Springtime Brunch
Celebrate the beautiful offerings of the season with an easy brunch.
Writer: Beth Chapman
Photographer: Steve Roberts

When the weekend rolls around, don't spend time waiting for a table at the local diner—plan a brunch for you and your friends instead. You can crank out some great restaurant quality recipes in the comfort of your own home, and the hardest part will be finding someone to do the dishes. This festive menu and décor will bring some of the best flavors and colors of springtime to the table.

Menu
Bloody Mary
Sweet Potato Blinis with Cured Salmon, Crème Fraiche and Caviar
Eggs Benedict
Baked Garlic Cheese Grits
Berry Trifle
Assortment of muffins and biscuits

Setting the Scene
Creating the right mood for an occasion can be as simple as selecting a few decorative elements and a color palette. Use grass greens, lemon yellows and crisp whites to set a springtime mood at your brunch table. Start with a rustic farm table as your base and begin to build your tablescape with a striped table runner that incorporates the basic three colors as well as an accent of silver to bring even more freshness to the setup. Next, set the table with square, yellow chargers as the foundation, followed by white plates and topped off with spring green bowls. For something as classic and traditional as a Sunday morning brunch, change it up with mixing and matching of your choice of stemware and flatware.

Recipes
Bloody Mary (serves 6)
3 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. horseradish, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. ginger, finely grated
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 1/2 cups vodka
Pickled okra
Celery stalks

1. In blender, combine tomato juice, lime juice, lemon juice, horseradish, ginger and garlic. Blend until smooth.
2. Season mixture with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
3. Store mixture in non-reactive container.
4. Refrigerate mixture for at least 6 hours (and up to 3 days) before serving.
5. Fill 6 large tumblers with ice, divide tomato juice mix among glasses and divide vodka evenly among the glasses.
6. Garnish with pickled okra and celery stalks and serve.

Sweet Potato Blinis with Cured Salmon, Crème Fraiche and Caviar (serves 4)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. honey
4 Tbsp. Plus 2 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup crème Fraiche
2 ounces caviar, your choice
1/2 lb. gravlax or other cured salmon, sliced thinly
Dill sprigs, for garnish

1. Place prepared sweet potatoes in medium saucepan and cover with water.
2. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender and can be mashed easily with fork.
3. Drain well and return to saucepan.
4. Add honey and 4 Tbsp. of butter and mash until smooth. If possible, puree mixture in food mill.
5. In small bowl, combine milk and eggs and stir in sweet potato puree.
6. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the sweet potatoes and stir until just blended.
8. Melt remaining butter and reserve.
9. Heat non-stick skillets over medium heat and coat with some of melted butter.
10. Drop sweet potato mixture into skillets in 1 1/2-tablespoon amounts.
11. Turn once, cooking until golden and crisp, about 1 minute per side.
12. Transfer to large baking sheet. Repeat process with the remaining butter and batter.
13. The pancakes can stand at room temperature for 2 hours. Reheat in a 325°F oven for 5 minutes before serving.
14. To serve, arrange 3 blinis on plate and garnish each with a slice of cured salmon, dollop of crème Fraiche and small spoonful of caviar.

Eggs Benedict (serves 6)
Green Onion Butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 green onions, minced

Hollandaise Sauce
6 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. whole milk
1 1/4 cups chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt
Cayenne pepper

1 1/2 lb cooked honey-cured ham, thinly sliced
12 slices sourdough bread
Coarse salt
2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
12 eggs
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
4 green onions, chopped
Paprika

1. In bowl, using wooden spoon, mix together butter and green onions until evenly blended. Set green onion butter aside.
2. To make hollandaise, in top pan of double boiler or in heatproof bowl, whisk together egg yolks and milk.
3. Place pan or bowl over barely simmering water in lower pan of double boiler or in saucepan and continue to whisk until warm and frothy (4-5 minutes).
4. Whisk in butter pieces few at time, beating after each addition until fully incorporated before adding more.
5. Continue to whisk until all butter has been incorporated and sauce is thick enough to coat back of spoon (about 3-5 minutes).
6. Stir in lemon juice and season with pinch each of salt and cayenne pepper.
7. The sauce can be kept warm over barely simmering water for up to 3 hours, stirring from time to time.
8. Preheat oven to 200°F. Wrap sliced ham in aluminum foil and place in oven to warm.
9. Toast bread slices and spread them lightly on both sides with the green onion butter. Keep warm until serving.
10. Cut asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces, cook in small amount of boiling water until tender (about 5 minutes). Drain and set aside to cool.
11. To poach eggs, in large frying pan, pour in water to depth of 1 1/2 inches.
12. Add 1 tsp. salt and vinegar and bring to boil over high heat.
13. Reduce heat so that water is just below boiling point. Working quickly, and being careful not to crowd pan, break egg into saucer and gently slip into water. Repeat with more eggs, keeping them well spaced.
14. Cook just until whites have set and yolks are glazed over but still soft, 3-4 minutes.
15. Using skimmer or slotted spatula, carefully removed eggs from water, letting them drain well, and place on plate; keep warm. Repeat with remaining eggs.
16. To serve, place 2 toasted bread slices on each warmed individual plate.
17. Top each slice with an equal amount of ham, springs of asparagus, then place poached egg in center of each slice.
18. Spoon equal amount of hollandaise sauce over each egg.
19. Sprinkle top with chopped green onion and paprika. Serve at once.

Baked Garlic Cheese Grits (serves 12)
6 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups regular grits
16 oz. Cheddar, cubed
1/2 cup milk
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 oz. sharp white Cheddar, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Grease 4-quart casserole dish.
2. Bring broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder to boil in 2-quart saucepan.
3. Stir in grits and whisk until completely combined.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer until grits are thick (about 8-10 minutes).
5. Add cubed Cheddar and milk and stir.
6. Gradually stir in eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined.
7. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish.
8. Sprinkle with white Cheddar and bake for 35-40 minutes or until set.

Berry Trifle (serves 4)
1 pint blueberries
1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into thick slices
2 pint raspberries
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Lemon Cream:
1 quart whipping cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (11-oz.) jar lemon curd
1 cup pound cake, sliced 1/2-inch thick

1. Place berries into large bowl and sprinkle with half of lemon juice. Lightly toss.
2. Combine berries, sugar, cornstarch and remaining lemon juice in saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Bring to simmer and cook just until berries begin to break down and give up their juices (about 3 minutes).
4. Take berries off heat and let cool; the mixture should thicken up as it cools.
5. In clean bowl, whip cream with sugar and vanilla to soft peaks.
6. Put lemon curd into second bowl and stir in a little of whipped cream to loosen it.
7. Then fold in rest of cream.
8. To assemble trifle, spoon layer of lemon cream into large glass bowl.
9. Add layer of pound cake, breaking slices into pieces that fit.
10. Then soak the cake with layer of berries and their juices.
11. Repeat, making 3 or 4 more layers, depending on size of bowl, finishing with a layer of lemon cream.
12. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.