I'm a firm believer that there's no better way to cure the rainy morning blues than a fancy homemade brunch! Perfect timing because I was already planning on cooking my beautiful Mommy a yummy brunch to let her know how much I appreciate her. The menu consisted of Blueberry Crumb Cake (because nothing makes my Mom happier than something sweet to go with her Tea), Eggs Florentine with Baby Spinach and Goat Cheese, Chai Latte for my Mom, and a Vanilla Latte for me.
The Blueberry Crumb Cake I baked the night before because this cake tastes especially moist and delicious when it is able to cool and settle overnight. I love that the cake is not extremely sweet so its perfect to enjoy with your morning cup of coffee or with an afternoon cup of tea.
The first step is to make the cake batter, lightened up with lemon zest and sour cream, and folded in with juicy sweet blueberries.
Next step is to spread the batter in the pan and crumble a streusel topping aka "the good stuff" evenly over the batter.
And Voilà, in about 40 minutes you have a coffee cake just as good or better than you can find at your neighborhood coffee shop. The only problem is you will have to exercise some serious self control to only have one piece ;)
The Egg Florentine I spotted on Pinterest and immediately thought it would make a perfect brunch dish and then when I clicked and saw it was Martha's recipe, I knew I had to give it a try. If you know me at all, you know that Martha is my hero.
This egg dish could not be easier. All you have to do was saute up baby spinach and scallions and mix in goat cheese and top it on a piece of sourdough toast with a fried egg.
Cutting into that egg and letting that yolk break with all that creamy spinach goodness...oh man...just take my advice and make this Egg Florentine for your next brunch and I promise you will impress all your friends and it will be our little secret how easy it really is!
I hope this post inspires you to plan a weekend brunch for one of your loved ones!
PS....Stay tuned for tomorrow's post about my festive St Patty's Day dinner!
xox
Bri
Blueberry Crumb Cake
from Ina Garten
Ingredients
For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.
For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.
For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers, crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.
Eggs Florentine
from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
4 slices (1 inch thick) sourdough bread
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 pound baby spinach
1/3 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 ounces)
4 large eggs
Directions
Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Place bread on a baking sheet, and brush both sides with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Broil until golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium. Add scallions and as much spinach as will fit; season with salt and pepper. Cook until wilted, tossing and adding more spinach as room becomes available, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain off excess liquid; mix in goat cheese. Transfer to a bowl; cover to keep warm. Set aside.
Wipe out skillet; heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium. Gently crack eggs into skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook until whites are almost set, about 1 minute. Cover, and remove from heat; let stand until whites are set but yolks are still soft, about 3 minutes.
Top each piece of toast with spinach mixture and 1 egg; serve immediately.
