be some liquid remaining in bottom of baking dish.)
Serves 6 to 8 as a main course.
zucchini at 1:48PM on 09/15/09
Edit to above recipe for Reuben Bread Pudding.
Ingredient list should read, at the bottom, 2 Tbls UNSALTED butter -- not MELTED butter. Pretty hard to dot pudding with melted butter. Dang.
zucchini at 1:56PM on 09/15/09
Fresh fruit or fruit salad, a cheese platter, maybe some ham, two kinds of fritatta cut into small slices, saute'd mushrooms, tomato slices, some sweet breads (banana, pound cake, coffee cake or muffins), some warm rolls or a variety of breads, butter, jam, mustard, a bloody mary or screwdriver bar, champagne (?), coffee, tea
------
Here's a link with TONS of recipes
CJ McD at 5:26PM on 09/17/09
Quiche are easy too.
CJ McD at 5:31PM on 09/17/09
Oops-
Here's the link with tons of recipes
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/ppf/class/Breakfast-Brunch/Recipes.aspx
CJ McD at 5:35PM on 09/17/09
Spinach & Ricotta Savory Egg Squares Recipe
Ingredients:
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 16 oz. fresh spinach
• 1 ½ cups onion, chopped
• 2 cups Ricotta cheese (made with whole or low-fat milk)
• 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 10 large eggs, slightly beaten
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
How to Make the Spinach & Ricotta Egg Squares:
Prepare the Ricotta:
Straining the Ricotta cheese will eliminate water and produce a thick, creamy consistency
1. Place Ricotta cheese in cheese cloth lined strainer over bowl in refrigerator overnight.
2. Remove Ricotta cheese from cheese cloth and place in a medium size bowl.
3. Set aside.
Prepare the Spinach:
1. Remove stems from spinach.
2. Place spinach in colander and rinse well.
3. Shake off excess water and chop.
4. Set aside.
5. Heat the 3 tbsp extra virgin olive in large skillet over medium heat.
6. Add the 1 1/2 cups chopped onions and cook until soft.
7. Add the spinach and mix well with the onions.
8. Place cover over skillet and cook until the spinach is wilted.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Let mixture cool and removed liquid.
11. Let cool.
Prepare the Ricotta and Egg Filling:
1. Add the shredded Mozzarella cheese to the Ricotta cheese in medium size bowl.
2. Add the grated Parmigiano Regianno cheese to the Ricotta and Mozzarella cheese mixture.
3. Add the eggs to the cheese mixture and mix well to combine.
4. Add the spinach and onion mixture to the egg and cheese mixure .Stir well to combine.
5. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Bake the Spinach Ricotta Egg Squares:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9x15 rectangular baking pan
Read more: http://vegetarian-recipes.suite101.com/article.cfm/mothers_day_brunch_recipe_ideas#ixzz0RP193AJd
CJ McD at 5:48PM on 09/17/09