Posted on 08/10/2016 3:36:48 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
One of my favorite meals growing up was Saturday breakfast, which was usually served at more of a brunch hour. Sometimes it would be eggs, bacon or sausage, and hominy fried in the grease from the meat (which I loved, and if anyone has recipes for canned hominy, please post!). Or it might be waffles, or pancakes; and when it snowed, Cinnamon Toast, and tea or hot chocolate.
Many years ago I found a recipe that makes a great, quick brunch casserole at home – if you remember to grate the cheese the night before and store it airtight in the ‘fridge, this is fast and easy to put together (not sure where I found this - maybe in a Grange or Church recipe book):
Eggs Gruyere
½ pound grated Gruyere Cheese
4 T. Butter
1 C. heavy Cream
½ tsp. Salt
Dash of Pepper
1-1/2 tsps. Dry Mustard
12 eggs, slightly beaten
Spread the cheese in a buttered baking dish, and dot with butter. Mix the cream, salt, pepper and mustard, and pour half of it over the cheese. Add the slightly beaten eggs, and top with the remaining cream mixture.
Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes or until firm-ish and slightly golden. __________________________________________________
My favorite dish to eat out for brunch, is an Eggs Benedict that’s made with a crab cake and slice of tomato, instead of the Canadian bacon – we get this at our local Silver Diner (not always on the menu, but they'll make it for you). I’ve never made Hollandaise sauce from scratch at home, but recently found what looks like an easy, quick remedy for a broken Hollandaise, on Chef John’s ‘Food Wishes’ site:
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-to-fix-broken-hollandaise-sauce.html _________________________________________________
Of course, you have to have bread. Some years ago I found a recipe for ‘Summer Solstice Bread’ which I’ve used many times – a quick bread for which I’ve always used the dried basil, and it turns out very well; but if you have some fresh in your garden, I'm sure if would be much better.
I must have gotten my old jotted-down recipe originally from Better Homes and Gardens, because they have it on their website:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/breads/summer-solstice-bread/#page=0
(I’m sure Liz will be along eventually, with the perfect Saturday morning ‘hair-of-the-dog’ ;-)
-JT
They are definitely worth the work and calories for a special occasion brunch.
Please add me to your ping list! Thanks.
Earlier in the season, I found myself run over with a plenty red potatoes and greens of many kinds. I am always in search of new ways to sneak more veggies in. So..
- Boiled a pound or so of red potatoes with some butter and sea salt and then cut them down to bite size. Peeled or not to your taste.
- Coarsely chopped garden greens.
- 5 diced green onions.
- I proportion about 2 to 1 greens to potatoes by volume. The greens compress and stick to the potatoes as you dress the salad.
- Added one packet of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix.
- Dressed with one part hand made olive oil mayo and 2 parts sour cream. I have tried Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It took away a lot of the creamy texture and added the tang. I prefer sour cream.
Picky eaters that would shy away from the greens will generally eat this salad - it’s taters! :)
Hubby maintains a sour dough starter and makes the best sour dough pancakes. They are SO light and fluffy, just melt in your mouth.
I think my Grandmother used to refer to ‘ptomaine’ poisoning, which she associated with tinned food, but which I think just means food-borne bacteria in general.
The only cans I’ve had to ‘bulge’ - actually they seemed to have ‘exploded’ - were cans of fruit shoved way to the back of a cabinet and forgotten for years.
This is an interesting article on shelf-life of canned foods:
http://www.skilledsurvival.com/canned-food-expiration-date-myth/
You’re added!
Oh yes, the dreaded, ptomaine, we heard that as well. A homemaker’s nemesis. Googled ‘that word’ and found more interesting information. Cans today sport lacquered interiors as opposed to those of years ago...at the time our GMs were introduced to commercial canned foods. Do understand what you say. Only a few vegetables coming from a can are eaten here. Frozen or fresh is much healthier, and has much more flavor. Tinned spinach or small new potatoes, asparagus, English peas? YUCK Have yet to acquire a taste for them. BUT canned tomatoes, corn, hominy are seen on my pantry shelves.
I wouldn’t eat peas, until my folks discovered and started buying frozen ones. Every Christmas, we’d have those Le Sueur canned peas - I couldn’t figure out why something I thought so awful was considered a great treat ;-)
English peas, green string beans are other veggies that are much better frozen rather than canned. As to the asparagus, I’ve seen frozen in the freezer section, but never tried it. Usually gorge when it is in season and it is a famine when the season ends. The pitiful asparagus spears in a can are weak in comparison, and such a waste of money. Strange, as legumes and lentils are basically used from the can with no problem in taste. Canned kidney and pinto beans, black eyed peas, etc. are eaten often.
Hubby took a sourdough bread class through our university’s lifelong learning program. Kid you not, the instructor said one of the keys to keeping a good sourdough starter is giving it a name. Must be like talking to your plants... Ours is named Pete.
LOL! I think they call the one for Amish Friendship Bread “Herman”.
I made the Eggs Gruyere today and it turned out great. I baked it in three smaller pans so I could freeze two. Hope that works. Does anyone have any tried and true fresh green bean recipes? We have lots in the garden.
Could hold true for sourdough starter.
I’m glad you liked it. Let us know how it freezes; I’ve never done that.
-JT
Still not getting pinged JT, so late to the brunch party. I LOVE brunch more than anything.
This is the recipe I make most holidays because I always get asked to make it. It takes some work,but it always looks and tastes great. I always add extra spice to this, to our taste.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24139/brunch-omelet-torte/
I use a springform pan. I use thick cut chopped cooked bacon instead of ham; will also change up the types of shredded cheeses; I add things like several types of peppers, mushrooms, fresh garlic, a bit of celery to the potatoes with toasted cumin and some smoked paprika.
Since I now live in the South, I have enjoyed the brunches here. I like Rebecca Lang’s cookbooks and recipes.
I served her brunch a while ago, and made a peach cobbler with home made pecan ice cream for dessert. The food was very well received by our guests.
I just several of his books and am loving them. He is a pastry chef along with his other talents.
The Francophile in me finds his activities in his Parisian kitchen a sheer delight.
Thanks for posting that link. I didn’t know of her, but love her ‘shrimp and grits’; and her Bloody Mary looks great!
-JT
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