The ball and confetti has dropped and with that a new year arrives.
How are we feeling?
Well rested and relaxed or not quite one’s self due to too much New Year’s Eve revelry?
New Year’s Day breakfast and brunch ideas may just be what the doctor ordered.
These New Year’s Day breakfast and brunch ideas featuring a little butter, cheese, protein, fruit, and sugar will fix you right up.
Take a deep breath and greet the new year in the light of day.
Hydrate, hit play, and grab a pan, pitcher, and bowl.
It’s time whip it, whip it good.
Ham and Gruyère French Toast Sandwiches
Ingredients
2 Granny Smith apples—peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs, beaten
Eight 1/2-inch-thick hand-cut slices from a loaf of white bread
Dijon mustard
6 ounces sliced Gruyère cheese
1/2 pound thickly sliced smoked ham
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the apples, water, maple syrup and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
In a shallow bowl, whisk the milk and eggs. Spread 4 slices of the bread with mustard. Top with half of the cheese, the ham and then the remaining cheese.
In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over low heat. Dip the bottoms of the 4 topped bread slices in the beaten egg until just saturated and transfer to the skillet. Dip the remaining slices of bread on 1 side only and place them, soaked side up, on the sandwiches. Cover the skillet and cook over moderately low heat until the bread is browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the sandwiches, adding more butter to the skillet if necessary. Cover and cook until the second side is browned and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut in half and serve with the maple apples.
I’ve been making this dish for years.
It is a version of both Eggs Benedict and Eggs Oscar, hence the name, Eggs Half and Half.
Basic scrambled eggs work well, but scallions, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, and green peppers kick up the yum factor.
Eggs Half and Half
Ingredients
1 dozen eggs
desired additions
4 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half, or milk
6 croissants
6 slices of ham
1 pkg. Knorr Béarnaise sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Prepare Béarnaise sauce according to package directions, keep warm. Beat eggs, cream, salt and pepper together. Slice each croissant in half; toast until light golden brown. Melt butter in skillet, add eggs and cook over medium heat until scrambled/cooked to desired consistency.
Place two croissant halves on each plate. Spoon generous amount of scrambled eggs on open croissants and add sliced ham. Top with Béarnaise sauce. Serve immediately.
Southern Living – Photo by Joseph De Sciose
Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
½ cup butter (1 stick), frozen
2 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 cup chilled buttermilk
Parchment paper
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 475°. Grate frozen butter using large holes of a box grater. Toss together grated butter and flour in a medium bowl. Chill 10 minutes.
Make a well in center of mixture. Add buttermilk, and stir 15 times. Dough will be sticky.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly sprinkle flour over top of dough. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches).
Fold dough in half so short ends meet. Repeat rolling and folding process 4 more times.
Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2-inch floured round cutter, reshaping scraps and flouring as needed.
Place dough rounds on a parchment paper-lined jelly-roll pan. Bake at 475° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter.
Fruit Melange with Honey, Almond, and Vanilla Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 apple, chopped
2 oranges, peeled, seeded, and sliced
juice from one orange
1 banana, sliced
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 bunch seedless green grapes, halved
Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, sour cream, honey, and almond extract and set aside. Slice the banana and squeeze the juice of one orange over the sliced bananas. Add the apple, orange strawberries and halved grapes and gently mix together.
Spoon fruit into individual serving bowls and drizzle with yogurt sauce.
Too much of this may call for a lot of something along these lines.
Orange & Lemon Almond Mint Tea
Ingredients
4 tea bags
3 tablespoons fresh mint sprigs
4 cups boiling water
1 cup sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cups orange juice
2 teaspoons almond extract
additional 2 cups hot water
Directions
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add tea bags, sugar and mint. Stir very well to eliminate sugar from sticking to bottom of pan. Remove pan from heat; cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Add the orange juice, lemon juice, almond extract and additional 2 cups water together in a 2-quart pitcher; stir well to incorporate. When steeping is complete, remove tea bags from mixture.
Pour steeped tea mixture into pitcher and stir well. Refrigerate until chilled.
Serve over ice with optional garnish.
Makes 2 quarts.
Camille Styles
Photo: Todd Coleman
© Dave Lauridsen via Food & Wine
