Valentine Brunch Part 1: the food

Valentine Crafting Brunch Menu

Spinach Quiche

Broccoli Red Pepper Quiche

Fresh Pineapple and Berries

Baked French Toast

Pan Seared Sausages

Pomegranate Spritzers

Coffee

The Valentine brunch was lovely and super crafty.  I kept the food down to simple, bake ahead dishes, avoiding anything that needed too much last minute preparation.  Quiche is one of my favorite brunch dishes because it can be made ahead of time and served room temperature or warmed.  That said, I still do not have a favorite quiche recipe-doesn't seem that hard, right?   I tried yet another new one for the brunch, and it was ok, but I'm open to any suggestions for a really good one. 

The hit of the party plate was definitely the Baked French Toast.  I love having any excuse to make a big pan of this so I have leftovers for breakfast all week long. 

Baked French Toast

1 large (or 2 small) day old baguettes, sliced thinly

5 cups milk

6 eggs

1 1/4 c sugar

1 T vanilla

1 T orange zest

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

4 T melted butter

2 T cold butter

3 red apples (I used gala), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1/4 c golden raisins

1/4 c dark raisins

-combine milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, zest and spices in large bowl and whisk until well combined

-add sliced bread and cover with plastic

-weight top of bowl with another bowl, pan, brick, whatever you have handy, until bread is soaked through

(15-20 minutes)

-fold in apples, raisins and melted butter

-pour into buttered 9 x 13 baking dish

-dot top with 2 T cold butter

-bake at 350 for 50 min-1 hour, until custard is set and top is golden brown

-serve warm with lots of real maple syrup

*I like the small baguette slices, but you could use large slices of day old crusty bread, or you could tear the bread into small chunks to make this more like bread pudding*

More party fare to come......