sunday morning brunch : who says gourmet can't be easy

seasonal sundays

sundays in july mean early wake ups, iced coffee, windows down-music up drives to the beach.  and sundays in the fall are best spent in newport day drinking and watching soccer in the pubs.  but providence during the winter usually amounts to reading in bed and netflix watch instantly on our tv, and, weather permitting, a 'quick' trip to bristol for a quick consignment fix.  but those activities cannot happen without a nourishing sunday morning brunch.

after a rough night of drinking and too little sleep, it is rare that i am up for making serious brunch (read: crab cake eggs benedict or brioche french toast).  so, i've tried to keep things simple this winter with creative hashes that use up my leftover potatoes and egg scrambles that incorporate bits of cheese leftover from the past week's meals.  this past sunday i found myself with too few eggs for a proper scramble and not nearly enough cheese to make said scramble interesting.  i did have all the fixins for pancakes, an overly ripe banana, and some berries that were a couple days past their prime.  and i hate to admit this, but i've found myself keeping bacon on hand these days.  so i had that too.

rather than placing the strawberries and blueberries directly into the pancakes, i chose to make a berry compote.  after placing the berries over low heat, i added a few tablespoons of sugar and some lemon juice, making sure to mash a few berries in the process.  after about 15 minutes this mixture turns into a syrupy, sweet, delicious sauce with just a hint of citrus, that is perfect for topping off pancakes, french toast or oatmeal.  in my opinion, this is best served over wheat germ pancakes (the wheat germ adds an amazing crunch), with a side of bacon, and a glass of milk and orange juice.

sunday brunch should always be gourmet, but it doesn't have to be complicated.  berry compote is an excellent way to jazz up more traditional breakfast items, and it is quick too!  in fact, the compote takes about the same time as the bacon.  which, by the way, should ALWAYS be baked!  place bacon on a tinfoil-lined cookie sheet and cook at 400 degrees for about 13-15 minutes.  you'll never reach for your cast iron pan again and lets face it: draining bacon grease from a 15 pound skillet can be challenging with or without a hangover.

hope everyone had a wonderful sunday.
-s-