WHAT'S FOR BRUNCH?

Set the Scene

Let’s set the scene. It’s Sunday morning. You wake up blurry eyed and tired from the night before, but nevertheless you’re ready to hit the day running. You check your watch phone to see if it’s an acceptable time for some hair of the dog. It’s 8:00am... Back to bed, you’re waiting for brunch time.

The Best of Both Worlds

Brunch, the meal people love to hate; the trendiness, the hordes of yuppies adding their names to the infinite waitlist at the local favorite. Me? I love when two meals find harmony and co-exist on one plate in front. Plus, it has booze.

The combination between lunch and breakfast has its roots in Anglo-Saxon heritage can be found all over the world. The brunch menus in Spain will almost inevitable boast some sort of churro and to the north in France they’re enjoying flaky croissants for the late breakfast early lunch meal. Over in Asia, they’re serving up hot broths with fish and rice. Culinary distinctions apart, brunch is a great was to wake up slow and finish the weekend on a good, sweet and savory note. Brunch has evolved into more than just a meal it's now a whole event world wide. Barcelona now has a whole brunch event that takes place all day!

InstaFamous

Brunch has been gaining notoriety for a few years and shows it’s delectable face on social media across the globe. Scroll through Instagram and you’ll see post after post of bottomless mimosas and fried eggs from around the world. People are now just as concerned with photographing their pancakes as they are with eating them.

Some of my favorite brunches from around the world…

Mexico: Chilaquiles

A popular Mexican breakfast dish composed of fried tortillas topped with salsa, eggs and cheese.

America: Buttermilk Pancakes

A mainstay on any brunch menu here in the states.

Italy: Fritatta

An egg based Italian dish similar to a quiche or omelet.

Churros and Chocolate

Similar to the ones you wait in mile long lines for at Disneyland but served with hot chocolate dipping sauce.

Brunch From My Kitchen: French Toast Waffles

This delicious take on french toast is super simple to make and a perfect recipe for a Sunday brunch at home. I cut my french toast waffles into sticks for and even easier serving option. A combination recipe for a combination mealtime.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 8 slices bread, sliced ½-1 inch thick (such as white, whole wheat, challah, brioche, sourdough, etc.)

• 2 large eggs

• ½ cup milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• maple syrup, for dipping

Instructions

1. Preheat waffle iron according to brand/model directions.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, set aside.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until light. Add the milk, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and beat until well combined. Transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish.

4. Working with how ever many slices of bread will fit in your waffle iron, give each slice of bread a quick dip in the egg mixture, coating both sides to where you can still transfer the bread to the waffle maker without it falling apart. Do not soak the bread. Just a quick dip on both sides. (If you're using a really dense bread, then you can let it soak, but you might need to double the egg mixture so you have enough to soak all of the bread slices)

5. Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Fill your waffle iron with as many slices of dipped bread as will fit and then close the lid and let the bread cook until golden brown and crispy on the outside, about 3-5 minutes.

6. Transfer waffled french toast to a cutting board and immediately sprinkle with some of the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cut into sticks and serve with syrup for dipping.

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