A toast to holiday brunch
In my house, the anticipation of Christmas morning isn’t entirely focused on the presents under the tree — or at least not for me and my wife.
Other than the sheer enjoyment of watching the kids open their gifts, my highlight is Christmas brunch which is a tradition inherited from my parents that I have shared with my family. Despite the multiple decades that have passed since my first Christmas brunch the timeline and key ingredients are remarkably similar.
At heart of the meal are bagels and lox. There is an undeniably unique fragrance of Montrealstyle bagels.
I swear I can still smell the Montreal-style bagels my aunt Mary Lynn brought over every Christmas morning when I was kid.
Good bagels still are the foundation of our brunch, as is local cold smoked salmon such as Willy Krauch & Son’s and
St. Mary’s River brands.
Brunch in my house consists of a platter of bagels, smoked salmon, finely sliced red onion and capers accompanied by a glass of bubbly — see our sidebar on sparkling wine picks for the holiday season — and scrambled eggs but you can put your own twist on meal with our recipes for potato pancakes with smoked salmon and chive scrambled eggs, green onion pancakes with smoked salmon or for a more substantial offering considering serving our sausage strata.
After brunch simply set out a board of locally cured meats and cheeses and you have grazing fare that is sure to satisfy everyone until the turkey comes out of
the oven.
Potato Pancakes, Smoked Salmon and Chive Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients ( potato pancakes): 3 lb potatoes, peeled
1⁄ cup onion, diced
4
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup olive oil
Ingredients (scrambled eggs):
12 eggs, whisked
1⁄ cup cheddar, grated
4
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
2 tablespoons butter
500 grams cold smoked salmon
Chives, chopped
Directions: Grate potatoes and add to colander. Rinse in water for one to two minutes and then allow to drain. Place grated potatoes and onion on kitchen towel. Wring to drain excess liquid. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and mix with egg, salt and pepper. Heat oil in non-stick pan. Add 2 tablespoons of potato mixture to pan. Working in batches of 3-4 latkes at a time cook latkes until underside is browned (approximately 5 minutes) turn and cook for another five minutes. Continue until the potato mixture is finished. Keep in a warm area until ready to serve.
Make the scrambled eggs by whisking the eggs and cheese together. Season with salt and pepper. Add butter and eggs to a non-stick pan set to medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. When the eggs are fluffy but still moist removed from heat.
To serve top potato pancakes with scrambled eggs, a couple slices of smoked salmon and garnish with chopped chives.
As an option, serve accompanied with a chive crème fraîche.
Green Onion Pancakes with Smoked Salmon
Ingredients ( pancakes):
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄ tsp salt
2
3 cups water
3 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced Pinch pepper
Vegetable oil
Ingredients (toppings):
1⁄ red onion, skin removed,
2 thinly sliced
375 grams cold smoked salmon
1 cup sour cream
1⁄ cup chopped chives
8
Directions: Combine all the batter ingredients and mix thor-
oughly. The mixture should have the consistency of a light pancake batter. Adjust the amount of water as needed. Add two tablespoons vegetable oil to a non-stick frying pan. Place over medium heat. Fry pancakes in batches. Serve the pancakes on a platter accompanied with smoked salmon and individual bowls of sour cream, red onion and chopped chives.
Sausage Strata
6 large eggs
2 1⁄ cups milk
2
1⁄ cup whipping cream
2 1⁄ cup grated Parmesan
2
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1⁄ tsp salt
2
1 lb mild Italian sausages, casings removed
1 large red pepper, halved, roughly chopped
1 large loaf rustic French bread, cut in 1⁄2- inch thick slices 2 cups grated Gouda Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 13-x-9-inch baking dish. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, Parmesan, oregano and salt and set aside. Place sausage and peppers in a frying pan over mediumhigh heat. Sauté until the sausage is cooked through. Use a wooden spoon or fork to break up sausage. Add half the bread to the baking