If — unlike my colleague Maggie Hennessy — you are indeed a brunch adherent, look no further: This rundown of our top brunch items is sure to create a spread that’ll satisfy even the pickiest eater.
As Salon staff writer Joy Saha puts it, “The portmanteau of ‘breakfast‘ and ‘lunch’ was first coined in 1895, thanks to Guy Beringer, a British writer who penned an article titled ‘Brunch: A Plea‘ in Hunter’s Weekly. Beringer envisioned brunch to be a time for good food — eggs, coffee and sweet desserts, just to mention a few — and good company. Essentially, it would be a meal that sparked nothing but joy.”
And it has certainly done just that, providing sustenance (and varying degrees of intoxication) for many. Restaurants that serve brunch are often chockfull of carousing patrons, happily sipping on the customary brunch libations while the line cooks are falling apart due to drudgery. Nonetheless, brunch retains its hold on the youngsters — and non-youngsters — throughout the land.
If, however, you’re more into the idea of enjoying a brunch at home, then we have some wonderful options for you.
Without further ado . . .
Pancakes In Plate (Getty Images/Akira Watanabe/EyeEm)Image_placeholderThis recipe features an especially gussied-up box of pancake mix, complete with a terrific sauce consisting of burst blackberries, orange zest, vanilla and cinnamon.
Trust us, it’s the perfect pancake topper for anyone not especially fond of maple syrup.
Turkish eggs (Mary Elizabeth WIlliams)Image_placeholderTurkish eggs take the usual egg breakfast dishes and amp the simple protein up to new levels. Rich with a garlic-studded yogurt sauce, the warmth of aleppo pepper or smoked paprika and bright lemon to liven up the dish, the breadth of flavors and consistencies is truly something special.
The eggs themselves are poached, but you can feel free to prepare yours however you see fit.
Overnight oats with blueberries in jar (Getty Images/Westend61)Image_placeholderThis is one of the simplest items on this list.
Prepare this the night before and let it set overnight in the fridge, then just pull it out and serve it as-is as you make finishing touches on the other dishes you’re cooking.
It’s sure to be a real crowd-pleaser. Use whichever berries you have on hand as garnish!
Cacio e pepe strata (Ashlie Stevens)Image_placeholderCacio e pepe is an iconic, storied Italian dish. Almost like a mix between a frittata and bread pudding, this strata (which takes its base flavors from cacio e pepe itself) is unbelievably flavorful with different textural and consistency notes that’ll make each bite all the more exciting.
Boasting eggs, cream, bread and lots of cheese (along with fresh herbs, if you’d like), this unique dish might steal the spotlight at your brunch affair.
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Crab Holding Eggs (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)Image_placeholderWhile a crab omelet may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to egg preparations or cookery, there may be no better iteration. Buttery, saline crab is the perfect protein pairing for a classic omelet.
Amazingly simple and consisting of nothing other than eggs, green onions and crab (plus some salt and butter), this dish is so much more than the sum of its parts.
It should be said, though: You can get wild and add some cheese, too, if you’re really feeling reckless.
Creamy oatmeal bowl with banana, blueberries, mulberries and sesame seeds (Getty Images/OatmealStories)Image_placeholderCourtesy of yours truly, this unique oatmeal preparation is genuinely A+.
I would venture to say that when it comes to homemade oatmeal, there may be no better way to prepare it. Making oatmeal in your rice cooker takes away lots of the guess work and allows your rice cooker to do some “work” for you beyond just making your rice perfectly. The soft, toothsome oatmeal will, of course, also act as a perfect bed for whatever garnishes or toppings you have in mind.
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Raw bacon strips in tray ready to bake (Getty Images / Arina Habich / 500px)Image_placeholderIf you have carnivores on your guest list (or anyone, frankly, since lots of bacon made from other plants or other animals is also now on the market), be certain to use this preparation to make your bacon.
Lacquered with miso and maple syrup, this oven-only bacon cooking method is really the only way you should be making your bacon.
Breakfast salad (Mary Elizabeth Williams)Image_placeholderBreakfast and salad may seem like disparate components, but let us reassure you: A breakfast salad, chockfull of a wide range of ingredients, may be one of the prime manners of feeding yourself in the mornings.
Featuring chopped nuts, orange, avocado, lime, radishes and greens, plus a simple dressing, this salad is a gem. Your brunch visitors are certain to eat this with vigor.
Tropical fruit salad on a tray (Getty Images/Claudia Totir)Image_placeholderFruit salads add a bright, raw essence to the brunch spread. With minimal cookery and fresh ingredients, fruit salads offer a blank template to work with: Use whatever fruits you like best or have on hand, dress with whatever syrups or garnishes or additions you prefer.
You really can’t go wrong with fruit salad.
Toasted sourdough bread with sauteed mushroom and hard goat cheese (Getty Images/haoliang)Image_placeholderThese toasts take the essence of avocado toast and instead swap in a roasted garlic spread with gruyere and mushrooms; they are deep, rich and immensely flavorful.
Stock the mushrooms up as high as they can go and serve this with a fork and knife . . . your guests won’t want to miss any of this when it inevitably falls off the toast.
A plate with gnocchi, spinach, pine nuts and shredded cheese (Getty Images/Annabelle Breakey)Image_placeholderWhile gnocchi may not be the customary noodle thought of when it comes to pasta salads, you’ll soon change your mind about that. This salad is outrageous!
French 75 (Maggie Hennessy)Image_placeholderOf course, for many, brunch is essentially an acceptable masquerade for “allowing” you to drink during the day. If your guests (or you!) are especially looking forward to the alcohol component of your big brunch event, perhaps columnist Maggie Hennessy’s French 75 will do the trick?
With gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, sparkling wine and some lemon peel for garnish, it’s a classy, uncomplicated libation to sip on throughout the brunch.
Rice pudding with pine nuts, fresh figs and maple syrup (Getty Images/Claudia Totir)Image_placeholderFor vegans and vegetarians in attendance, this might be the smash hit of the brunch event (or perhaps even for the carnivores).
With rice made tender with coconut milk and an easy garnish made of avocado, radish, pumpkin seeds and scallions, the amazing diversity of flavors, colors and textures is A+.
Gaspacho soup (Getty Images/Fascinadora/500px)Image_placeholderGazpacho is genuinely a perfect brunch dish.
This version, with tomatoes, red peppers, onions, cucumber and anchovies, is an excellent iteration. It’s obviously totally delicious, but the best part? You can make it in advance, pop it in the refrigerator to chill and pull it out whenever you’re ready to serve.
Pour into bowls, top with garnishes and drizzles of oil, serve with bread — and you’re good to go!
Prosecco jellies (Brett Stevens/Getty Images)Image_placeholderA real blast from the past, this boozy dessert might become an automatic go-to at all future brunches. Perfectly sweet and light, the dish is made with only five ingredients, is a breeze to put together, has some retro appeal and couldn’t be more delicious.
It’s yet another “make ahead” dish, too, so that the dessert component of your brunch meal could be as easy as pie (or should we say “as easy as wine jelly?”)
