Brunch food and beverages
September 5, 2019 8:39 AM Subscribe
Hosting a housewarming 10 AM brunch for about 20. Going to get champagne for mimosas..how much, and any particular yummy not $$ recs? Also may do white wine sangria. Will get coffee boxes from Peet's. Ideas for how much coffee and booze? For food I'm thinking French toast casserole, egg casserole, hashbrown casserole, bagels and spreads, bacon, vegan cheese dip, fruit, cheese and crackers, and some kind of baked good. Brownies? Cookies? I love to bake! And love making party food. Any tips/recs very appreciated!
I recently heard to plan on one drink per guest per hour: scale up or down depending on how boozy your friends are. Based on experience I’d say scale up for mimosas!
If you are open to Prosecco instead of champagne, I really like LaMarca which you can usually find at Costco. They have lots of other well-priced sparkling wines, and so does Trader Joe’s if you have access to either of those.
posted by stellaluna at 8:59 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you are open to Prosecco instead of champagne, I really like LaMarca which you can usually find at Costco. They have lots of other well-priced sparkling wines, and so does Trader Joe’s if you have access to either of those.
posted by stellaluna at 8:59 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
Sounds lovely! Make an oven plan. Are you planning to prebake your casseroles and then warm them up right before the event or will you be baking them that morning? How many can you fit in your oven at once? Do they all cook at the same temp? Can something be switched over a slow cooker to make things easier? I love bacon, but I would consider ditching it unless you can find a good recipe for bulk cooking it (keeping in mind your oven situation since I know there are a lot of sheet pan bacon recipes).
posted by avocado_of_merriment at 8:59 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by avocado_of_merriment at 8:59 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
I would add a green salad with a sharp vinaigrette. It sounds weird for a brunch, but it will help cut through the richness of the casseroles.
posted by TrarNoir at 9:03 AM on September 5, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by TrarNoir at 9:03 AM on September 5, 2019 [4 favorites]
Eggs Benedict can actually be pretty darn easy, as long as you're not a perfectionist. Use this method to poach the eggs, use this method to improve packaged hollandaise (which you want to use here because of the stabilizers included in the mix, which make it impossible to break and well-suited to remaining on "warm" for a long time as you serve), and use Bays english muffins. Cook and store the canadian bacon in a covered dish.
...then assemble six to eight Benedicts every ~10 minutes, more or less.
posted by aramaic at 9:11 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
...then assemble six to eight Benedicts every ~10 minutes, more or less.
posted by aramaic at 9:11 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
A bottle of wine serves about 4 people, but I would get a couple extra bottles. If cost is an issue, the extra bottles can be cheaper. I keep champagne in the fridge and always take it to parties,so extras are handy. I haven't tried pineapple, but grapefruit juice mimosas are good.
Coffee - Peets says the box is 12 cups; most coffee mugs are 1.5 - 2 cups. They'll probably give you a variety of sugar packets, but get whole milk, maybe some half & half.
Since you like the party prep, maybe a Bloody Mary bar? Spicy V8, vodka, skewers, celery, olives, bacon, horseradish, hot sauce, worcestershire, shrimp, steamed asparargus, pepperoncini, lemon & lime wedges, pickle spears, capers. Many of these things are tasty on eggs, potatoes, bagels, too.
You can make bacon or sausage the day before and warm it, and it's easy on a baking sheet in a low oven. Great menu;keep in mind people have to eat from a plate on their knees. I would make a list of what's in things - what has gluten, dairy, meat - because people have lots of food sensitivities. I don't eat dairy, don't expect anyone to provide different food, but like knowing what has cheese, yogurt or milk. Hummus for bagels makes my morning.
posted by theora55 at 9:11 AM on September 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
Coffee - Peets says the box is 12 cups; most coffee mugs are 1.5 - 2 cups. They'll probably give you a variety of sugar packets, but get whole milk, maybe some half & half.
Since you like the party prep, maybe a Bloody Mary bar? Spicy V8, vodka, skewers, celery, olives, bacon, horseradish, hot sauce, worcestershire, shrimp, steamed asparargus, pepperoncini, lemon & lime wedges, pickle spears, capers. Many of these things are tasty on eggs, potatoes, bagels, too.
You can make bacon or sausage the day before and warm it, and it's easy on a baking sheet in a low oven. Great menu;keep in mind people have to eat from a plate on their knees. I would make a list of what's in things - what has gluten, dairy, meat - because people have lots of food sensitivities. I don't eat dairy, don't expect anyone to provide different food, but like knowing what has cheese, yogurt or milk. Hummus for bagels makes my morning.
posted by theora55 at 9:11 AM on September 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
I second the idea for a green salad or grain salad with some veggies. The best part of brunch is being able to mix breakfast food with rest of the day food! I made this farro salad for a brunch and it was popular. It was also nice because it was tasty at room temp.
posted by topophilia at 9:22 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by topophilia at 9:22 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
Yes to the green salad (very simple) and to making a schedule for using the oven (as well as prepping all the casseroles)—it always takes more time than you think.
For the baked good / something sweet, my biggest hits are always this blueberry coffee cake and the legendary Smitten Kitchen brown butter and sea salt Rice Krispie treats.
posted by sallybrown at 9:45 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
For the baked good / something sweet, my biggest hits are always this blueberry coffee cake and the legendary Smitten Kitchen brown butter and sea salt Rice Krispie treats.
posted by sallybrown at 9:45 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
I notice you have vegan cheese dip. Do you have vegans coming? If so, they will love you forever if you bake something they can eat. I recommend these orange cranberry muffins (I substitute chocolate chips for the nuts). I promise you omnivores will love them too.
Are any of the casseroles vegan? It would be great if one of them could be. There are lots of recipes online. Something with potatoes could be good or maybe vegan enchiladas. It's kind of tough to be eating fruit and a naked bagel while everyone else is having something substantial.
If nobody's vegan, feel free to ignore me.
posted by FencingGal at 11:13 AM on September 5, 2019 [3 favorites]
Are any of the casseroles vegan? It would be great if one of them could be. There are lots of recipes online. Something with potatoes could be good or maybe vegan enchiladas. It's kind of tough to be eating fruit and a naked bagel while everyone else is having something substantial.
If nobody's vegan, feel free to ignore me.
posted by FencingGal at 11:13 AM on September 5, 2019 [3 favorites]
Cinnamon rolls or sticky rolls and things like that can be great for brunches, since you can do most (or all) of the work the day before. I haven't tried this triple pistachio bun recipe, but it sounds divine.
posted by Kpele at 11:46 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Kpele at 11:46 AM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
As far as a baked good I would go for coffee cake or cinnamon rolls or scones. If you want something with chocolate, this chocolate chip coffee cake from SmittenKitchen.com is fabulous and easy. Lot of compliments and raves when I make it.
posted by loveandhappiness at 12:19 PM on September 5, 2019
posted by loveandhappiness at 12:19 PM on September 5, 2019
My rule of thumb for yummy mimosas is to use the very best quality juice you can find, paired with the cheapest bubbly you can find.
For the baked good, I think some sort of quick bread suits a brunch well - it's yummy but not so obviously a dessert.
If you do a fruit salad or cut fruit, you absolutely must serve it with this dead simple fruit salad sauce that takes it up a notch: mix one container (6 or 8 ounces) of vanilla yogurt (full fat, fat free, whatever) with 1T honey and 1.5t lime zest. (This can obviously be scaled to suit the size of your crowd.)
posted by DrGail at 12:44 PM on September 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
For the baked good, I think some sort of quick bread suits a brunch well - it's yummy but not so obviously a dessert.
If you do a fruit salad or cut fruit, you absolutely must serve it with this dead simple fruit salad sauce that takes it up a notch: mix one container (6 or 8 ounces) of vanilla yogurt (full fat, fat free, whatever) with 1T honey and 1.5t lime zest. (This can obviously be scaled to suit the size of your crowd.)
posted by DrGail at 12:44 PM on September 5, 2019 [2 favorites]
I get Freixenet Brut for mimosas, it's a perfectly fine sparkling wine and is more fizzy than most proseccos.
Have you seen the recent FPP about waffles? Waffles are my favorite brunch, with bacon if you eat pork. There was a recipe for the Smitten Kitchen yeasted waffles in that thread that went on my list of things to try when I have time.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 1:33 PM on September 5, 2019
Have you seen the recent FPP about waffles? Waffles are my favorite brunch, with bacon if you eat pork. There was a recipe for the Smitten Kitchen yeasted waffles in that thread that went on my list of things to try when I have time.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 1:33 PM on September 5, 2019
Sausage rolls? Brownies are everybody's favourite, any time of day.
Fruit kabobs!
posted by Enid Lareg at 2:15 PM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
Fruit kabobs!
posted by Enid Lareg at 2:15 PM on September 5, 2019 [1 favorite]
Yeah get the cheapest bubbly wines for brunch mimosas: Andres’s is often available for around $5/bottle where I live. Sure it’s too sweet and a bit simple; that’s why you mix it with high end exotic juices.
If you have an Asian or international market nearby, try canned juices—lychee, passion fruit, tamarind, mangosteen, etc.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:13 PM on September 5, 2019
If you have an Asian or international market nearby, try canned juices—lychee, passion fruit, tamarind, mangosteen, etc.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:13 PM on September 5, 2019
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posted by sacrifix at 8:47 AM on September 5, 2019 [4 favorites]