Backyard Brunch – A Quick Planning Guide

Brunch Origins

Sunday Brunch might just be one of the things I missed most about in current climate of social distancing. If I were to guess on its origins, I would say it was likely invented by twenty-somethings to chase away the hangover blues with a little “hair of the dog” and to dish on how everyone’s Saturday evening ended. Of course, if you live thru the “Sex and the City” era, which highlighted the girlfriend Sunday brunch, you can easily see where this theory comes from. Truth be told the term brunch has been around since 1895 and for reasons not so different than those described above. The concept was that waking up late on Sunday allowed for a longer night’s festivities on Saturday. It also put us in better spirits to enjoy our food and company on Sunday, preparing us for the week ahead. Learn more about the origins of brunch in this article written by Ellen Gutoskey, “Read Guy Beringer’s 1895 Essay That Coined the Term Brunch.”

Eager to Get Back to Brunch “Dishing”

Now that restrictions are loosening people might be eager to start venturing out to their favorite restaurant in hopes of getting back to this pleasurable, social ritual sans, the late night hangover and bar dishing. On a sunny, summer day, who doesn’t want to be on the patio in good company with good food. The great news is this where most restaurants are restricted to serving their meals. My personal favorite Sunday brunch option, anyone can tell you, has got to be Eggs Benedict. A local favorite restaurant I frequent Black Cow Cafe, serves them with just the right amount of orange in the sauce giving a little sweetness to the savory of the Hollandaise sauce. They also offer a Corn Flake Crusted French toast to die for which is a favorite of one of my besties. This is not to mention the rich coffee and Mimosas. My mouth is watering just think about it. I digress though. While I am thrilled at the thought of getting back to this normal ritual, I am actually still avoiding dinning out at this point. This has not stopped me from enjoying my favorite dinning experience of the weekend though. With a little modified effort, you can still social distance and do your patio brunch right at home.

DYI…Sunday Brunch at Home

Believe it or not, brunch can be easy. We are not talking poached eggs necessarily. In a recent socially distance brunch with a friend, I prepared a Berry Clafoutis, Almond Croissant, fruit, and of course, mimosas and coffee. Sounds complicated, right? Not really! Clafoutis is a french dish made with things you can find in your kitchen right now like eggs, milk, flour, sugar, fruit and vanilla. I threw in a bit of Amaretto in mine because, well, it is brunch after all. Preparing is as easy as mixing up and throwing in the oven. The croissants are from Traders Joe’s. A personal French friend told me that these are by far the best representation of a true french croissant. Grab a couple boxes and keep them in your freezer for you next unexpected brunch. You will just need to remember to put them out the night before to allow them to rise. To round out your meal, grab the OJ and champagne, start the coffee, and throw some fruit in a bowl. Now your brunch is ready to serve.

Working diligently on patio and garden since March, it is ready for entertaining. If you are not as patio ready, grab a table and throw a table cloth over it. In a pinch a beautiful sheet works. No table? No problem! Picnic instead. For the place setting, I mixed up my dishes so it gives a little pop. I also placed our chairs at opposite ends of the long side of the table for social distancing. Here is a peek at the results.

Simple Recipe to Brunch

I encourage you take this menu and make it your own. If you like it as it is, here is how you can easily achieve similar results.

• Berry Clafoutis – Pinterest is my go to most of my recipes. While there are many the one I most prefer is from Honest Fare.
• Almond Croissants – Found at Trader Joe’s in the frozen food section. There is a choice between Almond or Chocolate. Both are great options.
• Fruit – I opted for cuties or grapes work well too. I love the farmers market. If you don’t have a local farmers market, pick up whatever is in season and organic at Trader Joe’s when you grab those croissants.
• Coffee (French Roast is always my favorite), Champagne, and OJ…Trader Joe’s has got you covered there as well!

No question you will enjoy your social distancing brunch as much if not more than those you had in the past. Not only do you get to dish with friends, you have the satisfaction of having prepared a lovely meal for them to appreciate. They may even begin to question whether you have been spending all your quarantine time taking cooking lessons.

We would love to hear what your favorite Sunday brunch “dish” is and what spot you plan to hit as your first official brunch once we are all safe to return to this wonderful ritual of brunch. Please share in comments!