Every month, Foodbuzz.com chooses 24 bloggers from their Featured Publisher network (see that ad in the right column of the screen?) to cook/prepare drinks/organize an event and write a blog post about it in 24 hours on the 24th day of the month. I decided to submit a proposal and I was one of the lucky 24 chosen. What was that proposal, you ask? Brunch. Not only brunch- possibly the best category of meal- but, brunch 2 ways; a traditional version and its modern twist counterpart. Along with two of my dearest friends and business partners, Joy and Rachel, we set out to make 3 courses with 2 versions of each course both paired with drinks. So…3 square(d) brunch.

After a week of rain, every. single. day. in Los Angeles (writing that sentence is even difficult), I woke up to hear birds chirping and to see- wait, what was that?- oh right… sunshine. Hallelujah. I don’t know about you, but a gorgeous day on a weekend screams eggs, toast, crispy pork products and a slight afternoon buzz. With a gaggle of friends and nothing but time, I think you’ve got yourself one perfect brunch. And by one perfect brunch, I mean this one.



For the classics, we decided to tackle potato latke with smoked salmon, french eggs en cocotte and doughnuts. The fun task was deciding how to reinvent these dishes and what “brunch” beverages would best complement all of them side by side.
First course: the latke. To oppose the classic potato latke with smoked salmon, chive and creme fraiche we prepared, Joy cooked up a mean zucchini pancake topped with Rachel’s darjeeling tea poached cod and a cumin creme fraiche. Many people said this was their favorite dish of the day. To pair with this course, I thought some bubbles would be the best way to get the meal going. The one drink almost synonymous with brunch is the mimosa. So, for the classic pairing, I chose an organic Spanish cava mixed with fresh squeezed heirloom orange (and a smidge of blood orange) juice. To go along with the delicious zucchini pancakes, I crafted what I call the limonosa; fresh meyer lemon juice, elderflower soda and one of my favorite proseccos. Really bright, floral and great with the zucchini and fish.


2nd course: eggs! Rachel chose eggs en cocotte for the classic side of the plate. She infused cream with shallots and thyme and added that to individual ramekins with a single egg. The spin on that, was an egg and creamy polenta combo served in a crispy prosciutto cup. Yum. And thus, the time had come for the ultimate brunch beverage: the Bloody Mary. Our standard (but dangerously good) version of the Bloody involved beef broth, celery seed, Cholula and a ton of horseradish among other fine ingredients. The modern twist was born from celery soda inspiration. Rachel had tried Dr. Brown’s Cel-ray soda once upon a time and declared it delicious. So to that, we simply added tomato and lemon juice to create our Bubbly Mary. The vodka used in both Marys was a delightful organic bottling from Minnesota’s Phillips Distilling. Fantastic label!



3rd course: the sweet stuff! Joy put her outstanding baking skills to use and whipped up some mighty fine doughnuts. Doughnut holes, really, and when something is in bite-size form doesn’t that make it 10 times more face stuff-able and scrumptious? Yes, I agree. She made a traditional cinnamon sugar and a spiced sweet potato covered in powdered sugar. To pair with those delectable bites and to end the meal- coffee. Rachel “cooked” up some cold brew the night before steeping coffee grinds, cacao nibs and cardamom in water. It was filtered, blended with a touch of almond milk and put over ice. To accompany the sweet potato doughnuts, Joy made a hot chocolate of sorts infused with cinnamon and red chilies. Add a few pulls of espresso and some cream and you have yourself one hell of a drink. Most everyone at the table asked for seconds.



All in all, a seriously delightful day. I hope it inspires you to craft up your very own brunch extravaganza. For all of the drink recipes, see below. Cheers!
*A giant thank you to Molly and Tyler for letting us take over their lovely home (and de-luxe kitchen!) And to all of our friends who came out to share a beautiful day of delicious food & drink with us: Katie, Abel, Soledad, Cris, Adam and Asher…and last but not least, our brunch mascot Willy.
Recipes
Each recipe makes roughly 6 servings
Mimosa
Pretty straightforward…
- Juice 8 medium-large oranges. I threw a blood orange into the mix. Get crazy and mix in half ruby red grapefruit, pomelo or tangerine.
- In each glass add 2 parts juice to 1 part sparkling wine. I used Barcino cava ($14 at Silverlake Wine)
- Garnish with citrus- mini kishus or Cutie clementines are fun.
Limonosa
- Juice 4 meyer lemons (meyer lemons are less tart than standard lemons)
- To each glass add 1 part lemon juice, 1 part Sweet Blossom elderflower soda and 2 parts sparkling wine. I used Sommariva prosecco ($14.75 at Silverlake Wine). Prosecco is a good one to use here because it naturally has really nice floral aromatics and a light lemony taste.
- Finish with a meyer lemon twist dropped into the glass
Bloody Mary by Rachel
- Base: 3 cups beef broth, 1 full container (3 cups) Pomi brand strained tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp worcestershire, 2 Tbsp horseradish, 1 1/2 tsp celery seed, 3 tsp each of salt and black pepper, Cholula or Tapatio (or your fav.) hot sauce to taste.
- 1 oz. vodka per glass
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon and garnish with celery (and pickled okra- Rachel is a big fan)
Bubbly Mary by Rachel
- Base: 2/3 container of Pomi strained tomatoes, 2 cups water
- Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray celery soda (add to taste to each glass)
- 1 oz vodka per glass
- a squeeze of lemon juice in each glass over ice
Cold-Brewed Cacao Nib Coffee by Rachel
In a pitcher or jar add:
- 1 1/2 cups coffee grinds
- 5 cups water
- 1/2 cup cacao nibs
- 5 lightly crushed cardamom pods
- 2 Tbsp vanilla sugar (or any sugar you like)
Let it sit covered for at least 12 hours up to 24. Filter it twice by placing a coffee filter in a funnel over a clean jar and pouring the mixture through. Pour the strained liquid through the same filter and grinds a second time to fully extract flavor and remove any unwanted extra bits left in the coffee.
Add almond milk to taste and serve over ice
Mexican Chocolate Coffee by Joy
(made 8 espresso sized cups, with everyone getting seconds)
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 dried red chili
- 2 ounces 70% dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup freshly brewed espresso or strong coffee


#1 by Molly on January 24th, 2010
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Your pictures are beautiful and I am so happy to have all the drink recipes. That Limonosa…mmmm!
#2 by Joy the Baker on January 24th, 2010
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beautiful! beautiful!! what fun we had! i see many many brunches in our future!
#3 by Joan Nova on January 25th, 2010
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I’d be happy with either side of that menu from start to finish. Both sides is nirvana. Very nice. Congrats!
#4 by Shelley (Pink House) on January 25th, 2010
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Very nice photos! I liked your idea too. I think the drinks add an interesting twist!
#5 by my little apartment on January 26th, 2010
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whit, you’re making me wanna move back to Los Angeles!!
#6 by The Duo Dishes on January 26th, 2010
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A good brunch (a good homemade brunch) is hard to pass up. Your spread is great!
#7 by Marika Josephson on January 28th, 2010
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That coffee looks amazing. I may even try it this weekend! How fun that you were able to get a Minnesota vodka. Illinois is close, I’m going to see if I can find it on our shelves. Cheers–great idea for a 24!
#8 by whitney on January 29th, 2010
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Thanks Marika! Yes, the vodka is great. I actually found it (on sale!) at Ralph’s- one of our big chain groceries out here. So, I get the feeling that is fairly available and well distributed.
#9 by Lori Lynn on February 1st, 2010
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Sounds fabulous, the photos are very artsy.
Congrats on a unique 24! Sorry it took me so long to get here.
Lori Lynn
#10 by Lori Lynn on February 1st, 2010
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Oh, and we had “crispy pork products” at our 24 too!
LL
#11 by Claudia on February 2nd, 2010
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And when is your next brunch? One of my favorite meals and you outdid yourselves in the sweet, savory and heavenly department.
#12 by whitney on February 2nd, 2010
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send an email to onthelambfb@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list for info on the next brunch. coming the end of this month!
#13 by Design Fixation on February 22nd, 2010
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Prairie Organic Vodka is everywhere I look! I was planning on featuring it in my blog this week… glad to know you give it the stamp of approval.
And thanks for the recipes – I’m drooling on my desk.
#14 by Laurie on February 28th, 2010
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Beautiful pictures AND I am a HUGE Brunello fan. Lived in Italy and made wine in the Piemonte (Barbera, Dolcetto, and Barolo)
Cheers!