Easter Brunch

I've been doing a Brunch buffet for several years now for Easter instead of a whole sit down meal.  It was always difficult to figure out what to cook for Easter until I hit upon the Brunch idea. There are a few standards but the rest I mix up a bit each year. What I like about doing Brunch is that a lot of the work is done ahead of time so it's just a matter of finishing it off or reheating. Some of the dishes actually taste better because the flavors have had time to meld together. Almost everyone can find one or two things they like. Unlike a sit down, it's very flexible for the number of people. Throw in some bagels and it will be no problem adding last minute guests. It gives me a chance to test out a few new recipes too. The only problem with this menu is refrigerator space! It takes some creative arranging.

So far this is what's on the menu this year*:

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms (New)
Tomato Eggplant Terrine (New)
Apricot Blue Cheese Angels (New)
Egg Salad on Tomato Bread
Turkey Bierocks
Pork Belly (New)
Potato Torta
Spinach Pie (New)
Chicken Bowtie Salad
Oatmeal Clafoutis (Standard)
French Toast (Standard)
Aunt Sassy Cake
Pear Tart
Burnt Cinnamon Ice Cream
Pitcher (or two or three) Mimosas (Standard-although have also done white Sangria)

Since this was a pretty ambitious menu, I started last week by baking the tomato bread, making the ice cream, and baking the cake layers.  All this went directly into the freezer.

We also had to do a test batch of Mimosas - just in case we forgot how to make them properly. There's no need for the expensive stuff here.  Plus easiest of all, there's no real recipe. Splash of Champagne, splash of triple sec, splash of OJ. If I get real ambitious, I make fresh OJ, but you don't really even need to do that.

*Recipes to follow