Tasia Malakasis and Beverly Farrington’s menu for Sunday Brunch shows the best of Southern food: inviting, simple, traditional in spirit, and contemporary in flavor. (Wait till you try the combination of roasted beets and watermelon!)
Much of this menu can be accomplished the day before the party:
We’ve organized a shopping list to make shopping for this brunch menu easier for you. Package sizes are included so you have enough for duplicated recipe ingredients.
For appetizers, Tasia and Beverly serve a charcuterie platter of sliced duck and venison sausages, olives, sliced French bread and crackers, and a selection of Tasia’s Belle Chèvre cheeses. Go to bellechevre.com to purchase Belle Chèvre cheeses online or to find a local retailer.
Go to prichardsdistillery.com to find Sweet Lucy Bourbon Liqueur, and bentonscountryhams2.com to find Beverly’s favorite ham and bacon.
Check your pantry for these necessary items before shopping:
Sweet Lucy Bourbon Liqueur from Prichard’s Distillery gives this sweet-tea cocktail its kick. You’ll find hints of peach, apricot, and orange in this liqueur. Sweet Lucy has a long tradition in the South of keeping duck hunters warm on long, chilly mornings spent in a duck blind. “I’m going hunting with my Sweet Lucy” is a popular expression. Find Sweet Lucy liqueur here.
In large saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Remove from heat; add 4 black tea bags. Steep 8 minutes; discard tea bags. Add 2 cups cold water and sugar; stir to dissolve sugar.
Transfer to pitcher and chill. Add 1 cup fresh mint leaves. Using wooden spoon, crush mint until fragrant. Stir in Sweet Lucy Bourbon Liqueur, and lemon and lime juices. Serve over ice. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs pushed through center of lemon slices. Makes 1 pitcher (about 6 servings).
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In large saucepan combine blueberries, grape juice, cinnamon, and sugar. Bring to boil over medium heat. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
In small bowl combine cornstarch, cardamom, and 1/2 cup water. Stir cornstarch mixture into soup. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Remove soup from heat; transfer to bowl. Cool. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Before serving, stir in lemon juice. Remove cinnamon sticks. Season to taste with salt. Garnish with crème fraîche. Makes 12 to 14 servings (about 1/2 cup per serving).
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Find Tasia’s Belle Chèvre goat cheese here. The strata should be assembled the night before serving. Double the recipe and prepare two stratas if you’re expecting a large crowd.
Seed tomatoes. Sprinkle slices with 1 teaspoon salt; place in large colander to drain, about 30 minutes. Remove from colander; pat tomatoes dry with paper toweling.
Meanwhile grease 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange half of bread slices in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with half of cheeses and chives. Add another layer of bread; cover with remaining cheeses and chives. Arrange tomato slices on top.
In large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, mustard, remaining salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour mixture over bread and cheese layers. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven 350°F. Remove strata from refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes. Bake strata, uncovered, until golden and fluffy and knife inserted comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with basil. Makes 12 servings.
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Tear or cut beet tops from beets, leaving about 1-inch of stalk attached. Wash and thoroughly dry beets.
Place beets in shallow baking pan, keeping red and yellow separate. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil; sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Cover with aluminum foil; roast about 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with knife. Remove from oven; let cool 15 minutes or until easy to handle.
Slip skins off beets by hand and cut beets into wedges. Toss golden beets with 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil to coat. Toss red beets with 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil to coat. Toss watermelon cubes with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
In small bowl whisk together remaining olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. In separate large bowl, toss greens with olive oil mixture. To serve, place greens on large platter. Arrange watermelon mixture, yellow beets, red beets, and goat cheese in rows over greens. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
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Beverly uses Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Smoked Bacon for this recipe and Benton’s Smoked Ham for her Ham and Biscuit Sandwiches. In business since 1947, Benton’s has a certain celebrity status for preserving old-fashioned techniques of smoking and curing. Find it here.
Wash collard greens thoroughly in cold water; drain well. Remove and discard stems; trim bruised leaves. Tear leaves to measure 18 cups, lightly packed; set aside.
In 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven bring salted water to boil. Add collard greens; return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain.
In large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon; drain on paper towels. Chop bacon; set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add onion to skillet; cook in reserved drippings 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more. Add collard greens, bacon, and red pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Season to taste with salt. Makes 12 to 14 servings.
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This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 5th Edition.
Preheat oven to 450°F. In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add milk all at once. Using a fork, stir just until mixture is moistened.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it four to six strokes or just until dough holds together. Pat dough until 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough with a 2-inch biscuit cutter; rerolling scraps as necessary.
Place dough circles 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheets. When just cooled, split biscuits. Stuff biscuits with ham and dollop of marmalade. Makes about 14 sandwiches.
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In medium saucepan, bring whipping cream and milk just to boil over medium heat.
In small mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. Slowly whisk half of hot cream into egg mixture. Pour egg mixture into whipping cream mixture. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more, or until mixture coats back of metal spoon. Remove from heat.
In small bowl stir together corn syrup and goat cheese. Whisk into cream mixture until smooth. Quickly cool mixture by placing saucepan in sink filled with ice water for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer to bowl; cover, chill thoroughly.
Freeze mixture in 1-1/2 to 2-quart ice-cream freezer according to manufacturer's directions. Keep frozen until ready to use. Garnish with mint. Makes about 1 quart.
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In small bowl combine flour and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed 1 minute. Add sugar. Beat until combined. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in as much flour mixture as you can with mixer. Stir in any remaining flour mixture. Cover and chill dough one hour or until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. On lightly floured surface roll out dough half at a time to 1/4 inch thickness. Using 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut into rounds. Place on prepared baking sheets and refrigerate 15 minutes (this will ensure cookies maintain shape through baking). Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookie edges are very lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.
Place white chocolate in top of double boiler. Place over boiling water (upper pan should not touch water.). Cook and stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Add red food coloring, a few drops at a time, until mixture is desired color. Dip cookies halfway into melted chocolate; place on parchment lined baking sheets. Place baking sheets in refrigerator 10 minutes, or until chocolate has hardened. Makes about 40 (2-inch) cookies.
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