Bread Revival

Brunch is one of the most difficult meals to make, because it's often too sweet and carbatose.  The balance between sweet and salty is important, but it's important to work in proteins and other nutrition to wash away the previous night's discourse.

Pain perdu is a common overly sweet, dessert oriented brunch item that I struggle with because it's nothing but sugar, carbs, and often ice cream.  I would never eat it as an entree, but I feel it has the potential to be a good dessert course during a meal.  Today I decided to rework the classic 'lost bread' dish into a local, palatable dish to be proud of.

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Upscale Dining

This weekend I came upon something very special in my cellar, a 2006 Sutter Home cabernet sauvignon.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was the last of its kind.  Despite its rarity, I twisted off the screw-top on the small bottle for my friends, because they deserve the best.  I always try to bring something special to the table when entertaining.

The cab is just what I need to make onion gravy for the popular peasant dish, Toad in the Hole.  Not to be confused with eggs in a basket, toad in the hole is a dish of sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter.  It's very Brittish and can be very bland, but with the proper ingredients and care, it can be an inexpensive hit dish at brunch.

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Ramekins

I love ramekins; not like how I love bacon, but more similarly of how a flower loves the rain.  As bothersome as they can be to clean, I try to use them as often as possible.  They're ultra-manageable, create perfect portions, and give a satisfying sense of ownership.  With a little ingenuity, anyone can take advantage of these underused vessels.

I started using ramekins for entertainment purposes.  They are an excellent way to create personalized packages for a group of people.  Unlike throwing a nacho platter in the middle of starving scavengers, every guest feels special for getting their own dish.  Everyone will be sold on the dish before they taste it--and 87% of the time feel guilty for the extra effort they think I made, but didn't.

This week, I built a brunch menu around ramekins.  Many family style dishes are brunch appropriate, however I wanted to serve duck eggs sunny side up to take advantage of the rich yolk--which is a terrifying feat to do perfectly for a number of guests.  Of course, a family style platter of scrambled eggs would be easier, but that would ruin my guest retention rate.

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Making History

Today, for the first time ever, Chaise Lounge, on 1840 North avenue, hosted brunch.  I, had the first ever reservation, for said first ever brunch.  It was delicious.

Walked into the restaurant with little background.  No official menu posted online.  A few twitter hints and a gallery of select photos-- nothing else.  Chaise has a proven dinner menu, so I wasn't nervous.  Definitely wasn't nervous after hitting up the Bloody Mary cart-- which travels around the tables with tomato juice, the house blend, and extensive accoutrements, including chorizo stuffed green olives.  After being given a glass half filled with ice and choice of vodka, and raiding the cart, the morning was officially beginning, at 2pm.

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Last Minute [Pot] Luck

Updated on Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:13PM by Stash

I'm not the kind of person to forget dates.  If you ask me,  when is the super awesome extravaganza taking place, I can easily recite the date.  However, the day before the super awesome extravaganza, if you ask me if anything is going on tomorrow, I may absent-mindedly say no.  This is what reminders are for.

For the last six weeks, I've known that the neighbors have been planning to get together for brunch- I wrote it down and everything.  It wasn't until the e-mail reminder immediately before, when I realized the date I had written down was the next day.

Going throu the mod podge of e-mails I notice a trend- everyone around me has a sweet tooth.  With the exception of a very reputable quiche coming from upstairs, everyone is volunteering muffins, cakes, donuts, cinnamon rolls, etc, et cetera.  Immediately, my idea to do banana nut bread, one of the few things I can consistently bake well, is out.

I need to make something salty, something that doesn't have to be prepared and served a la minute, something substantial, and most importantly of all, delicious.  In my inquiry concerning what other patrons were bringing, it is recommended to do a potato dish or maybe lox and cream cheese.

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