Brunch. Now that’s something we can get behind. Really, is there really anything better than a meal that encourages sleeping in, drinking in the mornings, and delicious food? We think not.
As great as it is though, this is the one meal that means something different to everyone: Some like it savoury, some like it sweet, and others like it drenched in Champagne. Luckily, we’ve saved you the time and guesswork of deciding whether you’ll opt for lunch or breakfast. Ahead, some of the best brunch recipes around — with something to satisfy every craving. From baked eggs to a devilishly sweet sundae, these dishes will have your mouth will be watering in no time. Just save us a seat (and a mimosa), will ya?
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Baked EggsHow do you take your eggs — scrambled, fried, deviled? Whatever your preference, try something different this weekend with a Mediterranean-inspired baked-egg dish, courtesy of the blogger behind, A Life of Geekery, Vicki Higham. With the addition of a few extra ingredients — prosciutto, butter beans, and tomatoes — you’ll go from supermarket standard to a culinary classic. Trust, you haven’t had eggs like this before.
Ingredients:
Serves two
2 eggs
240g butter beans
5-8 strips of prosciutto
300g of tomatoes, diced
1 tsp oregano
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Line two small ovenproof dishes with prosciutto. Layer in the butter beans and tomatoes; sprinkle the oregano between the two.
3. Make a well in the centre and crack an egg into the middle of each dish, season and transfer to the oven.
4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes depending on how runny you’d like the yolk to turn out.
5. Serve with crusty bread. Toasted sourdough is recommended.
Alternatively, include spinach, diced onions, pancetta, chorizo, or Parmesan, or try a Mexican theme with chilli, cumin, black beans, tomato, and coriander.
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Baked White Chocolate Cheesecake and Blueberry SundaeAnd then there are those of us who take our dessert with a side of dinner or, in this case, brunch. The breakfast/lunch meal is really the only time of day when it’s actually acceptable to have something with little (if any) nutritional benefit for your main course. Flapjacks with whipped cream, anyone?
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But, for our next brunch, we’re going all the way with one of the most delicious recipes ever from London’s own Village East, courtesy of its executive chef, Toby Stuart. You’re guaranteed to be on a sugar high for the rest of the day.
Ingredients:
Cheesecake:
337g cream cheese
3 large eggs
1 vanilla pod, scraped
170g white chocolate
170g crème fraiche
40g melted butter
75g digestive biscuit crumbs
1. Pre heat a fan oven to 140 degrees centigrade.
2. Melt the butter and mix with the digestive biscuit crumbs, then press into a non-stick baking tray. Melt the white chocolate, beat in the cream cheese, crème fraiche, and eggs, along with the seeds from the vanilla pod.
3. Pour in the cheesecake mix over the biscuit base. Bake in the oven until cooked – which will take approximately one hour.
4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, dice into chunks and reserve.
Blueberry Coulis:
200g blueberries
50g sugar
20ml water
Place all the ingredients into a pan, bring to a boil, and simmer until the blueberries are cooked. Blend to a fine puree and leave to cool.
Final Preparation:
1. Put some sundae glasses into the freezer roughly an hour before you’ll need them.
2. Place one scoop of the vanilla ice cream in the bottom of each sundae glasses. Drizzle with the coulis, scatter with fresh blueberries, and add a few chunks of the baked cheesecake.
3. Repeat and be as generous as you’d like.
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4. Drizzle the top of the sundae with more coulis and decorate with mint.
Tomato and Halloumi SaladFor some of us (*cough*), brunch is about ingesting as many carb-filled calories as we can. It’s early in the day so it doesn’t really count as much, right?
However, if your willpower is stronger than ours, you can err on the lunch side and opt for something relatively healthy…like a cheese and tomato salad from Tony Kitous, the founder of Comptoir Libanais. Featuring fresh tomatoes, black olives, and delicious halloumi, and perfectly topped off with mint, olive oil, and lemon juice, this is one dish that might just convince us to choose salad over eggy bread. Maybe.
Ingredients:
300g halloumi cheese, cut into 1cm slices and marinated in fresh thyme, garlic, and olive oil
1-2 large fresh tomatoes
50g pitted soft black olives
Small bunch of mint, shredded
Olive oil
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
1. Place the cheese slices on a mat and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place a large frying pan on the hob, and once it’s moderately hot pour olive oil over the surface and place the halloumi slices in the pan. After about one minute, flip the cheese slices. Once both slides are golden and crisp, place aside on a warm plate.
2. Slice the tomatoes and layer with the cooked halloumi on a serving plate. Toss the olives over the surface and sprinkle with the mint. Add olive oil and lemon juice to taste.
3. Alternatively, slice one or two garlic cloves and place them in the base of a dish with fresh thyme and olive oil. Place the halloumi in the dish and let sit at room temperate for at least 30 minutes before frying.
