Let’s Do Brunch! So said Sue and I in suggesting this month’s Wine Pairing Weekend prompt.  We had no idea that this is actually #BrunchWeek for food bloggers who are also writing about Brunch this week!

But how many bloggers are writing about BRUNCH and WINE? Well, I’ll bet quite a few because for many a defining feature and interest in brunch is that they probably invented brunch so we could have wine with breakfast!

And for many, wine at brunch means BUBBLES! And while this was indeed true for many of us participating in Wine Pairing Weekend (scroll down and you’ll see!), Sue and I fell in love with a special Brunch Negroni!

Below you’ll find our brunch menu and recipes for Sue’s Strata and a Cold Brew Negroni cocktail that you will be sure to include in every brunch from now on!

Menu

Lemon-Buttermilk Scones with Quick Blackberry Jam

Mixed Greens Salad with Honey-Orange Dressing

BACON

Fresh Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Prosciutto Strata

Grits Casserole with Pesto Butter

Banana-Chocolate Brunch Cake

Sparkling Fruit Gelees

Bubbles for Brunch from Italy and France: What’s really fun about having a gathering of a large group of people? You can open a lot of bottles and taste the bubbles and know that everything will be enjoyed! 

Gigi Prosecco DOC – Made with organic grapes – $8.99 at Trader Joe’s

Sue used this fruit forward prosecco in the fruit gelees and it was perfect for that, but a little too sweet for our tastes.  Great for the fruit dish and just right as a mimosa mixer. Sue bought this at Trader Joes.

Conegliano Valdobbiandene Prosecco Superiore – $9.99 at Trader Joe’s

For under $10 this is a nice Prosecco that’s not too sweet. On the nose, lots of tropical fruit including banana and pineapple, but overall rather non-descript but all right to drink. On the palate, minerals and tropical fruit with a little bit of rubber on the finish. This is a nice looking bottle and would be a good choice to bring to a brunch gathering because you can drink it on its own or mix with orange juice for a mimosa or other cocktail. Sue bought this at Trader Joes.

Blanc de Blancs – French Sparkling Wine – $5.99 at Trader Joe’s

Red and golden delicious apples on the nose which comes across on the palate as well. Best when well chilled. The bubbles have a nice effervescence to them. This is Sue’s go to as a mimosa mixer because of the price, however it is surprisingly delightful on its own for the price. Tastes like it cost twice as much.

Cremant D’Alsace – Brut Rose – Pierre Spark – Méthode traditionnelle $12

Pretty pink in color, this cremant greets you with a lovely yeasty nose.  Fruity but not sweet, this wine went great with the strata, was good with the salad, did not like the salty pesto butter that was atop our grits soufflé, but did pair well with the grits without the pesto butter. You could use this wine in a sparkling wine cocktail, but it is a great wine on its own. Easy going, easy drinking, pair with food or not!

This wine was a sample for my review consideration. Thank you!

Cremant D’ Alsace – Lucien Albrecht – Brut Rose $18

I’ve been blogging long enough that I’ve received this wine before as a sample more than once. And I’ve bought it. More than once. Or twice. Or more than that. And every time I bring it, like last year to a brunch, people are like: YEAH!

If you are going to a brunch at someone’s house, bring this wine. Enough said.

This is such a light delicate sparkling wine with light delicate bubbles that is very nice for the price. It is not sweet, but it has ample fruit that gives it a sweetness. This is an easy to find wine with a nice label.  A beautiful color, it’s very festive in the glass.  It went well with the fruit glees, but did not like the scone as well. However , this went really well with the strata the egg and cheese and procuitto flavors and we could definitely see it working with quiche.

This wine was a sample for my review consideration. Thank you!

Cold Brew Negroni Cocktail –

1 – oz – Sweet Vermouth but we used and recommend La Quintinye Vermouth Royal
1 – oz – Campari
1 – oz – Cold Brew Coffee

Sue found this recipe in the May issue of  Wine Enthusiast, and we knew we had to make it!  This cocktail went great with our lemon buttermilk scones, and pretty much every thing we tried it with. This beverage was clearly the winner for me because when it came to pairing, it went well with everything.

Do you pay attention to the Vermouth you use in your cocktails? It was never something I considered before but I will now! La Quintinye Vermouth Royal  has so much more character than a typical inexpensive vermouth: it offers very intense yet complex and delicate herbal qualities, and I look forward to using it in a classic gin martini up with a twist.

This is not your typical vermouth. It can be sipped and tolerated on its own over ice. Herbal medicinal nose, menthol sage,  herbs, cardamom. and all of this goes so well with the herbal qualities in the Campari. Then the earthy, mocha notes of the cold brew coffee made this a wonderful, refreshing, palate cleansing cocktail.

Fresh Mozzarella, Sue-Dried Tomato, and Prosciutto Strata

Assemble the ingredients, chill overnight, and bake in the morning. If you don’t have enough time to refrigerate the bread mixture overnight, you can chill it for as little as three hours. This is a favorite brunch recipe in Sue’s family.

• 1 pound rosemary focaccia, cut into 3/4 inch cubes (about 15 cups)
• 3 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• 8oz eggs or egg substitute
• 1/4 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1  garlic clove minced
• 4 oz prosciutto, chopped
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
• 1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.

Combine milk, creme fraiche, and eggs in a large bowl stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add tomatoes and garlic, stirring with a whisk. Add bread stir gently to combine. Let stand 5 minutes

Pour half of bread mixture into a 13×9 – inch baking dish coated with cooking spray Arrange prosciutto and mozzarella evenly over bread mixture. Top with remaining bread mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Uncover dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm.

 

So who joined the Wine Pairing Weekend Gang for Brunch on Saturday May 13? And what did we bring to the table? Lots of bubbles! And a lot more!

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm  posts on “My Choice for a Casual, Relaxed Brunch……comes in a box!! #WinePW”

Cindy from Grape Experiences  offers “Let’s Do Brunch with Blinis and Bellinis”

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs “Blueberries and Bubbles: Mustikkakeitto + Elderflower-Prosecco Cocktail“

Michelle of Rockin’ Red Blog asks “Bubbles for Breakfast? It Must Be Brunch!“

Lori from Dracaena Wines shares “When You Don’t Want a Typical Quiche for Your #WinePW Brunch””

Jill from L’occasion has a few “Fresh American Wines for Brunch.”

David from Cooking Chat brings “Kale Pesto Grilled Cheese with a Rosé”

Jeff of Food Wine Click suggests you “Add a Little Sparkle to Your Brunch.”

Lauren  the Swirling Dervish has  “Three Brunch Salads with Wines to Match”

Sue of Palatable Pasttime tells us  “How we roll for brunch in Spring: Breakfast Egg Rolls with Maywine”

No brunch blog post? No worries!  Catch our live Twitter Chat on Saturday, May 13 PST by searching for the #winePW hashtag on Twitter at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PST. This week is actually “Brunch Week” so you’ll find lots of brunch ideas on social media!

Next month is “Wine Pairings for Grilled Meat” on June 10 hosted by Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla. (#winePW 37).  You can get a list of all the past and upcoming #winePW events by visiting the Wine Pairing Weekend page.