Brunch Recipes and Ideas
A delicious brunch is a wonderful way to entertain friends. Within this post, I have many recipes and ideas to help create a memorable brunch. Incorporate one or more of the recipes and ideas below, if you are catering on a small scale with a few friends, hosting extended family on the weekend or gathering a large crowd for a relaxed birthday party.
You can put together a no cook feast with fruit, pastries, cold meats and yogurts or provide a cooked traditional English breakfast. I have fun elements that you can add to your brunch, like hotel style stations where people can make their own waffles, pancakes, omelettes or eggs, it makes for interactive, memorable food, that is easy to set up.
Brunch can be a one of or a combination of the following:
Fruit
A bowl of fruit salad, a platter of sliced fruit, fruit skewers inserted into a watermelon or melon is fun.
Bowls of cereal or granola
A few varieties in little boxes or jar depending on how many people you are catering and how you are presenting your breakfast.
Yogurt
Fruit and or natural yogurt served in bowls or you can buy smaller pots of yoghurt for warmer climates and serve them on ice, so they don’t spoil as quickly.
Freshly baked
Muffins are a wonderful homemade addition to brunch I have Blueberry Yoghurt Muffins with a honey drizzle or my Stir Together Banana Muffins or Apple Cinnamon Muffins
A favourite at any brunch are pastries, croissants, pain au chocolat, danish pastries, cinnamon buns on platters served with a few varieties of jams.
Toasting Station
In a basket or on a platter covered with a cotton napkin, line up a variety of sliced breads ready to be toasted. I would have a couple of toasters set up for a larger crowd . Ask your closest friends to bring their toaster with them. This way people can toast their own selection of breads, to eat it warm and with what they prefer.
Bacon
Baked
On large oven proof trays lay the bacon rashers in lines without the bacon rashers touching each other and bake at 200 degrees Celsius until crisp or golden what ever you prefer.
Fried
Fry and keep the bacon warm in the oven until needed.
Or you can BBQ or braai the bacon on a flat grill or skottel (a cadac BBQ used in South Africa).
Mushrooms
Mushrooms can be baked in the oven or fried on the hob, add dried or freshly chopped herb.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes sprinkled with dried herbs, olive oil can be roasted in the oven, cooked over the BBQ or fried.
Eggs
Omelette, mini frittata cups, scrambled egg works well for a crowd, poached eggs can be made for a smaller gathering.
If you are catering outside you can set up a BBQ with a flat grill or use a portable electric hob and people can make their own eggs fried, scrambled or omelettes.
Omlette Station: You can also set up a hotel style omelette counter with bowls of chopped ingredients (onions, ham, mushrooms, tomato, grated cheese, peppers and chopped smoked salmon) it makes a wonderful fun bespoke omelette memory.
Eggs Benedict and Egg Royal Station
Platters of smoked salmon and slices of ham can be set along side a tray of muffins, poached eggs and a jug of hollandaise, this makes a wonderful DIY Eggs Royale and Eggs Benedict Station.
Waffle, Crepe and Doughnut Station
I have invested in a few of the easy to find waffle, crepe and mini doughnut makers. My children use them when they have friends over and for brunch it makes for a fun addition. You can have fruit, syrups, cream and ice cream on tap to top your waffles, crepes and dipping sauces for the doughnuts.
Smashed Avocado, Chill and Poached Eggs
A large bowl of smashed avocados, a pot of dried chilli’s and poached eggs make to order, served on toasted brioche bread.
A Beautiful Brunch Table:
Above was my amazing friend and hostess with the mostess Esther from Dutch Inspirations(www.dutchinspirations.co.uk) brunch table. Esther served smashed avocados and poached eggs on brioche toast, with sliced ham, (ham was an addition for me as I’m not partial to eggs, thank you Es).
Bowl of berries, raspberries and blueberries.
Jaap and Esther’s homemade blackberry jam.
Fresh pastries and I brought my mini Blueberry Yoghurt Muffins with a honey drizzle and the serving dish was left as my hostess gift. I love offering to take something and choosing a dish or bowl that can be left as a hostess gift and memento of the meeting.
I hope you choose to host a brunch soon and you enjoy the wonderful relaxed memory that you will make.
