Brunch
939 recipes found
Gruyère and Chive Soufflé
This soufflé is as classic as they come, with beaten egg whites folded into a rich, cheese laden béchamel for flavor and stability. Gruyère is the traditional cheese used for soufflé, but a good aged Cheddar would also work nicely. This makes a great lunch or brunch dish. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master.
Strawberry Soufflé
This very light soufflé recipe, adapted from Julia Child, uses a base of syrupy fruit to flavor the egg whites, without the addition of fats or starches. And a combination of raspberries and strawberries makes it marvelously pink. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master.
Tunisian Shakshuka With Shrimp
The Arabic word shakshuka loosely translates to “all mixed up” in English, and rightly so, as the dish usually includes a colorful array of ingredients that are traditionally served in a cast-iron skillet. Made with eggs poached in a bright, peppery tomato sauce, it is a staple of Tunisian home cooking. Shrimp shakshuka is popular on the Mediterranean Coast, where shrimp are fresh and plentiful, but you could substitute merguez or skip the protein entirely for a vegetarian option. It is easy to make and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Zucchini Salad With Pecorino, Basil and Almonds
Many recipes call for shaving raw zucchini into long strands, which looks whimsical but often leads to soggy squash. Cutting zucchini into thicker batons helps the vegetable retain some bite. Douse the strips with a bright garlic-caper vinaigrette, tender herbs and tangy pecorino, and just before serving, toss in some chopped almonds for crunch. This zucchini salad makes a great starter or a side, but it can also be the foundation of a meal: Add it to cooked penne or pearl couscous for a quick pasta salad, or scatter it over a slice of grilled bread that’s been slathered with mascarpone or ricotta.
Fried Zucchini
Fried food is probably not on anyone’s lists of healthy eats, but you have to start with this: Fat is good for you. There are differences among fats, of course, but with trans-fats in full retreat and lard and butter making comebacks, the whole fat-eating thing is starting to make some sense. Of course, the key word is moderation. You can eat fat as long as it’s high quality and you don’t eat it to the exclusion of plants. That’s one reason you shouldn’t reject deep-frying at home; I do it about once a month. The second reason is that you know you love it. The third is that it can be fast and easy. The fourth is that you can deep-fry plants. (And anything else.)
Zucchini and Egg Tart With Fresh Herbs
Store-bought puff pastry makes easy work of this colorful tart, adapted from “The Modern Cook’s Year,” a vegetarian cookbook by the British author Anna Jones. When you’re rolling out puff pastry, thin flatbread or any other flattened dough, invert the baking sheet so you can unfurl the dough directly on it without the rim getting in the way of your rolling pin. Then parbake the tart without toppings first so that the base cooks through before it’s slathered with crème fraîche, piled with a mess of vegetables and eggs, and returned to the oven to finish. (You’ll want to bake just until the whites of the eggs start to look glossy and custardy, not firm.) Top with any torn, tender herbs you have on hand, like small parsley sprigs, chives, tarragon or dill, cut into quarters, and serve warm.
Summer Squash Caponata
Caponata, a sweet and sour vegetable dish of Sicilian origin, is usually made with eggplant, but this version is made with zucchini and yellow squash, and dotted with capers and olives. Served at room temperature, caponata often graces the antipasto table at restaurants, but it can also be a main course or a side dish. At home, it can top crostini, a perfect accompaniment to drinks. For a picnic, serve it with good canned tuna and hard-cooked eggs.
Sweet Potato Hash Browns
A riff on Josh Ozersky’s famous minimalist hash browns, these are made by sprinkling grated sweet potato over hot butter in a very thin layer, then waiting patiently for the starch to work its magic. Crisp, salty, buttery and addictive, these hash browns are so good, you could probably eat the entire batch in one sitting (or force yourself to be generous and share with a friend). Serve with a fried or over-easy egg for a complete breakfast.
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Roasted, puréed sweet potatoes lend moisture, flavor and a rich golden color to this hybrid breakfast bread and pastry. Here, a batter-like layer added to the yeasted dough, referred to as a wine loaf, helps prevent those gaps that often form in swirled breads. This recipe bakes beautifully in a small Pullman loaf pan, but any 1 1/2-pound-capacity loaf pan will do. If you can spare a slice, it makes a beautiful overnight French toast.
Crostini Alla Norma
The classic Sicilian pasta sauce of eggplant and tomato makes a hearty topping for summery crostini. Traditionally, the alla norma method involves frying eggplant, but this recipe calls for roasting it, which saves time and requires much less oil. The eggplant and tomato mixture can be made up to two days in advance, which makes this a great dish for entertaining, since it benefits from some extra time for flavors to develop. For an even quicker appetizer, serve in a bowl with toasted baguette slices on the side.
Eggplant Baked With Tomatoes and Ricotta Salata
I have always loved eggplant parmigiana, but the first time I tried preparing it at home, I found the standard recipe daunting: too much frying and too much cheese. I've been simplifying it ever since. This recipe is more pared-down than most. I baked the eggplants with a simple tomato, eggplant and garlic topping bolstered with fragrant herbs. I used ricotta salata, but other cheeses, including shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano, fontina or mild pecorino, would be fine. Though the dish can be served hot from the oven, I prefer to let it cool somewhat, to let the flavors bloom. If made well in advance but not refrigerated, it can be reheated in a 300-degree oven for 20 minutes. And it makes for a handsome and delicious buffet dish.
Papadzules (Eggs and Asparagus in Tortillas With Pepita Sauce)
A dish from the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico, papadzules are similar to enchiladas in that they feature tortillas that are dipped and coated in a sauce, then filled, rolled and topped with more sauce. Traditionally, papadzules are served with hard-boiled eggs and topped with a toasted pepita sauce and a spicy habanero-tomato salsa. In this late-spring version, jammy eggs and blanched asparagus serve as the filling, and an uncooked sauce of pepitas and jalapeños finishes everything off. Be sure to cook the eggs for the full 6½ minutes or the yolks will be too runny.
Spanish Asparagus Revuelto
In Spain, wild asparagus is very popular, and it’s a sure sign of spring. Because the variety of wild asparagus there can be a slightly bitter, cooks blanch it in boiling water before sautéing in olive oil. (In North America, both wild and cultivated asparagus are sweet, so this step is unnecessary here.) This dish features typical Spanish ingredients — garlic, chorizo and bread crumbs — incorporated into soft scrambled eggs, for a hearty breakfast, or a simple lunch or first course.
Egg-in-a-Hole With Asparagus
What would you get if you crossed savory Parmesan French toast with egg-in-a-hole and served it beneath a pile of roasted asparagus? An easy, vegetable-focused brunch or light dinner that you can make on a single sheet pan. The key here is to use wide slices of bread large enough to hold two eggs each: Choose slices from the middle of the loaf. (If your bread slices are smaller, just use one egg in each.) Feel free to substitute other quick-roasting vegetables for the asparagus. Broccoli florets, halved cherry tomatoes or brussels sprouts, or sliced mushrooms will all work equally well. And if you want to double the recipe, use two sheet pans, arranging the bread on one and the asparagus on the other.
Pickled Green Tomatoes
This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe in Fred Dubose’s wonderful cookbook from a bygone era, “Four Great Southern Cooks.” It is sort of a cross between a pickle and a relish. Do not worry about the salt; most of it will go out when the tomatoes are drained.
Tacos With Spicy Tofu, Tomatoes and Chard
In these tacos, tofu stands in for meat in a vegan picadillo, cooked in a modified salsa ranchera. I’ve never been one for meat “substitutes,” and I normally don’t advocate using tofu in anything other than Asian dishes. But I find this pretty irresistible, a sort of vegan picadillo. You can make it spicier by adding more chiles, milder by using less. The tofu is cooked in a modified salsa ranchera; being tofu, it absorbs the sweet and spicy flavors of the tomatoes and chiles. I used firm tofu and mashed it with the back of my spoon. Silken tofu is also a good choice, though then you will have something more akin to Mexican scrambled eggs.
Green Tomato Frittata
This is an adaptation of a recipe I came across in “The Savory Way,” by Deborah Madison. The acidic green tomatoes are nicely balanced by the neutral flavor of the eggs.
Tomato-Marinated Greens and Beans Toast
This fresh, no-cook dish makes the most out of tomatoes by grating the flesh, which preserves all of the sweet juices and raw pulp. The natural acidity in the tomato juice, combined with capers and vinegar, create a piquant sauce that tenderizes and subdues sturdy greens. Earthy Swiss chard is used here, but other leafy greens like lacinato kale would work, as would spicy mustard greens. The lentils add a meaty bite, but red kidney beans or chickpeas would also work. Refrigerate leftovers and serve over eggs, tossed with warm pasta or as a sauce for roasted chicken or fish.
Kimchi Rice Porridge
A combination of pungent chopped kimchi, toasted scallions and ginger, and rice that's been bolstered with a hit of kimchi brine, this porridge is fiery and sinus-clearing. The rice isn’t perfectly fluffy; instead, leftover rice simmers until it breaks down from kernel to stew. (You can, of course, use raw rice, too: Cook it in Step 2 for about an hour, partly covered and stirring occasionally.) You'll want to cook the scallions and ginger until nearly burned, and top the whole thing with a fried egg (or make it soft-boiled). Take note that most kimchi gets its funk from shrimp, anchovies and-or fish sauce, so if you’d like to make this dish vegetarian, make sure to use a vegetarian kimchi.
Crisp Quinoa Cakes With Pine Nuts and Raisins
Three-Cheese-and-Mushroom Quinoa Risotto
Granola With Popped Quinoa
Quinoa that is toasted until the seeds begin to pop is crunchy, but not hard, with a flavor both grassy and nutty. They enrich this granola in the nicest way, adding texture and flavor, as well as a bit of “stealth health” — the popped quinoa bumps up the protein content.
Speedy No-Knead Bread
The original recipe for no-knead bread, which Mark Bittman learned from the baker Jim Lahey, was immediately and wildly popular. How many novices it attracted to bread baking is anyone’s guess. But certainly there were plenty of existing bread bakers who excitedly tried it, liked it and immediately set about trying to improve it. This is an attempt to cut the start-to-finish time down to a few hours, rather than the original 14 to 20 hours' rising time. The solution is simple: use more yeast.
Classic Brioche
A classic brioche should be tender, eggy and contain croissant levels of rich, delicious butter. Sure, it requires a stand mixer (incorporating the butter by hand wouldn't be possible by most bakers' standards) and 24 hours, but the results are bakery-worthy. It can be made in one day, but an overnight stay in the refrigerator will not only give the dough a deeper flavor, but it will also firm up the butter, making the dough easier to shape and handle when it comes time to bake.