Yvonne’s Ridiculously Easy Mother’s Day Brunch Recipe
Last Friday, I invited a small group of friends and family over for a celebration. Sandy, though rarely known to pass up a free meal, declined to join us at 5:30 a.m. In fact, she responded by sending me an article on the importance of sleep. But with both my dad and my husband being British, acknowledging the pomp and pageantry of the Royal Wedding was more important to my health than a little shut-eye.
So, in the days leading up to the big event, I made scones, sourced clotted cream, strung up the bunting (little red, white and blue flags), unfurled our Union Jack, and dusted off the china tea cups.
My parents had decided to spend the night at my place to get a little extra sleep. It was a good plan, but my dad woke up at 2:30 a.m. convinced that it was 8:00 a.m. and roused my mom. They got showered and dressed, too drowsy to notice the stars twinkling overhead through our TWO skylights. By the time reality hit, they were sitting alone in living room. Mom passed the time by reading the official wedding program aloud to my dad. My husband heard voices and, as the old saying goes, if you can’t beat ‘em….get up and pre-heat the oven.
Luckily, making breakfast didn’t require anyone to be alert. We’d assembled a dead simple breakfast “Strata” the night before that ended up getting bigger raves in my home than Kate’s dress.
So if you want to treat your mom to a special brunch on Sunday, but worry you don’t have the time (or skills) to pull it off, this recipe is definitely for you!
Strata for Eight (from housebeautiful.com)
A great make-a
head dish, this tastes best if you prepare it the day before and let it soak overnight before baking. Like many egg dishes, a strata can incorporate all sorts of different ingredients, so there's a lot of flexibility here.
5 cups of cubed French bread (with crust)
Grated cheese (see Variations)
10 large eggs
1 quart whole milk (I used skim and the result was still great)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Filling ingredients (see Variations)
1. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Put the bread cubes in the dish and sprinkle them with the cheese. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Sprinkle the filling ingredients over the egg mixture and fold them in gently. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Uncover the baking dish and bake for about 60 minutes—until the mixture has puffed slightly, is golden brown on top, and doesn't shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan. Tent the dish with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Yvonne’s Variation:
I sprinkled 2 cups gruyere cheese over the bread cubes, mixed in a cup of cooked ham and added 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme. Delish!
Five Variations suggested by housebeautiful.com:
BACON, CHEDDAR, MUSHROOM, AND TOMATO
Sprinkle 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon (6 to 8 strips), 1 cup sautéed sliced white or shiitake mushrooms, and 1 cup chopped tomatoes over the egg mixture.
CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, CORN, CHILES, AND JACK
Sprinkle 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup frozen corn kernels, 1 cup cooked broccoli florets, two 4.5-ounce cans (drained) chopped green chiles, and 1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken over the egg mixture.
HAM, SWISS, AND ASPARAGUS
Sprinkle 2 cups grated Swiss cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup blanched asparagus pieces, 1 cup cubed ham, and 1/2 cup caramelized onions (see below) over the egg mixture.
FONTINA, SPINACH, SALAMI, AND ROASTED GARLIC
Sprinkle 2 cups Fontina cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, 1 cup Italian salami (cut into matchsticks), and 1/2 cup roughly chopped roasted garlic cloves (see below) over the egg mixture.
VEGETABLE-BLUE CHEESE
Sprinkle 1 cup crumbled blue cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup cooked cubed celery root, 1 cup sautéed sliced zucchini, and 1/2 cup sautéed sliced onions over the egg mixture.
Caramelized Onions
Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, thinly sliced, turn down heat to medium-low, and sauté slowly for 20 minutes, until the onion caramelizes a bit.
Roasted Garlic
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a square of foil, large enough to make a bundle around however many bulbs of garlic you plan to roast, on a work surface. Cut about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic bulbs and place them on the foil, cut side up. Sprinkle each bulb with about 1 teaspoon olive oil, and gather the foil to make a bundle. The bundle doesn't need to be airtight, but it should be gathered at the top. Roast for about 1 hour, until soft. Then remove the garlic from the oven and let it cool, still bundled up, for at least 10 minutes. Open the bundle, separate the cloves, and peel them by popping the garlic out of the skins. The garlic should be soft and golden brown. Roasted garlic keeps for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
So, in the days leading up to the big event, I made scones, sourced clotted cream, strung up the bunting (little red, white and blue flags), unfurled our Union Jack, and dusted off the china tea cups.
My parents had decided to spend the night at my place to get a little extra sleep. It was a good plan, but my dad woke up at 2:30 a.m. convinced that it was 8:00 a.m. and roused my mom. They got showered and dressed, too drowsy to notice the stars twinkling overhead through our TWO skylights. By the time reality hit, they were sitting alone in living room. Mom passed the time by reading the official wedding program aloud to my dad. My husband heard voices and, as the old saying goes, if you can’t beat ‘em….get up and pre-heat the oven.
Luckily, making breakfast didn’t require anyone to be alert. We’d assembled a dead simple breakfast “Strata” the night before that ended up getting bigger raves in my home than Kate’s dress.
So if you want to treat your mom to a special brunch on Sunday, but worry you don’t have the time (or skills) to pull it off, this recipe is definitely for you!
Strata for Eight (from housebeautiful.com)
A great make-a
head dish, this tastes best if you prepare it the day before and let it soak overnight before baking. Like many egg dishes, a strata can incorporate all sorts of different ingredients, so there's a lot of flexibility here.5 cups of cubed French bread (with crust)
Grated cheese (see Variations)
10 large eggs
1 quart whole milk (I used skim and the result was still great)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Filling ingredients (see Variations)
1. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Put the bread cubes in the dish and sprinkle them with the cheese. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Sprinkle the filling ingredients over the egg mixture and fold them in gently. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Uncover the baking dish and bake for about 60 minutes—until the mixture has puffed slightly, is golden brown on top, and doesn't shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan. Tent the dish with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Yvonne’s Variation:
I sprinkled 2 cups gruyere cheese over the bread cubes, mixed in a cup of cooked ham and added 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme. Delish!
Five Variations suggested by housebeautiful.com:
BACON, CHEDDAR, MUSHROOM, AND TOMATO
Sprinkle 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup crumbled cooked bacon (6 to 8 strips), 1 cup sautéed sliced white or shiitake mushrooms, and 1 cup chopped tomatoes over the egg mixture.
CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, CORN, CHILES, AND JACK
Sprinkle 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup frozen corn kernels, 1 cup cooked broccoli florets, two 4.5-ounce cans (drained) chopped green chiles, and 1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken over the egg mixture.
HAM, SWISS, AND ASPARAGUS
Sprinkle 2 cups grated Swiss cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup blanched asparagus pieces, 1 cup cubed ham, and 1/2 cup caramelized onions (see below) over the egg mixture.
FONTINA, SPINACH, SALAMI, AND ROASTED GARLIC
Sprinkle 2 cups Fontina cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, 1 cup Italian salami (cut into matchsticks), and 1/2 cup roughly chopped roasted garlic cloves (see below) over the egg mixture.
VEGETABLE-BLUE CHEESE
Sprinkle 1 cup crumbled blue cheese over the bread cubes. Distribute 1 cup cooked cubed celery root, 1 cup sautéed sliced zucchini, and 1/2 cup sautéed sliced onions over the egg mixture.
Caramelized Onions
Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, thinly sliced, turn down heat to medium-low, and sauté slowly for 20 minutes, until the onion caramelizes a bit.
Roasted Garlic
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a square of foil, large enough to make a bundle around however many bulbs of garlic you plan to roast, on a work surface. Cut about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic bulbs and place them on the foil, cut side up. Sprinkle each bulb with about 1 teaspoon olive oil, and gather the foil to make a bundle. The bundle doesn't need to be airtight, but it should be gathered at the top. Roast for about 1 hour, until soft. Then remove the garlic from the oven and let it cool, still bundled up, for at least 10 minutes. Open the bundle, separate the cloves, and peel them by popping the garlic out of the skins. The garlic should be soft and golden brown. Roasted garlic keeps for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
posted by Yvonne and Sandy, loveincbook.com at 1:16 PM
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