Saturday Brunch

As I mentioned yesterday, I hosted a brunch at my house last Saturday for a few friends and their spouses. My friend, Emmylou, and I organized it on the fly and divided up the food responsibilities. I was very happy with how easily everything came together. The weather was perfect--slightly cloudy with a warm breeze--and there was plenty of food. Even when our guest-list doubled at the last minute (for some reason, I hadn't planned on spouses coming...I'm lame, I know).

The great thing about hosting a party at my parents' house is having access to all of the supplies they have on hand. Personally, I don't have two nice picnic tables sitting out in my front yard. Nor do I have a closet full of every table cloth imaginable, though I'm working on it.

The morning of the brunch I ran in to our local grocery store for some flowers. I wanted something simple, pretty, and colorful, and the bouquets of flowers I found were all of those things + cheap. I figured that if I wandered around my mom's house long enough I could find a decent amount of small vases and jars. I was right. I guarantee I could not scrounge up this number of vases from my own house, no matter how long I wandered around. The table turned out exactly the way I imagined it in my head. I really do have an internal obsession with white + bright colors.

I didn't take a picture of the food because we were busy gobbling it up and chatting. But I am going to share the recipe with you because I know you're going to love it. This French Toast is fan-freakin'-tastic and works great for a crowd. Top it with some buttermilk syrup and you're hard pressed to get me to admit that I'm going to eat anything other than this for the rest of my life. Enjoy.

Creme Brulee French Toast

Courtesy of: Jessica

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and prepare caramel sauce:

1/4 C. Butter

1/2 C. Brown Sugar

2 T. Corn Syrup

Melt over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Spread caramel evenly over jelly roll pan.

Cut a loaf of French bread into 1" slices (you can also use Texas toast) and put in pan on top of caramel. Try to cover the pan as completely as possible.

Custard:

5 Eggs

1 1/2 C. Half & Half

1/4 t. Salt

1 t. Vanilla

Whisk custard until smooth. Spoon or pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Flip caramel side up and serve.

Buttermilk Syrup:

1/2 C. Butter

1 C. Sugar

1/2 C. Buttermilk

Bring to boil over medium heat, then add:

1 t. Vanilla

1 t. Baking Soda

(it will froth and foam)