So the New York Times had a headline a couple of weeks ago that will go through my head and those of many readers for years to come.
Brunch is for jerks.
Not true. I have always loved brunch, mainly because when I was a child we hosted two great brunch events every autumn: a family Thanksgiving brunch and the high school girls' swim team brunch. At both events we ate quiche lorraine and my mother's fabulous yeast coffee cake and fruit salad, and we played touch football and enjoyed autumnal weather. Excellent memories.
Later -- especially after the kids arrived and it became necessary to eat early in the morning, even on weekends [sometimes as early as 5:30 or 6 AM] -- brunch became an excuse to have breakfast food again, post-Cheerios, at lunchtime.
It's also my favorite meal for entertaining. So this past Sunday when my sister and her husband were headed out to visit us, I took the opportunity of inviting a couple more friends so as to have enough people to eat my adult brunch menu from the Frog Commissary Cookbook. Here goes.
Indian Scrambled Eggs with Fragrant Rice and Minted Tomato Sauce
Three recipes in one, really, but if you eat slowly this is SO delicious and filling. Not, though, low cholesterol or low fat.
Minted Tomato Sauce
2 T. butter
2-4 cups of coarsely chopped onions (to taste)
4 t. curry powder
2 t. minced garlic
2 t. minced fresh ginger
2 t. ground coriander
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. turmeric
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 (20 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (if you use a regular large can you will have about double the sauce and be able to put some in the freezer for a second round later in the month!)
1/4-1/2 c. chopped fresh mint.
Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and curry powder and sauté until the onions are tender. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and salt and cook two minutes. Add the pepper, crushed tomatoes, and mint. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very thick. Set aside.
Fragrant Rice
1/2 c. red lentils
1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 t. curry powder
2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. white rice
2 T. lemon juice
2 1/2 c. water
Pour boiling water over the lentils to cover by an inch and let soak 15-30 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and sauté until tender. Stir in the curry powder, salt and pepper. Add the rice and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and water, cover, and cook about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Add the reserved lentils, stir, and cover tightly. Keep warm in a 250 degree oven until ready to serve.
Scrambled Eggs
16 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/8 t. cayenne
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 t. sugar (or leave this out)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. butter
2 1/2 t. minced fresh ginger
1/2 c. sliced scallions
Have the tomato sauce hot. Combine the eggs with the seasonings. Cut the cream cheese in bits into the eggs. Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet. Add the ginger and sauté 1 minute. Add the eggs and cook until barely set. At the last minute, stir in the scallions. Serve at once accompanied by the sauce and rice.
The seasonings can all be approximate -- 2 t. of everything in the rice makes life easier. I have a large platter from Michael Jones and I spoon the rice onto one side and the eggs onto the other, with a stripe of tomato sauce down the middle. Beautiful.
Now, although that is plenty to eat, the meal can be capped off with coffee, tea, and
Espresso Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar (or reduce both sugars slightly)
2 T. instant espresso powder
2 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3 c. mile
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 T. baking powder
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts.
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour 12 muffin pan cups. Cream the butter with the sugars, espresso powder and vanilla. Beat together the eggs and milk. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Alternately add the wet and dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir just to combine. Add the chips and walnuts. Fill tins full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool five minutes, then remove from the tins and cool on racks (or not -- eat while still warm!).
Brunch is for jerks.
Not true. I have always loved brunch, mainly because when I was a child we hosted two great brunch events every autumn: a family Thanksgiving brunch and the high school girls' swim team brunch. At both events we ate quiche lorraine and my mother's fabulous yeast coffee cake and fruit salad, and we played touch football and enjoyed autumnal weather. Excellent memories.
Later -- especially after the kids arrived and it became necessary to eat early in the morning, even on weekends [sometimes as early as 5:30 or 6 AM] -- brunch became an excuse to have breakfast food again, post-Cheerios, at lunchtime.
It's also my favorite meal for entertaining. So this past Sunday when my sister and her husband were headed out to visit us, I took the opportunity of inviting a couple more friends so as to have enough people to eat my adult brunch menu from the Frog Commissary Cookbook. Here goes.
Indian Scrambled Eggs with Fragrant Rice and Minted Tomato Sauce
Three recipes in one, really, but if you eat slowly this is SO delicious and filling. Not, though, low cholesterol or low fat.
Minted Tomato Sauce
2 T. butter
2-4 cups of coarsely chopped onions (to taste)
4 t. curry powder
2 t. minced garlic
2 t. minced fresh ginger
2 t. ground coriander
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. turmeric
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 (20 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (if you use a regular large can you will have about double the sauce and be able to put some in the freezer for a second round later in the month!)
1/4-1/2 c. chopped fresh mint.
Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and curry powder and sauté until the onions are tender. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and salt and cook two minutes. Add the pepper, crushed tomatoes, and mint. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very thick. Set aside.
Fragrant Rice
1/2 c. red lentils
1/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 t. curry powder
2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. white rice
2 T. lemon juice
2 1/2 c. water
Pour boiling water over the lentils to cover by an inch and let soak 15-30 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and sauté until tender. Stir in the curry powder, salt and pepper. Add the rice and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and water, cover, and cook about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Add the reserved lentils, stir, and cover tightly. Keep warm in a 250 degree oven until ready to serve.
Scrambled Eggs
16 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/8 t. cayenne
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 t. sugar (or leave this out)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. butter
2 1/2 t. minced fresh ginger
1/2 c. sliced scallions
Have the tomato sauce hot. Combine the eggs with the seasonings. Cut the cream cheese in bits into the eggs. Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet. Add the ginger and sauté 1 minute. Add the eggs and cook until barely set. At the last minute, stir in the scallions. Serve at once accompanied by the sauce and rice.
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| My platter is brown, but it's every bit as beautiful as this one! |
Now, although that is plenty to eat, the meal can be capped off with coffee, tea, and
Espresso Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar (or reduce both sugars slightly)
2 T. instant espresso powder
2 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3 c. mile
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 T. baking powder
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts.
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour 12 muffin pan cups. Cream the butter with the sugars, espresso powder and vanilla. Beat together the eggs and milk. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Alternately add the wet and dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir just to combine. Add the chips and walnuts. Fill tins full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool five minutes, then remove from the tins and cool on racks (or not -- eat while still warm!).
