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I've thrown all kinds of parties in my day: holiday parties, Oscar parties, Dance Dance Revolution tournaments where I memorized the moves in order to ensure my victory.
Yet for a few reasons, the brunch party was always my final frontier. For starters, I am aggressively not a morning person. I can barely drag my groggy ass to an AM meal that somebody else makes for me, let alone cook one myself + loved ones. Dinner parties are an all-day affair in my house, the result of hours of prepping and preening — and there's just no world where I'm rising with the sun to bang that out before hosting brunch.
But this old dog can still learn a new trick or two, and discovering the make-ahead brunch has been a bona fide game-changer. By putting in some elbow grease the day before, you can have a leisurely Sunday call time that still allows you to wow guests before noon. All the recipes below require basically nothing from you on the day, so you can show up to your own party as hungover as your friends will, if that's what your heart desires.
That's called having your scone and eating it too.
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A DRINK AND A BITE
First things first: setting the arrival time. I'd recommend 11am, since it'll give you and your guests an unharried morning. When they arrive, a few will probably be in need of a nice dose of hair of the dog, and luckily brunch cocktails are even easier to whip up than the food is. Filthy's Bloody Mary Mix makes for a killer namesake drink with vodka or gin, but an even better Bloody Maria if you use mezcal. Either version looks plenty garnished with a stick of celery, a lemon wedge, and some Pimento olives. You can also grab a few bottles of fresh-squeezed juices for any friends who'd rather stay non-alcoholic, keeping a few bottles of Prosecco on deck for making them into mimosas.
Rather than rushing everyone to the table, set out an easy snack to anchor the debrief on the weekend's events. My favorite go-to is a smoked fish dip, which only gets more flavorful when it has time to sit overnight in the fridge. On Saturday afternoon, follow Ina Garten's recipe (with a flavorful smoked fish like Fishwife's); on Sunday morning, just garnish the finished dip with chives and set out some buttery crackers. The good people at Ritz will never let you down.
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THE MAIN EVENT
For your brunch entree, knock out your egg dish and your carb in one fell swoop with this overnight spinach and gruyere strata. As strata is a breakfast casserole, a sort of savory bread pudding by another name, assembling it the day before gives the bread time to absorb that egg custard before baking. Since it needs to bake for close an hour, pop it in the oven once you're up and showered on Sunday, letting it finish before your friends even arrive. You can always reheat it for a few before sitting down.
Especially since you'll want that oven hot for oven bacon, the culinary hack I never get tired of evangelizing for. Instead of frying bacon a few slices at a time on the stovetop, invest in a full-size sheet pan and roast an entire pound of it at once. All you have to do is set your tray of bacon in a cold oven, set it to bake at 400 and start a timer for 20 minutes. The rising temperature of the preheating oven allows the bacon to render its fat slowly, and the timing yields perfectly crispy pieces every time.
You'll want something fresh to go with all that richness, and while a fruit salad might sound passé, adding herbs and griddled halloumi will make it totally addictive. Feel free to use whichever melons you like and play around with the vinegar too: something unique like Acid League's Rare Citrus will only help to deepen flavors. You can slice the fruit, sear the cheese and make the dressing a day ahead, meaning all you'll have to do at showtime is toss it all in a serving bowl.
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THE SWEETEST SHOWSTOPPER
There are plenty of breakfast pastries you could make (or outsource), but one was the genesis for me wanting to host brunch in the first place: Sohla El-Waylly's Giant Almond Croissant. From the moment I saw the video of her making them, I knew I'd have to get over my nocturnal inclinations. There are so many great time-saving components here, chief among them the use of store-bought puff pastry.
But all puff pastries are not created equal: most grocery store brands use vegetable oils instead of butter. Make sure you're using an all-butter variety, like the gold-standard Dufour, and that your almond flour is blanched. Just spread the prepared filling on the pre-baked pastry before sitting down for the meal – it can complete its final 20-25 minute bake while you and your guests enjoy the savory dishes.
Once it's out of the oven, just slice and serve, and bask in the glow of crossing the finish line without breaking a sweat. With your friends satiated and (more than likely) buzzed, who knows where the day will take you?
Probably back to bed for a mid-day nap, and for that you have my full support. You put in the hard work ahead of time, so even a Sunday spent entertaining can still be a day of rest.
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