This past Sunday I threw a brunch and playdate with a few friends and used it as an opportunity to collaborate with Greet and Gather. If you haven’t seen any of my posts about Greet and Gather they are a monthly entertainment subscription box that just came on the market in October. I was lucky to get my hands on one of their first boxes and I was not disappointed. The October box, Slate and Stone, included items like a marble cheese board, bourbon stones, brass cheese knives, slate coasters and cheese signs. Basically they provided me with most of the tools to throw the perfect little ladies brunch.
I decided to keep the menu simple. Well simple for me which means I had three kinds of quiche, banana bread, yogurt parfaits, cheese and charcuterie, baked brie (from Greet and Gather) and chicken and waffles for the kids. We also had mimosas and cold brew but we all ended up drinking the delicious brown sugar bourbon cocktail from Greet and Gather’s recipes that were provided in this months box. Basically it was all my favorite things wrapped into one perfect little party.
Quiche… So I mentioned I made three kinds of quiche. I keep quiche really simple which means I use the same base no matter what and then just add ingredients. My basic quiche recipe is 4 eggs and 1 cup of half and half or 6 eggs and 1.5 cups of half and half. It is really that simple. 350 degrees in the oven for 45 to 55 minutes. I made two of the quiche crustless and made one with crust. The ingredients I used were spinach, mushroom and feta; red pepper, asparagus and brie; and crab, green onion and cream cheese. The favorite of the day was the crab, green onion and cream cheese.
Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Buttercream… So I am not a baker…at all. On the rare occasion I bake I have to have an easy recipe. I am a cook in that I don’t like to measure so this means baking is not my jam. This banana bread recipe was simple and easy. I also forgot the baking soda and it turned out great anyway so there is that! As for the brown sugar buttercream I loosely used this recipe here.
Chicken and Waffles… I made this really easy on myself. I used chicken nuggets for the chicken portion of the dish. I was serving this to kids so I assumed they would be more likely to eat it if I used chicken nuggets. For the waffles I used a buttermilk waffle mix from Whole Foods. To the mix I added vanilla, cinnamon and three tablespoons of honey. It was perfect. I made them both early and kept them in the warming pan and then served them with honey.
Yogurt Parfait… I actually was inspired to make these after having something similar at Harvest Cup Polo Classic. I use the apple cinnamon granola from Whole Foods. I topped that with Maple Hill Creamery vanilla yogurt and then topped with blueberries. Side note… If you have not had Maple Hill Creamery Yogurt you need to have it…like today.
Cheese Plate… For my cheese plate I kept it really simple. White cheddar, dill Havarti, blue cheese, salami and almonds.
Baked Brie… this is a Greet and Gather recipe. 1 package puff pastry, 1 wheel of brie (chopped), 1/3 cup pecans, 1 tbsp. butter, 1/3 cup apple butter, 1/2 cup apples chopped, 2 tbsp. brown sugar, dash of salt. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out puff pastry on a flat surface and cut out circles with a cookie cutter. Place dough in the bottom of a greased muffin pan for 10 to 12 minutes until slightly puffed. In a saucepan add butter and stir in pecans, add brown sugar and salt and stir. Toasting nuts for 3 minutes. Add in the apples and heat for 1 to 2 minutes until covered and warm. Top each tart with apple butter, brie and apple pecan mixture. Place back in oven for 3 minutes.
Brown Sugar Bourbon Cocktail… This is also a Greet and Gather recipe. 1 1/2 oz bourbon, 2 tbsp. brown sugar simple syrup (recipe below), club soda, citrus bitters, cooling stones of ice. Add 2 tbsp. simple syrup and bourbon to a glass and stir. Add a dash of bitters and club soda to taste. Finishing with cooling stones or ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and serve.
Brown Sugar Simple Syrup – 1 cup light brown sugar, 1 cup water, 1/2 tsp vanilla. Combine brown sugar and water in a pot and stir until combined. Add vanilla and reduce heat. Stir until you no longer see sugar crystals. Cool and serve.
If you would like to check out all of my ideas on how to throw the perfect brunch you can visit my Pinterest board here.
Thank you as always to Greet and Gather! It is a dream come true to be able to collaborate and work with your friends!
XO, Tippy
Leave a Reply