Say good morning to 2022 in style with these delicious brunch ideas. There is no better time to try out new delicacies than now – brunch will never be the same after trying these!
CRUMPET STACK
Prep time: 35 min | Cook time: 20 min | Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 cups flour
cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
cup melted butter, plus extra for frying
2 eggs
cup chopped dill
2 cups mascarpone
200 g smoked salmon
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Method
1. In a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together milk, butter and eggs.
2. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and mix. Add the dill. Mix well, until most lumps are gone.
3. Heat a small pan over medium heat and brush generously with melted butter. Pour in 2–3 tbsp batter, to make a crumpet about 15 cm in diameter. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes. As soon as bubbles start to form on the surface of the crumpet, flip it. Cook for 1 minute, until golden brown on both sides. Leave crumpets to cool.
4. Spread each crumpet with 3 tbsp mascarpone and cover with the smoked salmon and remaining dill.
5. Stack the crumpets on top of each other, generously adding more mascarpone, salmon and dill to the top. Serve with lemon wedges.
SPARKLING COCKTAILS WITH CAMOMILE AND BERRIES
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 20 min | Serves: 6
Ingredients
For the chamomile syrup
3 camomile tea bags
2 cups boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp lemon zest
For the cocktail
cup camomile syrup
1 L sparkling wine, chilled
cup berries of your choice
Method
For the camomile syrup
1. Add all the ingredients in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 4–5 minutes.
2. Drain tea bags of any liquid and discard.
3. Allow the camomile liquid to boil until reduced and a syrup has formed. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
For the cocktail
1. Place 2–3 tsp camomile syrup into bubbly glasses. Top up with sparkling wine and mix gently. Drop in berries of your choice, and serve.
POACHED PLUMS AND GRANOLA
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 hr 5 min
Serves: 4–6
Ingredients
For the poached plums
2 cups sparkling wine
1 cup water
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sugar
1 star anise
2 cardamom pods, crushed
Zest of 1 lemon
12 fresh plums, halved
For the granola cookie crunch
2 cups rolled oats
cup pecan nuts
cup pumpkin seeds
cup dried cranberries
cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla essence
cup + 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
For the sweet cream cheese
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
cup icing sugar, sifted
2 cups plain yoghurt
To serve
cup blueberries
3 tbsp honey
Method
For the poached plums
1. Add all the ingredients together in a saucepan over a medium-high heat.
2. Bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until soft.
3. Remove the plums using a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
4. Return the liquid to the stove and simmer for 10 minutes, until syrupy.
For the granola cookie crunch
1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Add all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse 5–6 times until fully incorporated.
3. Remove mixture from the food processor and pour onto a baking tray. Spread mixture and press down to compact it together. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, break up the sheet of granola into bite-sized chunks.
For the sweet cream cheese
1. Mix the cream cheese, vanilla essence and icing sugar together in a bowl until combined. Whisk in cup of plain yoghurt at a time, until smooth and well combined.
2. Serve with the poached plums, granola cookie crunch, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of blueberries.
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