Recipe: A Few Brunch Ideas

Connie,

Here are a couple of brunch recipes....they fit the brunch part, not the Halloween part.

I haven't made this, but a friend (one whose cooking I trust) has made it several times to rave reviews)

24 Hour Wine and Cheese Omelet
(makes 2 - 9x13 pans)

1 large loaf French bread, day old, crust removed
12 Tblsp. butter, melted
3/4 lb. Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 lb. monterey jack cheese, shredded
9 thin slices of Genoa salami, chopped
16 eggs
3-1/4 cups milk
1 cup dry white wine
8 green onions, chopped (tops also)
1 heaping Tblsp.Dijon mustard
pepper
2 cups sour cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Butter 2 9x13 pans. Put bread on bottom and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with Swiss and jack cheese; add salami. Beat eggs, milk and wine, mustard and pepper until foamy. Pour over cheese. Put onion on top. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake until set at least 1 hour uncovered, spread with sour cream and parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered until brown, at least 10 minutes. Let set 15 minutes. (Serves 10-12 people)I made this quiche for a book club; it's light, creamy and rather pretty.

Crabmeat and Avocado Quiche
(from Quiche Cookbook by Edie and Tom Hilton)

1 pastry shell
1 large ripe avocado
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
6-1/2 oz. can crabmeat, drained, or 1 pkg. frozen crabmeat,
or fresh crabmeat
Dash Tabasco sauce
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Garnish:
3 pitted ripe olives, thinly sliced
3 anchovies, thinly sliced
Several parsley sprigs

Peel avocado, cut into thin slices, and spread over the bottom of the pastry shell. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt. To the crabmeat, add Tabasco sauce, and arrange in the shell. Lightly beat the eggs with a wire whisk. Add the cream, wine and seasonings and blend until smooth. Set the pastry shell on a cookie sheet and carefully pour in the custard mixture. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake on center shelf of oven 40 to 45 minutes or until top is puffed and browned and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and slide onto wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes to let custard set. Garnish and serve hot.

I'm a great fan of scones. You could make chocolate chip ones and drizzle them with orange and chocolate glaze for a Halloween effect. I do have a chocolate chip scone recipe I've tried and liked. If you're interested, let me know and I'll post it. A few weeks ago Eggy posted a recipe for Orange Cream Scones...they sounded great and you could maybe drizzle those with some chocolate. You could probably ask her if she thinks chocolate would detract from their taste.

If I come across anything else, I'll let you know.

Laurel