If you’ve ever hosted a brunch at home, you probably familiar with the pitfalls of over doing it. Cooking all morning, forgetting ingredients, the list can go on. So, here are a few tips to help you host a successful brunch and not miss out on the good times to be had:
1. Prepare the Setting
With brunch, the setting is everything. Small, round tables are great for conversation if your party is small. But you’ll also want to have a nice service area where your entrées can be conveniently located. A wooden sideboard piece is a great solution for this. Extra dining benches can help out a lot with some spillover seating if any of your guests are bringing children along.
Consider your guest list and decide whether you would like one large dining table, two smaller ones, or some other arrangement. Just don’t forget about providing a place for your buffet, and consider special dishware for moving food from one place to another.
2. What to Serve?
No brunch is complete without some kind of interesting egg dish. Consider Huevos Rancheros. It holds up well in the right container, and it’s a hearty and savory dish that everybody loves.
For variety, Dim Sum is a great choice. This traditional Chinese breakfast dish made with steamed rolls can include a range of meats from chicken to pork or beef. It is every bit as savory as Huevos Rancheros, but the combination will impress your guests with your cosmopolitan culinary skills.
To slake their thirst, consider serving mimosas. This sparkling and fruity cocktail is ideal for breakfast and is a great way to start a Saturday. Just remember to offer plain juice as well if children will be in attendance.
3. Timing & Perspective
Set out as much as possible and do as much prep work as you can the night before. The idea of a brunch is to enjoy the company of friends and family while being as involved as your guests. For this, prep, timing, and an accommodating furniture arrangement are especially important. You want the atmosphere to be novel, (not your everyday dining room setup), light, and airy.
