We’ve all been there: it’s Sunday morning, you went out the night before and you need something to get your day going. In these situations, a good diner breakfast reigns supreme. The formula for a good brunch is fluffy pancakes, a savory egg skillet and something healthy, like a chia pudding parfait, to offset the calories. All three of these recipes can be customized, so you’ll never get bored.
With a little preplanning and elbow grease, you can make a meal that would put the best brunch joints to shame. It’s easier than it appears, and the overworked brunch cooks will thank you. The best part is that you don’t even need to put on pants – as long your roommates don’t mind, of course.
Banana Pancakes
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 3 eggs, separated
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted; plus some for cooking
- Pinch of salt
- Sliced bananas
- Blueberries
- Maple syrup
Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.
Melt the butter over low heat and mix in a separate bowl with buttermilk and egg yolks.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in buttermilk mixture.
Mix until just incorporated. It’s okay if it’s a little lumpy. Overmixing will cause your pancakes to lose their airiness and come out gummy.
Whip the egg whites until they foam and start getting some volume.
Fold into the batter.
Once the batter is made, allow it to rest in the fridge for a few minutes to let the baking powder and acid from the buttermilk work their chemistry magic.
Heat skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
Add a knob of butter to grease the pan.
Once melted and bubbling, pour 1/3 cup of batter – don’t squash it down. As it cooks it’ll flatten out.
Add the banana slices and blueberries into the batter.
Don’t flip the pancakes until you see the edges start to brown and the batter stops bubbling.
Once that happens, flip them and cook for a minute or so to allow the other side to turn golden brown.
Serve warm with a pat of butter and maple syrup.
Egg Skillet with Chorizo and Potatoes
- ½ bag Southern-style diced hash browns
- 2 fresh Mexican chorizos, casings removed
- 1 can roasted green chiles
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pack cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 eggs
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil.
Crumble chorizo into the pan and brown.
Remove chorizo from the pan, reserving the rendered oil.
Cook the onions and potatoes in the oil until the edges of the potatoes start to brown.
Add the tomatoes, chiles and chorizo.
Mix evenly and make 6 wells for the eggs.
Crack the eggs into the wells and put the skillet in the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes or until whites are set and egg yolks are runny.
Note: If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can just make the hash in the pan and transfer it to a cake tin for baking.
Chia Pudding Parfait
- 1 ½ cups coconut milk
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- Zest of 1 lime
- cup cut berries
- Almonds
Combine honey, coconut milk, zest and Greek yogurt.
Stir in chia seeds and pour into container.
Rest in the fridge for three hours until it’s set.
When ready to serve, top with chopped almonds and berries or fruit of your choice.