Sunday Brunch
Simple, Delicious Recipes for Leisurely Mornings
by Betty Rosbottom
Chronicle Books
June 6, 2012
$19.95/Paperback
Color Photographs
ISBN-13: 978-1452105352

Contact: David Hawk
415-537-4276
David_Hawk@chroniclebooks.com

Betty Rosbottom, beloved author of Sunday Soup and Sunday Roasts, knows how to make Sundays feel special. For this third title in her Sunday series, Rosbottom turns to the most leisurely and convivial meal of the week—brunch. Providing a year’s worth of these special meals, this book contains 50 mouthwatering recipes for eggs, stratas, pancakes, waffles, quickbreads, hash, and beverages, as well as 25 tantalizing color photographs and dozens of delicious menus. Full of enduring staples and delicious surprises, Sunday Brunch will become the essential text for a lifetime of Sunday meals.

About the Author

Betty Rosbottom has been a cooking teacher, columnist, and cookbook author for two decades. She lives part-time in Amherst, Massachusetts, and Paris, France.

Sample Recipes

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

Ricotta cheese gives these golden pancakes their rich, smooth texture, while a generous addition of lemon zest provides a refreshing citrus accent. Beaten egg whites contribute a light airiness to the batter. The scrumptious blueberry sauce that accompanies these griddle cakes is simple to assemble, but needs a little simmering time to concentrate the flavors. You can make the sauce three days ahead and reheat it at serving time.

Makes 12 Pancakes, to serve 4

Blueberry Sauce
1 cup/240 ml cold water
1/2 cup/100 g sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups/280 g fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries (defrosted and patted dry)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Pancakes
2/3 cup/80 g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, separated
1 cup/225 g whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup/240 ml whole milk
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
Canola oil

1.    For the Blueberry Sauce: Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a heavy, medium saucepan and stir until blended. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the blueberries and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, for about 5 minutes. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes.

2.    Purée the sauce in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain the puréed sauce through a fine-meshed sieve back into the saucepan. Return to medium heat and cook at a simmer until reduced to 1 cup/240 ml, about 30 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon. (The sauce can be prepared 3 days ahead; cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over low heat when needed.)

3.    For the pancakes: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, ricotta, milk, sugar, and lemon zest until well blended. Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients.

4.    With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites until they are just firm. Gently stir one-third of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

5.    Heat a griddle or a large, heavy frying pan set over medium to medium-low heat until hot, and then brush the pan with just enough oil to coat the surface. Working in batches, pour a generous 1/4 cup/60 ml measures of the batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on the top and pancakes are golden brown on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and cook until golden brown on other side, about 2 minutes. Remove to a warm platter, and cover loosely with foil. (Do not stack the pancakes or they will steam and become flabby.) Repeat, adding more oil to the griddle until all the batter has been used.

6.    To serve, arrange three overlapping pancakes on each of four plates, drizzle with some warm blueberry sauce, and serve.

Eggs Baked with Crème Fraîche, Crab, and Tarragon

In a small Paris café one warm summer day, I ordered an “oeuf en cocotte au crabe et l’estragon,” which translates as “an egg in a dish with crab and tarragon.” I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after my first bite, I was in heaven. The chef had baked an egg in a small gratin pan, and then topped it with fresh crab, crème fraîche, and a sprinkling of fresh tarragon. This dish included only four major ingredients, but they were magical together. A basket of lightly toasted country bread accompanied my “oeuf,” and I used it to sop up the delicious residue in the pan

Serves 4

1/2 cup/120 ml crème fraîche
1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 eggs, preferably large or extra large
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 oz/115g fresh crab meat, picked over and brought to room temperature for 30 minutes
4 tsp chopped fresh tarragon

1.    Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C/gas 4.

2.    Place the crème fraîche in a small saucepan and set over low heat just to liquefy, 1 minute or less. Set aside.

3.    Generously butter the baking dishes. Break an egg into each dish, and then place the dishes on the center rack and bake until the white of each egg is firm and the yolk is thickened (but still runny), 8 to 12 minutes. Start checking the eggs at 8 minutes. Watch carefully and, when done, remove from the oven. (Note: Although the eggs are cooked in this recipe, the yolks are still soft. Children, the elderly, or those with immune deficiencies might want to avoid eggs with yolks that are slightly undercooked.)

4.    Season each egg with salt and pepper. Sprinkle some fresh crab in a ring around each yolk, and then spoon 2 tbsp crème fraîche (or the heavy cream/sour cream mixture) over the crab. Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of tarragon. Serve immediately.

These Recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:

Recipes from SUNDAY BRUNCH by Betty Rosbottom (Chronicle Books; June 6, 2012; $19.95/Paperback; ISBN-13: 978-1452105352). www.chroniclebooks.com/