Produced and styled by Mindi Shapiro Levine
Photographed by Mary Britton Senseney
Recipe development and food styling by Tonya West
Summer’s warm weather brings opportunities for entertaining outdoors early in the day. It’s an ideal time of the year to have friends over for brunch.
Without a doubt, Sunday is the most popular day for brunch, which can be a casual, relaxed, unhurried affair. It is a comforting meal, a combination of a lazily late breakfast and an early lunch featuring both delicious morning staples and light midday treats.
This menu takes advantage of some of the season’s best fresh produce, enlivening it with flavor and putting a spin on the time-honored fare. It features seared lemon salmon benedict with hollandaise sauce studded with capers, fresh fruit with an orange reduction served in warm crepes, and a spicy bloody Mary with pickled okra and string beans.
Seared Salmon Benedict
Yield: 4 servings
4 6-ounce salmon fillets
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 fresh lemon
capers
fresh dill
1 baguette
8 eggs
Season salmon with salt and pepper to taste. Brush with olive oil. Sear over medium-high heat 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the fish flakes easily. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over salmon. Cut the baguette into 4 sections and lightly toast the sections open-faced. Top with salmon and poached eggs. Drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Garnish with capers and dill to preference.
Hollandaise Sauce
Yield: 1 cup
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cold water
½ cup clarified butter
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Tabasco sauce
salt to taste
Combine egg yolks and water on the top of a double boiler, and beat with a whisk over hot water until the eggs are fluffy. Add a few drops of butter to the mixture and beat until the butter has blended, and the sauce begins to thicken. Make sure water in boiler remains at a medium heat. Continue adding the butter in small amounts, stirring constantly. Add salt and lemon juice. Add 1 teaspoon of water for a lighter consistency.
Fresh Fruit Crepes
Yield: Approximately 20 crepes
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ cups of whole milk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon butter
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
juice of ½ orange
1 pint blueberries
1 pint strawberries
4 kiwi fruit
4 oranges
Mix flour, sugar, milk, eggs and butter and whisk until smooth. Prepare batter at least 30 minutes before needed. Lightly butter 6-inch pan. Heat over medium heat until bubbly. Ladle ¼ cup of the batter into the pan until a thin film of the batter covers the bottom. Cook until light brown. Run a wide spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen. Turn and cook the other side until light brown. Fill the crepes with fresh fruit. Fold the crepe and drizzle orange reduction over it. Use the batter as desired. Remainder of crepes can be frozen up to one week if not used.
Simple Orange Reduction
Yield: Approximately 1½ cups
1½ cups of orange juice
pulp and juice of ½ orange
½ cup of water
zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon of sugar
Melt butter and combine all ingredients. Reduce on medium heat for approximately 15 minutes or until thickened.
Spicy Bloody Mary with Pickled Vegetables
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
1 quart spicy V-8 vegetable juice
8 shots (1½ ounces per shot of vodka)
½ teaspoon of coarse black pepper
1½ teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1 lemon
celery salt
Mix all of the ingredients in a pitcher. Rim the glass with celery salt (optional). Stir and serve over ice. Garnish with okra and green beans.
Pickled Vegetables
Yield: 2 pounds
10 ounces water
1 pound green beans
1 pound fresh okra
2¼ ounces malt vinegar
¾ ounces salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2¼ ounces sugar
2 dill sprigs
¼ ounces pickling spices
1 tablespoon orange zest
Bring the water, vinegar, salt, sugar and pickling spices to a boil to make brine. Pack vegetables, garlic, and dill sprigs in a bell jar. Pour the brine over the vegetables. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate. Allow to marinate for approximately 24 hours or more before serving.
