Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Brunch - The Best Meal

I think we've established that I am a fan of breakfast foods. And of course that includes brunch, the best meal(s) of the whole week. So naturally I was on board when Cath from A Blithe Palate and Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness asked me to take part in a group review of a book solely devoted to brunch.

I am not familiar with Gale Gand, the author of Brunch!, but oh my goodness she's been a busy lady. She (to paraphrase from the books back cover) is a James Beard Award winning pasty chef, and the executive pastry chef of the restaurant she co-owns, Tru in Chicago. She also has a show on the Food Network in the States, and this is her seventh cookbook.


Brunch! was a complete joy to read through. I fell in love with the photos and recipes right away, and it was a hard decision to come up with a couple of dishes to try for this event. There are 9 food chapters from Drinks (the Thai Iced Coffee is calling to me) to Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast & Other Sweets (can't wait to try the Buttermilk Pancakes) to The Bakery (Quick Pear Streusel Coffee Cake? Yes please!), and additional chapters discussing menu ideas, equipment and ingredients.

I chose 3 dishes - Coddled Eggs from the More Eggs chapter, Caramelized Apple Crepes from the Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast & Other Sweets chapter, and Homemade Pork and Maple Sausage Patties from the More Savories and Some Sides chapter.

Coddled eggs - the easiest eggs I've ever made. I didn't try this (I am boring and only like scrambled eggs) but Scott loved these, and declared this the new egg cooking method in our house.

Caramelized Apple Crepes - These were finicky for me - I burned my fingers repeatedly and one was wrecked beyond repair - but they tasted lovely with a bit of maple syrup.

Homemade Pork and Maple Sausage Patties - My first time making sausage patties from scratch, but it won't be my last. I never imagined making delicious sausages could be so fast and easy.

This book is such a treat and I'm thrilled to add it to my bookcase. But it won't be there long, it will be back on the kitchen counter next weekend. And the weekend after, and, well you see where I'm going with this.

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