Easter Brunch

Easter Brunch at the Schwartz' Home

Eggs Benedict traditional or on crab cakes with Hollandaise Sauce
O'Brian Potatoes
Stuffed French Toast, with homemade strawberry syrup
Fruit Salad

Pineapple Cupcakes with Buttermilk Frosting

This year I decided to have brunch instead of our traditional Easter dinner. Several of these recipes can be made ahead of time which helps a great deal. Everything tasted wonderful but I will confess that I will not do Eggs Benedict again for a crowd. It's too hard to get everything cooked and together and served hot. The Hollandaise sauce needs to be made last. I made mine a little earlier and the recipe said to keep it warm and I did but, it became to thick and was almost ruined. Some of my family likes crab and others wanted traditional. I wanted to do both and see what I liked the best. I liked them both. I also poached my eggs in water with a little vinegar (my first time) they turned out fine. Since it was my first time for this I was a little stressed not knowing what to expect.

These potatoes are great.....very hearty. I used new potatoes and cooked them semi tender on Saturday. Cut them in chunks, put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and stored in frig until Sunday morning. Make sure potatoes are completely cooled before covering and storing them in frig.

I always get up around 5:00 am so I put the stuffed french toast together Sunday morning and it needs to set about 8 hours before cooking. Let the cream cheese set at room temperature and soften. It makes it a lot easier to spread on the bread. I made the strawberry syrup on Saturday. It just needs to be reheated before serving.

My sister brought the fruit salad and I made the cupcakes on Saturday which was very easy. The cupcakes is a new recipe I got from the current Southern Living. They are very moist and a wonderful cupcake. I love pineapple and these have a wonderful pineapple filling in the center. You could also decorate these with edible flowers or the jelly bean decor would be cute for spring luncheons or any occasion during the spring.

My table decorations are very simple. I used what I had at hand. I made a three tier stand out of a crystal platter and 2 crystal cake stands. I put my cupcakes on the three tier stand and that became my centerpiece. I have some small vases that I filled with several roses from my garden and the other vase had blooms from my snowball bush. It was simple but nice.

Eggs Benedict on Crab Cakes

My crab cake recipe is on my blog under 2011. You simply soft boil your eggs by filling a large pan half full of water and putting in 1 tablespoons of vinegar. Let the water come to a boil drop two or three eggs into the water carefully. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook 2 to 3 eggs at a time. When the eggs has cooked which should take about 3 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove it and place it on top of your cooked crab cake. Put one ladle of Hollandase sauce over the egg and garnish with chopped parsley.

Instead of a crab cake you can warm an English muffin in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Take a piece of Canadian Bacon and warm both sides of it in a skillet. About 3 minutes on both sides. Then place the bacon on the English muffin, then your egg on the bacon, one ladle of Hollandase sauce over the egg and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

O'Brian Potatoes

8 new red potatoes
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until slightly tender. Pour off water and let cool. Then dice potatoes. Add red pepper, green pepper and onion that has been diced. Cook in a large skillet that has about 1/4 cup of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. When butter has melted pour all ingredients into skillet and add salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes and vegetables are tender. Trying not to stir too often.

Stuffed French Toast

This is really good and rich.
1 large loaf of French bread, cut into 18 slices
1-8 ounce cream cheese, softened
12 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Take one slice of bread and spread about about 1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese on bread. Put slice of bread in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Then place a slice of bread over the bread with cream cheese. After all slices over covered. Then whisk the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla together and pour over the bread. Chill for 8 hours. Before baking let the bread stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, covering loosely with foil after 30 minutes. Makes 9 servings.

Strawberry Syrup

I use this syrup for pancakes in the summer as well and with pancakes I put a huge dollop of whipping cream in the middle.
2 packages frozen whole strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
Place 1 1/2 packages of thawed strawberries and water in blender and puree. Remove from blender and pour into sauce pan and add sugar. The other half of the strawberries are sliced and placed in sauce pan also and heated with 1 cup of sugar.
Put several ladles over french toast. You can also use maple syrup or your favorite syrup over this french toast if you prefer.

Pineapple Cupcakes with Buttermilk Frosting

24 paper baking cups
vegetable cooking spray
3 large eggs
1-8oz. container sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup cream of coconut
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package white cake mix

Preheat oven to 325. Place baking cups in muffin pans and lightly coat with cooking spray.
Beat eggs at medium speed with mixer for 2 minutes. Add sour cream and next 3 ingredients, beating well after each addition. Add cake mix and beat at low speed until blended. Spoon batter into prepared cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 325 for 25 to 27 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove pans to wire racks and let cool completely. About 45 minutes.

Scoop out centers of cupcakes using a 1 inch melon baller and leaving a 1/2 inch border around edges. Discard centers for another use. Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of Pineapple filling into each cupcake. Spread with Buttermilk cream cheese frosting.

Pineapple filling
2-8oz cans crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir together first 3 ingredients in saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring often about 5 minutes or until a pudding like thickness. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Pour mixture in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap letting plastic wrap touch the top of pudding to prevent film from forming.

Buttermilk Frosting
1-8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-16 oz package powdered sugar
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy. Add powdered sugar alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until blended.