Thursday, July 19, 2007

Brunch recipe

AWTM asked for brunch potluck recipes and I recalled my favorite fancy brunch dish that I make. I decided that since my paper recipe is becoming tattered and stained, it would be a good idea to type it now while I still have it.
here it is:

Phyllo Sausage –Egg Bake

1 Tbs butter
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 medium (1/2 cup) onion, chopped
4 oz. (1 ½ cups) sliced fresh mushrooms
½ lb sausage (I usually use a medium-spice breakfast type, but you can use Italian or whatever you like)
5 eggs
4 oz (1cup) shredded Monterey jack cheese
10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed,drained (can use broccoli instead)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tbs parsley flakes
20 frozen phyllo pastry sheets, thawed
¾ - 1 cup butter, melted

In a large skillet over medium heat melt 1 Tbs butter. Saute red pepper, onion and mushrooms until tender, remove mixture and put it aside. In same skillet, brown sausage until no longer pink, drain. Add to mushroom mixture. In medium bowl, beat eggs lightly, stir in Monterey jack cheese and mushroom-sausage mixture
In another medium bowl, mix together spinach, ricotta and parsley.
Unroll phyllo sheets, cover with plastic wrap or towel.
Place 1 phyllo sheet in 13x9-inch baking dish, folding to fit if necessary. B+rush with melted butter, repeat with 4 more sheets of phyllo dough, brushing butter between each layer. Spread half of mushroom-sausage-egg mixture on top of dough, layer 5 more sheets of phyllo dough, brushing butter between each layer. Spread all of the spinach/ricotta mixture. 5 more layers of phyllo dough and brushed butter. Remaining mushroom-sausage-egg mixture. 5 more layers of phyllo dough with butter brushed between each layer. Brush top with butter. Score top of phyllo dough in diamond shape.
You can refrigerate this up to 24 hours in advance before baking.
Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes or until top is nice golden brown
9-12 good size servings, more if cut smaller.
I double this recipe all the time and bake in my giant lasagna pan.
Of course, this is the recipe I use each time but I usually up the amounts of the Monterey jack cheese and the sausage.
More sausage + more cheese = yummy

Oh, another great to impress brunch recipe is fruit pizza. Especially now that it's summer.
Tube of sugar cookie dough, spread out into circle and bake as 1 big cookie.
cool and spread with whipped cream cheese that has been mixed with a little sugar and lemon juice (both to taste)
Top with fresh fruit- whatever pattern you like, blueberries, kiwi, strawberries, whatever is in season.
Warm a jar of apricot jam in the microwave and brush it on top for a glaze.

OhOh, another impressive recipe... baked brie
Take a wheel of brie, slice horizontally to make 2 wheels.
Spread a few tablespoons of apricot jam in the middle and sandwich the pieces together.
Open a can of crescent rolls, press the seams together.
Wrap the brie wheel in the rolls like a present, place seam side down on a cookie sheet.
You can decorate the top with the extra crescent dough, I've rolled it out and used cookie cutters. I think the prettiest was overlapping leaves. Brush the top with egg wash.
Bake according to the crescent roll package until golden brown.
Serve with water crackers , a nice time to use the pretty little cheese knives you have laying around in the junk drawer too.

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