ICE Entertaining: Brunch

For some, it is the perfect meal for when you roll of bed at noon after a night out. For others, it is a meal that is late enough in the day for friends from across the boroughs to commute to their favorite spot. The list of reasons we love brunch goes on and on. What it all comes down to is that brunch is both a fantastic culmination of all your favorite foods from across two meals, and a great excuse to gather with friends. In the ICE recreational class “ICE Entertaining: Brunch,” we learned not only more than a dozen easy and delicious recipes, but also got the break down of how to be the perfect hostess of your very own brunch.

The Perfect Poach: What’s the secret to getting the perfectly poached egg? Vinegar! Putting vinegar in the boiling water helps the proteins coagulate to make the perfect round poach!

The Root End is your Friend: When dicing an onion you should keep the root intact to prevent the pieces from getting away from you. First slice off the tip and slice the onion in half, lay the onion flat on the cutting board to prevent slipping. From there make slices on three different planes: cut into it straight down lengthwise, then parallel to the cutting board like you’re cutting a roll, and finally crosswise from the farthest end to the root-end.

Get Ahead! Many dishes can be prepared ahead of time, saving you a lot of time on the morning (or in my case mid-afternoon) of your brunch. For example, the dough for quiches can by made and frozen weeks ahead of time and even poached eggs can be kept in cold water in the refrigerator and re-heated on the stove!

Flip so it won’t Flop! For a sure-fire way to keep a frittata from breaking, all you need is a cutting board! Rather than trying to pry the frittata out of the pan, put the cutting board over the pan (firmly against the rim) and flip them together. When you lift the pan off the frittata will be in one piece, but upside down! The next step is to just put the serving plate upside down on top of the frittata and flip again! Voila!

Mix and Match Ingredients Part of what’s so great about brunch is that it was born of leftovers! Anything in the fridge or pantry is fair game to be thrown into omelets, frittatas or even scones. My Dad is famous for “don’t ask what’s in it” omelets and they are delicious. Entertaining guests for brunch can be as easy as following some of these tips. If you want to host your own brunch, there’s another class coming this fall!