Chef's Table: Host a Casual Sunday Brunch
Simple, Lowcountry-inspired dishes without the rush
{MENU} Peppered Shrimp & Andouille Scramble Parmesan & Wild Mushroom Baked Grits Country Ham potato pancakes Grandma’s French Toast There’s nothing more relaxing than a lazy day brunch rife with hospitality. But don’t reach for your car keys just yet. Instead of rushing off to the latest “it” spot for Sunday morning comfort food, why not serve up your own version of classic Lowcountry fare? We came up with four quick and easy ideas to get you started.
Peppered Shrimp & Andouille Scramble
- 8 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- Dash of hot sauce
- 1/4 tsp. Cajun seasoning
- 3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed, and roughly chopped
- 2 Tbs. canola or olive oil
- 1 Tbs. black pepper
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup diced and cooked andouille sausage
- 10 slices Texas toast (available in the packaged bread or frozen food section of grocery stores) or 5 English muffins, toasted
Whisk eggs, milk, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning together. Set aside. Toss shrimp in oil and pepper.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook until opaque, about four minutes. Drop in butter, reduce heat to medium and, once butter is melted, pour egg mixture over shrimp, stirring to evenly cook the eggs. Fold in sausage and cook eggs to desired doneness. Serve over Texas toast or English muffin.
Parmesan & Wild Mushroom Baked Grits
- 1/2 lb. assorted wild mushrooms, such as cremini or shiitake, sliced
- 1 Tbs. olive or vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking grits
- 1 cup half-and-half, divided
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a rectangular six-cup baking dish (capacity is often printed on the bottom of the dish, so check if you’re unsure). Sauté mushrooms in oil until soft, about four minutes. Add garlic and thyme and season to taste; cook for an additional minute.
Meanwhile, combine butter, broth, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Whisk in grits and reduce heat. Cook grits over low to medium heat, whisking frequently to prevent scorching. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, add one-half cup of half-and-half. Continue whisking until liquid is absorbed, about three more minutes; add remaining half-and-half. Cook until grits are done, about two minutes more, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat. Fold in the mushrooms and then add the parmesan. Transfer to baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to set for five minutes before serving.
Country Ham potato pancakes
- 4 oz. country ham, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 large russet potato
- 1/8 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. each dry mustard, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Process ham in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Switch blade to grating attachment and pulse potato through feeding tube of processor. Add shredded potato to ham. Toss with flour and seasonings. Stir in egg to coat.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to 1/4 inch and allow to heat up (do not let oil smoke). Using your hands, form firmly packed 1/4-cup mounds of the potato mixture and drop into the oil. Cook in batches of two to four (as much as your skillet allows without crowding the pan) until browned, about three minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or reheat in a single layer in a 400ºF oven for five minutes.
Chef’s note: If you do not have a processor, you can finely chop the ham by hand. A standard box grater will work for shredding potatoes.
Grandma’s French Toast
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 2 ½ Tbs. Grand Marnier
- 1 ¼ Tbs. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1-lb. loaf challah bread, portioned into 1/4" thick slices
- Powdered sugar and maple syrup, if desired
Preheat the oven to 200ºF.
Heat a nonstick skillet or flat griddle pan coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Beat first seven ingredients together in a shallow bowl. Dip one slice of bread at a time, turning to coat and allowing to sit in egg mixture for one minute to absorb. Cook each slice until golden brown, about three minutes per side.
Arrange cooked French toast slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in the oven to keep warm while working on the remaining batches. Serve immediately with powdered sugar and fresh maple syrup.
Chef’s notes: Cooking French toast over too high heat will result in browned bread, but a soggy middle. Cooking at medium heat allows the egg mixture to cook completely in the middle of the bread without burning.
