This morning I had a few friends over for a pre-winter break holiday brunch. An excuse to drink Mimosas and Bellinis, try out a few recipes, and hang with friends before two solid weeks of family.
I baked orange sour cream muffins with an orange glaze and made the egg soufflé sandwiches from Flour Bakery, with the recipe from Joanne Chang’s second cookbook. (So good.) I also put together a shredded brussels sprout and kale salad with chickpeas and pomegranate seeds. I have no idea if this was any good since I wasn’t feeling lettuce-y this morning. For starters I did cream cheese on pita crackers with smoked salmon and capers or sun-dried tomatoes and fresh dill. One of my favorites.
Since I’m neither an entertaining blogger or food photographer, I didn’t set a beautiful table (there’s only so much time) or take stunning photos. But here are a few decent shots of the me, the food, and the absolutely beautiful flowers. Happy holidays, happy weekend.
Self-Portrait with (Blood) Orange
I was surprised when I cut the orange open. I didn’t expect blood red.
Orange Sour Cream Muffins with Zesty Orange Glaze
Very easy to prepare. You melt the butter so there’s no need to pull out an electric mixer. The most effort went into zesting the orange. The final result, glazed and good. The glaze is very sweet, and very easy. Recipe from Damn Delicious, discovered via Pinterest on my “Breakfast” board.
Egg Souffé Sandwiches
Those famous egg sandwiches from Flour Bakery, straight from the Flour Bakery cookbook by Boston chef and bakery owner Joanne Chang, Flour Too. The egg portion of the recipe is very easy and tastes delicious. You can make them the night before. In fact, the whole reason Change developed the recipe is because her shops don’t have the capacity to fry up eggs on a griddle. Skip the whole baking your own bread part. I served them open face, on croissants from Trader Joe’s, with tomatoes I roasted the night before, slices of melted cheddar cheese, turkey bacon, and a Dijon mayonnaise sauce.
Bloom Couture
Gorgeous asymmetrical white and green centerpiece from Bloom Couture Floral Studio, a new florist in Boston’s South End. The arrangements have a distinctly modern Japanese aesthetic, created with a mix of classic flowers, like white roses, and others that I rarely see and can’t name (but I’ll find out). Look carefully at the leaf on the left. . . the metallic gold square is a nice touch.
