Easter brunch menu and recipes
I hosted Easter brunch last Sunday for my extended family. A number of folks inquired about recipes - so here is a summary.
Menu:
Assortment of fresh fruit, cut and arranged on serving dishes
Scrambled eggs
Pancakes
Blueberry syrup
Parmesan chicken
Meatballs with a green peppercorn sauce
Mashed potatoes
Streamed brocolini
Recipes:
1) Scrambled eggs
16 large eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t black pepper
Beat until just starting to "fluff"
2) Pancakes
1 C whole milk
2 large eggs
2 T vegetable oil
1 stick (8T) unsalted butter, melted
1 C all-purpose flour
4 t baking powder
4 t sugar
1 t salt
Additional oil for frying
3) Blueberry syrup - for the pancakes
1 C fresh blueberries
1/2 C maple syrup - "Anderson's", available at the Coop
1T lemon juice
Pinch S, to taste
Cook berries and syrup, remove from heat, add lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
4) Parmesan chicken
10 lbs chicken hindquarters – but there’s no reason why you can’t use white meat. At Fareway (our local economy supermarket, which has by far the best meat department of any local store), chicken hindquarters are 89 cents/lb, unless you get a whole 10 lb package which is 69 cents/lb. Meat doesn’t get much cheaper then this!
Brine mix:
1 gallon water
1 C kosher salt
1 C honey
1 C lemon juice
12 bay leaves
1 T peppercorns
1 head of garlic, individual cloves crushed (optional)
Dipping mix:
1 C buttermilk
3 eggs
¼ C olive oil
Coating mix:
3 C breadcrumbs (from a French loaf, crusts removed; and/or Japanese Panko flakes)
1 C domestic parmesan (not from a little green can).
½ t sea salt
1 t green pepper (can use black)
Day before: combine brine mixture ingredients and bring to a boil, dissolving salt. Remove from heat, add chicken, and refrigerate.
2-3 hours before cooking, combine dipping mix and coating mix into separate bowls. Oil roasting pan(s) with olive oil. Drain brine and dip each piece in dipping mix and then coating. After resting at room temperature for a few hours, cook in a medium oven until done, 30 to 45 minutes.
5) Meatballs with a green peppercorn sauce
2C breadcrumbs, from a loaf of French bread, crust removed
2C cream
1 lb ground veal
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef, medium to lean
1 T sea salt
1 t black pepper
2 C domestic parmesan (not the stuff in the little green can)
1 C ricotta (whole milk)
1 C chopped Italian parsley
Olive oil for frying
Sauce:
2 T olive oil
3 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 T prepared Dijon
2 T sherry wine vinegar
1/2 C brandy
1 C Zinfandel or other dry red
1 C port wine
2 C beef stock
1/2 cream
2 T butter, cut into cubes
1 T freshly ground green pepper
S, to taste
Preparation:
Meatballs: combine breadcrumbs and cream, wait 5 or 10 minutes for the bread to soak up the liquid. Mix in salt, pepper, cheeses, and parsley. In a separate bowl, mix the meats together; and then mix in the bread crumb mixture. Form into “golf ball” size balls. Fry in olive oil until browned – be careful, the milk solids will burn easily. Place in slow cooker or Dutch oven and keep hot.
Sauce:
Fry shallots in olive oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add mustard and sherry vinegar and reduce slightly. Add Brandy and cook a few minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add wine and port and reduce by half, about 20 minutes. Add the stock and reduce by half again, about 20 additional minutes. Remove from heat and add in butter, whisking constantly to make an emulsion. Slowly whisk in cream and then salt to taste. Add the sauce to the meatballs. Enjoy!
6) Mashed potatoes
5-10 lbs waxy potatoes (red or Yukon Golds).
Grafton cheddar (Vermont), 1 yr aged; available at the Coop.
White truffle oil, Savitar; available at the Coop.
Whole milk, cream, or half/half
S, to taste
7) Streamed brocolini
Steam the brocolini (only a minute or two), and drizzle with a good quality olive oil, followed by a pinch of sea salt and pepper..
- bill
