Thanksgiving dinner gets a lot of publicity, but what about the other meals of the day? Our Food / Travel Editor, Suzanne Corbett has put together a great lineup for a Thanksgiving Brunch. She says most of the items can be made ahead and frozen.
You can choose just one thing or try all of them. She starts off with a cranberry cocktail drink, which can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic, depending on your crowd. She has crepes, an egg dish, a strata which could actually be used as a vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish, a cake desert and more.
Suzanne tried the recipes out on a group and everyone thought it was delicious.
Photo taken at one of Suzanne Corbett’s Cooking Demonstration Classes which featured the recipes in this article.
Thanksgiving Day Brunch
Cranberry Spritzer Cocktail
1 oz champagne or white wine (sparkling cider for non-alcoholic)
1.5 oz Cranberry Pomegranate juice
1.5 oz sprite or clear soda or your favorite sparkling water
Fresh cranberry garnish.
Note: You can improvise with your ingredients. When Suzanne was making the Cranberry Spritzer Cocktail for the test group, someone suggested using Ice, which is a non-alcoholic flavored carbonated water.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Crepes with Maple Pecan Syrup
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⅓ cups milk
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup honey
Topping: maple syrup and roasted chopped pecans
To a blender, add the flour, salt, cinnamon, milk, eggs, and honey. Blend until smooth and free of lumps. Allow batter to rest for 30 minutes. In a non-stick skillet or crepe pan pour about ⅓ cup of the batter into the middle of the pan. Immediately tilt the pan from side-to-side so the batter forms an even layer at the base of the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes and then carefully flip to finish cooking. Repeat until all the batter is used.
To assemble crepes: In a mixer combine all filling ingredients. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of cream cheese filling on each crepe. Fold the crepe in half twice. Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.
Cheddar, Bacon and Egg Muffins
5 large eggs
1/4 lb. crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled
1 Cup grated cheddar, or any cheese you like
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Break eggs in a bowl, Season with salt and pepper. Add cheese, bacon, pepper, and herbs. Divide the egg mixture into greased muffin cups and bake in the oven until set, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of your egg muffins.
*Egg muffins are just like mini frittatas. They can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated for when you need a quick, convenient grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
Apple Cider Cake
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup apple cider (sweet or hard cider)
3 tablespoon rosewater or vanilla
3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 ½ cup raisins (optional)
½ cup candied citron (optional)
Butter and lightly flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350° Chop the citron fine. Toss the citron and raisins with a little of the flour and set aside. Whisk the baking soda and Cider
spices into the rest of the flour and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until very light and fluffy. Beat in the rosewater. Add the cider and the flour alternately, in several additions, beginning and ending with the flour, then add the raisins and citron. Bake approximately 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Butternut Squash Strata
14 to 17.5 ounces diced butternut squash
4 garlic cloves, peels on
1 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray, for the casserole dish
8 eggs
2 1/2 cups whole milk or cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Four 1-inch-thick slices sourdough or country bread
2 cups (about 140 grams) fresh chopped kale
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 cups grated smoked Cheddar or Gouda
Heat your oven to 400 degrees Toss the butternut squash onto a large sheet pan along with the garlic cloves and onion. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss well to combine. Roast, stirring once halfway through cooking, until tender and caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes.
Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch (3- to 3 1/2-liter) casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs then whisk in the milk and/or cream, mustard, smoked paprika, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add roasted garlic and whisk into the egg mixture.
Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and scatter half into the prepared casserole dish followed by half of the kale, half the herbs and half of the roasted squash and onions. Repeat these layers with the remaining bread, kale, herbs and roasted veg, then add the egg mixture. Scatter the grated cheese overtop and cover with a lightly greased piece of aluminum foil. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Heat your oven to 350 degrees Bake the covered strata for 25 minutes then carefully remove the foil and continue to bake until puffed, golden brown and the center is set, for another 25 minutes. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
