Mother's Day Brunch

Last Mother's Day, I was lucky enough to cook for both my mother and my mother-in-law. I love brunch. In one of Anthony Bourdain's books, he has some not so nice things to say about brunch (leftover ingredients, leftover chefs), but I disagree. My favorite part about brunch is that anything goes. Appropriate food ranges from eggs to sweets to fish to cheese. And of course any meal that encourages copious amounts of delicious cocktails is a clear winner.

I am not a big sweets for breakfast person, I definitely prefer savory protein. I decided to make scrambled eggs with grilled steak, bacon and grilled tomatoes. A last minute passive aggressive request by my father in law for my stuffed french toast added one final dish :) I do not have exact measurements for most of this, but I made a meal for 6 people.

I have to admit, since it has been a long time I can not remember exactly what kind of steak I used, but I think it was bone-in, possibly sirloin or strip.  I made up my own steak marinade last summer that my mother in law loved so much she has been using it exclusively. Since I made this marinade up, I don't have exact measurements but I will approximate. If you decide to make it, just make sure you continuously taste it. To make the marinade, mix together about a cup of olive oil with about 3 tablespoons of honey and 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce.. Add a tablespoon or so of crushed garlic and about 2-3 table spoons of FRESH chopped rosemary. Mix vigorously and season with salt and pepper to taste. Coat your steak with the marinade and marinate overnight if possible. If not, get it in the fridge, covered, for at least an hour.

Fire up the grill and when it gets super hot, load on your steaks. To cook medium steaks, it is about 7 minutes per side. More or less depending on how done you want it. There should be a nice char on it. Toward the end, sprinkle on some more fresh rosemary.

Also using the grill, I made grilled tomatoes. I sliced the tomato pretty thick, only about 3, maybe 4, slices per tomato. Brush them with olive oil and salt/pepper and grill til slightly charred and nice and juicy. Tear up some basil and sprinkle over the finished tomatoes.

Scrambled eggs are super easy to make but you need to pay attention. I hate dry eggs so I prefer them to be a little gooey. Whisk together all of the eggs and a little bit of milk. I also add a couple slivers of butter along with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. In your skillet, melt about a tablespoon of butter. To keep this dish super savory, I chopped up two cloves of garlic and browned before I added the eggs. Using a non-metal spatula, gently push the eggs around the pan constantly, never allowing them to really stick. Cook to your desired consistency.

Bacon is very simple to make. I prefer mine crispy, so my biggest challenge is just timing everything right so that the rest of my food doesn't get cold while I am cooking the bacon. I am lucky enough to have a brother in law that provides me with FRESH, non-store bought bacon. It is unreal. Absolutely no additional fat is needed to cook the bacon. Your first couple pieces may initially stick to the pan, but the natural fats will soon come out. One little trick that you can add about 30 seconds before the bacon leaves the pan is the slightest drizzle of maple syrup.

 

I have to say, my stuffed french toast is pretty incredible :) I am really proud of it because I made it completely on instinct and it turns out delicious each time. Start with challah. I don't think any bread compares when it comes to french toast. Slice your challah THICK!! Don't forget, you are going to have to stuff that baby. On each piece of bread, take a very small, sharp knife and make an incision along the side, about 3/4 the way through. Stuff the slices with strawberries and bananas.

In a bowl combine eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Again, taste this to your liking. I prefer a heavy vanilla flavor. Dunk each slice and transfer to your heated griddle (melt some butter on it first).

Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes or until very nicely browned.You want to make sure all of the egg cooks and the bread is moist but not soggy.

I do not think this french toast needs any syrup so instead I served it with more fresh strawberries and bananas, plus blueberries, along with warmed nutella.

This was a lot of food and a challenge to time everything. But looking at all of the food together, it was a really nice selection.

I was really proud of this meal. I thought there was something for everyone, the flavors were varied and everyone left the table feeling stuffed and happy!