Last Sunday I went to my friend, Kate’s, apartment in Piedmont Park for an incredible Sunday brunch.  I have known Kate for a long time.  In fact Kate and I lived together our freshman year of high school at boarding school.  Yes, that’s us, in September 1996 on the first day of school in our dorm room.

Fall 1996: First Day of High School

Even though Kate is a gluten-eater, she was not intimidated by the thought of gluten-free cooking.  Most people, when posed with the task of creating a gluten-free brunch, stick to eggs, bacon and maybe potatoes.  While I love all of those breakfast items, I must say that Kate’s brunch was by far the most “gluten-feeling” brunch I’ve eaten.  Not only did Kate make a ridiculously delicious blueberry crumb cake, but she also made a gluten-free version of a strata.  You might be thinking, “What’s a strata?”  A strata is that delicious egg, bread, sausage and cheese casserole that you often find at brunches or family get togethers.  The strata (or egg casserole) was a staple in my family growing up.   Whenever we had houseguests, Mom made the casserole a day ahead and would heat it for Sunday brunch.  Needless to say, I was eager to call my mother to let her know that the egg casserole can be done gluten-free.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m always moved and amazed when friends make gluten-free food for me, and are eager to experiment in their own kitchen.  Kate took culinary risks to prepare this meal and was genuinely enthusiastic about the endeavor!  Since I’ve known Kate long enough, I didn’t mind being tacky and taking photos of her food.  She even shared her recipes with me so that you too, can make her gluten-free brunch dishes.  If you’re dreaming about the weekend (aah, Sunday brunch) on this Friday morning, and looking for some culinary inspiration, I suggest you read further.  Hopefully you won’t drool on your computer.

Fruit Salad with Poppyseed Dressing (serves 6-8)
This dressing is amazing!  I wanted to drink it out of the bowl with a straw.  I might use it for an arugula, strawberries and goat cheese salad this weekend.

Ingredients:
Any combination of fresh fruit (1-2 cups of each fruit, sliced)
For poppyseed dressing:

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground mustard
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

- In a blender of food processor, combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt
- While processing, slowly pour in vegetable oil in a steady stream
- Stir in poppy seeds
- Just before serving, combine all fruits in bowl and serve with poppy seed dressing

Turkey (or Chicken) Sausage Strata (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 6 slices GF white sandwich bread, cut into cubes (Kate used Whole Foods GF Bakehouse)
• 1/2 cup shredded low fat-part skim mozzerella cheese
• 1/2 lb. of turkey (or chicken) breakfast sausage, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

-Lightly coat a 1.5 quart baking dish with GF oil / cooking spray
-Layer bread, mozzerella cheese, sausage in baking dish
-In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, mustard; mix well
-Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture and sprinkle with parmesan cheese
-Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for 6 hours
-Heat oven to 325 degrees; uncover and bake for 60-70 minutes
-Let stand 10 minutes before serving

Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake (serves 6-8)

Anyone who hung out with me in college knows how much I love crumb cake.  I have not eaten any type of crumb cake in the last three years so I was eager to chow down.  The combination of blueberries, crunch pecans and the yummy, crumbly topping was delish.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose gluten-free all-purpose baking flour + 3/4 tsp Xanthan gum
• 2 1/4 tsp. GF baking powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• large pinch of nutmeg and cardamom
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

For the crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour + 1/8 tsp. Xanthan gum
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup pecans

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter and flour an 8″ round cake tin, shaking out any floury excess. Set aside
- Prepare crumb topping by using fingers to work in the ingredients until you get pea-size crumbles.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the cake (flour + xanthan gum, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg + cardamom)
- In another bowl, blend the egg, yogurt, and canola oil
- Add the wet to dry ingredients and lightly blend (Be sure not to do this step too far in advance of placing the batter in the oven to  bake – the baking powder mixed with the wet ingredients will cause the batter to dry out if it sits too long)
-Stir in the blueberries until mixed through
- Pour batter into cake tin and sprinkle crumb topping over top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool, slice, and serve.

A delicious, gluten-free brunch.  Kate’s another example of a friend who went above and beyond in order to accommodate her GF friends.  Always a treat!  Thank you, thank you.

One of my favorite things about the weekend is the rare opportunity to sit and really enjoy breakfast food.  No need to rush through a bowl of cereal and grab a to-go cup of coffee.  You can sit by yourself, with friends, or loved ones, and simply enjoy the morning and those great breakfast foods that you don’t have time for during the week.  Ahh.  I’m so glad it’s Friday.  Last weekend was so busy, with lacrosse tournaments and a trip to Chapel Hill for our godchild’s baptism, but I’m looking forward to a weekend at home to relax and enjoy leisurely meals.

Looking for a great idea for brunch?  Quiche is a simple recipe that allows you to be creative with the ingredients that go into it.  You can be seasonal, meat heavy, or vegetarian.  A crowd pleaser, and relatively hands-off during the preparation process.  You can even make it ahead of time and simply reheat.

I decided to make my quiche recipe for Easter brunch and it was a big success.  It’s a great recipe for entertaining because you just mix the ingredients together (after some chopping), pour into the pie crust and bake.  No work once the guests arrived.  I use the Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse pie crust since I haven’t yet perfected the made-from-scratch GF crust.

I made two very different quiches, both of which used the same base ingredients:

• 4 quality eggs lightly beaten (Of course I used ‘Amazing Eggs’ from Love is Love Farm.)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup 2% (or whole) milk
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  Whisk the above ingredients together in a bowl.

Bacon & Onion Quiche

This quiche is a meat lover’s favorite!  Cook 5 pieces of bacon in a skillet on medium heat.  I love bacon, but hate cooking it (and consequently smelling like bacon for the rest of the day) so I get my favorite sous chef to cook the bacon.

Once cooked, remove from skillet and place on paper towels.  Cut bacon into small pieces.  In the same skillet, using bacon grease, sauté ½ cup of onions on medium until browned.  Add bacon and onions to egg/cheese/milk.  Mix and pour into pie crust.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until top of quiche starts to get golden brown.

Broccoli & Green Garlic Quiche

I used fresh, spring veggies for this one and it was perfect for a lovely Easter Sunday.  Chop green garlic into thin pieces.  (Don’t use green ends, just white and light green parts.)  Sautee in olive oil for about five minutes.  Chop broccoli into pieces and bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add broccoli to boiling water and heat for 3 minutes.  Quickly remove broccoli from hot water and put into a bowl of ice water.  (This process is called blanching.)  Cut broccoli into smaller pieces so they are bite size.  Add green garlic and broccoli to egg/cheese/milk mixture.  Mix and pour into pie crust.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until top of quiche begins to turn a golden brown.

I love a nice spring salad and fresh fruit as sides when serving quiche for a fancier brunch, such as our Easter luncheon.

Enjoy your weekend!  I hope you find it relaxing, with lots of time to enjoy yummy breakfasts.  What are some of your favorite quiche recipes or brunch favorites?