The story below is from our March/April 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Photos By Ashley Cuoco
Is there anything better than a delicious brunch with friends and family?
Spring is the perfect time for a special brunch. Easter, Mother’s Day, weddings and baby showers are special spring occasions that are celebrated with brunch. Make your celebrations extra fancy with these tasty treats!
Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Spread
Makes 1 ½ cups
- 3.75 ounces (1/2 of a 7.5-ounce tub) chive and onion cream cheese spread
- 4 ounce package smoked salmon
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons prepared horseradish
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 teaspoons non-pereil capers
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
- ¾ tablespoon Stone Spice Company Everything Sprinkle
- Fresh dill sprigs for garnish
- Route 11 (made in Virginia) potato chips and/or bagel chips for serving
Place chive and onion cream cheese spread in a mixing bowl. Chop smoked salmon into very small pieces. Add smoked salmon pieces to cream cheese and mix to combine. Add lemon juice, horseradish, sour cream, capers, pepper, salt and dill. Mix to combine all ingredients. Place spread into a serving dish (a flat dish is preferred to distribute the Everything Sprinkle seasoning on top of the spread). Sprinkle spread with Everything Sprinkle seasoning evenly over the spread. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs. Cover and chill until service. Serve with potato chips or bagel chips.
Mini Sausage Egg Soufflé Cups
Makes 24
- 1 pound hot Italian Sausage
- Vegetable spray
- 6 Pillsbury Grands biscuits
- 6 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup grated Velveeta cheese (purchase grated cheese in the refrigerator case at the grocery)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Junno’s Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Spray a cutting board lightly with vegetable spray. Place biscuits side by side on the cutting board and roll out with a rolling pin to form a 6-inch x 4-inch square. Cut the biscuit dough into 24 circles using a 2 1/8” round cookie cutter.
Lightly spray a 24-mini muffin size muffin tin (or 2 – 12 tin) with vegetable spray. Press a biscuit dough circle into each muffin cup.
Swirl ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard over bottom of each dough circle using the back of a small spoon.
Brown and crumble Italian sausage. Drain fat off sausage. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add eggs, Velveeta and Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper to sausage. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
Fill biscuit dough lined muffin cups with sausage mixture. The muffin cups will be very full.
Place muffin tin on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove sausage egg soufflés from muffin tin with a spoon and place on serving dish. Serve while still slightly warm.
Lemon Lavender Mimosa
Makes one cocktail
- ½ ounce lemon lavender simple syrup
- 1 lemon lavender Storied Goods sugar cube
- 6 drops Strongwater lavender bitters
- Champagne
- Lemon peel twist for garnish
Lemon Lavender Simple Syrup:
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ tablespoons culinary lavender
Place lemon juice, water and sugar in a saucepan. Stir to combine. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the mixture begins to boil and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add culinary lavender. Stir. Allow to steep for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh strainer into a mason jar. Discard lavender. Cover mason jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make cocktail: Place lavender simple syrup in a champagne flute. Add sugar cube and lavender bitters and stir. Fill flute with champagne. Garnish with lemon peel twist.
Chantilly Cake
- 1 (14.25 ounce) box Betty Crocker Super Moist White Cake Mix
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour 2 – 9” cake pans. Place cake mix, water, vegetable oil and eggs in mixing bowl. Mix with electric mixer on medium speed until all ingredients are combined. Pour cake batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cakes to completely cool in pans on a wire rack.
Berry filling:
- ½ cup seedless raspberry jam
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ pound fresh strawberries
- 4 ounces fresh raspberries
- 4 ounces fresh blueberries
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Place the jam and water in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave 15 to 30 seconds or until warmed. Stir until combined.
Hull and thinly slice the strawberries. Place in bowl with the raspberries and blueberries. Toss with lemon juice and zest.
Chantilly Cream:
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
- 1 (8 ounce) package crème fraiche
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1½ teaspoons almond extract
In a large bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and crème fraiche. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar a few spoonfuls at a time, beating on low speed until combined. Once the sugar is fully incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and increase speed to medium. Beat until fluffy, about 30 seconds.
(Sifting the powdered sugar will help avoid lumps in the mixture.)
In another large mixing bowl, beat the cream and almond extract on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
To assemble the cake: Remove cake layers from pan and place on a cutting board. Carefully cut each cake layer in half horizontally, creating 4 thin round layers.
Place one layer, cut-side up on a cake plate. Spread one-third of the raspberry jam on the cake in a very thin layer. Top with about ¾ cup of Chantilly cream. Sprinkle one-third of the berries over the cream.
Top with another cake layer, and gently press down. Repeat the layers to create 3 total layers.
Thinly spread about 1 cup of Chantilly cream over the top and sides of the cake. Place the remaining cream in a piping bag and decorate around the outer edge of the top of the cake with cream rosettes. Garnish with fresh berries. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Stone Spice Company Everything Sprinkle is available at Dilly Dally in Salem, VA or online.
Route 11 potato chips are available at Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op.
Junno’s Worchestershire sauce is available at Wine Gourmet.
Storied Goods sugar cubes are available at Wine Gourmet and Crystal Spring Grocery and online.
Strongwater bitters are available at Wine Gourmet and Ladles and Linens.
Culinary lavender can be found at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op.
The story above is from our March/April 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
