Backyard Brunch

So I may have gone a little overboard…Tailgate Roast Beef Rolls, Praline Brunch Toast,  and Good Morning Pastry Pocket = best backyard brunch ever! Seriously, though. This was totally worth the effort and so lovely to enjoy with friends on a leisurely Sunday with a nice breeze coming off the lake.

A bit of pre-planning is necessary when trying to pull off 3 recipes for one meal. This was my game plan:

–              Praline Brunch Toast (cooks for 30 mins at 350, I started this first)

–              Tailgate Roast Beef rolls (pop these in the last 10 mins of cooking the Praline Brunch Toast)

–              Good Morning Pastry Pocket (crank the oven to 400 after cooking the toast and rolls and cook this last for about 30 mins)

Recipes

Tailgate Roast Beef Rolls

Pg. 33 Life of the Party

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix (used Spicy Ranch mix for a nice substitute)

½ cup chopped green onions

1 (24-count) package small dinner rolls

1 to 2 pounds Cajun roast beef

12 slices Swiss cheese (used provolone since I had it on hand)

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Combine the cream cheese, ranch dressing mix and green onions in a small bowl and mix well. Remove rolls from the package. Slice the rolls horizontally; remove the top of the rolls in one price. Spread the mixture on the cut side of both layers. Layer the roast bread and Swiss cheese slices on the bottom layer. Cover with the top layer of rolls; brush with the melted butter. Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Slice into 24 small rolls. Serve warm.

Praline Brunch Toast

Pg. 72 Life of the Party

8 eggs

1 ½ cups half-and-half

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 thick slices sourdough bread (substituted the honey-wheat sliced bread I had on-hand)

½ cup (1 stick) butter

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup maple syrup

¾ cup chopped pecans (substituted almonds)

Beat the eggs and half-and-half in a small bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon brown sugar and vanilla. Pour ½ of the egg mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Arrange the bread slices in the dish, trimming crusts to fit if necessary. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread. Chill, covered, for several hours or overnight.

Melt the butter in another 9×13-inch baking dish. Stir in ¾ cup brown sugar and the syrup. Sprinkle the pecans over the bottom. Place the egg-soaked bread slices carefully on top of the pecans with a spatula. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until the bread is light brown and puffed.

To serve, invert the toast onto plates and spoon pecans from the bottom of the dish over the toast.

Good Morning Pastry Pocket

Pg. 97 Life of the Party

½ roll of hot bulk pork sausage

½ medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

6 eggs, beaten

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown the sausage in a skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain. Spoon the cooked sausage into a large bowl. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until tender. Spoon the onion into the bowl with the sausage. Melt the butter in the skillet and add the eggs. Scramble the eggs until cooked through and spoon into the bowl. Mix well and let cool. The egg mixture may be prepared 1 day in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to prepare the pastry.

Roll the thawed pastry out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add the Cheddar cheese to the egg mixture and mix well. Spoon the filling lengthwise down the center of the pastry. Fold in the sides to cover the filling and seal the ends with a middle seam. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cut into slices and serve.

Recipe notes:

My biggest cheat was with the Praline Brunch Toast. Rather than chilling the bread in the egg mixture for several hours or overnight, I skipped right to the second step. Spread the melted butter, brown sugar, syrup and almonds on the bottom of the baking dish (yum), arrange the bread (cut into triangles) on top of the sugary, almond goodness and pour the egg mixture over top.