Gourmet Brunch Ideas

Brunch often highlights breakfast favorites, as well as dishes that you might have for lunch or even dinner. Because this one meal is replacing two, it is often a large meal with multiple offerings. Here are some D’Artagnan inspired brunch items to kick off your meal planning.

• If your brunch is honoring a special occasion, craft your meal around an impressive centerpiece like a Berkshire Smoked Ham. Since ham is fully cooked, it can be served cold, at room temperature, or slightly warmed.
• For a make-ahead side dish, a breakfast strata, which is a cross between an oven frittata and bread pudding, is an excellent choice. Combine chunks of stale bread with cooked and crumbled bacon, sautéed onions, aged cheddar cheese, eggs, and milk. Let sit overnight to allow the bread to soak up the liquid. Bake the next morning at 350 degrees F until the eggs are set and the strata is puffed.
• Deviled quail eggs are a petite twist on a classic. Spruce them up by topping them with chives or shaved truffle.
• Roast some fingerling potatoes and leeks together in the oven. Season with salt and pepper and hit them with a drizzle of black truffle flavored oil before serving.
• For all out elegance and indulgence, make your guests duck eggs benedict. Start with a thick piece of toasted country bread. Top with crisp duck bacon. Place a perfectly poached duck egg in the center of the bacon. Ladle on hollandaise made from duck fat instead of butter.
• Round out the meal with fresh-cut fruit, a couple wedges of cheese, and toasted bread with jams and flavored butters. Also consider something sweet to end the meal, such as mini eclairs or two-bite cheesecakes topped with fruit.

Quick Tips

To make a celebratory brunch even more special, serve with a cocktail, such as a Bloody Mary, Mimosa, Bellini, or Irish Coffee. Instead of a dinner party, throw a brunch party. Invite friends over and have them each bring a dish to create an over-the-top buffet.